Let’s see how much they can get built in 30 years, especially the light rail. Their Streetcar was a total failure, and their density is far less than Kansas City or Omaha. My assumption is the light rail will be the first to get cut from the plan on the basis of cost. Even Austin can’t build their own light rail line.StlAlex wrote: ↑12:17 AM - Jul 17https://www.onetransit.org/
We live in a world where OKC has better transit plans than St. Louis.
OKC is not dense. It is sprawling and is probably even more car-centric than St. Louis. Public transit of this type will be a heavy lift, and I say that with sadness because it is my hometown and I am an advocate for such things. But reality is what it is. Pretty much the whole metro area with a tiny exception was built post-1920.
Having written that, I keep up with the pulse down there and expanded transit has a shot. The area is growing fairly rapidly and is starting to experience real traffic congestion. I saw this last month when I was home for a week - things are just more crowded in a way they didn't use to be and there is growing frustration with the building of turnpikes, which has been the way around funding problems. There is also the general civic attitude of "We are turning into a big city and we need to embrace things that big cities have and we need to get ahead of it before we really need it." OKC has many faults but planning ahead is actually something they do pretty well. As I have written before, there are also fewer municipalities and stakeholders, although there will be a fight between the city interests and certain (not all) of the suburbs.
I think the OKC of today is about where Kansas City was when I was in college (I am 50) and probably where St. Louis was when my parents were in college (they are 80). So there you have it. Plan ahead, long term. We'll see.
Having written that, I keep up with the pulse down there and expanded transit has a shot. The area is growing fairly rapidly and is starting to experience real traffic congestion. I saw this last month when I was home for a week - things are just more crowded in a way they didn't use to be and there is growing frustration with the building of turnpikes, which has been the way around funding problems. There is also the general civic attitude of "We are turning into a big city and we need to embrace things that big cities have and we need to get ahead of it before we really need it." OKC has many faults but planning ahead is actually something they do pretty well. As I have written before, there are also fewer municipalities and stakeholders, although there will be a fight between the city interests and certain (not all) of the suburbs.
I think the OKC of today is about where Kansas City was when I was in college (I am 50) and probably where St. Louis was when my parents were in college (they are 80). So there you have it. Plan ahead, long term. We'll see.
Density of OKC or if it all actually happens is not really the point. The point is that they actually have a regional plan to build towards and we do not.
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Interesting read on how OKC's big energy companies are moving to Houston. Houston is the energy capital of the world so not surprising
in STL, "city loses another corp HQ" are the types of stories that have driven enormous clicks so good to read for context:
https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10
These Energy Companies Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas.
Departures of Devon Energy and Expand Energy are latest sign that oil- and-gas mergers are consolidating the industry in Houston
By Benoît Morenne | Photography by Katrina Ward for WSJ Oct. 4, 2026 8:00 pm ET BUSINESS ENERGY & OIL
These Energy Companies Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. Departures of Devon Energy and Expand Energy are latest sign that oil- and-gas mergers are consolidating the industry in Houston The newly developed Wheeler Districtin Oklahoma City.
OKLAHOMA CITY—An NBA basketball team. An Olympic rowing facility. The state’s tallest skyscraper. All were lavished on this mid-American city by two oil-and-gas Quick Summary Devon Energy and Expand Energy have moved their headquarters from Oklahoma City to Houston, consolidating the energy industry in Texas. View more 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 1/11 companies and their leaders over decades of investment to lure top talent. Now, the partnership has run into a Texas-shaped wall. Devon Energy and Expand Energy —the successor of Chesapeake Energy—said in back-to-back announcements this year that they were moving headquarters to a more desirable location: Houston. Just like that, Oklahoma City is losing its two largest public oil-and-gas companies, with market values of about $52 billion and $20 billion, respectively. The abrupt exits have frazzled some of the city’s elder statesmen, chagrined politicians —and prompted some chief executives to make not-so-subtle digs at their former neighbors. The companies have said they would maintain a large presence in Oklahoma City, but some officials fear that will dwindle over time. “We should be asking why Oklahoma keeps building energy companies only to watch so