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My wife & I grew up & lived in South Dakota for 30 years, then we both accepted jobs in CA and moved in 1988. Lived in Riverside & Elk Grove for a few years, then moved up north to a tiny town in the foothills above Chico and lived there for 21 years (total of 26+ yrs in CA). Like you we are both pretty conservative, hated the big cities, hated the high taxes & "fees" and paying a buck a gallon more for gas & diesel than the rest of the country. It seemed like 50% of the local folks were growing pot illegally or had a 215 card and it smelled like skunk half the year from all the "gardens". We decided to take an early retirement & escape from CA before they locked the gates to prevent the mass exodus that is currently underway.
We spent a lot of time researching which state is the best for retirees. KY kept coming up at or near the top of the list most of the time. So, in the fall of 2014 we flew into Nashville, rented a car, drove the short distance to KY & started looking at some homes that we had previewed on the internet. Escrow closed on the KY home that we selected in Nov. 2014 & we put our CA home up for sale & arrived in KY in July 2015.
So far, no major regrets or complaints. The winter was a bit colder than we had expected & there are more storms than we were used to, (OK, 5 acres of lawn is sort of a pain to mow every week) but so far, that's it. The local folks are very friendly. They are always waving or they toot their horn as they drive by & I have no clue who they are. The service guys from AT&T, Direct TV & the UPS delivery guy gave us their personal cell phone numbers in case we needed to contact them. We are in a small town and many of the businesses have been here forever. That makes it nice for when you need a reference for an electrician, or a plumber or HVAC guy. They are a pretty close knit bunch and they try to steer you toward who will treat you right.
Utilities here in this area are very reasonable. Our water bill is about 1/3 of what it was in CA & we can use water! Propane is about a buck a gallon cheaper, earlier this year, gas dropped to $1.42 a gallon, but is now back up to $2.00, electricity is about 4-5 cents per KWH cheaper than CA. You'll be pretty darn happy with the price of your auto registration and how simple it is compared to CA DMV. There was no waiting in line at the county clerks office. They filled out some papers and sent me to the Sheriffs office to have the VIN's verified. Since I had so many vehicles (7 total) the deputy followed me out to the house to verify the remaining 6 vehicles instead of driving each one to his office. (That would NEVER happen in CA!) A few minutes later, I headed back to the clerks office with the completed paperwork and 15 minutes later I had all new plates in my hand. Also NO smog check! New KY drivers license....literally it was in my wallet in less than 10 minutes (the plastic license, not a paper temporary)! Want to get a CCW permit or buy a new rifle or handgun? Piece of cake.
Property prices are very reasonable as are the property taxes. Sales tax is 6%, but 0 on most of your grocery items. If you are receiving a gov't pension, you are exempt from the state income tax on it up to $41,000 for each individual.
I will admit, I miss the predictability of the CA weather year round and the warmer winters, but I don't think there is anything or anyone that could convince me to move back.
So, if you are thinking about moving, come back out here & look around some more.
I truly appreciate you sharing you experiences. I made up my mind a couple of years ago that I don't need to search anywhere else but Kentucky to find my new home.
I'll always have fond memories of CA like driving Pacific Coast Highway towards Malibu with a car load of friends while listening to Beach Boys music, LOL. Looking back and not realizing it then, it was soooo California.
Kentucky is a beautiful and affordable State with many opportunities for the right person with an open mind. I am that person and have already been invited to a BBQ in Mayfield. How can you beat that?
I truly appreciate you sharing you experiences. I made up my mind a couple of years ago that I don't need to search anywhere else but Kentucky to find my new home.
I'll always have fond memories of CA like driving Pacific Coast Highway towards Malibu with a car load of friends while listening to Beach Boys music, LOL. Looking back and not realizing it then, it was soooo California.
Kentucky is a beautiful and affordable State with many opportunities for the right person with an open mind. I am that person and have already been invited to a BBQ in Mayfield. How can you beat that?
Let me know when you get here. It is always good to meet new friends.
My wife & I grew up & lived in South Dakota for 30 years, then we both accepted jobs in CA and moved in 1988. Lived in Riverside & Elk Grove for a few years, then moved up north to a tiny town in the foothills above Chico and lived there for 21 years (total of 26+ yrs in CA). Like you we are both pretty conservative, hated the big cities, hated the high taxes & "fees" and paying a buck a gallon more for gas & diesel than the rest of the country. It seemed like 50% of the local folks were growing pot illegally or had a 215 card and it smelled like skunk half the year from all the "gardens". We decided to take an early retirement & escape from CA before they locked the gates to prevent the mass exodus that is currently underway.
