Broken Arrow

Set on the cusp of downtown Broken Arrow, Battle Creek is a small, secluded neighborhood overlooking its namesake golf course. Residents won't hear much noise around here, save for the crunch of shoes against the greens and celebratory drinks clinking to toast the end of a round. The neighborhood also has plenty of nearby amenities and an easy commute. “This is a great little community to be in,” says Steve Canada, sales associate for McGraw Realtors and a Battle Creek resident for more than two decades. “It’s got super easy access to the Broken Arrow Expressway, so you can get anywhere in the city fairly quickly.” Elaborate homes from the early 2000s in gated communities with homeowner’s associations surround the course, coming in a variety of styles. Choose from stone-veneer-and-stucco houses with garages and covered patios overlooking narrow backyards, quaint ranch-style brick homes resting on small lots with square yards and swanky New Traditional brick mansions with inground pools. Asking prices range from $300,000 to $500,000, and Canada says homes in this area stay on the market for about 15 days. According to the CAP Index, Battle Creek has a low crime score of 2/10, which sits below the national average. Neighborhood students are served by the well-rated Broken Arrow School District. Kids may start at Arrowhead Elementary, which gets a B grade from Niche, before transitioning to Centennial Middle with a B-plus. Students may then attend Broken Arrow Freshman Academy, which has a B grade, for ninth grade and Broken Arrow High, which also earns a B-plus, for 10th through 12th grade. A one-stop shop for golf and relaxation awaits just steps from the neighborhood’s homes. The city-owned Battle Creek Golf Club has been open since 1997 and offers more than an 18-hole, par-72 course. Golfers can work on their form on the driving range, take a lesson with one of the club’s professionals, scour the pro shop and cool off with a burger and a beverage at the Battle Creek Bar & Grille. Memberships are available, but anyone can play at any time for $20 to $50, depending on cart fees, season and time of day. When the kids need to burn off energy after school, they head to Battle Creek Mini Park. This site lies just up the road from the golf course offers a mulched playset popping with crimson columns, hunter-green handles and monkey bars, and tan slides. Pavilions sit just off to the side, beckoning picnickers. “There’s families out there using it all the time,” says Canada. Dollar General and Walgreens sit on the western side of the community for convenience, but for stocking up on groceries, residents head 2 miles east to Sprouts Farmers Market – which sits alongside a Cinemark movie theater and a cluster of chains like Target, Marshalls and Dick’s Sporting Goods. This is also the go-to spot for dining since Battle Creek's only restaurant outside of the golf course is Sonic. Familiar eateries make up the stock here, too, including Slim Chickens and Olive Garden, but just west awaits a couple of favorites. Los Cabos has classic Mexican dishes and Charleston’s specializes in hearty dinners like ribs and smoked salmon. Battle Creek is car-dependent due to its suburban streetscape. The Broken Arrow Expressway runs just to the south and can get residents to downtown Tulsa in 15 minutes.

Coming into Silvertree from its western side, you won’t see much at first: a few businesses here and there, some churches and a library. But continue east toward the junction of New Orleans Street and Elm Place, and you’ll hit one of Broken Arrow’s hotspots: an unassuming strip mall with a handful of some of the best-rated restaurants not just in the city, but in the entire Tulsa metropolitan area. "That entire intersection is going through a reboot right now," says Stephen Canada, sales associate for McGraw Realtors. "They have a lot of tenants and a lot to do. New Orleans Square has created a lot of changes to the area. And the tax revenue keeps increasing. What's also great is that New Orleans Square is walkable from Silvertree." As you’d expect from the scattered offerings in the community's western end, the residential streets here are serene and rural. Elm trees tower over these lots like stoic Buckingham Palace guards, set around predominantly 1980s brick traditional and ranch-style homes, most of which have been remodeled and come with garages and covered back porches leading into spacious yards. Depending on square footage, asking prices range from $170,000 to $478,000 "It's a good place for first-time home buyers," Canada explains. Lots are generally 8,500 square feet. Most of the dwellings were built between 1970 and 1999. Students can stay right in the neighborhood for school. Aspen Creek and Leisure Park elementary schools both boast B ratings from Niche and focus on character-building extracurriculars like the Safety Patrol program and Garden Club before feeding students into Oliver Middle and Broken Arrow High. Oliver Middle and Broken Arrow High have Niche ratings of B-plus. There are seven local colleges near Silvertree, including Northeastern State University Broken Arrow. Leisure Park is the area's outdoor destination. The kids can try out the unique mulched playground, which pops with hues of lime green and cyan blue and offers a