To reply to Marshall Wade of Bella Vista, Ark., I am still proud to call myself an Okie from Muskogee. 

Wade’s recent letter (June 29) pointed out several lurid crimes which have happened here in our town. Then he tried to use a broad brush to paint our town and all its citizens as a “wasteland of evilness.”  

To be sure, the crimes he mentioned did occur.

However, they occurred over a long period of time, and I dare say that many towns of our size have had a like number of similar crimes over the same period. 

This town is a pretty good place to live. Local realtors will tell you that home sales have maintained a steady pace and prices have shown a steady climb. The local job market has not decreased drastically as has happened in other areas of the country. Indeed, the local Veteran’s Administration office has increased to over 1,000 employees.

The reason for this increase in jobs is because those in upper management of the VA say Muskogee workers are highly productive and actually make the local office the most productive of all the 57 VA offices in the country. People in Muskogee have not allowed the volatility in the national manufacturing sector to destroy our economy because we have diversified our economic base so there has been a net increase of over 300 jobs over the past few years.

We have several vibrant local churches of varying denominations. We have many strong civic organizations. We have four fine educational systems, including Muskogee, Hilldale, Fort Gibson and Oktaha, and our proximity to lake and river recreation along with strong youth sports programs make our town a good place to raise children.

We have improvements that need to be made, but we’re working on them. Our city government is stable and progressive. 

Finally, Wade, please go throw your rocks at somebody else’s town. I grew up here in the 1950s and 1960s, and I remember the town as it was then. Our town is different than it was, but it isn’t any worse. To tell you the truth, I believe we have improved it some.

Jim Cole

Muskogee