We had the opportunity to interview Hillary Smith, who moved from California to Oklahoma with her husband, Zack, and 6 children.

The Smiths’ were native Californians who lived their entire lives in The Golden State. After getting married and starting their family, they noticed that finances and money were consistently tight for them. Although family and friends always told them that life would be tight and hard, they felt like it didn’t have to be that way. They went out in search of a better life for their family, and found it in Oklahoma. 

What prompted your move from California to Oklahoma?

Our family has grown up and lived in California our entire lives. Money and finances were always tight for us. Everyone always told us that money would be tight, but after several years we realized that our situation just wasn’t right for us. It was actually really bad, and we wanted to find a better life for our family. 

What kinds of things were important to you as you began looking at other states to move to?

We looked for lower taxes, a more conservative political climate, lower cost of living, and ease of homeschooling. In California we were increasingly being taxed for everything. Many of our freedoms were being taken away. We are a homeschooling family, and although it’s very easy to homeschool in California, the way the law is written the government can come and snatch away your rights to homeschool. Oklahoma is currently the only state in the nation that has the ‘right to homeschool’ actually written into the state constitution. 

How long have you been here in Oklahoma, and how did you decide where to move?

We didn’t know anyone here before we decided to move. We did not have a job yet, and really didn’t know what part of the state we wanted to move to exactly.  We rented at first and traveled the state extensively in order to see all of our options. We really wanted to make sure we chose the right place to settle down with our family. Lots of trees and nature are important to us as a family, so that was definitely a factor. We moved here in early 2020. 

What are some lessons learned that you can share with others thinking about relocating to Oklahoma?

For out-of-state moves, you need to consider your banking services, health needs, insurance, etc. Some of the options we had in California are not here in Oklahoma. For example, Costco insurance, Target Optical and WellsFargo are all services we utilized in California but are not here in Oklahoma. We did not even consider this at all when we first moved.

The other big practical tip for anyone relocating out-of-state is to declutter way more than you think you need to. Consider the cost of moving your belongings. It may actually be cheaper to buy when you move then to pay to move it across the country.

Also, with the pandemic many household items, such as refrigerators, are on backorder right now. Pre-plan and order well in advance, or utilize Facebook Marketplace to find what you need for cheaper prices.  The DMV and changing our drivers license also has taken much longer than expected than what we were used to in California. 

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What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned after moving here?

Everyone thought we were crazy moving here, but we absolutely love it. The stress level is so much better. No one is in a hurry, and people are just generally nice. People actually wave at you here. You can also buy beer at the drive-thru at On-Cue! Recycling is not as prevalent or available in all areas or easy to access. 

If you had to do the move over again, would you change anything?

If I had to do it over again, I would have driven a moving truck instead of rented pods. I was afraid that the truck would get stolen, but now I realize that I could have just bought a club for the steering wheel. I think it really would have been OK. I was also nervous about parking the truck. But renting a truck would have saved us a lot more money than we spent on the pods. 

Anything you wish someone would have told you before moving here?

Buy bug spray! Ha. It hasn’t been that bad. I grew up in more rural areas, I’m used to having critters and bugs around so it doesn’t bother me. Keep coins and dollar bills in your car for when you get on a turnpike on accident and don’t have money. 

Have you discovered any favorite places that your family really likes to go to?

We are an outdoorsy family, and really enjoy being in nature. The Chickasaw Wildlife Refuge, Little Niagara, Medicine Park, and The Gathering Place in Tulsa have all been family favorites so far! 

Is there something you thought would worry you, but hasn’t turned out to be as big a deal?

I think that a lot of people get really concerned about tornadoes. When you talk to people that grew up here, it’s not a huge deal. It’s just something that you deal with. I’ve tried to adopt a way of thinking; think about tornadoes the same way that I think about earthquakes. For Californians, teach your children and family about the tornadoes the same way we learned earthquake safety. 

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We love helping families relocate to Oklahoma, whether you are moving from California or another location!

Jimmy Hughes at JMR Realty helps families find the perfect home when moving to Oklahoma City, Edmond, Guthrie, Yukon, Mustang, Moore, Midwest City, Del City and surrounding suburbs. 

We can’t wait to welcome you home! Call Jimmy at 405-888-3148 or email him at jhughes@jmrrealtyok.com to get started.