climbing structure alongside a massive tire swing or run around the seasonal splash pad when sultry weather reigns supreme. There’s almost always a pickup game taking place on the concrete basketball court, too. Though the park is small, it’s beloved by locals. Vandever Acres Shopping Center bleeds into Silvertree with its restaurant cluster, meaning every home in the neighborhood is just minutes away from first-rate dining. At the top of most residents’ list of favorite local eateries is Caribbean Sushi. Known by many for having the best rolls in the city, it also offers poke and rice bowls. Continue south down the strip and you’ll reach Apple Barrel Café, a diner-esque joint specializing in American cuisine – traditional breakfast items like pancakes, savory sandwiches like meatball subs and even hearty dishes like catfish. Sandwiched between these two lauded stops awaits a popular nightlife hangout: Potbelly’s. This locally owned bar and grill has specialty cocktails galore – including its crown jewel Club Special, which mixes grape vodka, Sprite and orange juice. Movie night occurs at Geaux Shows. The theater shows the latest flicks Thursday through Sunday, while also hosting comedy shows every first and third Friday of the month. Crossing off errands can also be accomplished at this strip mall, with familiar chains like Ross Dress for Less, FedEx and Dollar Tree. For groceries, though, you have to go 2 miles south to Walmart Supercenter. The closest highway to Silvertree is OK-364, which borders the south end of the neighborhood. Within the city of Broken Arrow, Tulsa Transit provides a limited service, and it also provides a Park & Ride quick commuter service to the downtown area of Tulsa. Tulsa is a 20-minute trek via OK-51 West and US-64 West. Tulsa is where residents will also find the nearest airport — Tulsa International. There are also four EV charging stations within Broken Arrow. Tjhere are ten local hospitals in Broken Arrow including Hillcrest Hospital South. One of the newest annual events in Silvertree is the neighborhood's Fourth of July celebration. The city of Broken Arrow has its fireworks display in the neighborhood and there are several vendors and food trucks on site. "It's a relatively new event for the neighborhood," Canada says.

Southbrook might be a neighborhood in the Broken Arrow suburb of Tulsa, but it has enough amenities to feel like a miniature city. Home to several Union Public School District schools and numerous shopping and dining opportunities, the neighborhood offers direct access to the Broken Arrow Expressway. That makes it easy for residents to commute to downtown Tulsa, and Broken Arrow’s Rose District is just a few miles away. “Broken Arrow is east of our downtown, but in that particular neighborhood, both areas are very accessible pretty quickly,” says Chris Payne, Chief Communications Officer for Union Public Schools. “Of course, I think we’ve got a terrific school district, but that area is also close to a lot of shopping and activities.” Southbrook students attend a progression of schools, many of which are right in the neighborhood. After Grove Elementary School, they’ll move on to Union’s middle school centers, then Union High School. Niche rates all these schools at B-minus or higher. The high school partners with Tulsa Community College in a concurrent enrollment program called EDGE (Earn a Degree, Graduate Early), allowing students to simultaneously earn high school and college credits. A jaunt to the crossroads of the Broken Arrow Expressway and East 71st Street unveils a trove of dining and entertainment options. At Eastside Market shopping center, locals look for bargains at retailers like Kohl’s, Target and Shoe Carnival. The Cinemark Tulsa and IMAX theater features the latest blockbusters on oversized screens. If the food at the theater isn’t satisfying enough, plenty of restaurants are nearby. Tulsa’s affinity for Mexican cuisine is well-represented by Abuelo’s tamales and the signature guacamole and carne asada at Mexico Lindo. “If you love Mexican food, this place is a haven,” Payne says. On the other end of the neighborhood, out by Broken Arrow Expressway, Shiloh’s offers weekly specials on homestyle favorites like ribs, roast turkey and fried catfish. Walmart Neighborhood Market sells groceries nearby for those who prefer cooking at home. Southbrook’s streets crisscross a wedge of land between the Broken Arrow Expressway and Oklahoma State Highway 51, giving residents access to downtown Broken Arrow and Tulsa. It takes about 12 minutes to drive to the Rose District and 15 to 20 minutes to get to downtown Tulsa or the airport. Broken Arrow Transit offers a Park & Ride commuter service to residents who work in downtown Tulsa, and MetroLink Tulsa buses make numerous stops along East 61st Street and South Garnett Road. Students attending Union Eighth Grade Center can walk to school from most homes in the neighborhood. Southbrook offers an assortment of housing styles with prices to suit a wide range of budgets. Single-story ranch homes with cross-gabled roofs and attached garages sit beside Craftsman-style builds, many of which feature brick accents. Although many homes date to the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, there’s also been a lot of construction