Residents 'move up' to downtown

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

More than 1,000 people got a glimpse of what it's like to live downtown this weekend.

Hoping to bring more attention to downtown living, 11 properties hosted open houses on Saturday during the first "Move Up Downtown Living Tour." The event was organized by Downtown OKC, Inc., spokeswoman Kim Searls said.

"We've all been waiting so long for this to be available to us," she said.

Searls said the turnout was larger than expected and is proof there's a demand for downtown living options. Click here to learn more about living downtown.

Gayle Wilson and her husband moved to Oklahoma City from Oregon and now reside in Block 42 in downtown.  She said it was the best move of her life.

"When we got a chance to move to Oklahoma we decided ‘let's try urban living,'" Wilson said. "I will never go back to the suburbs. I love it in downtown."

The Wilsons said like the close proximity of their neighbors, restaurants and museums.

Some prospective buyers told NEWS 9 they were concerned about the lack of retail in the vicinity.

Developer Grant Humphreys previously told NEWS 9 he was working to bring an upscale food market into the area. Humphreys developed the Bock 42 project.