We spent a lot of time researching which state is the best for retirees. KY kept coming up at or near the top of the list most of the time. So, in the fall of 2014 we flew into Nashville, rented a car, drove the short distance to KY & started looking at some homes that we had previewed on the internet. Escrow closed on the KY home that we selected in Nov. 2014 & we put our CA home up for sale & arrived in KY in July 2015.
So far, no major regrets or complaints. The winter was a bit colder than we had expected & there are more storms than we were used to, (OK, 5 acres of lawn is sort of a pain to mow every week) but so far, that's it. The local folks are very friendly. They are always waving or they toot their horn as they drive by & I have no clue who they are. The service guys from AT&T, Direct TV & the UPS delivery guy gave us their personal cell phone numbers in case we needed to contact them. We are in a small town and many of the businesses have been here forever. That makes it nice for when you need a reference for an electrician, or a plumber or HVAC guy. They are a pretty close knit bunch and they try to steer you toward who will treat you right.
Utilities here in this area are very reasonable. Our water bill is about 1/3 of what it was in CA & we can use water! Propane is about a buck a gallon cheaper, earlier this year, gas dropped to $1.42 a gallon, but is now back up to $2.00, electricity is about 4-5 cents per KWH cheaper than CA. You'll be pretty darn happy with the price of your auto registration and how simple it is compared to CA DMV. There was no waiting in line at the county clerks office. They filled out some papers and sent me to the Sheriffs office to have the VIN's verified. Since I had so many vehicles (7 total) the deputy followed me out to the house to verify the remaining 6 vehicles instead of driving each one to his office. (That would NEVER happen in CA!) A few minutes later, I headed back to the clerks office with the completed paperwork and 15 minutes later I had all new plates in my hand. Also NO smog check! New KY drivers license....literally it was in my wallet in less than 10 minutes (the plastic license, not a paper temporary)! Want to get a CCW permit or buy a new rifle or handgun? Piece of cake.
Property prices are very reasonable as are the property taxes. Sales tax is 6%, but 0 on most of your grocery items. If you are receiving a gov't pension, you are exempt from the state income tax on it up to $41,000 for each individual.
I will admit, I miss the predictability of the CA weather year round and the warmer winters, but I don't think there is anything or anyone that could convince me to move back.
So, if you are thinking about moving, come back out here & look around some more.
You can get a lot of that in TN (cheaper I might add if you don't live in Nashville) with better service, but that's my opinion. I don't live in rural KY, so that also might have something to do with it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EclecticEars
Kentucky is difficult to crack if you're not a native. Extremely difficult. And, I say this as a native who still never felt like I "cracked" it.
California is wonderful. I've lived in or near the following cities: San Francisco, Modesto (current), Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego.
I liked San Francisco, except for the hyper-introspective, standoffish people, but it's one of the great cities of the world. Incredible food and hiking. Hyper-feminism also runs amuck there, which makes the dating scene more difficult than even Kentucky, IMO. At least Kentucky women have some personality generally, even if they are cliquish and get married by 25!
Modesto offers a reasonable cost of living and close proximity to SF and Sacramento, but it does get boring.
Los Angeles is my favorite of the five, truly a world-class (and underappreciated) city that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with New York, London, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, etc. as being a world hub of commerce, industry, trade, finance, and good ol' urban energy. I could spend a lifetime exploring the area either west or east of the 5 Freeway.
Orange County has many great accolades, though I like north OC better than south OC for its more down-to-Earth people. I went to grad school in south OC, but enjoyed visiting the downtowns or cultural enclaves (e.g., Garden Grove, Westminster, Santa Ana, Fullerton, etc.) of north OC.
San Diego was the only city of the five I disliked living in. Couldn't stand the culture, people, and the fact that I was paying the same to live there as in LA or OC, but with far less "bang for the buck." In fact, I previously ranked Louisville as my least favorite city I had lived in, but now San Diego has taken that spot.
I'm moving back to L.A. soon. God willing, I'll spend at least the rest of my 30s in L.A. And, that's several years to go!
Barring a difficult financial situation, critical illness among immediate family, or looking for a cheaper place to retire in 30 years, I have no interest in coming back to Kentucky. I do wish I were visiting right now, though, as I remember spring fondly.
I went to college in Berkeley (UC Berkeley). I can't stand the Bay Area. It's by far the most racist place I've ever lived in my life. I did have a pretty good dating life there though even with girls from off campus. I haven't dated many locals, but the women I meet here in everyday life have horrible personalities so that's what I base it off of. Most of my dating is with transplants.
