Oklahoma is a state in the south-central region of the USA. It’s known for its booming agriculture and rich Native American history. It’s also famous for country music and the popular Route 66.
But, why is Oklahoma so boring? Well, there just isn’t much to do or see while you’re there. So, pack your bags because we’re about to give you eleven reasons why Oklahoma is boring.
Why Is Oklahoma So Boring?
1. Unpredictable Weather
Do you want to go out for a hike or a walk? Well, be prepared to just stay at home and do nothing!
The unpredictable weather in Oklahoma often made headlines and was the talk of people all over the nation. Many of the state’s residents have even said that you can experience the seasons of the year in just a week!
Due to its distance from bodies of water, it tends to experience severe weather swings, forcing most of the population to stay indoors.
Extreme weather can come in the form of unbearably sweaty, hot days. Also, there can be some terrifying tornadoes.
2. Boring Landscape
Pretty, but very boring, pastures dominate the regions of Oklahoma. Most of its surface is made of simple plains and prairies.
As a result, most of the area is basically grassland, with a few trees scattered around. So, if you were expecting a lot of sightseeing, just knock that off your list.
Those prairies can be a pretty sight at first, but after a while, they’ll turn boring with the lack of scenery. Unfortunately, the best you’ll see there are a bunch of cows mooing over the pasture.
3. It’s Empty
After traveling through the dreary plains, you might think it’s about time to meet people and make new friends. Well, think again!
One of Oklahoma’s features is that it has a low-density population. Additionally, more people are actually leaving than moving to Oklahoma.
Now instead of traveling through boring plains, you can add empty on top of that!
4. No Oceans
Most of us like to visit the sea or ocean to see the wildlife or the beautiful coral reefs. Hanging out by the beaches usually leaves us with a sense of happiness and contentment.
With the smell of salt in the air and sand between your toes, it’s a heavenly experience. However, it’s one you won’t find in Oklahoma.
With the entire state landlocked, there are no seas or oceans, just plain land.
5. Lakes
The closest thing you’ll have to a beach is the shoreline around the lakes in Oklahoma. However, it’s not as fun as going to an actual beach.
Many of the lakes there aren’t natural but, surprisingly, they’re manmade. Hence, they aren’t there for entertainment; they serve an actual function, like flood control or water supply.
Additionally, the lakes sometimes appear brown! This is because when algae blooms, it produces a thick, colored film on the surface of the water.
This film can range in colors from green, to red, or even brown. Seeing that sight is neither pretty nor much fun.
6. Football Everywhere
Loving football is one thing, but obsessing over it is a whole other story. On and off the field, Oklahomans are obsessed with their college football teams.
Football is a huge deal to them. It’s not just a game; it’s more of a way of life. Actually, it’s not that uncommon for them to schedule big events, like weddings, around game days so they won’t miss out.
Unless you’re an avid football fan, you won’t have a good time.
7. No Urban Life
When you’re walking through New York or California, your eyes seem to be constantly drawn to something. Generally, this is the case in urban areas.
In Oklahoma, though, it’s a different story. Rural areas make up most of Oklahoma.
Among the 77 counties, only 29 have more than 2% of their land deemed urban. Because of this, Oklahoma lacks many things that make other states interesting, such as different shopping venues and diversity.
8. Not Much Culture
If you’re looking for a historically rich place with various stories about different people, Oklahoma isn’t the place.
With its history dominated by native Americans and cowboys, it can get dull very quickly to some of us out there.
Moreover, it doesn’t have that many historical landmarks. Oklahoma has just about 22 national historical landmarks that mostly revolve around wars and native Americans.
9. Monotonous Art Museums
There’s a lot of art in the Sooner State, but few museums are worth visiting. Unfortunately, most of the art revolves around the state or its history with the indigenous Americans.
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is considerably small when compared to other more known museums out there. Additionally, the most interesting thing there is the Chihuly glass exhibition.
Other than that, you’ll find some modern art paintings and sports photographs, which aren’t that intriguing.
The largest museum in Oklahoma, the Gilcrease Museum, has vast native Indian paintings as well as artifacts. Mostly, it’s about the history of the west.
So, If you want to see a greater art collection, you should probably go somewhere else, like the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan.
10. No Diversity
Walking down the street in New York or LA, you’ll find yourself bumping into a multitude of different religions, political opinions, and backgrounds. However, the same can’t be said about Oklahoma.
If you’re neither Christian nor a republican, then watch out! While there may be a slight cultural or ethnic diversity, don’t expect much when it comes to politics or religion.
Oklahoma is one of the most religious places in the United States. Actually, in some towns, you’ll see churches almost on every other block.
It’s a state with many extremes and can be slightly unbalanced in some ways. If you hold opinions that differ from those of the majority, you might find yourself shunned.
Despite its loving embrace and southern charm, Oklahoma doesn’t offer much diversity in terms of opinion or thought.
11. Blue Laws
If your weekend activities are interrupted by unusual occurrences, you may feel frustrated. This is something to expect when you’re staying in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma has some archaic laws known as blue laws. Those laws state that some activities, or even all activities, are banned on specific days, such as Sundays.
They were originally embraced for religious reasons, most notably to encourage people to observe the Christian day of worship.
Unfortunately, some of these laws are still upheld in a few counties in Oklahoma. With these restrictions on what you can do, it makes Oklahoma extremely boring and hard to adjust to.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on why rent is so high in California, why China has so many people, and why California is so liberal.
Final Words
So, why is Oklahoma so boring? Well, fun can differ from one person to the other, but most of us can agree that Oklahoma has nothing fun to offer.
From crazy weather that can lock you home to the general emptiness of the place, it can get bland after a while. So, you may want to keep life interesting and spend it in places that are more fascinating than Okie-land.