Moving to Kentucky (Lexington, Louisville, Bowling Green: homes, buy, school)

[Justice]

Originally Posted by joyce65

I'm thinking of moving to Kentucky but I'm not sure where yet. I would like to move to a small town instead of a big city. I need affordable housing and I would like to move close to decent-paying jobs. And I want to be far away from crime and drugs (which is very prevailant here in Philly). Any suggestions? Thanks.

Hi Joyce,
I'm not a native of KY,but i lived in a few places
there in KY,and My dad and some of my siblings
are still there,and I think I may be able to tell you a little
bit about my experience in KY,based on where i lived.
I don't know your preference of city size and all that,but Lexington,KY is one of the places I lived for a while,and I think i liked it.
It's abvious most of us want an environment free from those social indecencies,such as drugs, crimes etc,but i don't know if there is anywhere on earth that is completely free from those.
I think it's mostly about where in town you live.
i still like Lexington.it's green(lot of grass,trees,parks, horse farms),it's pretty.
Again,it's about where in Lexington you live.
One other place i know a little about,is Florence,KY.Florence is more or less like a small city,but very well located,with all the things you need right around the corner.
That's actually where my dad and siblings are.The cost of living is not high,as far as i know,and it's very close to Cincinnati,OH.
So,I would suggest you take your time and do a lot of reserch,depending on what exactly you want,and what would best fit your lifestyle.

I wish you all the best.

[mmwatts69]

Greenup County is a wonderful place. You have Flatwoods, Raceland, Russell, and The city of Ashland etc. I was born and raised there. The Schools are wonderful and the communities are outstanding. Ky is a wonderful state and depending on the location you want, has much to offer. if I can help at all please let me know

[Putty]

About 20yrs ago my hubby and I were looking around for areas to move too, well we started close to home, which was WI and worked our way outward from there.......I cannot handle humidity, he could not handle the cold.....We started in KY, Owensboro to be exact! We went there twice, because we liked it sooooooo much. We thought it was ideal because it was setup gridlike and nice and flat....Lots of parks, I road bicycle and this is the ideal setup for me. Well, he decided it would still be too cold for him so we headed south. If it wasn't for me he would moved all the way to FL, but I stopped him short in NC........We checked out cities the whole way !!! LOL.
Well, needless to say we are divorced now and I am still here and the humidity is getting on my nerves, although I love our winters I can handle moving North and maybe getting a little closer to home.
I think about Owensboro all the time, it was one of those places that just stick out in your mind. I wonder how much it has changed since I have been there, and then I think WOW if we had moved there 20yrs ago.....We would have done pretty good on real estate investment. LOL. Oh well, thats life right?

Anyhow I am checking out the places I thought about when we moved, places that I WANTED to live......LOL I am pretty homesick, but just don't think I can face that extreme cold anymore......

Does Owensboro get alot of cold and snow? Just don't know anymore

[kimmieyky]

Check out the LaGrange area in Oldham county, along with the Elizabethtown area in Hardin county. Both are easy commutes to Louisville - and offer a smalltown feel with big city amenities.

Visit during the holiday season if you can - people usually go all out in lights!
If you can't make it now - I would wait until April - too many often gray days in the winter - and you should see the land at its best!

Kimmieyky

[sogone]

i am also considering kentucky. namely hopkinsville but after looking at certain stats i'm reconsidering. just moved to a small town in west central florida 1 year ago from that awful foreign cesspool thay call Miami. i made a big mistake and relied on the 2000 census. unfortunately many other people had the same idea and are moving here with gusto. only way to solve my problem is to move out of Florida altogether. does anyone have a suggestion as to where a family of 3 could enjoy life in Kentucky? I'm looking for a rural area with no less than 5 acres and a 4 bedroom home in a decent homes only area. we are retired and don't have to work which is a good thing if you wish to avoid cities. Want a town where Christmas is not under attack. I know i'm dreaming but there should be some place with at least a few of these niceties in Kentucky.

thanks,
john

[KYwoody]

