Guthrie

If you agree with Laura Ingalls Wilder that “some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat,” Navina could be the place for you. Tucked in the rolling prairies between Edmond and Guthrie, there’s plenty of room to breathe here. But the fresh air and sunshine, and surrounding visible horizon, are where Navina’s old-fashioned qualities end. Realtor David Dumont, with Pinnacle Realty Group, notes: “This area is experiencing a ton of growth right now, with new residential developments popping up like daisies what seems like daily.” You’ll find some homes built as long ago as the early 2000s, but most of Navina’s Contemporary and Modern Farmhouse-style homes are new construction. Prices here range from around $400,000 to close to $700,000, “depending on acreage and size,” says Dumont, adding: “It’s getting harder to find properties with land around them in places like Edmond, but out here there’s still plenty of that.” Most new developments in Navina take advantage of the open prairies, spacing homes generously on lots of 1 to 2 acres. A four-bedroom Modern Farmhouse-style home built in 2023 on a 1-acre lot, featuring crisp black metal windows and decorative exterior wooden beams, modern fixtures and stone counters in the kitchen and bathrooms tends to sell for close to $615,000. Dumont explains that home values increase with proximity to nearby cities. “Your $400,000 homes will be a little more out in the country and your $600,000 to $700,000 or even $800,000 homes will be a little closer to the metros, but you’re never more than 20 miles from your nearest Walmart,” he says. Edmond and Guthrie are both within 20 miles of most homes and where most residents head for their everyday essentials. “The highway is very close, which makes it easy to get wherever you need to go,” says Dumont, adding: “Convenient is not the right word, because you’re far enough away from things that you’ll spend some time in the car if you need to run out for milk, but that’s what people are looking for here.” There are three Walmarts all within 20 miles of Navina, but the closest Supercenter is in Edmond just 9 miles south, off 192nd Street. Residents can stay close to home for good food and fun, though. Cashion, on the Kingfisher-Logan county line about 10 miles west of most homes in Navina, is a popular destination for its regular community events as well as its small-town charm. Visit Flour & Fennel for a unique take on that favorite pie: pizza. The eatery, on Boulevard in the center of town, is known for its experimental menu, which features bold options like Hatch green chili chicken pizza alongside classics like pepperoni. Seasonal events like the town Easter egg hunt and Christmas parade draw residents to Cashion, too. The annual Boom Fest celebration in late June is especially popular for its live music, July 4th parade, food trucks, field games and bouncy houses. Navina students are served by schools in several districts: Deer Creek, Cashion and Guthrie, all of which are highly rated by Niche and GreatSchools. Students in the southwest third of Navina attend Rose Union Elementary, Deer Creek Intermediate and Middle and Deer Creek High School. The four institutions all boast A grades from Niche and GreatSchools Summary Ratings of 8/10 and higher. Central Navina students go to Cashion Elementary, Middle and High School, all three of which boast B grades from Niche. Students in northeast Navina attend Guthrie schools. Many go to Fogarty Elementary for preschool through fourth grade, Guthrie Upper Elementary for fifth and sixth grades, then Guthrie Junior High and Guthrie High for seventh through 12th. Fogarty, Guthrie Upper Elementary and Junior High all boast B grades from Niche, while Guthrie High received a C+ grade in 2022. Dumont observes: “There are a lot of good school options here, it’s definitely a factor that folks consider when they’re looking at this area.” From its pastoral atmosphere and shiny new homes to its stellar schools, Navina is certainly one central Oklahoma neighborhood that’s hard to beat.

