Is there a Housing silver lining?

Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw Indian phrase okla humma, or Red People. Choctaw Chief Allen Wright suggested the name in 1866, when Oklahoma was Indian Territory, and the tribes envisioned an all Indian State of the United States. That changed in 1889, when the famous Run of Oklahoma transformed the land into Oklahoma Territory, where citizens come come for a free 160 acres of land. In 1907, Oklahoma was declared the 46th State in the Union with it's Capitol in Oklahoma City. Our state still reflects the hard work and daring that those first settlers brought, and today we are a proud state that leads the nation in the appreciation and stability of our housing market. Let me introduce you to some facts about our state.

Geography
Oklahoma is the 20th largest state in the Union covering 69,898 square miles. It is adjoined by the states of Texas, Kansas. Arkansas, Missouri, and New Mexico. Sometimes Oklahoma is associated with the Sun Belt, the Southwest, the Midwest, but officially is considered a part of The great Plains. It is among the most diverse states in geography, and is one of four states with 10 distinct geographical regions. Oklahoma has four mountain ranges, 200 lakes created by dams, and it holds the highest number of artificial reservoirs in the nation. Forest covers 24% of the land, and much of the land is given to agriculture, primarily wheat, corn, and barley as primary crops.

Economy
Oklahoma is an important producer of natural gas, and ranks fifth in the nation in production of wheat. Six Fortune 500 companies headquarter in Oklahoma. In 2008 Oklahoma has led the nation in increase to the gross national product, and is ranked No 1 in housing appreciation as a State according to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight. At present Oklahoma possesses one of the lowest tax burdens in the United States, and current employment is at 4.2% statewide. Oklahoma has seen dramatic growth in it's traditional industries of energy and agriculture, but the major cities have seen above the national average growth in construction, hospitality, bio-science, technology, military, and government.  Oklahoma is currently running a significant surplus in government, and infrastructure spending has been among the highest in the nation.

Arts and Theater
Oklahoma is home to a diverse music culture where festivals to honor jazz, Native America, Mexican, African-American, and Asian cultures represented by the state population. The Oklahoma Mozart Festival in Bartlesville is one of the largest of its kind, and Oklahoma City's Festival of the Arts has been named one of the top festivals in the U.S. Both Oklahoma City and Tulsa have top flight classical orchestras and Ballet companies, and Oklahoma has a significant museum presence with Oklahoma City's National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and Tulsa's Gilcrease Museum together have the most significant collection of Western art in the country. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art possesses the largest permanent collection of Dal Chihuly glass in the country, and the Sam Noble Museum in Norman  is one of the largest University based natural history museums in the U.S.

Demographics
As of 2007 according to the Census Bureau, Oklahoma has a population of 3,617,316. The state has the second highest Native American population in the country. Both Oklahoma City and Tulsa have for the last few years been at the top of metropolitan cities for income growth. Much of the population of Oklahoma is centered around these two cities with Oklahoma City and surrounding suburbs at around 1.25 million, and Tulsa at one million.

Future Expansion
This fall Oklahoma City will host the state's first major league franchise with the relocation to Oklahoma City of the Seattle Sonics and Storm. Dell has a planned expansion in Oklahoma City from its current two buildings with 2350 employees to seven buildings on its 62 acre campus to an expected 7000 employees. Tinker Air Force Base is currently at 29,000 on base and is expected to go to 45,000 within ten years. Devon Energy, one of the leading natural gas companies in the world is beginning a 54 story Tower in Oklahoma City valued at 750 million. Chesapeake Energy is not far behind and has also become one of the largest real estate purchasers and developers in Oklahoma. The state is home to the largest FAA center, Tulsa has just finished it's new 350 million arena, and the state possesses one of the fastest growing biotechnology industries in the nation. Oklahoma has a large presence of Indian Casinos, but has a state compact with the tribes that has brought in 2 billion dollars in revenue in the last two years. As the lyric says from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma, "Your doing fine Oklahoma".