Tulsa may not be a name of American city that we hear every day nor familiar with. However, it is found to be the second largest city in Oklahoma State and the city was once called ‘the oil capital of the world’ that explains where was the money coming from.

It is interesting that now the city has a motto: ‘A New Kind of Energy’, something that I really want to ask to the Mayor of the city if it relates with the falling of the oil prices or it is really something that the city wants to change its image to be more environmental friendly.

Just like other cities, Tulsa experienced fluctuate economic development. There was a time when many companies headquartered in Tulsa but also there was a time when they had to move to other places due to business preferences.

The Route 66 is probably more famous to people outside America compare to Tulsa. However, many of these people may not know if the mother road passed through Oklahoma State in this city and other smaller communities.

Tulsa had been benefited from the Route 66 and had seen many people travelled on it. However, the new interstate highway system in America needed Tulsa to adapt with that which means Tulsa is no longer a stopping point for travellers between East and West.

Moreover, the 2008 financial crisis and the falling of oil prices have contributed to the amount of challenges that Tulsa has to manage. Route 66 is no longer exist but the memories are still there. The efforts to maintain and to attract people to come to Tulsa for historic route 66 is definitely not cheap.

Despite all the challenges, the downtown Tulsa offers many interesting thing from art district to business district, from high rise buildings to historical ones. It has lively activities especially during the weekend where people enjoying live music in the park, having dinner with their family or being out for delicious brunch on an easy Sunday morning.

It is interesting to know that Tulsa has a Mayor, City Council members, a City Manager and Department Heads that may look similar with local government structure back home. However, it is understood that a city manager is not necessarily a civil servant. He or she can be a professional that is achieved by trainings, educations and experiences. Someone who understands how to manage the city, how to provide the services and how to deal with revenue and expenditures.

Eventually, a city like Tulsa would be sustainable if it has people with dedication, commitment, innovation and motivation in the local government to make their city to be better off no matter what background they are.