LA is my hometown and I ran wild for as long as I could. The only reason I'm not there now is because I refuse to make less TAKE HOME money than I can here. I am currently applying to a job in Phoenix, which would get me closer to home as that is my goal. Although TBH, if I could get the same pay, I would work in Vegas and die a happy man.
You can get a lot of that in TN (cheaper I might add if you don't live in Nashville) with better service, but that's my opinion. I don't live in rural KY, so that also might have something to do with it.
I went to college in Berkeley (UC Berkeley). I can't stand the Bay Area. It's by far the most racist place I've ever lived in my life. I did have a pretty good dating life there though even with girls from off campus. I haven't dated many locals, but the women I meet here in everyday life have horrible personalities so that's what I base it off of. Most of my dating is with transplants.
LA is my hometown and I ran wild for as long as I could. The only reason I'm not there now is because I refuse to make less TAKE HOME money than I can here. I am currently applying to a job in Phoenix, which would get me closer to home as that is my goal. Although TBH, if I could get the same pay, I would work in Vegas and die a happy man.
Not a fan of OC or San Diego so I totally get it.
The Bay Area no longer has the allure for me that it did when I lived there. I find the people in the Bay Area to, as a rule, be either genuinely friendly and engaging, or genuinely prickly and arrogant (though this is often done passive-aggressively). But, it's still a great place to visit, I made some good friends there (in Fremont, San Mateo, Redwood City, etc.), and the restaurant scene is remarkable--even better than L.A., IMO. But, I grew to love L.A....and that was it.
I can also tell you that you're not the first person I've met/spoken with that has had bad experiences with racism in the Bay Area. The most racist individual I've ever met was a Cantonese immigrant living and working in San Francisco. Now, I don't have a Donald Trump supporter-esque mentality about immigrants (or race) by any stretch, and I'm a pretty tolerant guy, but this fellow just repelled everyone around him!
I wouldn't mind living in north OC (basically, north of the 55 Freeway), as it is basically an extension of L.A., though cleaner (which I admit that I like) and with more Vietnamese people (which means great pho along Beach Blvd.) South OC is where you work or retire. San Diego is amazingly overrated.
As for Lexington gals, and this is my theory, there are a lot of women who come to the city from rural towns throughout the state to attend UK, Transylvania, or even Sullivan or BCTC. Some even live in Lexington and commute to EKU, K-State, Georgetown, or Asbury. Many young women have long lived with a sort of "big fish in a small pond" mentality. So, while Lexington is substantially larger than Crab Orchard, for example, it is still small enough to feel like a big small town, one where the culture shock wouldn't be as great compared to moving to even Louisville, Cincinnati or Nashville. (Remember, Fayette County still has less than 1/2 the population of Kern County, where Bakersfield (!!!) is.) As a side note, Louisville gals aren't much better.
Last edited by EclecticEars; 05-26-2016 at 11:32 PM..
We moved from South Carolina almost 2 years ago, I work in Carroll County and live in Oldham County. I have 3 kids and we all absolutely love it here, kids like the schools, neighbors are friendly, and the land is beautiful. I'm a cyclist and this is a great place for cycling -many of them on the road and the drivers are not nearly as rude as SC. If you like rural living, 20 minutes in one direction puts you in a cow pasture but if you like city living, 20 minutes in the other direction puts you into big-city shopping. Winter was a bit of a shock but I'll take it over living in SC, and I was there for 30 years. Wife has said several times that we should have moved here years ago.
We moved from South Carolina almost 2 years ago, I work in Carroll County and live in Oldham County. I have 3 kids and we all absolutely love it here, kids like the schools, neighbors are friendly, and the land is beautiful. I'm a cyclist and this is a great place for cycling -many of them on the road and the drivers are not nearly as rude as SC. If you like rural living, 20 minutes in one direction puts you in a cow pasture but if you like city living, 20 minutes in the other direction puts you into big-city shopping. Winter was a bit of a shock but I'll take it over living in SC, and I was there for 30 years. Wife has said several times that we should have moved here years ago.
Great post and welcome. Oldham County is one of the greatest secrets in the lower midwest/upper south. I am very surprised it has not turned into a sprawlburb like Mason OH or Murfreesboro TN...but maybe that is the way Oldham County folks like it?
