Neighborhoods of Tulsa, Oklahoma
is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma. It has many diverse neighborhoods due to its size.
Downtown Tulsa is an area of approximately surrounded by an inner-dispersal loop created by Interstate 244, Highway 64, and Highway 75. The area serves as Tulsa's financial and business district, and is the focus of a large initiative to draw tourism, which includes plans to capitalize on the area's historic architecture. Much of Tulsa's convention space is located in downtown, such as the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, the Tulsa Convention Center, and the BOK Center. Prominent downtown sub-districts include the "Oil Capital" District, the Blue Dome District, the Arts District, Owen Park Historical Neighborhood, and the Greenwood Historical District, the site of ONEOK Field, a baseball stadium for the Tulsa Drillers opened in 2010.
The city's historical residential core lies in Midtown, just south of Downtown, containing upscale neighborhoods built in the early 20th century with architecture ranging from Art Deco to Greek Revival. The University of Tulsa, the Swan Lake neighborhood, Philbrook Museum, and the upscale shopping districts of Utica Square, Cherry Street, and Brookside are located in this region. A large portion of the city's southern half has developed since the 1970s, containing low-density housing and retail developments. This region, marked by secluded homes and suburban neighborhoods, contains Woodland Hills Mall, as well as Southern Hills Country Club, and Oral Roberts University.
East of Highway 169 and north of 61st street, a diverse racial makeup marks the eastern portions of the city, with large Asian and Mexican communities and much of the city's manufacturing industry.
Areas of Tulsa west of the Arkansas River are called West Tulsa, and are marked by large parks, wilderness reserves, and large oil refineries. The northern tier of the city is home to OSU-Tulsa, Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa International Airport, the Tulsa Zoo, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, and the nation's third-largest municipal park, Mohawk Park.
Downtown
Tulsa includes many structures built during the Oil Boom in the 1920s and 1930s, including Art Deco buildings such as Boston Avenue Methodist Church and Tulsa Union Depot. Waite Phillips left a significant architectural impact on downtown Tulsa through the Philtower and Philcade Building. Other notable downtown Tulsa buildings include the Exchange Bank Building, the Cosden Building, Atlas Life Building, Holy Family Cathedral, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, and the Mayo Hotel. Known for a time as "Terra Cotta City", Tulsa hosted the International Sixth Congress on Art Deco in 2001. The core downtown area was designated on the National Register of Historic Places as the Oil Capital Historic District in 2010.Image:BostonAvenueMethodist.jpg|thumb|left|Boston Avenue Methodist Church
Downtown Tulsa is in the northwest quadrant of the city and is ringed by an expressway called the Inner Dispersal Loop. Downtown's buildings include many large office towers. At, the BOK Tower was the tallest building in any of the 5 "plains states" until the Devon Tower in Oklahoma City was completed in 2012. The BOK Tower was designed in 1975 by Minoru Yamasaki & Associates, the same architect who designed the World Trade Center in New York City.
The Tulsa Performing Arts Center occupies a half city block in Tulsa's historical downtown. The PAC is also the design of Minoru Yamasaki. It houses five theatres and a reception hall. More than a quarter of a million people visit the Center each year to attend a performance from one of Tulsa's seven acclaimed musical and dramatic companies including the Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Tulsa Opera, Theatre Tulsa, and a variety of symphonic groups. The PAC hosts a multitude of cultural events through the fall, winter, and spring.
In 2005, the City of Tulsa broke ground on a 19,199-seat regional events center designed by architect César Pelli. The arena was named the BOK Center and opened on August 30, 2008.
Oil Capital Historic District
The Oil Capital Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. Third Street bounds it on the north, Seventh Street on the South, Cincinnati Avenue on the east, and Cheyenne Avenue on the west. This area features many historic Downtown office buildings constructed during the 1920s and 1930s during the height of the city's oil boom when it was considered the 'Oil Capital of the World'..Blue Dome District
Another popular downtown entertainment district is the Blue Dome, named for a distinctive, domed building located at Second Street and Elgin Avenue in the eastern section of downtown. The building was originally constructed in 1924 as a 24-hour Gulf Oil service station. It has been converted into an information desk/office for the district. The area is notable for its vibrant nightlife, offering a diverse mix of restaurants, shops, bars, breweries, murals, and a bowling alley. It is also known for its proximity to Tulsa City Hall.East Village
The East Village comprises 115 acres, bordered by East 2nd and East 7th Streets, Detroit Avenue, and Lansing Avenue, located just inside the inner-dispersal loop. This area boasts an upscale martini bar, American Theatre Company Studios, a hair salon, a pet day care, photography studios, lofts, a knitting room, and a living arts district, among others. The cornerstone of this neighborhood is the largest LGBT community center in Oklahoma, and fifth largest LGBT Center in the United States, the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, owned and operated by Oklahomans for Equality/OkEq, with further development being planned for more restaurants, residential lofts and retail. OkEq hosts Tulsa Pride each June in the East Village neighborhood.The Pearl District
The Pearl District is emerging as a cultural hub just east of downtown. Once suffering from significant blight, the Pearl District has seen fervent restoration and new business development thanks to a concerted infill effort on the part of the City of Tulsa, including new bars and restaurants, white collar small offices, and new residential buildings, with zoning designed to encourage mixed use and walkability. It is bordered by 1st street to the north and 11th street to the south, and lies adjacent to Centennial Park to the west.It was the neighborhood of journalist and activist Lee Roy Chapman and houses his Center for Public Secrets. The historic Art Deco-style Tulsa Fire Alarm Building is at 1010 South Detroit in the district, but has been unused for several years. The building was sold in July 2015 to be converted into a museum honoring Tulsa's firefighters. As of 2025, it hasn’t opened to the public. The Pearl District also contains The Church Studio, a former church that Leon Russell turned into a recording studio and the focal point of the Tulsa Sound music movement during the 1970s.
