Watchful Eyes

Just a mile and a half from the popular southside Oklahoma City multicultural district known as Capitol Hill, there's another neighborhood you’ll want to keep an eye on. Per Clinton Lawson, a realtor with Pioneer Realty: “Watchful Eyes is a younger neighborhood than some of the others in this area, but the market here is just as hot.” He observes that houses here are “going pretty quick, despite how high interest rates are right now,” noting that many homes here go under contract in just over a week. “There are times, I’m sure, when the market goes up and down, but I’ve never seen it. People just continue to buy and sell here. It is absolutely crazy,” he says, citing competitive home prices and rapid revitalization as two possible reasons for the consistent market temperature. Realtor Eric Avalos, with Metro First Realty of Edmond, agrees. But he adds that those aren’t Watchful Eyes’ only compelling features. Avalos: “Investors are starting to get really interested in this area, but for a lot of people looking to make this their home, there’s more of a cultural aim. They like the proximity to the Latino stores, the restaurants and businesses that they want to have at hand on a daily basis.”

You’ll find mostly Minimal Traditional and ranch-style homes lining these gridded residential streets. Many were built in the 1940s and ‘50s, and in keeping with the style of the time period, they’re boxy and compact, with simple exterior ornamentation. Avalos notes that homes in Watchful Eyes range in price from slightly under $100,000 to slightly over $200,000. “It’s a pretty big range, especially compared to other neighborhoods in the southside,” he observes, acknowledging that with the median for the metro closer to the $300,000 mark, Watchful Eyes is “still super affordable.” For a 1940s wood siding-clad cottage, featuring two bedrooms, one bathroom, an attached single-car garage and a kitchen freshly renovated with new stone counters and stainless steel appliances, you can expect to pay nearly $150,000.

Watchful Eyes students are served by schools in the Oklahoma City Public Schools system. Many youngsters between preschool and fourth grade attend Fillmore Elementary, while older tweens attend Webster Middle School between fifth and eighth grade. For grades nine through 12, teens attend Capitol Hill High School, which earned a B grade from Niche for its diversity and a C- for its academics in 2023. The red brick, turreted Capitol Hill High School building has overseen the education of generations of local students since it opened its doors in 1928. Today, students can apply to participate in one of two specialized programs Capitol Hill High offers: the Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Arts. Both academies offer students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the two fields through internships and experience-based curricula. Lawson notes that it’s Capitol Hill’s athletics that really shine, though. “Soccer-wise, they’re great,” he gushes, noting that locals from around the southside flock to the pitch on game days to cheer on the Redwolves.

For their groceries, residents don’t need to venture far from their front stoops with your local Walmart Neighborhood Market and La Michoacana Meat Market less than a mile east. Feria Latina Supermarket is also close by, at just a mile west. Lawson notes that Watchful Eyes residents have easy access to some of the best eateries in town. He says: “You can’t drive two blocks in this part of town without finding a great restaurant. This is where everyone comes for great Mexican food.” Avalos agrees, observing that it’s the authenticity of the food here that draws people from around the city. “These are all locally owned, often family-run restaurants with real flavors,” he gushes.

From its competitive home prices to its culture-rich location in the heart of OKC’s south side, this is certainly one neighborhood to keep an eye on.

Written By

Megan Quintin

Photography Contributed By

Elizabeth James

Video By

Alex Finneran