The Bay Area no longer has the allure for me that it did when I lived there. I find the people in the Bay Area to, as a rule, be either genuinely friendly and engaging, or genuinely prickly and arrogant (though this is often done passive-aggressively). But, it's still a great place to visit, I made some good friends there (in Fremont, San Mateo, Redwood City, etc.), and the restaurant scene is remarkable--even better than L.A., IMO. But, I grew to love L.A....and that was it.
I can also tell you that you're not the first person I've met/spoken with that has had bad experiences with racism in the Bay Area. The most racist individual I've ever met was a Cantonese immigrant living and working in San Francisco. Now, I don't have a Donald Trump supporter-esque mentality about immigrants (or race) by any stretch, and I'm a pretty tolerant guy, but this fellow just repelled everyone around him!
I wouldn't mind living in north OC (basically, north of the 55 Freeway), as it is basically an extension of L.A., though cleaner (which I admit that I like) and with more Vietnamese people (which means great pho along Beach Blvd.) South OC is where you work or retire. San Diego is amazingly overrated.
As for Lexington gals, and this is my theory, there are a lot of women who come to the city from rural towns throughout the state to attend UK, Transylvania, or even Sullivan or BCTC. Some even live in Lexington and commute to EKU, K-State, Georgetown, or Asbury. Many young women have long lived with a sort of "big fish in a small pond" mentality. So, while Lexington is substantially larger than Crab Orchard, for example, it is still small enough to feel like a big small town, one where the culture shock wouldn't be as great compared to moving to even Louisville, Cincinnati or Nashville. (Remember, Fayette County still has less than 1/2 the population of Kern County, where Bakersfield (!!!) is.) As a side note, Louisville gals aren't much better.
I feel like the restaurants in the Bay are overpriced. I suppose they have better European cuisine, but I don't eat European food much & the Mexican food there is terrible. LA has this thing where you need a native to show you the good places to eat. Otherwise, you'll miss the gems.
Not a fan of OC, but that's me.
I have dated more women from Louisville than Lexington. It's much worse.
Location: Bowling Green,KY (Soon to be New England)
17 posts, read 13,104 times
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I am from Bowling Green (Had been living in Chicago for years though) and fiancée is from New Hampshire. I came back to help a family member (problem solved!) and that's when we met. She came for college at WKU. We both are ready to leave. Moving to New England (Rhode Island or Mass.) to be closer to her family. We are just not happy here and do not want to raise a family in Kentucky. Cost of living and warmer climate isn't enough to keep us here. Not for us. Nothing is appealing to us here... especially the people. Just our opinion. Take it how you like but that's MY $0.02!
Last edited by ChiSoxFan1983; 08-21-2016 at 08:11 AM..
I was born and raised in West Los Angeles. I attended college in San Francisco. I moved here 2 years ago for law school. There are both good and bad things about living here as in any city.
I honestly haven't LOVED LA, SF, or Louisville. I've always wanted to live in a really urban walkable old city. SF just wasn't my vibe, but I liked the built environment of it. So, IMO, if I'm not going to absolutely LOVE where I live, I might as well pay less for it? Lol.
I love the food scene here. There are amazing restaurants. Even coming from LA, I've found a few really good Mexican restaurants. I've found some very good Thai and Vietnamese places also. The best part is I can afford to eat out more often. The bars are more affordable so it's easier to go out for just a drink or two with friends. I like the 4am last call. Minimal traffic is amazing. I like the change of seasons here. The older homes and architecture in the more historic neighborhoods are beautiful.
Although the city limits of Louisville are quite progressive and liberal and accepting, it's unnerving being so close to full-blown rednecks and racists and homophobes and Islamophobes. The one thing I can say is being Jewish hasn't been a problem with even the most redneck of the rednecks. Being openly gay hasn't been a major issue whatsoever because the young people in the city are just as progressive as any other big city. But the surrounding counties are not nearly as progressive. This can be said about any city. Even in LA, Bakersfield is only a few hours away and that's basically Oklahoma (no, actually, it's where Oklahomans settled often). But that's the thing; the backwards communities are much further away from LA than they are from Louisville. I never actually met an outspoken racist person until I moved here. It can be quite cliquey in many aspects. For example, the St. X grads are all friends with each other and seeing 50 year old men wearing a high school shirt is extremely annoying. I know as a liberal gay Jew from California I can never make it into the higher level of society because it's mostly conservative WASPs or straight white Catholic men.
I listen to mostly rap and electronic music so the music scene here isn't amazing for me. However, since I've moved here, it's already gotten much better. There are at least 3 concerts within the next few months I'm interested in going to. That's a big change from just 2 years ago.