KY is the heart of the Bible Belt. Nashville is home to the Southern Baptist Convention. Here in KY, we found Baptists to be a majority. The effect is, religion is in the open here. No attacks. You'll find city halls with "Merry Christmas" on the lawn. People are much different here. Walk into a store and you are greeted and treated as though they have known you their entire life. I hail from a part of MO where racism is still high. You'll not find that here. There are a few cons, though. For one, if you are not from here, you will never be from here. "Old money" is very jealous of "New Money". Loads of history here. Some towns are pre-Revolutionary War settlements. Decisive Cival War skirmishes were fought here. You could spend a lifetime finding all the beauties this area offers. The outdoor life is abundant with water sports, fishing and hunting. We moved to Russellville, KY seven years ago. Russellville is in south-central KY between Hopkinsville, Bowling Green, Owensboro, KY and Clarksville, TN. Russellville is in the middle of nowhere yet in the middle of everything. Most can be found within 30 miles. Nashville and Owensboro are 60 miles, Louisville is 90 miles away.

Our son graduated High School here. The education he rceived prepared him for college. He goes to college in KY, also. He has been named to the Dean's list 7 consecutive semesters. Let's just say we've found our home here in Kentucky.

[fivenine]

Christian County: County Population: 72,265
County Houses: 27,182
Land area: 721.3 sq. mi.
Water area: 2.7 sq. mi.
Industries providing employment: Manufacturing (20.9%), Educational,health and social services (20.7%), Retail trade (12.0%).
Type of workers:
Private wage or salary: 74%
Government: 17%
Self-employed, not incorporated: 8%
The county seat is Hopkinsville city around 30,000 people a very diverse city being near Ft.Cambell although in some parts of town crime and flooding do become issues but for the flooding there is work being done. There also is Crofton and the Pennyrile State park in the northern part of the county. Ft. Campbell and Oak Grove to the south and Oak Grove and Ft.Campbell are very diverse. Is part of the Hopkinsville-Clarksville metro area
Todd County:County Population: 11,971
County Houses: 5,121
Land area: 376.4 sq. mi.
Water area: 0.6 sq. mi.
Industries providing employment: Manufacturing (32.8%), Educational,health and social services (13.8%), Agriculture,forestry,fishing and hunting, and mining (13.6%).
Type of workers:
Private wage or salary: 72%
Government: 12%
Self-employed, not incorporated: 15%
The county seat is Elkton Kentucky a town of around 1,900 the town sits between Hopkinsville and Russellville being about around 20 miles from each and sits on US 68 so you can use that road for travel to Hopkinsville or Bowling Green. Elkton is a very small town with limited crime and life goes at a slower pace than Hopkinsville or Bowling Green. Elkton is good if you want a very small town but want to be close to a larger town for commute. There is also Guthrie Tn don't know if I spelled that right which is another good small southern town near the Tennessee state line and close to Clarksville. The northern part of the county is rolling farmland and curvey roards.
Logan County: County Population: 26,573
County Houses: 11,875
Land area: 555.7 sq. mi.
Water area: 1.4 sq. mi.
Industries providing employment: Manufacturing (35.2%), Educational,health and social services (13.7%), Retail trade (10.5%).
Type of workers:
Private wage or salary: 78%
Government: 12%
Self-employed, not incorporated: 11%
The county seat of Logan County is Russellville which is a bigger version of Elkton. Russellville has some crime problems but not as bad as Bowling Green or Hopkinsville. Russellville is set up like a southern town with a great town square and looks nice during the hoildays. There are several other small farming communites in Logan County plus nice car shows. Also Lake Malone is in Logan, Northeast Todd, and Southern Muhlenburg county a nice place.
Trigg County: County Population: 12,597
County Houses: 6,698
Land area: 443.1 sq. mi.
Water area: 38.0 sq. mi.
Industries providing employment: Manufacturing (25.9%), Educational,health and social services (17.4%).
Type of workers:
Private wage or salary: 71%
Government: 17%
Self-employed, not incorporated: 11%
The county seat is the nice town of Cadiz Kentucky. Cadiz has a few places to shop and a few fast food places but the greatest things about Cadiz is the friendly people and the gateway to the Land Between the Lands a great outdoor area. So Cadiz is great if you are indoor outdoors and want access to larger cities. Hopkinsville is 25 miles Clarksville is 50 miles Murray a good college town is about 25 to 30 miles and Paduach is about 40 to 45 miles.
Muhlenburg County:County Population: 31,839
County Houses: 13,675
Land area: 474.7 sq. mi.
Water area: 4.7 sq. mi.
Industries providing employment: Educational,health and social services (20.0%), Manufacturing (18.6%), Retail trade (13.3%).
Type of workers:
Private wage or salary: 75%
Government: 17%
Self-employed, not incorporated: 8%
Muhlenburg County is a county with two central cities. The largest city pop about 5,200 is Central City which has a Wal-MArt and a busness district in it. The county city of Greenville Pop 4,300 a good city with a very beautiful downtown area. Both cities have sounthern values religion and church are very important and UK basketball and football and king esp Basketball. The area was once a coal mining town a few things happened the enviromental people didn't like Coal;s poulation and air pollution can;t spell sorry about that so most of the strip mining was outlawed Muhlenburg county is suffering but there are good factories, energy plants, and Lake Malone, plus friendy busnessess which are helping Muhlenburg County gain ground. In the smaller communites like powdery or drakesboro it will take a long time to get accepted but if your patient and have good southern values it should work well. Muhlenburg County is close to Owensburo, Hopkinsville, Bowling Green, and Madisonville depending on what part of the county you are in you are at least within 35 miles of these towns.