many of them eventually move south,” said state Sen. Dusty Deevers. The corporate migration carries extra sting because the companies were by far the top corporate boosters in Oklahoma City. They erected sprawling campuses and upscale strip malls—and even helped turn a moribund river into an Olympic water-sports venue. The drive from the airport to the city center is studded with signs celebrating the Oklahoma City Thunder, which won its first NBA championship two seasons ago. DVN 1.37% EXE 1.32% The Oklahoma Capitol, in Oklahoma City. An oil-industry-themed sculpture atthe Devon Energy Oil and Gas Park, an outdoor exhibit atthe Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 2/11 The departures are the latest sign that a frenzy of oil-and-gas mergers is consolidating the energy industry in Houston. Devon announced its departure after inking a deal to merge with Houston-based Coterra Energy. Chesapeake merged with Southwestern Energy, which was based in north Houston, two years ago and changed its name to Expand. Oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron both based in the Houston region, have acquired rivals once based in New York, Denver and Irving, Texas and centralized corporate functions in Houston. “People don’t understand that locating in Houston is like moving a film company to Hollywood,” said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. Devon has said moving its top executives to Texas will create more opportunities for the company. A spokeswoman said its commitment to and presence in Oklahoma City hadn’t changed, and the city remained a major operations center. Expand has said relocating will allow it to be closer to other energy companies and customers. The size of its Oklahoma City workforce remains largely unchanged, and its operations team remains there. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 3/11 Some business leaders note that Oklahoma City’s reliance on the oil-and-gas industry as a growth engine has waned. The sector counts about 10,000 jobs in the region, down more than half from 2018, stemming in part from pandemic-era layoffs as oil prices crashed and natural-gas prices sagged. Long gone are the days when fortune seekers plopped drilling rigs behind the State Capitol. The aerospace and healthcare industries are among the region’s largest employers, with companies such as Boeing employing thousands of people. But the oil-and-gas industry still accounts for about 13% of the region’s gross product, according to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. Devon has about 1,000 employees in Oklahoma City and Expand about 500. With the companies moving, Oklahoma is losing two Fortune 500 companies. The remaining three are pipeline companies Oneok and Williams, both based in Tulsa, and oil-and-gas producer Continental Resources, in Oklahoma City. John Nichols, a former accountant, and his son Larry, a former law clerk to Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, founded Devon in 1971. They built the middling family business into a producer active in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. In 2002, Devon bought Texas operator Mitchell Energy, which mastered the technique of fracking shale rock to squeeze out fossil fuel. Devon combined the innovation with horizontal drilling— and helped unleash the shale revolution that turned the U.S. into the world’s top producer of oil and natural gas. Devon Energy opened its $750 million headquarters in 2012. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 4/11 The company saw itself as an enduring presence in Oklahoma City. In 2012, it cut the ribbon on a $750 million, 50-story skyscraper to house employees. For the six-story glass rotunda that serves as the entrance, architects picked wood from the Republic of Congo and white granite from India’s Kashmir. Devon lent the city $95 million to revamp the public streets, parks and sidewalks of downtown, paid back with its own tax dollars. As that company reshaped the city’s skyline, Chesapeake took on ambitious projects of its own. Founded in 1989 by Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward, Chesapeake became proficient at fracking for natural gas and in the 2000s grew at breakneck speed. It employed more than 11,000 in 2011, with roughly one-third in Oklahoma City, and McClendon said it received about 500 résumés a day. Chesapeake built a 50-acre, Georgian-style corporate complex modeled after a college campus that it went on to expand, complete with four gourmet restaurants, a 72,000- square-foot gym and a vegetable garden. McClendon, a flamboyant billionaire, persuaded Whole Foods to set up shop, developed an upscale shopping center across from the campus, and helped fund several restaurants. Among them was Pops, a sodaand-burger joint on Route 66 that today sells more than 700 flavors of soda. The former Chesapeake Energy campus, now home of Expand Energy. The branding on the private soccer field remains. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 5/11 The former Chesapeake Energy campus, a brick complex and a more modern set of adjacent buildings, is now the home of Expand Energy. Earnings calls became an opportunity to promote the flashy amenities to prospective talent. “We pay very well, have excellent benefits, have a beautiful campus,” McClendon said in a 2008 call. That year, he and other owners of Seattle’s NBA basketball team, the SuperSonics, moved it to Oklahoma City and rebranded it as the Oklahoma City Thunder. Rambunctious fans soon earned the team’s arena the nickname “Loud City.” In 2025, the team defeated the Indiana Pacers to win its first NBA championship since relocating. Chesapeake was the primary funder of the first boathouse on a seven-mile stretch of river on the outskirts of downtown, and it supported developing a sports program to foster a rowing-and-paddling community. Today, the so-called Boathouse District is an Olympic training site that attracts Ivy League rowers. The canoe and kayak slalom paddle events for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics will take place at a whitewater venue at the river complex. McClendon died in a car crash a decade ago, but Mike Knopp, founder of Riversport Foundation, the nonprofit that operates the site, credits him with planting the seeds of the Olympic project. “He went along with that ride,” Knopp said. “He believed in the big idea.” 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 6/11 Mike Knopp, founder of Riversport, standing in the first boathouse, sponsored by Chesapeake in 2006. Mike Knopp, founder of Riversport, standing in the first boathouse, sponsored by Chesapeake in 2006. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 7/11 Riversport OKC is within sight of downtown Oklahoma City. Riversport OKC is within sight of downtown Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City has treated McClendon and Larry Nichols as something like patron saints. Larry Nichols stepped down as Devon’s CEO in 2010 after 30 years in the role but has remained involved in the city’s planning organizations. The oilman used to tell people that “if you ever see that Devon Energy is moving to Houston in the paper, turn the pages to the obituaries, and there you will find me,” said Holt, the mayor. Devon’s departure has saddened and disappointed Larry Nichols, people close to him said. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 8/11 Coterra made it a condition of the merger with Devon that the combined entity be based in Houston, according to people familiar with the matter. Expand’s change of address has created some drama of its own: Then-CEO Domenic Dell’Osso opposed the relocation, which contributed to his decision to step down. He has since become CEO of Gulfport Energy, a roughly $3 billion company based in Oklahoma City. “We are proud to call Oklahoma City our home and are confident that it will remain a vital part of the American energy landscape for years to come,” Dell’Osso said in a statement. Other companies have pledged to stay put, including Continental, founded by billionaire Harold Hamm. An oil pump jack in a parking lotin Oklahoma City. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 9/11 Appeared in the October 5, 2026, print edition as 'Texas Gains as Energy Firms Exit Oklahoma'. An oil pump jack in a parking lotin Oklahoma City. “I made up my mind that I was born and raised in Oklahoma, I am an Oklahoman, and I’m going to continue to be an Oklahoman,” Hamm told a local newspaper in February. Hamm said of Devon CEO Clay Gaspar: “He’s a Texas A&M grad, a Texan, so I guess he felt like they needed to be in Houston.” Some state lawmakers are concerned Oklahoma isn’t doing enough to retain companies. Deevers, a Republican, has introduced legislation to eliminate individual and corporate income taxes, saying taxes affect where executives, capital and companies choose to locate. Texas doesn’t levy corporate income or personal income taxes. Senate Democratic leader Julia Kirt said Oklahoma offered oil-and-gas companies plenty of corporate incentives, but they chose to leave anyway. She said the state should instead focus on improving its public-education system. Most agree that Devon and Expand won’t be easily replaced. “We won’t have the CEOs sitting at the table,” Kirt said. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 10/11 Benoît Morenne covers the U.S. oil-and-gas industry forthe The Wall Street Journal. He has investigated the agendas of powerful fossil fuel billionaires, delved into epic feuds pitting some ofthe world's largest energy companies against each other, and revealed how drillers navigate a treacherous political landscape. With his colleagues, he has broken…
in STL, "city loses another corp HQ" are the types of stories that have driven enormous clicks so good to read for context:
https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10
These Energy Companies Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas.
Departures of Devon Energy and Expand Energy are latest sign that oil- and-gas mergers are consolidating the industry in Houston
By Benoît Morenne | Photography by Katrina Ward for WSJ Oct. 4, 2026 8:00 pm ET BUSINESS ENERGY & OIL
These Energy Companies Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. Departures of Devon Energy and Expand Energy are latest sign that oil- and-gas mergers are consolidating the industry in Houston The newly developed Wheeler Districtin Oklahoma City.