in the past 5 years. Prices range from $175,000 for an older 3-bedroom home to $400,000 for a large new build on an oversized corner lot. The residential streets branch off from the main roads in free-form grid patterns that keep through traffic to a minimum. Most properties include enough driveway space for one or two cars, and paved sidewalks keep the area pedestrian-friendly. The Haikey Creek Trail is a paved pedestrian path that winds through a wooded area and past a dime-sized reservoir. Measuring a half-mile, the trail invites cyclists, walkers and inline skaters to get their workouts in. Nearby, anglers cast their lures into the fishing pond at Jackson Park, which received an upgrade in 2022. The facilities also include a covered picnic area, a mile-long walking trail and a playground with a splash pad.

Several major highways form a loop around Wedgewood, one of many neighborhoods comprising the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow. This patch of Oklahoma streets is mainly residential, yet the conveniences of city life lie just steps away. “It’s a great neighborhood for first-time homebuyers,” says Jake Salyer, broker and owner of Hearth Homes Realty. “Up-and-coming. Central location, close to the turnpike, close to Highway 51.” Donna Lantz, the assistant property manager at Aspen Village Apartments, agrees. “It’s convenient to a lot of locations, convenient to expressways. It’s just a nice, chill area, right down the street from the Rose District.” With several shopping centers right in the neighborhood, Wedgewood residents don’t have to travel far for the basics. Locals start the day with “egg-ceptional” frittatas or savory crepes from Egg It On Café on South Aspen Avenue. If they’re venturing out for lunch or dinner, the Mexican Flag plate at El Viejos Mexican Grill features a trio of enchiladas smothered in salsa verde, queso and salsa roja. Another local favorite is Tandoori Guys, the first Indian restaurant to fire up its ovens in Broken Arrow. Supermercados Morelos sells meat, produce, and baked goods from its OakWood Plaza location, which includes a taqueria. Exotic ingredients for internationally inspired dishes are available at AbuGi Mart at Quail Run Shopping Mall. And food trucks and takeout pizza joints complement the retail chains at Turtle Creek Shopping Center. Wedgewood’s residential streets and cul-de-sacs form loose grid patterns that help minimize through traffic, giving the neighborhood a tranquil feel. Ranch-style and contemporary homes with cross-gabled roofs and attached garages punctuate the landscape. Many come equipped with wood-burning fireplaces and enough yard space for weekend entertaining. A house that needs refurbishing might sell for around $150,000, while new or updated three-bedroom homes are priced in the lower $300,000 range. “We see a lot of remodels over there,” Salyer says. Paved sidewalks make it easy to lace up for a morning jog or afternoon stroll. Folks in the northern section of the neighborhood can easily walk to the shopping centers, but it’s generally preferable for residents to have their own cars. Students start at Lynn Wood Elementary, which is conveniently located in the center of the neighborhood and gets an A-minus from Niche. They’ll have to venture farther south to get to Ernest Childers Middle School, which receives a B-plus, and Broken Arrow Freshman Academy, which gets a B. Upperclassmen move on to Broken Arrow High School, home of the Tigers. Niche gives the high school — which, combined with the Freshman Academy, is the largest in Oklahoma — a B-plus. The neighborhood’s namesake park is small but centrally located, with plenty of leafy trees for chilling out in the shade. There’s a brook where kids can hunt for frogs and bugs and a play area with wood chips to cushion little ones as they tumble down the slide or jump off the swings. Nearby, the dog-friendly Aspen Creek Park features walking trails, tennis and basketball courts and plenty of open space for running around just north of the neighborhood. Night owls can check in at Deb’s Action Lounge in the Turtle Creek Shopping Center. Bartenders pour until 2 a.m. every day of the week while locals shoot pool or play rounds at the shuffleboard tables. On special events like Halloween, New Year’s Eve and the Super Bowl, the bar takes the action up a notch with karaoke, costume contests and food and drink specials. The Wedgewood Homeowners Association dates back to 1977 and dedicates itself to preserving and improving the neighborhood. To that end, they host neighborhood events throughout the year, like garage sales and cleanup days at Wedgewood Park. Homeowners compete in the “Lawn of the Month” contest from May through October to determine the most visually appealing yard space. Toward the end of the year, a festive glow enlivens the streets during the Christmas Light competition. The Rose District is less than 2 miles from Wedgewood, meaning residents can drive there in about 5 minutes. Driving to Tulsa or the airport takes around 20 minutes, and Broken Arrow Transit offers a Park & Ride commuter service to residents who work in downtown Tulsa. While Tulsa Transit buses make a few stops in Broken Arrow, folks without cars will have to walk at least half an hour to reach the stops closest to Wedgewood.

