What do you think of Lawton?

Hi my name is James Lawton from England. when doing some research on my family history i came your city and i am now trying to find out if my faimly has any contection to your city.
plus i would like to know what Lawton OK is like as i would like to vist it.

A very laid back metro city of about 95K located in southwest oklahoma near the foot of the wichita mountain range.
Home of Fort Sill Oklahoma, Goodyear, cameron University.

from a former sooner living in montana

Not much thats good! Lousy city councel, poor "at best" police service, over taxed, under serviced. But it is close to Texas line so I can drive there to avoid Oklahome food TAX on foods that I buy.

I got job transfere to Fort Sill From Jacksonville, FL. i would like to know what Lawton OK is like?

I would not have come here unless the military made us. Coming from the Northeast where educational standards are excellent, jobs are abundant, and minimum wage is $6.75 not $5.15, I can vouch for The Dog Man in saying that this is not a place I would live in by choice. The housing market is digusting at best, with the exception being new homes that have been built on the far east and west sides of the town. Why so far out? No one wants to live in Lawton. There was a drive by shooting less than a block away from my home Saturday night and we barely live a mile outside of the post gate. Its dry and hot, the landscape is brown and baren, the city is dirty at best, the economy is horrible, it is unsafe to raise children here and the roads are not maintained.

THE DOG MAN wrote:

<quoted text>
STAY THERE JACKSONVILLE IS 100 TIMES BETTER THAN FT SILL/LAWTON IF I HAD NOT GOTTEN STUCK HERE IN THE ARMY I WOULD NEVER HAVE WANTED TO LIVE HERE

Is Lawton that bad?

I am only 20 but I have lived here my whole life and my family owns a couple businesses in town. I know that Lawton has problems, but I think everything is magnified for the people who move here and haven't been here their whole life. The citizens and soldiers at Fort Sill have helped grow our businesses and made us successful. If Fort Sill ever got shut down so would this town, it worries all the citizens every couple years when the BRAC starts there work. Over all its probably not a town I would move to from somewhere else but after being here its not all that bad.

What's the Appreciation rate for Lawton's Homes?

Anonymous wrote:

I would not have come here unless the military made us. Coming from the Northeast where educational standards are excellent, jobs are abundant, and minimum wage is $6.75 not $5.15, I can vouch for The Dog Man in saying that this is not a place I would live in by choice. The housing market is digusting at best, with the exception being new homes that have been built on the far east and west sides of the town. Why so far out? No one wants to live in Lawton. There was a drive by shooting less than a block away from my home Saturday night and we barely live a mile outside of the post gate. Its dry and hot, the landscape is brown and baren, the city is dirty at best, the economy is horrible, it is unsafe to raise children here and the roads are not maintained.
<quoted text>

Perhaps you should have made a better career choice. It is not good to be sent to places you don't want to go and then have to worry about minimum wage jobs. I have lived in Lawton 37 years and have built a new home on the West side. Expanding the limits of the city is called "growth" and is desired in most communities.

Lawton citizen wrote:

Not much thats good! Lousy city councel, poor "at best" police service, over taxed, under serviced. But it is close to Texas line so I can drive there to avoid Oklahome food TAX on foods that I buy.

Clearly the educational system failed you as well. Try using spell check next time.

We also moved here due to military transfer. The people we spoke to who have lived here before we moved all said that this place a hole. Upon arrival, we were utterly disappointed, having grown up and lived in large cities all our lives. Someone mentioned that it is a "metro" city, it's not even close, it's a small town. Wages are low, education standards are low, availability of foods and products is poor, quality of housing options is very poor. Cost of newer homes, cost of education and gas are all as high as large cities if not higher. The place felt like a dump to us.

HOWEVER, after 4 months of living here, we have learned what it's like to live an almost stree-free life, it's completely relaxing, my husband's job in the army is stree-free and he gets to go fishing on post almost everyday. We hardly ever argue about anything anymore, even financial issues due to the fact that I had to give up my well-paid job and now are living on one income. Our 3yo is enjoying her preschool, and we manage to find places to go to on the weekends, eg. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma City Zoo, Wichita Falls in Texas, and of course the good-ole Walmart! Although we would not choose to live here long term, but it's growing on us. I've met several military families who have decided to stay and retire here because they enjoy the place so much. I hope this helps any families that are planning on moving to Lawton. Initially it may seem bad, but it's not that bad!