OKLAHOMA CITY—An NBA basketball team. An Olympic rowing facility. The state’s tallest skyscraper. All were lavished on this mid-American city by two oil-and-gas Quick Summary Devon Energy and Expand Energy have moved their headquarters from Oklahoma City to Houston, consolidating the energy industry in Texas. View more 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 1/11 companies and their leaders over decades of investment to lure top talent. Now, the partnership has run into a Texas-shaped wall. Devon Energy and Expand Energy —the successor of Chesapeake Energy—said in back-to-back announcements this year that they were moving headquarters to a more desirable location: Houston. Just like that, Oklahoma City is losing its two largest public oil-and-gas companies, with market values of about $52 billion and $20 billion, respectively. The abrupt exits have frazzled some of the city’s elder statesmen, chagrined politicians —and prompted some chief executives to make not-so-subtle digs at their former neighbors. The companies have said they would maintain a large presence in Oklahoma City, but some officials fear that will dwindle over time. “We should be asking why Oklahoma keeps building energy companies only to watch so many of them eventually move south,” said state Sen. Dusty Deevers. The corporate migration carries extra sting because the companies were by far the top corporate boosters in Oklahoma City. They erected sprawling campuses and upscale strip malls—and even helped turn a moribund river into an Olympic water-sports venue. The drive from the airport to the city center is studded with signs celebrating the Oklahoma City Thunder, which won its first NBA championship two seasons ago. DVN 1.37% EXE 1.32% The Oklahoma Capitol, in Oklahoma City. An oil-industry-themed sculpture atthe Devon Energy Oil and Gas Park, an outdoor exhibit atthe Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 2/11 The departures are the latest sign that a frenzy of oil-and-gas mergers is consolidating the energy industry in Houston. Devon announced its departure after inking a deal to merge with Houston-based Coterra Energy. Chesapeake merged with Southwestern Energy, which was based in north Houston, two years ago and changed its name to Expand. Oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron both based in the Houston region, have acquired rivals once based in New York, Denver and Irving, Texas and centralized corporate functions in Houston. “People don’t understand that locating in Houston is like moving a film company to Hollywood,” said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. Devon has said moving its top executives to Texas will create more opportunities for the company. A spokeswoman said its commitment to and presence in Oklahoma City hadn’t changed, and the city remained a major operations center. Expand has said relocating will allow it to be closer to other energy companies and customers. The size of its Oklahoma City workforce remains largely unchanged, and its operations team remains there. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 3/11 Some business leaders note that Oklahoma City’s reliance on the oil-and-gas industry as a growth engine has waned. The sector counts about 10,000 jobs in the region, down more than half from 2018, stemming in part from pandemic-era layoffs as oil prices crashed and natural-gas prices sagged. Long gone are the days when fortune seekers plopped drilling rigs behind the State Capitol. The aerospace and healthcare industries are among the region’s largest employers, with companies such as Boeing employing thousands of people. But the oil-and-gas industry still accounts for about 13% of the region’s gross product, according to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. Devon has about 1,000 employees in Oklahoma City and Expand about 500. With the companies moving, Oklahoma is losing two Fortune 500 companies. The remaining three are pipeline companies Oneok and Williams, both based in Tulsa, and oil-and-gas producer Continental Resources, in Oklahoma City. John Nichols, a former accountant, and his son Larry, a former law clerk to Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, founded Devon in 1971. They built the middling family business into a producer active in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. In 2002, Devon bought Texas operator Mitchell Energy, which mastered the technique of fracking shale rock to squeeze out fossil fuel. Devon combined the innovation with horizontal drilling— and helped unleash the shale revolution that turned the U.S. into the world’s top producer of oil and natural gas. Devon Energy opened its $750 million headquarters in 2012. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 4/11 The company saw itself as an enduring presence in Oklahoma City. In 2012, it cut the ribbon on a $750 million, 50-story skyscraper to house employees. For the six-story glass rotunda that serves as the entrance, architects picked wood from the Republic of Congo and white granite from India’s Kashmir. Devon lent the city $95 million to revamp the public streets, parks and sidewalks of downtown, paid back with its own tax dollars. As that company reshaped the city’s skyline, Chesapeake took on ambitious projects of its own. Founded in 1989 by Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward, Chesapeake became proficient at fracking for natural gas and in the 2000s grew at breakneck speed. It employed more than 11,000 in 2011, with roughly one-third in Oklahoma City, and McClendon said it received about 500 résumés a day. Chesapeake built a 50-acre, Georgian-style corporate complex modeled after a college campus that it went on to expand, complete with four gourmet restaurants, a 72,000- square-foot gym and a vegetable garden. McClendon, a flamboyant billionaire, persuaded Whole Foods to set up shop, developed an upscale shopping center across from the campus, and helped fund several restaurants. Among them was Pops, a sodaand-burger joint on Route 66 that today sells more than 700 flavors of soda. The former Chesapeake Energy campus, now home of Expand Energy. The branding on the private soccer field remains. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 5/11 The former Chesapeake Energy campus, a brick complex and a more modern set of adjacent buildings, is now the home of Expand Energy. Earnings calls became an opportunity to promote the flashy amenities to prospective talent. “We pay very well, have excellent benefits, have a beautiful campus,” McClendon said in a 2008 call. That year, he and other owners of Seattle’s NBA basketball team, the SuperSonics, moved it to Oklahoma City and rebranded it as the Oklahoma City Thunder. Rambunctious fans soon earned the team’s arena the nickname “Loud City.” In 2025, the team defeated the Indiana Pacers to win its first NBA championship since relocating. Chesapeake was the primary funder of the first boathouse on a seven-mile stretch of river on the outskirts of downtown, and it supported developing a sports program to foster a rowing-and-paddling community. Today, the so-called Boathouse District is an Olympic training site that attracts Ivy League rowers. The canoe and kayak slalom paddle events for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics will take place at a whitewater venue at the river complex. McClendon died in a car crash a decade ago, but Mike Knopp, founder of Riversport Foundation, the nonprofit that operates the site, credits him with planting the seeds of the Olympic project. “He went along with that ride,” Knopp said. “He believed in the big idea.” 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 6/11 Mike Knopp, founder of Riversport, standing in the first boathouse, sponsored by Chesapeake in 2006. Mike Knopp, founder of Riversport, standing in the first boathouse, sponsored by Chesapeake in 2006. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 7/11 Riversport OKC is within sight of downtown Oklahoma City. Riversport OKC is within sight of downtown Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City has treated McClendon and Larry Nichols as something like patron saints. Larry Nichols stepped down as Devon’s CEO in 2010 after 30 years in the role but has remained involved in the city’s planning organizations. The oilman used to tell people that “if you ever see that Devon Energy is moving to Houston in the paper, turn the pages to the obituaries, and there you will find me,” said Holt, the mayor. Devon’s departure has saddened and disappointed Larry Nichols, people close to him said. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 8/11 Coterra made it a condition of the merger with Devon that the combined entity be based in Houston, according to people familiar with the matter. Expand’s change of address has created some drama of its own: Then-CEO Domenic Dell’Osso opposed the relocation, which contributed to his decision to step down. He has since become CEO of Gulfport Energy, a roughly $3 billion company based in Oklahoma City. “We are proud to call Oklahoma City our home and are confident that it will remain a vital part of the American energy landscape for years to come,” Dell’Osso said in a statement. Other companies have pledged to stay put, including Continental, founded by billionaire Harold Hamm. An oil pump jack in a parking lotin Oklahoma City. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 9/11 Appeared in the October 5, 2026, print edition as 'Texas Gains as Energy Firms Exit Oklahoma'. An oil pump jack in a parking lotin Oklahoma City. “I made up my mind that I was born and raised in Oklahoma, I am an Oklahoman, and I’m going to continue to be an Oklahoman,” Hamm told a local newspaper in February. Hamm said of Devon CEO Clay Gaspar: “He’s a Texas A&M grad, a Texan, so I guess he felt like they needed to be in Houston.” Some state lawmakers are concerned Oklahoma isn’t doing enough to retain companies. Deevers, a Republican, has introduced legislation to eliminate individual and corporate income taxes, saying taxes affect where executives, capital and companies choose to locate. Texas doesn’t levy corporate income or personal income taxes. Senate Democratic leader Julia Kirt said Oklahoma offered oil-and-gas companies plenty of corporate incentives, but they chose to leave anyway. She said the state should instead focus on improving its public-education system. Most agree that Devon and Expand won’t be easily replaced. “We won’t have the CEOs sitting at the table,” Kirt said. 10/5/26, 1:09 PM Devon Energy and Expand Energy Put Oklahoma City on the Map. Now They’re Moving to Texas. - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/these-energy-companies-put-oklahoma-city-on-the-map-now-theyre-moving-to-texas-7e5be46d?mod=hp_lead_pos10 10/11 Benoît Morenne covers the U.S. oil-and-gas industry forthe The Wall Street Journal. He has investigated the agendas of powerful fossil fuel billionaires, delved into epic feuds pitting some ofthe world's largest energy companies against each other, and revealed how drillers navigate a treacherous political landscape. With his colleagues, he has broken…
Yep. Pretty insightful article. Not much to add. Devon and Chesapeake did a lot for the city, their largesse allowed others to keep their powder dry. Now it's time for some of the other companies to step up and fulfill civic responsibilities.
Could be as simple as OKC is a city of a little over 1.4 million and Houston, the oil/energy capital, is a city of 7.8 million. The idea that OKC can remotely compete is more delusional than STL competing with Chicago.
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Phillips Petroleum moved from Bartlesville OK to Houston saying Bartlesville was too small. Bartlesville residents pointed to nearby Bentonville AR still home of Walmart and said, what???? I think these moves usually come down to where the CEO’s wife wants to live.
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Bentonville, AR is part of a metro area of more than 600,000 people and is rapidly growing. Bartlesville, OK is around 50,000 people and slowing growing. These are not comparable at all.gary kreie wrote:Phillips Petroleum moved from Bartlesville OK to Houston saying Bartlesville was too small. Bartlesville residents pointed to nearby Bentonville AR still home of Walmart and said, what???? I think these moves usually come down to where the CEO’s wife wants to live.
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