Stillwater, OK

[ramprasad]

Any info?

[m.giugno]

I'm interested in OSU too!

Please, give us some useful infos! Thank you

[ramprasad]

Hello Ghionus, if you're going to OK State, can you tell me when you're going. I'm thinking of moving to Stillwater the first week of August -- haven't received any word on orientation or any other thing of that nature. Let me know if you have.

Thanks.

[5timesoutof100]

Hey guys,

Oklahoma native here, didn't go to OSU but visited plenty of friends who did during undergrad. Stillwater is definitely a college town but one with a cute personality. As far as I know, not really a clubbing/fancy bars kind of town, more of a dive bars and local restaurants place. Since it is college town-y, there is a young vibe.

Hope that helps!

[Sache]

It's a nice friendly as far as my visits were...

[DPP]

What info would you like? My husband and I both grew up in Stillwater, attended OSU for our undergrads and currently work on campus. I probably have more info than you need!

The campus is beautiful. The people are friendly. The community as a whole in Stillwater is very safe and practically crime free. The town itself survives mostly on the college. When school is out, half the population of Stillwater pretty much leaves town.

There is a busing transit system that travels pretty much all over town. There has been some talk of charging something like $.50 a ride, but I think it remains free for students with IDs as of right now. The busses will take you almost anywhere from campus to the surrounding areas of Stillwater (Wal-marts, shopping centers, etc.) For the most part almost all places for rent are within walking distance of campus - depending upon how far you want to walk, and bus stops around campus make things even more convenient. It's kind of ridiculous how lazy a person can be here and manage to avoid having to walk a block for anything. There are some substantial wait times for busses however. They do opperate on a schedule, but you will have to plan to leave well in advance to get on the bus at it's arrival time and then get to campus after the bus has traveled all over the place.

Rent price ranges:

1bed room apartments anywhere from $200 (really old/small/efficiency) to $450 (some all bills paid and cable included type things).

2bed room apartments anywhere from $350 to $700.

3bed room apartments or houses from $550 - 800

Of course there's more than just apartments. If you want to rent a house it will at least cost around $550, regardless of number of bedrooms.

If I had to pick an area of town to avoid, it's be anywhere south of 6th street and east of Washington, mainly because of drugs. I would also recommend you stay out of the "Forty North" apartments. I have known plenty of people that have lived there with no problems. They are cheap as all get out and just rows and rows of apartments. However there is a lot of crime there.

Other than that all of Stillwater is worth renting in, just depends upon your circumstance as far as vehicle, rent budget, proximety to campus, and noise. The areas directly south east of campus are where the greek housing is, and it tends to be quite noisy and chaotic over there. The roads that run parallel east and west of Washington on the North side of 6th can be noisey as well, because Washington street is where are the bars are located. Stillwater has a healthy bar scene and most the bars are all within walking distance of most the rental houses that surround campus.

The on campus housing is expensive but decent. There are some wet campus apartments. There are some campus apartments suites. There is married student living, but it's outrageously expensive and not really worth the stay. You might as well rent off campus.

Some rental companies that are local:

Cstar - http://www.c-star.com/

(my landlord) Amsco - http://local.yahoo.c...ment-stillwater

Stillwater Property Management - http://www.stillwaterpm.com/

CCD Rentals - http://www.ccdrentals.com/

The above list is only a few, of course, as there is a very competitive renting market in Stillwater. That, however, does not guarantee your landlord will be worth a damn.

There are not a lot of jobs in Stillwater. Let's just be really clear about that. If you want a substantial job, you'll have to look on campus, and as of right this moment there is a hiring freeze on campus. However that doesn't affect student positions. Student positions are abundant, but generally go to international workers first because they are not allowed to work off campus. You can expect a student position to pay minimum wage (Federal minimum wage) or maybe a bit higher than that. Grad student positions pay around $10/hr and are of course limited to the hours they can work. I don't know what it's like else where, only here, sorry if I'm being repetitive about something?

We plan to move away for grad school soon. My husband wants a more "urban" lifestyle, but if I had my way we'd be stuck in Stillwater our whole lives. It's just a really awesome community.

Oh well, one warning or tid bit, it's OKLAHOMA. Expect political conservativism, country/western style cowboys, and a whole lot of pick up trucks and churches

Edited November 1, 2009 by DPP

[JPennie]

The only thing I would add is that Stillwater is roughly an hour from both Oklahoma City and Tulsa, which both have airports and cultural events.

[babyjumbojet]

i want to resurrect this thread as i have been accepted to a phd program at ok state, and would like to know more about stillwater. i currently live in a decently-sized city, but i grew up in an isolated northern town of about 1000 people, so small town living doesn't really bother me, especially because it seems that tulsa and okc are pretty close.

could anyone give me any information about stillwater (and surrounding areas, i guess)? what the people are like, where to live, what rental costs are like, that kind of thing. also what sorts of recreational activities there are.. i'm pretty outdoorsy so i like to go hiking with my dog a lot, and i ride horses too, but i also like "city things" like going to shows, used bookstores, coffee houses, that kind of thing. how about the weather? i've lived in the northern part of the country all my life, and i imagine it's vastly different down there.

and if there is anything else you would like to add, that would be great. thanks!