I truly think if Louisville was in a different state, it would be an amazing city. I think the city is trying its hardest to become a nationally recognized city. Most politicians are quite progressive, UofL is one of only 16 campuses that was awarded a perfect score for LGBT student life in the entire country and the only one to do so in the whole South. I think without Bevin and the rural Kentuckians holding back Louisville, it could have an impressive public transit system and even bigger downtown building boom going on. I've noticed a huge divide between Louisville and Kentucky. The state loves Lexington and UK everything and the country life. Louisville kinda has to fend for itself and gets the shaft at the state level constantly and the state prefers to bolster Lexington. If allowed to do its own thing, Louisville could be an amazing city.
In maybe 10 years, Louisville will without a doubt be a great city that people are wanting to move to. I definitely see that happening. I don't dislike living here right now, but I know it's not my forever home. I'm a city boy and don't have much in common with people here since I dislike nature and the outdoors and stuff like that. So I plan on moving after I graduate, but I would never say I actually dislike Louisville. My goal is Philly, Chicago, Pittsburgh, or Baltimore.
I was born and raised in West Los Angeles. I attended college in San Francisco. I moved here 2 years ago for law school. There are both good and bad things about living here as in any city.
I honestly haven't LOVED LA, SF, or Louisville. I've always wanted to live in a really urban walkable old city. SF just wasn't my vibe, but I liked the built environment of it. So, IMO, if I'm not going to absolutely LOVE where I live, I might as well pay less for it? Lol.
I love the food scene here. There are amazing restaurants. Even coming from LA, I've found a few really good Mexican restaurants. I've found some very good Thai and Vietnamese places also. The best part is I can afford to eat out more often. The bars are more affordable so it's easier to go out for just a drink or two with friends. I like the 4am last call. Minimal traffic is amazing. I like the change of seasons here. The older homes and architecture in the more historic neighborhoods are beautiful.
Although the city limits of Louisville are quite progressive and liberal and accepting, it's unnerving being so close to full-blown rednecks and racists and homophobes and Islamophobes. The one thing I can say is being Jewish hasn't been a problem with even the most redneck of the rednecks. Being openly gay hasn't been a major issue whatsoever because the young people in the city are just as progressive as any other big city. But the surrounding counties are not nearly as progressive. This can be said about any city. Even in LA, Bakersfield is only a few hours away and that's basically Oklahoma (no, actually, it's where Oklahomans settled often). But that's the thing; the backwards communities are much further away from LA than they are from Louisville. I never actually met an outspoken racist person until I moved here. It can be quite cliquey in many aspects. For example, the St. X grads are all friends with each other and seeing 50 year old men wearing a high school shirt is extremely annoying. I know as a liberal gay Jew from California I can never make it into the higher level of society because it's mostly conservative WASPs or straight white Catholic men.
I listen to mostly rap and electronic music so the music scene here isn't amazing for me. However, since I've moved here, it's already gotten much better. There are at least 3 concerts within the next few months I'm interested in going to. That's a big change from just 2 years ago.
I truly think if Louisville was in a different state, it would be an amazing city. I think the city is trying its hardest to become a nationally recognized city. Most politicians are quite progressive, UofL is one of only 16 campuses that was awarded a perfect score for LGBT student life in the entire country and the only one to do so in the whole South. I think without Bevin and the rural Kentuckians holding back Louisville, it could have an impressive public transit system and even bigger downtown building boom going on. I've noticed a huge divide between Louisville and Kentucky. The state loves Lexington and UK everything and the country life. Louisville kinda has to fend for itself and gets the shaft at the state level constantly and the state prefers to bolster Lexington. If allowed to do its own thing, Louisville could be an amazing city.
In maybe 10 years, Louisville will without a doubt be a great city that people are wanting to move to. I definitely see that happening. I don't dislike living here right now, but I know it's not my forever home. I'm a city boy and don't have much in common with people here since I dislike nature and the outdoors and stuff like that. So I plan on moving after I graduate, but I would never say I actually dislike Louisville. My goal is Philly, Chicago, Pittsburgh, or Baltimore.
Yeah, I think most people find it really annoying when people engage in negative stereotyping, can't seem to be able to judge people on their own merits, and don't bother enough to get out of their own comfort zone to actually get to know people different than themselves that they trash. It's just unnerving. (See what I did there)
Seriously, I don't think being a "liberal gay Jew from California" is what would keep you out of a higher level of society (whatever that means) in Louisville or most Kentucky cities. People generally don't feel inclined to go out of their way to help people who hold them or their community in distain.
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