Piedmont

Founded in 1903 on the heels of the Unassigned Land Run, Piedmont upgraded from “town” to “city” status in the mid-1980s. Today, though the city has grown to a population of nearly 8,000, it still feels like a small town. Realtor Leah Brown, with McGraw Realtors, says its rural atmosphere is a large part of its appeal. “As more and more people are beginning to want land around them, Piedmont is really gaining traction, because there are more land properties here,” she observes. But that’s not the only reason this area, just over 25 miles northwest of downtown Oklahoma City, is drawing homebuyers’ attention. “A lot of people move here for the school system, too. These are great, really highly rated schools,” she explains.

You’ll find a wide variety of architecture on show here, from Traditional and Dallas-style homes to midcentury brick ranch-style homes and Modern Farmhouses. But the consistent characteristic of Piedmont homes is their acreage. “A lot of buyers that are looking for an acreage property land in Piedmont because homes with land around them are much easier to find here than in other areas, especially closer to Edmond,” says Brown. For a four-bedroom Dallas-style home sprawled over 4 acres, built in 1991 and featuring a large backyard shop, a barn with animal stalls, and a newly renovated kitchen with stone counters and modern fixtures, you can expect to pay around $540,000. The mid-$500,000 mark is slightly higher than the median for the city, but you can also find smaller brick ranch-style homes on single-acre properties for closer to $370,000 and larger new construction Modern Farmhouse-style homes for nearly $1.5 million here.

Piedmont students attend schools in the highly sought-after Piedmont Public Schools system. Youngsters between preschool and fifth grade go to Piedmont Elementary and tweens go to Piedmont Middle for sixth through eighth grade. Older students finish off their grade school careers at Piedmont High, home of the Wildcats. Both Piedmont Elementary and Middle boast A grades from Niche, while Piedmont High boasts a B-plus. In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked Piedmont High in the top 15 best OKC metro area high schools. Brown notes that aside from the high ratings, “People want their kids in Piedmont schools because it’s a little bit of a smaller system.” She explains: “Edmond and Yukon are larger, they have a lot of elementary schools each, but Piedmont only has three.”

In the heart of the city, off Piedmont Avenue just 1 mile east of the high school, is Piedmont Community Park. The park caters to all ages, with basketball and sand volleyball courts, an outdoor exercise space, picnic areas with grills, and a gigantic playground and splash pad. Sprawled over 12,000 square feet, the playground is Olde Town Piedmont-themed, featuring wooden climbing structures designed to look like buildings in the town’s early days. A larger-than-life cowboy statue towers over the adjacent splash pad, spraying water from his raised lasso. For their groceries, many residents visit Williams Foods off Piedmont Avenue just a mile and a half south of the park.

Though homes here are spread over more acreage than those in nearby towns, the community here is tightly knit. “The annual events Piedmont puts on are well-attended,” says Brown, referring to the springtime Easter Eggstravaganza, July 4th Freedom Fest and the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. “Everyone knows each other and is really friendly,” she notes. “You can’t see your neighbors from your front porch with most of these homes, but you can tell Piedmont has a strong sense of community.”