Martin Luther King

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. once advised: “If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.” In northeast Oklahoma City, overlooking the state capitol less than 4 miles from the center of the city’s urban core, this neighborhood is living up to its namesake’s wise words. Both Jenna Laird and Char Hiaring, OKC Realtors, agree that Martin Luther King Jr., the community, is working hard to become the best version of itself. Laird, with Verity Real Estate, notes that she’s looking forward to seeing where the neighborhood ends up. She explains: “It’s an area that’s in the process of being revitalized and re-envisioned. It’s just in the beginning stages right now, but we’re already seeing some really fun design ideas in these houses.” Hiaring, with Real Broker, adds: “It’s really up and coming. Within a mile, there’s a ton of new development, from new multi-family housing to new single-family houses to multi-million-dollar properties to commercial development, the whole area is really getting worked on.”

Martin Luther King Jr.’s original homes were built in the 1910s and ‘20s. Many are still standing today, more than 100 years later. Between the early 20th-century Craftsman and Minimal Traditional cottages, you’ll also find late-midcentury ranch-style bungalows and brand-new construction. Laird observes that, unlike some communities in which original homes have been torn down to make way for new builds, the 2020s construction here does “fit within the character of the neighborhood.” She notes: “The new houses are slightly, but not too terribly much bigger, than the original houses here,” which she says goes a long way in creating cohesion that might otherwise have been lost.

For a three-bedroom, two-bathroom Minimal Traditional-style home built in 1925 and extensively remodeled with new flooring throughout and new fixtures and finishes in the kitchen and bathrooms, you can expect to pay close to $190,000. But Laird explains that homes with fewer updates tend to sell for slightly less. “The original houses that have not been updated or remodeled are selling for between about $70,000 and $125,000,” she says. Hiaring confirms that Martin Luther King Jr., as well as OKC in general, is very competitively priced at the moment. He notes: “OKC is very affordable when compared to the national average, it’s probably one of the last cities in the country with housing in this price range. It’s hard to find homes for less than $100,000 elsewhere.” And in this neighborhood, in particular, he says: “You’re by a ton of new developments, you’re by the state capitol and you’re by a ton of historic properties. It’s a great area with a hot housing market and in the next five to 10 years, it’s going to be totally different. It’s a great investment opportunity.”

Students in Martin Luther King Jr. are served by schools in the Oklahoma City Public Schools system. Youngsters between preschool and fifth grade go to Thelma R. Parks Elementary, tweens between sixth and eighth grade go to F.D. Moon Middle and older students finish their grade school careers at Douglass High. All three schools are conveniently located within 2 miles of most homes in the neighborhood. Douglass High, established in 1891 as the first school in the city serving African-American students, is one of the oldest schools in the state. Today, it’s known affectionately by locals as the “Pride of the East Side.”

Just 3.5 miles from the popular shopping, dining and entertainment districts downtown, and less than a mile and a half from the Oklahoma State Capitol, Martin Luther King Jr.’s location is part of its rapidly increasing appeal to homebuyers. Hiaring notes: “This is a pretty neat town. It just seems like every day there’s something new happening here,” adding that OKC’s food scene is especially incredible. “You could probably eat at a new restaurant every day, and after a full year, you probably still wouldn’t have eaten at every restaurant in town. It’s amazing,” he gushes. Laird adds that one of her favorite eateries is within half a mile of Martin Luther King Jr. She says: “On the corner of Fonshill and 23rd, there’s a James Beard Award-winning restaurant called Florence’s. They serve Southern-style food, like catfish, that’s just delicious.” And if you’d rather eat in than out, your local Homeland is less than 2 miles northwest, making it easy to run out for groceries.

Written By

Megan Quintin

Photography Contributed By

Brian Lee

Video By

Zoe Sarris