“At Waterloo, Napoleon did surrender.” The Swedish supergroup ABBA got their history lesson right in their hit song. But here, between south Guthrie and north Edmond in central Oklahoma, Waterloo is defeating items on homebuyers’ checklists instead of French military commanders. Realtor Margaret Phillips, owner of her namesake business, describes the area best: “It has all the amenities that someone could want, from shopping to dining to fun things to do, with good schools and a good price point to boot,” adding: “It’s a very sought-after neighborhood and people love it here.” You’ll find Traditional-style homes here, built between the late ‘90s and mid-2010s. Some feature exterior details recalling earlier Craftsman and Prairie styles, like rectangular porch columns, hipped roofs and emphasis on natural landscaping. You can expect to pay around $420,000 for a four-bedroom Traditional-style home built in 1999, with an attached three-car garage, hardwood and ceramic tile flooring throughout and updated stainless steel kitchen appliances. “Most homes here sell for between $300,000 and $500,000,” says Phillips, adding: “It’s a good medium price point for Edmond.” Phillips notes that part of the reason the prices here are so competitive is because there’s no homeowner’s association. “It’s not as expensive as neighborhoods where you’re also paying for the community pool and the clubhouse and all that,” she explains. “You have more flexibility without an HOA, though, so some people find that desirable,” she says, adding that without strict regulations, “You’re allowed to have barns and metal structures, and fun things like RVs and ATVs.” Another unique aspect of Waterloo is how large the lots are: “They’re oversized lots,” says Phillips. “Most are anywhere from a half-acre to 1-acre, but some are 2 or 3 acres, even,” she explains, adding that she recently sold a home in Waterloo that was a “dream listing” for its 2-acre lot, rustic wood barn and meticulously maintained gardens. She notes: “Now would be the time to buy here because prices are just going to get stronger. There’s a lot of new growth around this neighborhood, so we’re seeing home values rise.” Just 5 miles from the center of Edmond, many residents head into town for their everyday groceries and other essentials. “It’s definitely suburban in terms of convenience,” says Phillips, adding: “It’s really not quite the country yet because you’re very close to the metro and all the amenities in Edmond.” Your local Uptown Grocery and Walmart Supercenter are both just 5 miles south down Santa Fe Avenue. “Down the road from there, there’s all the Starbucks and chain restaurants you could want,” Phillips laughs, referring to the plethora of dining along Danforth Road near downtown Edmond. The Oak Tree Country Club, less than a mile south of most homes spanning either side of Kelley Avenue, is a popular dining and entertainment destination as well. “A lot of people move to this area in general for the golfing, but in Waterloo, you’re especially close to the Oak Tree course, which people love,” Phillips observes. The private club features a restaurant, fitness center and an Olympic-sized pool beyond its two 18-hole championship golf courses. Waterloo youngsters attend schools in several districts, so make sure to check out the maps ahead of registration. Many are served by the highly rated Edmond Public Schools system, attending Cross Timbers Elementary, Sequoyah Middle and Edmond North High. All three schools boast A grades from Niche. U.S. News & World Report ranked Edmond North High in the top five high schools in the state in 2022. Phillips notes that several of her clients have mentioned the school district as the main appeal of the neighborhood, explaining: “Edmond schools are very highly sought-after, a lot of young families move out of Oklahoma City for the schools up here.” With so many shining qualities, Oklahoma’s Waterloo certainly might have you singing: “Waterloo, promise to love you forevermore,” shortly after moving in.

At noon in late April 1889, Guthrie was born with a bang. As the smoke from the cannons signaling the start of the Land Run cleared, tens of thousands rushed to claim a piece of the Oklahoma prairie for their own. Today, the town is made up of brick and stone rather than the wood and canvas tents the early homesteaders erected when they arrived, but Guthrie has remained true to its roots. “It’s more of a rural area, that’s for sure,” laughs Tulio Morales, a top realtor with Whittington Realty. Like the original settlers, residents of this small town 30 miles north of Oklahoma City are “out here because they want to be away from people, away from the congestion of the city, with plenty of land around them,” Morales says. On the east side of town, that’s especially true: “It’s a slower, rural, more relaxed pace of life in East Guthrie,” confirms Morales. East Guthrie offers panoramic pastoral views, with lots ranging from half an acre to well over 5 acres. Homes here tend toward Traditional-style, with farmhouse, Prairie and Craftsman-style design elements. For a typical three-bedroom Traditional-style home on 2 acres, featuring an open floorplan, hardwood flooring throughout and an attached two-car garage, you can expect to pay around $350,000. “Prices here are on par with the metro,” says Morales, noting the spectrum shimmers between $200,000 and $400,000. “$370,000 to $400,000, in my opinion, is bordering on overpriced for the area right now,” he says, explaining: “Homes in that range sit on the market just a little longer than homes in the $355,000 to $360,000 range.” He notes that East Guthrie homes, even those priced on the upper end of the spectrum, typically sell within three or four weeks, explaining: “You’re looking at an average of about a month on-market here, likely because this area is pretty specific. If you’re moving here, it’s because you have a very specific idea of what you want: rural, small-town, but only 25 minutes from the big city.” With Interstate 35 running along the western side of East Guthrie, the 30 miles to downtown Oklahoma City can easily be driven in about 25 minutes. But most residents don’t venture that far to get their kicks, or even for their everyday essentials. “You’re only 14 minutes from Edmond, 25 minutes from Bricktown in downtown OKC, but more than likely you’re not going to go into Oklahoma City to eat,” says Morales, explaining: “It’s a different lifestyle here, most people aren’t looking to go out on a Friday night to Bricktown to dance the night away. At the Guthrie restaurants, the vibe is much more relaxed.” It would be hard not to feel at home in eateries named for your neighbors, like Gage’s Steakhouse, Katie’s Diner and Simone’s Café. But the dining here is just as fine as that in OKC. Morales recommends visiting Gage’s for date night. “They’ve got really good surf and turf,” he says, adding: “The atmosphere is casual, not stuffy.” For their weekly groceries, many residents visit the Conscious Community Co-op farmer’s market on 248th Street about 5 miles west. When it’s time to hit the books, most East Guthrie youngsters attend schools in the Guthrie Public Schools system. Youngsters go to Fogarty Elementary for preschool through fourth grade, Guthrie Upper Elementary for fifth and sixth grade and Guthrie Junior High for seventh and eighth grade. All three institutions boast B grades from Niche for their academics and teachers. Teenagers between ninth and 12th grade spend their high school career at Guthrie High School, which reviewers awarded 4 out of 5 stars on GreatSchools in 2023. Here in the central Oklahoma countryside, you may be far from the metro, but East Guthrie residents of past and present agree: That’s the point.