Automobile Alley
This neighborhood along Broadway Avenue in Northeast Downtown was a popular retail district in the 1920s and was home to most of Oklahoma City\’s car dealerships. The area declined with the rest of Downtown in the 1970s and 1980s.

Today there is a considerable effort to turn Automobile Alley into Oklahoma City\’s newest upscale urban neighborhood. Efforts to redevelop the area are transforming the showrooms and storefronts of Automobile Alley into upscale lofts, galleries, and offices. Also in the area are many of downtown\’s earliest churches along Robinson Ave. (known as \”Church Row\”) in Midtown and the city\’s first high school, now the headquarters of Oklahoma Farmers Union Insurance.

Asian District
Oklahoma City has the largest Asian population in the state and is home to a rapidly growing cultural district officially deemed Asia District. Many cultures from all over Asia are represented in the shops and restaurants as well as the neighboring residential and commercial area.

Centered primarily along Classen Boulevard from NW 22nd Street to NW 30th, the region is the culturally diverse Chinatown community, with the strongest visually identifiable influence being Vietnamese. Tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees settled in the city during the 1970s after the fall of Saigon, leading the revival of what had previously been a declining neighborhood following a suburban “white flight” exodus of middle class residents. The district is often referred to as \’Little Saigon\’ by local residents, as it was and still is popularly known, despite the official renaming as the \’Asian District\’.  As the new Asian residents rebuilt the community, more immigrants moved into the area from countries beyond just Vietnam and Southeast Asia. It is now home to residents from all around the world.

Today the Asian District is a bustling cosmopolitan scene full of Asian cafés, art galleries, quaint apartments, retail shops, Asian delis, high-rise condos, and bars and restaurants of many varieties. One can often observe both international and domestic students from bordering Oklahoma City University, the Dove Science Academy, and the Classen School of Advanced Studies frequenting the neighborhood.

Capitol Hill and Riverside
Oklahoma City has the largest Hispanic population in the state with the majority residing in the SW and NW quadrants of the city. The Capitol Hill and Riverside districts, due south of downtown, are the center of Hispanic oriented commerce, culture, and nightlife.

Capitol Hill (located deceptively far from the actual State Capitol) was founded as a separate city during the land run and was later annexed into Oklahoma City. Hence, it has its own impressively well preserved main street business district along SE 25th Street, which has seen a revival in recent years. Capitol Hill was a popular middle class suburb early in the century, but as the population moved into the outer suburbs and the trolley lines that had connected it to downtown stopped running, the neighborhood went into decline.  It is one of OKC\’s liveliest neighborhoods. One can find almost anything in Capitol Hill, from recording studios to the oddly placed Oklahoma Opry to soccer supply shops and street-side taquerias.

Also due south of downtown, Riverside promises to be yet another major urban district for Oklahoma City. The master plan shows public parks and recreation space, residential neighborhoods, office parks, several \”urban waterfronts\” and river taxi docks along the waterfront. The recently completed Chesapeake Boathouse is a new Oklahoma City landmark on the Oklahoma River and a promising symbol for the Riverside District. Riverside is expected to be one of the best areas for development in Oklahoma City in the coming years. This area of Oklahoma City is also home to the Riverside Skate Park, located at 1700 S. Robinson. Riverside Skate Park is a 26,000 square foot mecca for skateboarders and other extreme sports enthusiasts. The park was designed by local extreme biking guru and national icon Mat Hoffman.

Deep Deuce
Deep Deuce, a few blocks north of Bricktown, ignited the downtown urban housing boom in the late 1990’s. The area consists mostly of low rise apartment buildings and various formerly vacant mixed use buildings. Deep Deuce was once the largest African American neighborhood downtown in the 1940s and 1950s, and was the regional center of culture and jazz music. Bands such as the Count Basie Orchestra, the Blue Devils, the Charlie Christian Band, and others resided in this downtown neighborhood. It is also noteworthy that Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was rejected for an executive position at the ‘Calvary Baptist Church’ in Deep Deuce for being “too young”.

Much of the original neighborhood was bulldozed to make way for the I-235 Centennial Expressway in the late 1980s. While the area was neglected during the 1990s, the downtown renaissance has made the area attractive to developers despite the relative little that remains of the neighborhood\’s earlier character and architecture.

