Bixby

Cedar Ridge, 20 minutes from Tulsa, is known for its namesake, the Cedar Ridge Country Club. “The gated and private areas of the neighborhood are highly desired,” says Debbie Lee Graves, Realtor for Coldwell Banker Select. “It provides for peaceful living. The location of the neighborhood is also a perfect combination of easy access to retail establishments on Memorial Drive, along with convenience to other parts of Tulsa that are accessible within a few minutes drive.” The Cedar Ridge Country Club has an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Joe Finger in 1967 and was rated among the top hundred courses by Golf Digest. Members can also access sports leagues and lessons at the five outdoor pickleball, and tennis courts. A full-service fitness center is open seven days a week with classes and a pool with a slide for hot summer days. Eateries within the club include a waterside café and an upscale clubhouse restaurant. Homes in the area are primarily contemporary builds with brick accents and colonial-style references. There are also brick-front prairie-style and split-level homes throughout the area. Homes in the area range in price from $450,000 to $650,000. In the gated community of Berwick Fairways, homes sell for $700,000 to almost $2 million. Homes are often large, containing three or more bedrooms. Builds sit on a quarter to half-an-acre manicured lots with in-ground pools and multi-car garages. "While the big draw of these homes is the golf course views, the neighborhood overall is sought after for its beauty and privacy," says Deb Wilmoth, Realtor for Chinowth & Cohen. "It's superior to most other typical South Tulsa developments designed on a grid with flat lots." Located within residential areas, Quail Creek Park and Nobles Park offer the same features: multicolored playsets with a smattering of picnic tables. KJM Equestrian School, just off Route 364, offers riding lessons, boarding, and summer camps for those interested in horseback riding. The equestrian school specializes in English horsemanship and summer camps run from the end of May to the end of July. For any shopping needs, Palazzo is a shopping center off Route 64, where a bevy of storefronts and beloved restaurants await. Music lovers flock to Barnett Music Exchange for instruments and audio gear. Residents seeking relaxation may stop by Lafusion Massage & Spa. This mall is also a popular destination for Mexican cuisine lovers, with Uncle Paco’s Mexican Grill divvying out lauded dishes like street tacos and fajitas alongside combo platters and its renowned margaritas. Residents can visit Aldi or Sprouts Farmers Market, just north of Palazzo, for groceries and other necessities. Southern Crossing, a small shopping mall further down Route 64, carries a few eateries, retail locations and self-care services. Children attend Cedar Ridge Elementary School, receiving an A-minus on Niche. Students continue to Union Sixth/Seventh Grade Center, receiving a B rating. Union Eighth Grade Center gets a B, and Union High School Freshman Academy receives an A. Union High School instructs students in grades ten through twelve, receiving an A-minus. Union Public Schools has a mission to graduate 100% of its students. The high school helps to achieve this goal through the Catherine E. Burden College and Career Center, which assists students and families with after-high school plans. Cedar Ridge is car-dependent, with roads leading to Route 64 and Route 364, which border the neighborhood.

With its swiftly flowing current, the Arkansas River cuts through Bixby, Tulsa's southernmost suburb. Dubbed “The Garden Spot of Oklahoma” due to its rich agrarian history, the city of 30,000 citizens is about 20 miles from downtown Tulsa. “It’s the hottest growing area close to Tulsa,” says LaJuana Moore, Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Preferred. “Broken Arrow to the south and Owasso to the east have mushroomed so greatly that people are looking for alternatives.” This perpetual growth has led to the incorporation of highly rated school districts and annual festivals in neighborhoods like North Bixby. “People are flocking to Bixby right now,” says Brad Borem, Realtor with Chinowth & Cohen. “That’s a booming area with a lot of new developments and new construction.” Buyers can choose from ranch-style homes dating to the 1970s or contemporary French country-style and Tudor-inspired cottages. Most contemporary homes can be found in subdivisions like Addison Creek, where new construction sprouts up alongside the river. Prices start at $300,000 to $500,000 for an older ranch house, with modern five-bedroom custom builds selling for $500,000 to $1 million. There’s also a bit of range when it comes to lot sizes. Some houses sit on a quarter acre, while others include more than a full acre of land. It’s possible to walk from house to house on paved sidewalks within the subdivisions, but much of the area is too spread out to be walkable. Bixby North Elementary and Intermediate Schools are in the neighborhood, within a stone’s throw of each other along Fry Ditch Creek. For grades 7 and 8, students attend Bixby Middle School, where they can choose from electives as diverse as dance, kinetic anatomy and agriculture education. Bixby High School features winning athletic programs, having notched several recent state football championships. All these schools have a Niche grade of A-minus or higher. Walking through Washington Irving Memorial Park and Arboretum is like stepping into one of the author's own storybooks. The grounds cover 32 acres of woods and walking trails punctuated by statues and memorials, including one dedicated to Irving himself. Visitors can explore the wood and iron remnants of an old railroad bridge, enjoy views of the pond or stop to pay tribute to victims of the Murrah Building bombing or the World Trade Center terrorist attack. Disc golfers appreciate the 18-hole championship course at Haikey Creek Park, which also features a picnic area, playgrounds, walking paths and soccer fields. One of Oklahoma’s biggest barbecue competitions heats up at Washington Irving Memorial Park every year in mid-May. At the Bixby BBQ ’n Blues Festival, more than 80 teams compete for the top honor, with styles from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas and Missouri represented in the meaty lineup. There’s a Kids Zone with bouncy houses to keep little ones occupied, and live bands take the stage in the evenings to liven things up with traditional blues music. “It brings in a lot of people from surrounding areas — Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Sapulpa,” Borem says. “You’ve got local bands, local vendors, businesses that come out and promote, amusement park rides. Then, at night, it turns more adult-style with live music and adult beverages. It’s a lot of fun.” South Memorial Drive cuts a perpendicular path through the neighborhood north of the river, with shopping centers and restaurants clustered on either side. Reasor’s and Dotson Produce stock the essentials for home cooking, and restaurants like Grill'd, Mom’s Family Diner and the Real Taco provide local flavor. Several chain eateries are represented along this stretch, including RibCrib BBQ, Grill'd, Pizza Shoppe and ah-Sigh-e, featuring smoothies and acai bowls. Residents looking for salon services, auto parts stores and local florists will find them here. Commuters should plan on having their own cars, as no public transportation is available in Bixby. The closest major highway is the Creek Turnpike, which connects to Interstate 44 and the Mingo Valley Expressway. Tulsa International Airport is 20 miles away, and the commute to downtown Tulsa is 22 miles.