One of the world’s top Mozart Festivals, Frank Lloyd Wright’s only skyscraper, an Arts Center, a stunning Community Center, plus 2 college campuses – these are just some of the surprising treasures in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. This small town of 34,000 in northeastern Oklahoma is greatly underappreciated as a retirement community for active adults. The town got its start when the Phillips Petroleum Company (now part of Conoco) began here in 1905 – when Oklahoma was still an Indian Territory. Frank Phillips’ vision and money has resulted in a livable city with cultural treasures unusual for a town of this size.
Price Tower is the only Frank Lloyd Wright skyscraper ever built, according to the Wikipedia. One of his disciplines, William Wesley Peters, designed the stunning Bartlesville Community Center. Among many other events held here is the annual OK Mozart International Festival, which attracts world class performers for the week long event. Frank Phillips’ home and ranch is now a museum run by the Oklahoma Historical Society. Two colleges are in town: Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Rogers State University, Bartlesville. The town is only 40 miles from Tulsa and just a short drive to the Ozark Mountains. Bartlesville is located in Washington County. Photo of Downtown Bartlesville courtesy of Wikipedia and Justin Cozart, Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0/
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