Downtown Bricktown
Today, after a multi-year revitalization campaign, downtown OKC—dubbed \”Bricktown\” for its old-fashioned brick streets—has truly regained its status as the city\’s premier dining and entertainment district. Downtown Oklahoma City itself is currently undergoing a major renaissance, perhaps among the largest in the nation. Between the mid 1980s and 1990s, downtown was unchanged and almost completely vacant. This was the scene of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on 6th Street between Hudson and Harvey Avenues caused by convicted domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh; most buildings within a 1-mile radius were structurally damaged by the explosion including the old Journal Record Building (now home to the National Memorial museum). Many other buildings, such as the art deco YMCA building, were destroyed.

In stark contrast to the promise from Urban Renewal, Downtown had not seen a new skyscraper or any sort of major construction project for many years. The last major skyscraper built downtown was the First Oklahoma Tower in 1982 and the Leadership Square complex built in 1984. Leadership Square was originally intended to be a single 60+ floor signature skyscraper but was later scaled down to two \’twin-towers\’ due to the economic downturn. No one knew whether downtown would turn around and it was used only for office space for quite some time, with the suburban developments left with the life and energy downtown once commanded.

However Downtown and the Central Business District continue their economic revival, with numerous condo and apartment developments being built around downtown, along with older buildings that are being converted into apartments and hotels. Leading this charge is the renovation of the historic Skirvin Hotel, known for being the place where numerous presidents and dignitaries have stayed while visiting the city. New developers led by Marcus Properties are renovating the old 13-storey building into a new 5-star property, which will be known as the Skirvin Hilton Hotel.

Another development in Oklahoma City hotel properties is the Colcord Hotel, Oklahoma\’s first \”skyscraper”. The hotel will feature 150+ rooms and suites on its 13 floors as well as feature a new upscale eatery and street front retail when complete.

Eastside (area east of the Capitol)
The Eastside district in the near North East quadrant of Oklahoma City is home to the state\’s largest African American community and is experiencing a renaissance of its own. Once a perfect example of urban blight and neglect, the Eastside has seen some significant development recently. An African American Heritage Museum is currently in the works along with efforts to revive the long neglected NE 23rd Capitol Business District.

Other Eastside attractions include the beautiful and newly domed State Capitol of Oklahoma, the 45th Infantry Museum just south of the Adventure District, the new Oklahoma History Center, the University of Oklahoma Medical Center and the burgeoning Oklahoma Research Center. The OU Medical Center is the nation\’s largest, employing around 12,000 people.

The Oklahoma Medical District, comprised of some hospitals, the VA Med Center, the OUMC, and the OU Health Campus (a total of 6 medical schools, and one of the largest health campuses in the nation) is undergoing a reconstruction phase with new buildings being built. There is also one of the region\’s major economic engines, the Research Park, which is a growing campus of 6 buildings fully leased with research-based tenants and thousands of jobs. The whole Medical District area is by far one of the fastest growing and newest economic engines in the metro area which has managed to link to Capitol Complex and Downtown into one package of urban revitalization linked by Broadway and/or Lincoln Boulevard.

The Eastside is considered by many to be the most economically diverse neighborhood in Oklahoma City, with land values ranging from astronomical in parts of the tree-lined Lincoln Terrace neighborhood to poorer areas within public housing districts like Prince Hall Village on Kelly Avenue; two very different neighborhoods only one mile apart.

Mayfair and Belle Isle
Mayfair and Belle Isle are a pair of middle class, mid century neighborhoods surrounding Penn Square Mall and Baptist Hospital. Penn Square Mall is Oklahoma\’s most upscale shopping mall with retailers like J. Jill, Coach, and Cache\’, Penn Square is also the city\’s most popular mall. Also nearby is Lake Hefner, a favorite spot for bikers and joggers, with a trail system around the entire municipal reservoir. The entire area is located within Oklahoma City limits.

