When you hear Tulsa, OK, what is the first things that come to mind? Is it a hip hub that is one of the best for young entrepreneurs?  When you imagine Tulsa, do comparisons to cities like Portland, OR, come to mind? What about it being an "ideal Host City for the Alliance for Innovation's 2017 Transforming Local Government Conference?"

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, you may want to take another look at the city continuing its ascent as a booming cultural, economic, and development hub for Oklahoma, and more broadly, the Midwest. Why, some of you may ask?

Let's start with some highlights:

• Named by Forbes as the top city for young entrepreneurs in 2015
• Revitalization is largely driven by local investors (see below)
• A "Hidden Portlandia" that includes legendary music venues like Cain's Ballroom and Soundpony and trend-setting coffee shops like DoubleShot Coffee
• Focused on good governance and a willingness to innovate in their workforce and public safety, take chances, and embrace opportunities that come along.
• Selected to the What Works Cities program where they undertook an Open Tulsa initiative to "restructure its engagement with the local coding and tech communities, amplifying the impact of the collaboration."

Of course, their dramatic change from 20-30 years ago is not something that can be summarized in a single sentence or even captured in a short article. But let it be known that Tulsa is a city that is on the rise -- or rather, let's go ahead and say it, a city that has arrived! And we want you to join us to highlight this amazing city as it serves as the Host for our 2017 Transforming Local Government from April 18 - 21. And we want to introduce you Tulsa with a brief video:

A Little More Background on How the City Arrived

Going back to 2014, New York Times wrote an article highlighting the success Tulsa has had in revitalizing their downtown, a veritable re-awakening. From a hotel that was shuttered 30 years ago, bought for cheap in 2009 and turned into a 102 room hotel with 46 luxury apartments that anchored the redevelopment, to public projects such as their "19,200-seat BOK Center, a swirling glass arena designed by César Pelli, and...[the] Oneok Field minor league baseball park."

Beyond that, through work with Foundations and other partnerships, City has seen the development of an urban parks that brings the community together for daily events during warmer months and the restoration of an old warehouse that holds a museum and a satellite location for the Philbrook Museum of Art.  And that doesn't even include the hundreds of new apartments or the over 20 restaurants and bars that now pepper the downtown corridor. We can't wait for you to come explore Tulsa during TLG in April of 2017. 

What is next for Tulsa and TLG 2017

And make sure to be on the lookout for more information, because with the next installment of TLG less than a year away, we are going to need your help to make this the best TLG to date. Look out for the Call for Case Studies next week, June 29, so you can share with us the innovations you are working on or have completed and share them at what has been called "the most energetic" conference around! Stay tuned for more updates on the Call for Case Studies, but in the meantime, start exploring Tulsa and its highlight's in video embedded above, or at this link. Get ready for yet another magical year!

Periodically check the calendar event listing, our conference website, and the TLG Conference page on transformgov.org for news, updates, and announcements.