[gptaz]

Joyce,

I have been researching a place to retire. I find myself more and more drawn to the area around Somerset, KY. Google it on Somerset, KY profile. Very informative.

Good luck,

gptaz

[kimmieyky]

For ari twin - I would suggest Louisville, Lexington or Elizabethtown. All three have great school districts and depending on the amount of money you are looking to spend on housing - Lexington and E-town are cheaper than Louisville.

As far as the job market and housing for the rest of you - E-town or Bardstown would be my suggestion for what you are looking for. Elizabethtown has all of the shopping, close to I-65, 45 min south of Louisville - so a commute would not be that out of the question if you chose to work there. It is also very close to rurual settings, as is Lexington, you do not have to drive far to be in the country. The housing market is cheaper the further south you go - $150,000 in Hardin County (E-town) can go a long way if you get just on the outskirts of town.

All of these cities have wonderful websites, and have realtors with info that I have found to be helpful - not pushy. Or, you can google them, go to the city-data info, and click one of the realtors advertised there. I have found that to be the most reliable source when looking for homes in Florida.

Good luck to you all - it is a little nicer here - I guess living here all my life has simply put me in a position where I no longer enjoy the four distinct seasons - and the job market is not great for those of us who were not fortunate enough to finish college.

In reference to another post - Humana is hiring - check out their site - but they will not touch you if you do not have a degree. Experience does not count. The good thing - Louisville, E-town and Lexington have wonderful community college systems which will work with you to get your associates if need be. Not nearly as expensive as the universities - but well worth the education. Many start there and transfer to U of L or U of K.

Hope this helps - good luck to all of you!

KimmieyKY

[Breezer]

I've lived in KY all my life, and I really like it. I was born and raised in Owensboro. I visit on holidays and the city is really growing but it still has that small hometown feeling. It has around 55,000 population, no traffic, no pollution, is laid back, and has some great BBQ (Moonlight and Old Hickory) . I attended WKU in Bowling Green. This is an awesome town. It is similar in size to Owensboro, but it has more to do and is on a major interstate (I65). IT is about 45 minutes from Nashville, TN, which is a great city. BG is really growing too.
I currently live in Louisville, and it is by far my favorite city. It is not too small or not too big. The traffic is good, housing is very reasonable, and there is lots to do. KY in general is great for the outdoor enthusiast. I am an avid mountain biker and there are quite a few trails in the Louisville area. Land between the lakes and the Red River Gorge are beautiful and are about 2 hours from Louisville.
You should move to KY. I think you will really like it.