Why Oklahoma City Could Represent the Future of America

The last time the United States suffered a recession this deep and painful, it was the Great Depression. That was the era of the Dust Bowl, the California pilgrimages out of Oklahoma that John Steinbeck etched into America’s memory with The Grapes of Wrath.

Eighty years later, California’s housing market has run dry and Oklahoma is building river parks. As families gravitate back to the heartland, with its cheap homes and lower unemployment, the migration patterns of the Great Depression have turned backward. "It’s the Wrath of Grapes," says Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.

One of the under-reported stories of the recession is the emergence of the Great Plains during the recovery. The central time zone largely avoided the highs of the housing bubble, and they’ve blissfully missed the lows, as well. But that’s not the only thing buoying Oklahoma.

Derek Thompson

Full Story: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/09/why-oklahoma-city-could-represent-the-future-of-america/62897/