Oklahoma County residents now fear that rising houses prices and an extraordinary population boom is slowly turning Oklahoma City into the next San Francisco, a worldwide symbol of urban decay.
Soaring prices across the county have sparked a sudden surge in evictions as locals are driven out of their homes.
In fact, the Oklahoma County Assessor reported that the average house price has more than tripled since 2001, going from an average of $74,715 to $264,844 in 2023, an increase of 354 percent.
The spike is particularly dramatic in downtown Oklahoma City, where median home sales have more than doubled to $690,000 over the past decade while the rest of the state capitol saw values rise by half to just $200,000, according to a recent report by real estate tracking site Property Shark.
As homeless encampments have started to plague downtown streets, a resulting spate of vandalism is now occurring.
There are growing fears that an extraordinary population boom is turning the once ‘hassle free’ Oklahoma City into the next San Francisco, a worldwide symbol of urban decay
Soaring house prices have sparked a sudden surge in evictions as locals are driven out of their homes, sparking scenes reminiscent of the early days of the housing crisis in San Francisco, California, (above) before it spiraled out of control
The average house price in Oklahoma County has tripled since the turn of the century, from $74,715 to $264,844 in 2023, an increase of 354 percent
The disturbing trend is taking hold across America, with a number of once pristine red state cities struggling to cope with an influx of outsiders seeking refuge from crime-ridden Democrat states.
But the crisis has become so acute in Oklahoma City that local officials are warning it could soon turn into one of the doomed metropolises that many have left behind.
Gary Jones, Oklahoma City Metro Association of Realtors government affairs director, told DailyMail.com that its current trajectory is comparable to the start of the homeless epidemics that have devastated cities including San Francisco, New York and Washington D.C.
‘If you talk to Oklahomans who’ve been here for a while, they will tell you that you can visibly see a difference,’ he added.
The realtor said that ‘folks panhandling at major intersections and in front of major retailers’ was now a common sight, while homeless encampments had ‘sprouted across the city’ almost overnight.
Oklahoma City was one of 14 American metropolises that added more than 100,000 people between 2010 and 2020
Outsiders have been drawn in by the city’s low unemployment rate and affordability
Anecdotally, growing desperation has led to a rise in some property crime, with a number of break-ins to vacant buildings as people try to find shelter, Jones said.
The housing crisis has caused a vicious cycle; seemingly, rising costs lead to more evictions lead to more homeless lead to more crime.
Oklahoma County saw 17,868 evictions filed in 2023. There were 8,602 judgments resulting in eviction, according to data from Shelterwell, a state housing group.
Now, around 1,4000 people in the city experience homelessness on any given night, with about 500 of them sleeping on the streets.
The city shut down two homeless encampments last year and is now planning to put $12.5 million toward tackling the crisis.
But the construction boom has been focused on the higher end of the market, causing prices to soar. Pictured: A 2,585-square-foot four-bed home in Oklahoma City listed for $375,000
Fewer affordable homes are being built, however, meaning rising prices have forced many onto the streets. Cyrus Whittaker, left, and Debbie Orca sit around a fire in the homeless camp where they live during record breaking cold and snow in Oklahoma City on February 16, 2021
Now, around 1,4000 people in the city experience homelessness on any given night. Pictured: A homeless women sitting on a curb in the street in Oklahoma City in 2019
‘I know somebody here says, “We don’t experience that in Oklahoma City”,’ he told a town hall on housing in November, referring to the scenes of squalor in San Francisco and elsewhere.
‘Well, you know what, they didn’t experience it either until they got the growth that they did.’
Oklahoma City was one of 14 American cities that added more than 100,000 people between 2010 and 2020.
Its population grew by a further 1 percent between 2022 and 2023, an increase of 7,589.
Local officials have warned that Oklahoma City’s current trajectory is comparable to the start of the homeless epidemics that have devastated cities such as San Francisco (above)
Outsiders had been drawn in by the city’s low unemployment rate and affordability.
In March, Forbes ranked it as the third best U.S. city to move to, saying residents ‘can enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.’
Increasingly, however, this is harder to attain.
Jones said the construction boom has been focused on high-end properties, with new stock out of reach for about 40 percent of Oklahomans.
This has created a squeeze at the lower end of the market – for homes worth between $100,000 to $150,000 – which are not profitable for developers.
It has meant more renters, soaring rental prices and, ultimately, evictions, Jones explained.
He added the crisis was being exacerbated by real estate investors from New York, California and Texas buying up developments and renting them out at higher than usual prices ‘to turn a profit.’
It is a common trend across America. Pictured: Nashville’s housing boom is forcing locals to sleep on the streets while wealthy newcomers snap up luxury apartments
Oklahoma City is not alone.
In May, DailyMail.com revealed that Nashville’s housing boom is forcing locals to sleep on the streets while wealthy newcomers snap up luxury apartments.
Meanwhile, in the picturesque mountain city of Bozeman, Montana, sleek modern homes belonging to Californian arrivals stand cheek-to-jowl with RVs and tent encampments that house the city’s poor Latino population that built them.
In some red states, the influx of money from liberal areas has riled up the locals.
Residents of Eagle, a small town in Idaho, have complained that hundreds of West Coasters were bringing ‘liberal baggage’ to their community.
And in Gallatin, a Nashville suburb, residents have started driving around with bumper stickers proclaiming ‘Don’t California My Tennessee’ in protest against the influx of outsiders.
Jones’ dire warning could ring alarm bells across America.
