Oklahoma City named among most innovative U.S. cities

Newsweek has named Oklahoma City as one of the top innovative cities in the U.S.
The magazine recognized the City of Oklahoma City and Mayor Mick Cornett for raising targeted taxes to improve the quality of life downtown.
“Two decades ago downtown Oklahoma City was suffering from sustained neglect as families moved to the suburbs. But now the city’s inner core has been transformed, with new sports and performance-art arenas as well as a canal that cuts through the entertainment district. All 75 inner-city schools have been renovated or rebuilt. What’s most impressive is that Cornett has been able to finance these quality-of-life improvements without incurring additional taxpayer debt by paying in cash, courtesy of a temporary penny-on-the-dollar sales-tax increase.”

Tiffany Gibson has worked for The Oklahoman since August 2011 and is a member of the enterprise team and digital desk. In addition to writing and web editing, she creates interactive features for NewsOK.com and assists with data visualization and... Read more ›