Oklahoma, Here We Come!

You mentioned purging, and I'd take that pretty far. Unless you're a person who has a lot of attachments to things, sentimental or otherwise, I would really get rid of as much stuff as possible. Most people only use a small fraction of their belongings, and IMO, the rest is baggage in a major move like this. My family moved overseas last year and is now living in an apartment that's about 1/4 the size of our old house. We left behind a ton of stuff. I miss my friends but not really the stuff.

I'd also get myself off mailing lists for catalogs, etc. because we all get so much junk mail and it'll keep coming to your house forever unless you stop it.

Good luck with the move! Don't worry, you have plenty of time and it'll all get done.

I just moved from the Tulsa area, specifically Broken Arrow, last summer. All of the schools in the areas you are considering are pretty good, although you may want to consider buying in Union school district. There are some Broken Arrow addresses in that school district and they are really good. Traffic isn't too bad, but you will want to consider the toll charges depending on where you'll be driving to work, if you will be. They aren't as expensive as most cities, but it does add up quickly.

Purge, purge, and then purge some more. With everything I had to do to get ready for the move, I decided against a yard sale and just donated all of the little things I wanted to get rid of. Bigger items I listed on Craigslist and Facebook. Take photos of how your electronics are hooked up. If you're taking apart furniture, use ziplocs to keep all the pieces together. Either make a box just for pieces or tape the bag to the furniture. Take pictures of all the furniture before the movers get ahold of it in case you need to claim damages. Number and color code the boxes according to rooms. Pack essentials like a box cutter, screwdrivers, toilet paper, sets of sheets, paper plates, etc in a tote so you have easy access when you first move in. Good luck with your move!

Find a house that has a basement if possible or a storm shelter. Tulsa gets what OKC had a couple of hours later. Most storms move from the SW to the NE.

There are many many things to do in Tulsa and OKC too. I think that looking at the schools closely will tell you all you need to know. My aunt lived in Jenks and loved it but she was an older woman. Her kids raised their kids there and they loved it too.

I think you'll do just fine.

The best schools in the area are Jenks, Union, or Broken Arrow but all the schools you listed are good. Your commute to/from work should probably be a bigger deciding factor as far as which district you want to live in. Tulsa has quite a bit to do for kids, we have a zoo, a Children's Museum, lots of sports leagues, etc. We have friends with kids in TPS schools, Bixby, and Broken Arrow and all have been very happy. If you want to PM me with a better location as to where you'll be working, I'd be happy to give you some specifics on what to expect travel wise!

Good luck! I have a dear friend from Tulsa that graduated from Jenks HS. I was born an raised in FL (down south) and lived in Oklahoma for several years (military). I love the midwest!! I hope you do too:)

How funny...reading your post i see you are from Jacksonville Fla...we may be relocating THERE from Ohio!
We are purging. Just to get rid of lots of stuff that has sat and collected dust! We moved here 2 years ago 3 hours away, and unpacking all this useless stuff was really frustrating! So I say definitely say purge, purge, purge!!!!
I also say rent for a year or so before buying again or settling on an area. I thought we'd love where we moved, and I do not! Don't like the neighborhood, or location of our house here!
Any tips on the Jacksonville area? ;)