have you ever noticed some places are the same in many ways but very different at the
same time that's how Texas and Oklahoma are stereotypically. The residents have
very similar Lifestyles and cultures. Both are western states in history and geography both
owe their early success to oil and ranching they share a large border along the Red River
and the same political views for majority of its residents there are many similarities,
but there's also some significant differences between these two states today we're going
to look at why most people think Texas is better than Oklahoma get it got it good let's take a look
[Music] Population and demographics Texas is the second largest state in the United States with a
population of more than 29 million residents while Oklahoma has a population of around 4
million that's a bit of a difference Texas is also more diverse in Oklahoma with a large percentage
of their population being Hispanic they also have a significant African-American population
and a sizable Asian population Oklahoma on the other hand is predominantly white with
a smaller population of African Americans and Hispanics Oklahoma is one of the widest States
we have Oklahoma's so white you almost have to cross-reference dating apps with ancestry.com
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their economies when it comes to the economy Texas has the second largest GDP in the country
while Oklahoma ranks 28. Texas has a far more diverse economy with major industries including
energy agriculture Healthcare Technology and Manufacturing Oklahoma on the other
hand has a more concentrated economy with strong focuses on the oil and gas industry
which makes up a good portion of their GDP now when you don't have a diverse economy meaning
you don't have a bunch of Industries going in your state you're going to have fewer people
moving in there it's not appealing to them there's very few I.T jobs to go around in a
state like Oklahoma compared to other states like Texas or California I mean it's great
they make their money on oil and gas very profitable and it normally employs a lot of
people which is good you just have to have some bigger Industries to go along with it
[Music] education Texas has a more extensive education system with more than 200 universities
colleges and community colleges it is home to some of the country's top-ranked universities
including the University of Texas at Austin Texas A M University Oklahoma has a smaller
education system with fewer universities and colleges but it still has some notable
institutions like the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State they have community colleges too
just not nearly as many as Texas and it's not just because Texas is a bigger State Oklahoma
only has 45 that's not counting trade schools which Texas beats them there too or K through
12th grades Texas is ranked 22nd in the nation Oklahoma is ranked 42nd in the nation so the
chances of your kid getting a better education out of the two is definitely going to be Texas
[Music] climate and geography Texas and Oklahoma have similar climates with hot summers and Mild
Winters but Texas has a more varied topography and geography Texas has several major cities including
Houston Dallas Austin San Antonio and even El Paso each with unique culture and identity Oklahoma on
the other hand has fewer with just Tulsa and Oklahoma City being the only legit Metro areas
in my opinion those two cities are very very similar in about every detail you could think
of I'm sure if you're from Oklahoma there's vast differences between Tulsa and Oklahoma City I've
had people tell me Los Angeles and San Diego are very similar to me they're Polar Opposites now
there's one other thing I should probably bring up here and that's real estate prices Oklahoma by
far is a cheaper place to buy some property when you look at comparable neighborhoods and cities
Oklahoma tends to be about 20 to 25 percent lower than Texas now it's hard to get exact figures for
an entire state but that's usually where it is 20 to 25 percent lower in Oklahoma now that that
does attract a lot more people that maybe are trying to decide Texas or Oklahoma they might
decide Oklahoma just on cost but that's not enough to sway a majority of the people on how they feel
about Texas and Oklahoma call realtor they'll tell you the same thing now there's one other
thing when it comes to the geography of a area that's very important to a lot of people water
to start off with Rivers Texas has far more Rivers than Oklahoma at least major rivers
they've got the Canadian river they've got the Rio Grande the Red River which they both share
that one you have the Colorado River not the big Colorado River there's actually a second
Colorado River that goes through New Mexico and Texas you have the Trinity River which has some
great fishing you got the Sabine River you got the Guadalupe and San Antonio Rivers Oklahoma's only
real decent sized rivers are the Arkansas River the Red River and they got some of the Canadian
river too Texas has a few more Lakes but Texas also has the Gulf of Mexico right there Oklahoma
is a landlocked state this may not seem like a big deal to a lot of you but it does bring a lot
more attention to Texas and it makes it more of an appealing place to live foreign [Music]
Texas has a reputation for being more Western and cowboy-like than Oklahoma this is due in
part the history as a frontier state and its association with the oil and gas industry many
people associate Texas with images of cowboys oil Derricks and Wide Open Spaces even though
both have the same things and history while this may be a somewhat stereotypical view of the state
it has helped create this distinct identity that sets Texas apart from most other states not just
Oklahoma Oklahoma's identity is less well-defined and can be sometimes overshadowed by Texas
Texas also has had much more success promoting itself as a tourist destination and as a place
to do business the state government and various organizations have invested heavily in marketing
campaigns highlighting Texas's strengths and attractions these efforts have paid off as Texas
consistently ranks among the top states in the country for tourism and economic growth Oklahoma
on the other hand has not been as successful in promoting itself and as a result it may be less
well known and less appealing to Outsiders when I was at Fort Sill that's in Lawton Oklahoma anytime
we had like a three-day weekend and we were gonna do something we would head into Texas Oklahoma has
some things but nothing like Texas so it's really hard to attract tourists you ever spent any time
in Oklahoma it's kind of hard to attract anyone to the go there really it's not just the tourists
think about it think of all the cool things you could do in Texas Schlitterbahn the San Antonio
Riverwalk the Alamo the Space Center in Houston Fort Worth Stockyard dealy Plaza Reunion Tower
Cadillac Ranch the Dallas Cowboys Houston Texans Houston Astros Texas Rangers Galveston South Padre
Island this list can go on and on what do you got in Oklahoma the Oklahoma City National Memorial
and Museum Oklahoma City does have Bricktown that's pretty cool though I like that last thing I
want to say on this one just the reputation Texas is is known worldwide I guarantee if you take 100
people from other countries and ask them to name a few U.S states they're going to name California
New York Florida and Texas probably about 80 percent of them maybe 10 percent will be able
to say Oklahoma so in conclusion I'd like to give you a labored pause before I finish up the video
um well um well all right Texas and Oklahoma are two distinct states with their own unique
characteristics and identities while both states have much to offer Texas is more popular and more
well-known than Oklahoma for several reasons including like we talked about larger size
more diverse population distinct identity and effective marketing efforts to make the place
popular however it is important to remember that popularity does not necessarily equal
superiority and that each state has its own merits and strength I prefer the people of Oklahoma they
seem to be a little more friendly that's just my own experience all right everyone that's today's
video If you haven't subscribed please do so everybody have a great day be nice to each other