Some locals consider Vandever Trails another version of Downtown Broken Arrow. Mere minutes from the heart of Tulsa’s biggest suburb, it’s a popular choice in its own right, owing to its top-notch schools and entertainment options. So gradually, Vandever Trails is becoming known as one of the metro area’s finest places to live. “The neighborhood is a bit older, dating back to the 1960s through 1980s, but has more affordable homes,” says Stephen Canada, sales associate for McGraw Realtors. “The city is reimagining the intersection of 101st Street and Elm Place, too, trying to bring in new shopping and restaurants.” The homes here are new, too. Mostly built from the early 2000s onward, they come in various architectural styles – ranging from quaint bungalows to spacious French Country properties – and tend to sport features like cross-hipped roofs, two-car garages, flat lots and narrow back porches leading into enclosed backyards. Homes here typically sell for anywhere from $210,000 to $265,000, Canada says. One of prospective homebuyers’ biggest draws here is the schools. Though the neighborhood is only home to one, Vandever Elementary, this institution serving kindergarten through fifth grade boasts a B+ rating from Niche for its emphasis on the fine arts, incorporating it into each grade’s daily schedule. Students from there feed 1 mile east into Sequoyah Middle School, 2 miles east into Broken Arrow Freshman Academy and 6 miles north into Broken Arrow High, the latter of which is the largest high school in Oklahoma. Students have a handful of choices for after-school play. Most opt for the closest, Lions Park, which lies just a couple blocks north of Vandever Elementary. Spanning 2 acres, it has a popular half-basketball court alongside its small, mulched playset and picnic shelter, but another park with more options isn’t too far away. Closer to the southern end, Vandever Park comes equipped with lighted tennis and pickleball courts, as well as a bigger, mulched neon-orange playset with light-pink slides and more picnic tables. There’s also a private neighborhood play area, Jerry Hammons Park, with two partially enclosed playsets and a tire swing. Though none of them are that big, there are enough options that keep crowds thin. When the weather isn’t as pleasant, residents flock to Vandever East Shopping Center. Stretching from 101st across Elm Place, this strip offers mailing essentials like FedEx Shipping Center, a handful of furniture stores like American Freight and ReStore, fast-food stops like Arby’s and beloved local eateries like Jimmy’s. Growing up in Brooklyn before moving to Tulsa in 1990, Jimmy’s namesake owner had a dream of opening a New York-inspired pizzeria in his new town and fulfilled it with its opening in 2017. Indulge in the specialty New York Cheese Slice – blending Jimmy’s famous sauce and a premium cheese mix – build your own pie, or dig into a stromboli or pasta dish. Right next to Vandever East sits another go-to restaurant: Mr. Mambo serves up authentic Mexican cuisine in a casual environment with patio seating. Try its locally famous Big Mambo Burrito, which combines chicken or steak with grilled veggies, red and green sauces, and cheese, that’s said to pair well with one of its many massive margaritas. If you’d prefer to cook at home or just need to stock up on groceries, Walmart Neighborhood Market awaits in the northern sector. Vandever Trails proves downtown isn’t the only place with all the essentials in one.