OKC Northwest Expressway, the city\’s main artery to the northwestern suburbs, is a strip mall filled, restaurant bearing, continuously congested 6-lane boulevard with highway intersections, hotels, and office towers scattered along at various intervals. The Northwest Business District includes most of the large scale high rises, office towers, and hotels outside of downtown, (including the architecturally interesting United Founders Tower).

Nichols Hills and The Village
Nichols Hills, just north of Belle Isle, is an enclave of the wealthy. The streets are lined with nice houses, the commerce is upscale, the restaurants are gourmet, and the country club is exclusive. There are other such enclaves throughout the city, but Nichols Hills is notable even among them for sheer extravagance. The Village, immediately north, is a middle class post-World War II neighborhood which looks somewhat out of place next to its neighbor to the south, although property values have increased in recent years due its to the proximity to Lake Hefner.

This is the area for the finest shopping experience.  Penn Square Mall and 50 Penn Place carry only the most ultra-chic goods. This is the place to be seen and definitely the most exclusive area in the city. The larger northwest district revolves largely around one major thoroughfare: the Northwest Expressway. Not really a \”neighborhood\” per se, the street is synonymous with the district, as it cuts through the entire northwest side of the city and is home to many of OKC\’s dining and shopping treasures. Aside from Bricktown, no other area of the city compares to it in the concentration of commerce and interchange. The area also holds entertainment attractions like the Oklahoma City Art Museum and State Fair Park, as well as outdoor retreats like Hefner Lake, Martin Park Nature Center and Will Rogers Park.

Southeast Oklahoma City
The far southern sides of Del City almost touch I-240, where there are new housing additions, and numerous new manufacturing facilities and of course, the mountainous landfill. While this area is hardly a Memorial Road, there are some new office buildings and traffic does grind to a halt on I-240 coming from Tinker, which lies between I-40 and I-240 in Oklahoma City, and touching Midwest City. The famously dismantled GM plant, Quad Graphics, and some other employers are scattered around the mostly industrial countryside. Several new industrial parks take advantage of the Tinker Air Force Base, one of the nation\’s premiere bases (30,000 employees), including the Boeing facility under construction.

Stockyard City
If Bricktown is the city\’s modern nucleus, then Stockyard City, adjacent to downtown, is the neighborhood of living Oklahoma history. Its main attraction is the National Stockyard Exchange, where cattle auctions are held every Monday and Tuesday.  Located at the Agnew Exit South of I-40 to Exchange Ave, Stockyards City is home to the largest stocker/feeder cattle market in the world. Stockyards City recaptures the architectural flavor of the early Twentieth Century with gaslights and wooden storefronts. Many businesses in Stockyards City date back to the early 1900s when the area was home to several major meat packing companies. The district still has weekly cattle auctions and is home to a local legend, the venerable Cattlemen\’s Steakhouse.

A number of special events occur in the district, including a Longhorn Cattle Drive each December, sidewalk sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the Annual Stockyards Stampede the first weekend in June.  The Oklahoma-National Stockyards are the nation\’s largest, and are the world\’s largest cattle market even to this day.

Southside
While not often afforded the attention given to other areas of the city, the Southside is an important district in its own right. Home to Will Rogers World Airport, it serves as the travel hub of Oklahoma City. Correspondingly, the surrounding area holds a high concentration of hotels. Respected names like LaQuinta, Holiday Inn, Extended Stay America, Howard Johnson and Ramada are all here, along with many, many others. Whether you are searching for opulent luxury or practical lodging, you are sure to find it. The area seems to be strictly business, but don\’t be fooled—clusters of great little eateries and shops are to be found all over.

Historic Route 66 Towns
Traveling west along America\’s historic road, Route 66, leads to two perfect little towns, Bethany and Yukon. Both just minutes from the heart of the city, these towns specialize in laid-back living. Bethany is home to Southern Nazarene University, but is not a typical rowdy college town. Quiet, tree-lined streets only add to its small-town charm. Around every turn, visitors will find antique and country-flavored gift shops, as well as family-run restaurants. Yukon is similar to Bethany, being a tight-knit, family-oriented community, but has one major distinction: it is the home of country music legend Garth Brooks, as proven by the water tower emblazoned with his name. In these two towns, visitors can experience true Oklahoman hospitality.