Tulsa has changed over the years, as all cities have. The good shopping area used to be around 41st and Yale (the area where this shooting occurred), then the main shopping area became the 71st street corridor. It is still quite busy along there with the Woodland Hills Mall and many other stores, and restaurants, but it is changing. There are several older apartment complexes along 71st, and I think they are all going Section 8. That’s where the problem starts. The mall isn’t too bad during the week, but we avoid it on weekends, especially at night. The security there is a joke.
Owasso is booming (although it has slowed a bit due to the layoffs at American Airlines), and there are many new stores and restaurants there. Broken Arrow, Bixby, and Jenks area also growing, although parts of Broken Arrow are experiencing some “thug” creep.
The newest shopping area is called Tulsa Hills and it is off of Hwy. 75 in Jenks. It is an open air mall, though, and not a traditional one like Woodland Hills.
The old money shops at Utica Square at 21st and Utica. They have stores like Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn. The trendy area of town, Cherry Street, is near there. Lots of young people go there at night to party at the bars and restaurants, but it isn’t my cup of tea.
The streets are in dire need of repair and improvement, but the Chamber of Commerce types still want to spend citizens’ money on artsy-fartsy museums downtown and fanciful projects along the river.
Hope this helps.
That’s helpful... thanks!