<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6464" rel="attachment wp-att-6464"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-16-500x304.png" alt="Tulsa 1949 Film Movie" title="Tulsa 1949 Film Movie" width="500" height="304" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6464" /></a>

As a fifth generation Tulsan, it's easy for me to describe what comes to mind when I think about my hometown: Friendly, proud people. A mighty river. Rich, varied histories. Arts and music scenes that are the envy of larger cities in the region. The most beautiful skies.

But sometimes, it's hard for me to imagine how those from outside our city must think about us and where we live. So, as I usually do when I want to ask a bunch of people the same question at the same time, I wandered over to the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/tashadoestulsablog">Tasha Does Tulsa page on Facebook</a> and wrote:
<h2>Did you move to Tulsa from somewhere else? What did you think this place was all about before you got here?</h2>
A little later, I ask the same question of <a href="http://www.twitter.com/tashadoestulsa">the TDT followers on Twitter</a>. As you can imagine, the members of those online communities came up with some pretty interesting responses.

Here are some of my favorites.

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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=671118917">One loyal TDT reader</a> wrote that all he knew about the city before he came to live here could be wrapped up in the first two minutes of the 1949 film, Tulsa: 

<object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-GYDvrsrj0Y?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-GYDvrsrj0Y?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object>

Um, yeah. Pop culture has done a lot to brand us in the eyes of those who live beyond our borders.

But then, lots of folks who responded, many of them from California, Texas and southwest Missouri, cited a general lack of knowledge or opinion at all about Tulsa before they came to live here. It's a phenomenon confirmed by a study conducted by our Convention & Visitors Bureau a few years ago to understand perceptions of Tulsa before they launched the whole <a href="http://visittulsa.com/index.asp">I Am Tulsa campaign</a>. 

<a rel="attachment wp-att-6449" href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6449"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6449" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-2.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="399" height="44" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6450" rel="attachment wp-att-6450"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-31.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="398" height="41" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6450" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6453" rel="attachment wp-att-6453"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-6.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="397" height="52" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6453" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6451" rel="attachment wp-att-6451"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-4.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="395" height="91" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6451" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6455" rel="attachment wp-att-6455"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-8.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="398" height="80" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6455" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6454" rel="attachment wp-att-6454"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-7.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="399" height="88" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6454" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6456" rel="attachment wp-att-6456"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-9.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="399" height="144" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6456" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6462" rel="attachment wp-att-6462"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-15.png" alt="What Do You Think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What Do You Think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="400" height="144" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6462" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6463" rel="attachment wp-att-6463"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-17.png" alt="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Facebook" title="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Facebook" width="399" height="262" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6463" /></a>

Another theme of this conversation: There's a general contention that the pizza for which the northeastern part of the U.S. is so known simply can't be found in Tulsa. 

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6465" rel="attachment wp-att-6465"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-18.png" alt="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Facebook" title="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Facebook" width="401" height="198" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6465" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6458" rel="attachment wp-att-6458"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-11.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="397" height="181" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6458" /></a>

I think this is the reason why I find food so fascinating - it's so engrained in our appetites via the culture of wherever we grew up. It's a craving for people and places more than it is for actual food. 

The top amenities missed by the Tulsa transplants who joined this conversation seem to be the foods of other places - not giant theme parks or mega-sized, multi-use developments or vast bar and nightlife offerings. 

The beach was mentioned quite a bit, too. Hey, beach lovers - did you know that Oklahoma is home to more shoreline than the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts combined? <a href="http://www.gocampingok.com/aboutus.htm">That's more than any other state can claim</a>.

Hey, I'm just sayin'.  

Of course, not everyone has had glowing experiences in moving here: 

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6457" rel="attachment wp-att-6457"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-10.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="397" height="92" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6457" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6460" rel="attachment wp-att-6460"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-13.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="397" height="274" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6460" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6461" rel="attachment wp-att-6461"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-14.png" alt="What Do You Think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What Do You Think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="398" height="110" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6461" /></a>

Here are a few of the comments that proved to be community favorites: 

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6452" rel="attachment wp-att-6452"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-51.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="400" height="52" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6452" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6459" rel="attachment wp-att-6459"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-12.png" alt="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" title="What do you think of Tulsa? on Facebook" width="397" height="89" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6459" /></a>

Here's how Twitter chimed in: 

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6466" rel="attachment wp-att-6466"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-19-500x89.png" alt="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Twitter." title="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Twitter." width="500" height="89" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6466" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6469" rel="attachment wp-att-6469"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-22-500x86.png" alt="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Twitter." title="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Twitter." width="500" height="86" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6469" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6467" rel="attachment wp-att-6467"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-20-500x84.png" alt="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Twitter." title="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Twitter." width="500" height="84" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6467" /></a>

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=6468" rel="attachment wp-att-6468"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-21-500x86.png" alt="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Twitter." title="What Did You Think of Tulsa? On Twitter." width="500" height="86" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6468" /></a>

And then there was this response from Tulsa's newest devotee, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/adampalukafox23">Fox 23 reporter Adam Paluka</a>:

<blockquote>I had never even thought about Tulsa, let alone made plans to visit...

...Musicals aren't my thing, so I couldn't even hum our state's song. As for Tulsa, I was even more clueless. I knew OKC was the state capital. That was about it. So, I did what any clueless person does, I went to Wikipedia. I was happy to learn Tulsa had an airport, and surprised that the metro area had more than a million people... 

...When I got off the plane, I was surprised. There were busy highways. Cool shopping areas like Utica Square and Cherry Street. A downtown on verge of a complete and fortuitous rebirth. Tulsa has some of the best urban trails I have ever used, and this city has a concrete connection and commitment to the arts. It's cosmopolitan without being snobby, familiar without being boring, and it has a rich history without feeling trapped by what has happened.

I think people on the East Coast assume Oklahoma is all dirt roads and rodeos. And there's really nothing wrong with those things, but that isn't Oklahoma's reality. It is a state with the most amazing clouds I've ever seen. Some of the craziest weather known to man. And people who truly believe in the best in each other.

Tulsa is such an interesting town. Great neighborhoods. Amazing architecture. And plenty to do. It's not Dallas. And that's not a bad thing. Our traffic isn't terrible. Reservations aren't hard to make at our favorite restaurants. Finally, Tulsa has personality. It's a little insecure, but full of potential. I don't think Tulsa has yet to see its best days.

I said this once and I'll say it again, if you love Tulsa, Tulsa's going to love you back. You can't love a stranger, so it makes sense to get to know where you live.</blockquote>

Spot on? I think so. What say you? 

Read all of the responses to this question on Facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/tashadoestulsablog/posts/10150188043213508">here</a>.

If you missed out on the first part of this conversation, I'd love to hear what you have to say about whether or not you're from Tulsa and what you thought about this city before you came here. Feel free to post like crazy in the comments. 