[hubris]

i want to resurrect this thread as i have been accepted to a phd program at ok state, and would like to know more about stillwater. i currently live in a decently-sized city, but i grew up in an isolated northern town of about 1000 people, so small town living doesn't really bother me, especially because it seems that tulsa and okc are pretty close.

could anyone give me any information about stillwater (and surrounding areas, i guess)? what the people are like, where to live, what rental costs are like, that kind of thing. also what sorts of recreational activities there are.. i'm pretty outdoorsy so i like to go hiking with my dog a lot, and i ride horses too, but i also like "city things" like going to shows, used bookstores, coffee houses, that kind of thing. how about the weather? i've lived in the northern part of the country all my life, and i imagine it's vastly different down there.

and if there is anything else you would like to add, that would be great. thanks!

Stillwater is a college town, but a really small one. Basically you can drive around the entire town in 15 minutes.

Not many coffee shops (two come to mind) and bookstores (two?), environment is mellow.

Weather can be pretty drastic, ice and snow, and high 90s. Not a bad place to study, but fairly limited in offerings.

[columbia09]

Hey I'll be heading to OK State in the fall and I'd like to know about what the best way is to find an apartment is? I know the cost of living is relatively cheap so what's a good price for a furnished apartment? I don't really want to go through the headache of buying furniture or a tv. I plan on driving down there from NYC which will be a big move so any info will help. Also how's the gay life in OK State ? I'm guessing non-existing lol. But what about OKC or Tulsa ? I know Dallas is a four hour drive away so that could be a weekend trip or something  

[Courtney Whited]

Hello everyone, I am started a graduate program in English literature in Fall 2017, and one of the schools I am considering attending is Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.  While I have traveled, I've only ever lived in Knoxville, Tennessee.

I am just looking to see if anyone has advice about Stillwater, can tell me about the cost of living, give me a bit of information about the town's aesthetic, what there is to do, and the type of people that (generally) live there.  I want to make sure that my personality is a good fit for the environment and that I'll be able to make a group of friends when I get there.  

[nervous_nellie]

I'd be interested in also knowing this information. I will be moving to Stillwater in august for grad school!

[otobus]

It is glad to hear your acceptance. May I ask did you receive any information about funding for Oklahoma State English Lit. PhD program or are you still waiting?

[Courtney Whited]

2 hours ago, otobus said:

It is glad to hear your acceptance. May I ask did you receive any information about funding for Oklahoma State English Lit. PhD program or are you still waiting?

I am going into the Masters program, but I have yet to hear about funding. 

[szabo]

@Courtney Whited @nervous_nellie 

I currently live in Stillwater. I am doing my Master's and have been here since 2015. It's a "little big town" meaning that there are a variety of places to shop, eat, and hang out at but if you want more, then traveling to Oklahoma City or Tulsa are options. OKSTATE has a lot of different people coming from all kinds of backgrounds, so you definitely will find a good number of people who will share similar interests or personality traits as you. The locals are OK as well.

Cost of living: I currently rent in the $500 range but there are decent places under decent (and some good) property managers you can rent for in the $300 to $400 range. A lot of options too, even with jobs! 

All the best with your decisions!

Edited April 14, 2017 by szabo

[Kayce]

On 3/12/2017 at 3:28 PM, Courtney Whited said:

Hello everyone, I am started a graduate program in English literature in Fall 2017, and one of the schools I am considering attending is Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.  While I have traveled, I've only ever lived in Knoxville, Tennessee.

I am just looking to see if anyone has advice about Stillwater, can tell me about the cost of living, give me a bit of information about the town's aesthetic, what there is to do, and the type of people that (generally) live there.  I want to make sure that my personality is a good fit for the environment and that I'll be able to make a group of friends when I get there.  

Hey! So I went to undergrad at UTK and did an internship at OSU so I feel like I have to give my two cents! 

Transitioning from Knox to Stillwater was pretty easy. Knox generally has a pretty low cost of living and so does Stillwater so prices will be pretty similar, maybe a bit cheaper. The town has a vibe of being around campus, but will be pretty low population in summer, but that's nice because it's not crowded. People seemed nice, I easily fit in with the group I was working with and they showed me around a bit. Bigger cities are only about an hour away so if you need a change of scenery it's easy. As far as things to do, there are several fun bars and places to play trivia at. Some tasty restaurants and also some outdoors things like a botanical garden and lakes. Weather is similar to Knox in summer but dryer heat. 

Let me know if you have any other questions!