Oklahoma City, OK Homes For Rent

Homes for Rent in Oklahoma City, OK: What You Need to Know

It’s fitting that Oklahoma City is called OKC for short, which may very well describe a city that has always emerged okay through thick and thin, a pillar of resilience in the face of tornadoes and a bombing.

A Rich Local History

The city (and the state’s) name came from a combination of two Choctaw words meaning “red person” – ukla, which means person, and humá, red. Oklahoma City was founded practically overnight. In April 1889, the federal government opened about 2 million acres of land in the territory for settlement. Thousands of people claimed the lots and founded Oklahoma City and nearby areas on the spot. 

OKC was forever changed by a bombing on April 19, 1995, the worst act of homegrown terrorism in the U.S. Timothy McVeigh parked a rented truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building downtown. The truck was armed with a powerful homemade bomb that killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured hundreds.

Things to Do in Oklahoma City

The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial is a tribute to the victims, survivors, and rescuers affected by the 1995 blast. The outdoor memorial features a field of 168 chairs, one for each of those who died, and the Survivor Tree, an old elm that withstood the bombing.

Two museums are among the city’s most popular attractions: Science Museum Oklahoma, featuring interactive exhibits, and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art with a permanent collection that includes works by Georgia O'Keeffe, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henry Moore.

Weather and Climate

As part of the Tornado Alley, Oklahoma City and the entire state of Oklahoma are prone to twisters. On May 20, 2013, one of the worst tornadoes hit the state and left a 14-mile path of devastation through the southern part of Oklahoma City and a suburb, Moore. It killed 24 people and caused $2 billion worth of damage.

The Cost of Living in OKC

OKC, the capital of Oklahoma, is an affordable large city (population: 649,021) whose cost of living rate is 9.6% lower than the national average. Food and housing costs are 11.3% and 19% lower than the national average respectively. Median gross rent in the city is $849 while the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $865. Oklahoma charges a progressive income tax rate of 0.5% to 5%. The state’s tax rate ranges from 4.5% to 11.5%

Know Your Neighborhoods

OKC is composed of seven districts, including the historic Deep Deuce and Bricktown downtown, both of which offer an array of housing options. Living downtown means being close to the business center and access to beautiful parks. For suburbanites, Edmond and Norman are close by, and they have top-ranked schools. Both communities have a significant percentage of renters. Goldsby and Yukon also have great schools, but they are farther from the city.