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ANDY BARTH: NOW WHILE BROKEN BOW'S POPULATION IS JUST OVER 4,000, EACH
YEAR MORE THAN A MILLION TOURISTS VISIT THE AREA.
AND WITH ALL THE NEW VISTORS IN SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA, THERE IS A
GROWING NEED FOR LODGING.
COURTENAY DEHOFF: NESTLED DEEP IN THE HEART OF BEAVERS BEND STATE PARK,
LOG CABINS DOT THE ROADS SURROUNDING BROKEN BOW; VACATION HOMES FOR SOME,
AND A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANDRA RICKEY AND TERRY WALKER.
TERRY WALKER: THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'S BEEN POURED INTO OKLAHOMA IN
THE FORM OF THESE CABINS, WE STARTED OUT IN THE EARLY 90'S AND WITH A FEW
SMALL FACILITIES AROUND.
BUT WE'RE UP TO OVER 500 CABINS, AND THESE AREN'T JUST LITTLE FISHERMEN
CABINS, THESE ARE REAL NICE TWO AND THREE BEDROOM VACATION HOMES.
THEY'RE RETIREMENT HOMES FOR MOST OF THESE PEOPLE.
PEOPLE BUILD THESE HOMES AND THEN WE RENT THEM FOR THEM WHEN THEY DON'T WANT
TO USE THEM AND THEN THEY DERIVE REVENUE FROM THAT.
BUT BASICALLY, HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE AND WHEN THEY'RE READY TO RETIRE
THEY'LL HAVE A HOME PAID FOR TO MOVE HERE.
COURTENAY: WALKER SAYS THE CABINS PROVIDE NOT ONLY A VACATION GETAWAY FOR
FAMILIES, BUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR THIS AREA OF THE STATE.
TERRY: IT'S REALLY STIMULATED THE ECONOMY IN OUR AREA, ALL THE
CARPENTERS, ALL THE BUILDERS; OF COURSE, WE RAISE THE TREES RIGHT
HERE.
WE'VE GOT, I COULDN'T GUESS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WORK CLEANING THE
CABINS, MAINTAINING THE CABINS, RENTING THE CABINS.
WE SPEND, OUR COMPANY SPENDS, ABOUT $20,000 A YEAR JUST ADVERTISING THE
CABINS THAT WE MANAGE.
SO IT'S, IT'S GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY; JUST THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IN TERMS OF
TOURISM THAT WE GENERATED 9 MILLION DOLLARS LAST YEAR, IT COMPUTES TO ABOUT
56 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR THAT WE PUT INTO THIS ECONOMY RIGHT HERE.
COURTENAY: LOCATED JUST 3 1/2 HOURS FROM FIVE MAJOR CITIES, BEAVERS BEND IS A
THRIVING TOURIST DESTINATION.
TERRY: WE'RE 3 1/2 HOURS FROM EVERYWHERE, SO WE'RE 3 1/2 HOURS FROM
DALLAS-FORT WORTH MARKET, FROM OKLAHOMA CITY, FROM TULSA, FROM LITTLE ROCK,
AND FROM SHREVEPORT.
SO WE'RE RIGHT IN THE CENTER AND THERE'S BEEN SO MANY PEOPLE MOVE INTO THE
DALLAS MARKET IN THE LAST 15, 20 YEARS THAT IT'S REALLY POURED INTO OUR
AREA.
WE'RE JUST PERFECTLY LOCATED.