Uptown
Uptown is the region just to the south of Downtown. The bar district in this area, at 18th and South Boston, is quite popular. The Ambassador Hotel, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, was built in 1929 to provide temporary housing for businessmen and now functions as a boutique hotel. The building is at the corner of Main and 14th Street. The Tulsa Preservation Commission identified this location as "...the Southeast Business Area of the Riverview section of Tulsa."Buena Vista Park Historic District
The Buena Vista Park residential addition, comprising three blocks, was initiated in 1908. It was the start of what is now the Buena Vista Park Historic District, which was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The district now covers. Its period of architectural significance was 1913 - 1933. One of the supporting properties, the James Alexander Veasey House at 1802 South Cheyenne Avenue West, was added to the NRHP in its own right on July 27, 1989.Riverview Historic District
Riverview is bounded on the north by 12th and 13th Streets, on the east by the alley between Denver and Elwood Avenues, on the south by Riverside Drive and 14th Place, and on the west by Jackson Avenue. The name originated from Riverview Elementary School, located at 12th and Guthrie. Although the school building was demolished in 1975, the district retained its name. This area contains houses and apartment buildings constructed between 1911 and 1938 and is known for the historic Dresser Mansion and the University Club Tower. Image:Riverview Historic District.jpg|thumb|rightIncluded are several structures that are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Midtown
Midtown is a largely residential district in the heart of the city. This area consists mostly of homes built from the early 1900s to the 1950s and has a wide variety of American styles ranging from the Craftsman bungalow to the ranch-style home to Greek Revival. The neighborhood is even home to a relocated saltbox home from colonial New England. Schools in this part of the city include Bishop Kelley, Edison Preparatory School, Eliot Elementary, Francis Scott Key Elementary, Monte Cassino, Council Oak Elementary, Patrick Henry Elementary, Wright Elementary, Undercroft Montessori, and Hoover Elementary. Woodward Park, located in Midtown, is known for its azaleas and gardens and is a popular destination for photography and picnics. Other popular Midtown Parks include Swan Lake, Zink Park, Darlington Park, and Whiteside Park.Utica Square, Tulsa's first suburban shopping center, is an upscale outdoor center with a mix of locally owned retailers, including Miss Jackson's, Tulsa's oldest department store, and national chains. Adjacent to Utica Square is Temple Israel, a Reform Jewish congregation housed in a building by prolific synagogue architect Percival Goodman, and Cascia Hall Preparatory School, a college preparatory school now also known as a key location in the fantasy/horror House of Night novel series written by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. Tulsa's conservative synagogue, B'nai Emunah, is also located in Midtown.
Some of the other major shopping centers in this part of the city include the Promenade Mall, Highland Park Shopping Center, Southroads, Ranch Acres, The Farm Shopping Center, and The Plaza. OU-Tulsa is across the street from the Promenade Mall at 41st and Yale, on the southern edge of Midtown.
In northeast Midtown, the Tulsa State Fairgrounds, now called Expo Square, is home to several Tulsa landmarks. In addition to the site being the former home to the minor league baseball Tulsa Drillers, the Art Deco Expo Square Pavilion, the Fair Meadows horse racing track, and the annual Tulsa State Fair, it boasts the SageNet Center, the largest clearspan building in the world, providing 354,000 square feet of column-free space under a cable-suspended roof. In front of the SageNet Center is the Golden Driller, standing 76 feet tall. Built in 1966 as a symbol for the International Petroleum Expo, the statue serves as a reminder of Tulsa's oily past.
The SageNet Center is also home to the annual Darryl Starbird Rod and Custom Show. Held in early February, it is touted as 'The World's Largest Indoor Car Show' and often draws around 1,500 custom and classic cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Antique car auctions are also held here, drawing many visitors from across the nation.