Having moved here from Alabama, when I am asked, do I like it here, I answer by saying, I could think of worse places to live.
There is alot about this place I do not like.
Police service sucks big time, Im a single mom, one night I happen to catch a man in my back yard, trying to get in my house. I watched him through the crack in the blinds, he did not see me, I called 911, stayed on the line with them as I watched him go from window to window then stopping to pee on my storm shelter door, then he ducked off in a blind spot and lost track of where he went. 20 minutes before the cops showed up, redicious, I was scared to death and pissed at the same time, they walked around my house, never came back in to talk to me, got in their car and left..just like that. I never see a cop any the schools my kids go to or have gone to, unless there is some kind of "scare", what happen to the cops who use to sit at the schools making sure you do the 20 mph and not zooming through doing which I see alot. The 6th and 7th graders who have to cross over cache road to get to Central Jr High do so on their own, there is not crossing guard, no hand signals or button for these kids to push, granted they are 12 and 13 year olds, but that is a very busy area in the mornings, I have seen first hand a few kids have a couple a scarey close calls cause someones in a hurry and don't think about they school, there is not even a flashing school signal zoon there. I brought this up to city councils, I was basically ingored.
I live in a middle class area, mostly military and older people, prostitues walk up and down my street, I have to explain to my 12 year old why he was seeing her so much.
Then their is the drainage, who ever designed the layout of the drainage system is almost as bad as the person who designed the street layouts.
Gangs and Drugs are taking over this town. I talk my youngest son to school and see kids buying and selling drugs in broad daylight, in school zones..they know there is not cops going to be around. The best thing Lawton has I enjoy is some of the parks and of coarse the wild life refugee.

We are also military and moved to Lawton 5 years ago. The military families who are talking about this place being a "hole" and "dirty" have obviously never been to Ft. Riley Kansas. The town outside of there (Juntion City) is a dump! Lawton to me is not your typical military town, it has most of the decent food chains and stores. They seemed to have cleaned the place up a bit, as there are not strip clubs everytime you turn around. Be glad you aren't in Junction City, as you leave the gate of Ft. Riley you get to pass 3 strip clubs, 4 bars, a trailer park that is a wreck and the sewer plant. Lawton has been a nice place for our family. It is all of what you make it. Yes, there are some downfalls just like anywhere. I would say Lawton is overcrowded. They have the worst McDonalds with the slowest employees ever! It is so dang hot in the summer. But, hey I can deal with that. No, ice storms that last for months, no blizzards etc. It is not so bad.

I was born there and lived there for 29 years. Notice my user name ? I live there no longer and was the best decision I made. I only wish I had made it sooner !!!!

DFW1972 wrote:

I was born there and lived there for 29 years. Notice my user name ? I live there no longer and was the best decision I made. I only wish I had made it sooner !!!!

Hey DFW, does the 1972 refer to your birth year? I've been trying to track down a boy (not sure of the name) that was born sometime in the late months of 1972. His mother was an indian and his father was stationed at Fort Sill. If you know anyone looking for a Gary Thomas, let me know. I'm Gary's oldest child.

YES!!! I love the Grammer Police!!!!! WTF???

Living large in Lawton wrote:

<quoted text> Clearly the educational system failed you as well. Try using spell check next time.

I was searching something else and saw this site and I just want to comment on all the negative things people say about Lawton. I grew up in Lawton but now reside in Dallas and I can truly say that Lawton is not that bad of a place to live. I mean sure there is not an express or a olive garden or things to do that other big cities would usually offer but it is slowly starting to grow. People do not have to worry about sitting in traffic FOREVER in the day,I could be 5 minutes away from my house and I have to wait 20 minutes to get there, people that DO NOT know how to drive and constantly cut people off, you don't have to worry about getting in a carwreck every 5 secomdss, People are very friendly and humble compared to here. Not all people but alot of people arereally rude out here and I just want to knock some sense into them. Everyone down here is so segregated compared to Lawton where it is so diverse everyone talks to everyone. Basically Lawton has the same problems that other cities would have. Other cities have drive bys, break ins, little wanna be gangstas parading around the city. Other cities have to deal with drugs i.e. Plano, TX a bunch of little rich white kids od'ing on Heroin. Dallas ranks high in the most crimes being commited. It's all in how a child is raised by their parents. I went to Lawton High School and there was a police officer on duty there and there was someone creeping around my friend's back yard and the police thouroughly searched her house/yard took fingerprints. When I go to visit police are hot all over the town and I see them EVERYWHERE. They just have too many people and crackheads to deal with. I will say Lawton does have ALOT of iceheads and crackheads but like I said what city doesn't. So if you are stubborn and do not like change don't move here but if you are stationed here it may seem like a dump but it will grow on you. Oh and another thing I am not a racist in anyway because my daughter is half hispanic BUT you do not have to worry about 20 million drunk illegal hispanic males trying to hit on you.

I would not have come here unless the military made us. Coming from the Northeast where educational standards are excellent, jobs are abundant, and minimum wage is $6.75 not $5.15,

WELL BUDDY ALL I HAVE TO SAY TO THIS IS THAT COST OF LIVING IN THE NORTHEAST IS SKYHIGH COMPARED TO OKLAHOMA AND THAT WOULD BE WHY MINIMUM WAGE IS HIGHER THERE COMPARED TO HERE.

We bought a home here 3 months ago. We will be putting it up for sale shortly to get out of this communistic city. On Feb 13, 2007, the local city board voted to not allow any dogs or cats that were unspayed or unneutered to live in their precious city. Any person having in their possession a dog or cat that is NOT SPAYED OR NEUTERED will be fined 500.00 per animal. I understand pet population, but penalizing those who love and care for their pets is communistic.