Online Photo
Downtown Oklahoma City was once overlooked, deteriorating and lacking updates, however, about 20 years ago residents decided it was time for a change, and thus a campaign to revitalize the city was initialized.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the MAPS Program, which was introduced by Mayor Ron Norick. There was a point in time when college professors were urging their students to leave Oklahoma City and pursue a more thriving city, that appears to be changing.
In 2009, Oklahoma City was ranked 35th in the country as home for the millennial (born in the 1980s and 1990s) generation. By 2012, however, it had jumped to 12th in the nation for attracting young people.
Senior Megan Kernell said she plans on staying in the Oklahoma City area after graduation.
“Since the city is growing, the job opportunities are growing as well,” Kernell said.
With city growth comes new points of interests within the city. One of the latest additions to Midtown is the Bleu Garten, the first of its kind in Oklahoma City. The venue holds up to six different food trucks daily (a rotating schedule is available on www.bleugarten.com) and dozens of outdoor tables.
According to their website, Bleu Garten’s goal “is to not only provide a venue where food trucks can be hired as independent contractors to serve customers, but also to provide a venue where their customers will be provided clean restrooms, shaded seating, misters, heaters, light music and theater entertainment – a combination of luxury that no food truck in Oklahoma has been able to acquire and few food truck parks in the nation provide.”
One of the newest projects to be announced and underway is the men’s clothing boutique, “Slim,” whose motto is “Look good, feel good, be envied.” The store will be catering to more European tastes and will carry lines such as Bertigo and Via Uomo.
Slim, set to open in January, is located in the Deep Deuce district. Before the city-wide revamp, the Deep Deuce district was mainly comprised with boarded up buildings and empty lots. With all the changes that have occurred, Slim’s men boutique will sit across from the recently-opened $18 million Aloft Hotel.
Junior Emily Kennedy grew up in Edmond and has noticed the changes in Oklahoma City since she was younger.
“You can definitely tell that in the downtown district there are way more apartment buildings going up, and a fancy new hotel and the Devon tower, and all the offices that came with that,” Kennedy said. “There’s a lot more people and lot more places to live. There’s so much more going on.”
Other Oklahoma City areas such as Bricktown, the Boathouse District, the Asian District, the Plaza District, the Paseo Arts District, Midtown and Uptown are seeing changes.
“I like Bricktown and the River walk and the Chesapeake Energy Arena,” Kernell said. “I like that it’s small enough that I can walk around but large enough that I don’t end up in the same place all the time.”
Richard McKown, a self-proclaimed dog enthusiast, decided the ever-growing Deep Deuce district needed a park dogs could enjoy as well as a place that owners could enjoy too. His love for dogs stemmed “Anchor Down”—both a dog park and a gourmet hotdog truck.
He enlisted “The Mule,” a popular grilled cheese restaurant, that was wanting to open a gourmet hot dog stand. The truck-like kitchen will be located in OK Sea, a shipping container built on the edge of the park, but will have ample seating to sit outside to enjoy their food and drinks while their dogs play.
“Part of living downtown is the need to be more pet-friendly,” McKown said, in a NewsOK article. “As we began to plot out a neighborhood dog park to this little plaza, the dog park seemed like it would be a great way to animate the neighborhood and create a better link between Deep Deuce and Bricktown.”
Oklahoma City leaders broke ground Oct. 20 on Riversport Rapids OKC Whitewater Rafting & Kayaking center, located in the Boathouse District. When it is completed, the center will be an 11-acre whitewater center for families and elite athletic training.
Through Riversport Rapids, a person will be able to kayak down an Olympic Style slalom course, whitewater raft or surf in the pool. This aquatic facility will be one of only a few in the world.
“The basic structure is still the same, but there’s a lot more hustle and bustle than their used to be,” Kennedy said.
Once a spot older generations apologized for, Oklahoma City is now on the rise, Kernell said.
“Growing up in the suburbs, I missed having things to do all the time,” Kernell said. “In the downtown city, there is stuff going on every moment, whether it’s a festival or a ballgame. There’s always something to do and I believe that is why the generation our age loves the urban area so much.”
0
0
Be First to Comment