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Hubby just announced he's looking into a possible promotion at work that would bring us from California to Kentucky. We'd have a choice between Lexington and Louisville (he'd actually work in both) and we're much more suburban than in-the-city folks. I've lived in Northern California all my life- so this would be completely new to me. I was hoping someone could offer me some information about living in Kentucky, for example:
I did a search and Georgetown came back as the KY city most similar to where I currently live. What is Georgetown like?
Utilities: Gas & Electric- what is the name of the power company and how are the rates? What do you think an average bill would be for a 2500sqft house high-low? (In CA a low bill is just under $300 and high in Summer is pushing $900!) But I like my AC.
What other suburban areas (or slightly rural) should we consider?
What features of a home should a newcomer consider? (we don't have basements in CA because the ground does not freeze.)
What is the weather like? Humidity? Snow?
We live less than an hour from Yosemite- what activities/attractions are in the drivable area?
We have elementary aged children- and will be coming from a top-notch public school district- what are the schools like in the areas? I see a few posts about private schools- what's the scoop?
Thanks in advance for any information/opinions you might provide. This whole process is still in the "looking into the opportunity" stage- so nothing is certain- but I like to have a heads up from the locals if possible!
Hubby just announced he's looking into a possible promotion at work that would bring us from California to Kentucky. We'd have a choice between Lexington and Louisville (he'd actually work in both) and we're much more suburban than in-the-city folks. I've lived in Northern California all my life- so this would be completely new to me. I was hoping someone could offer me some information about living in Kentucky, for example:
I did a search and Georgetown came back as the KY city most similar to where I currently live. What is Georgetown like?
Utilities: Gas & Electric- what is the name of the power company and how are the rates? What do you think an average bill would be for a 2500sqft house high-low? (In CA a low bill is just under $300 and high in Summer is pushing $900!) But I like my AC.
What other suburban areas (or slightly rural) should we consider?
What features of a home should a newcomer consider? (we don't have basements in CA because the ground does not freeze.)
What is the weather like? Humidity? Snow?
We live less than an hour from Yosemite- what activities/attractions are in the drivable area?
We have elementary aged children- and will be coming from a top-notch public school district- what are the schools like in the areas? I see a few posts about private schools- what's the scoop?
Thanks in advance for any information/opinions you might provide. This whole process is still in the "looking into the opportunity" stage- so nothing is certain- but I like to have a heads up from the locals if possible!
Thank you in advance,
Crewcrews in Clovis
You could think about Shelbyville or areas around Frankfort -- they are both sort of in between Lex and Lou if your husband will be going to both cities. Louisville has some nice eastern suburbs.
Weather is hot and humid in the summer. A/c is mandatory. I don't remember my exact bills when I lived there but Kentucky Utilities as I recall was pretty reasonable. I don't think I ever had a $300 bill, even in peak use season. $900 would be pretty much unheard of, I would think.
Winters can be cold but not brutally so (20s-40s), and there's usually not much long-lasting snow.
You definitely want a basement (cooler in the summer and offers shelter from tornadoes!). Pretty much every house has one. I like walkout basements and since KY is fairly hilly, many houses have them, especially newer homes. Given the way oil prices are going, I'd also look for a house with gas, not oil, heat.
Schools in KY are hit or miss (like many other places). Not sure what your definition of a "top notch" school district is, but I suspect it will require some looking on your part.
Lots of nice scenery and nature stuff in KY -- Mammoth Cave, Daniel Boone forest, Ohio river, good aquarium in Covington KY (just over the river from Cincinnati). Louisville has a good zoo and a great riverside water playground for kids. I am not too familiar with Lexington.
Wow you are in for a big change coming from California! I'll try my best to help here. I live in Lexington, am 17, and can give you an idea about the school scene here in Lexington.
- KU (KY Utilities) is the main power company around and my parents' bills (divorced parents here) almost never run above $300. In the winter we had a gas bill of around $550 which was outrageous by local standards. That was with Columbia Gas Co. and when we had extremely cold weather (highs in the low 20's) for a month.
- You should consider Frankfort, Georgetown, Versailles, or Shelbyville for suburban living (although suburban living in CA is different than suburban living here). I do think you should not rule out living in one of the cities. You should come over and take a look to see for yourselves.
- A/C is a must have here. Come June, temperatures soar to the upper 90's with 90%- 100% humidity. I quit playing varsity soccer because I couldn't stand double- daily August conditioning practices. Baseball has always been my primary sport, but I digress now. I disagree that every house here has a basement, but many older houses will have them. Newer constructed houses will not always have basements, but they are nice when a tornado comes our way.
- Public schools in Kentucky are not the best in the nation, but if you move to the right areas, you will find that some of the schools here are quite good while others are absolutely horrible. For example, in Lexington, for elementary schools, most people move to the south side of town because of schools (Cassidy, Rosa Parks, Stonewall, etc.) while north side schools are not as good (Yates, Northern, etc.). I attend a private school in downtown Lexington called Sayre and before I'm classified again as an elitist, I would recommend looking at schools like Sayre, The Lexington School, Lexington Christian Academy, Louisville Collegiate, Kentucky Country Day, etc (assuming you don't mind paying tuition). Franklin County (Frankfort) are decent as are Woodford County (Versailles), Scott County ( Georgetown), and Shelby County (Shelbyville). A good website to check out schools is GreatSchools.net where you can compare numerous schools in the area.
- For outdoor activities around Lexington, Natural Bridges is a wonderful hiking area about 1.5 hours from Lexington near Morehead. Shilito, Jacobson, and Masterson Station Parks are nice large parks there are numerous public pools, golf courses, etc. scattered around the area. Kings Island is a terrific theme park just north of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Zoo is also a great day trip. Personally, whenever I need to choose between going to Louisville or Cincinnati (go to a store like Trader Joe's or whatever), I always go to Cincinnati, but that's just a personal preference here.
- Just a word of advice: try to familiarize yourselves with either UK or U of L sports. This is one of the largest sports rivalries in the country.
Hubby just announced he's looking into a possible promotion at work that would bring us from California to Kentucky. We'd have a choice between Lexington and Louisville (he'd actually work in both) and we're much more suburban than in-the-city folks. I've lived in Northern California all my life- so this would be completely new to me. I was hoping someone could offer me some information about living in Kentucky, for example:
I did a search and Georgetown came back as the KY city most similar to where I currently live. What is Georgetown like?
Utilities: Gas & Electric- what is the name of the power company and how are the rates? What do you think an average bill would be for a 2500sqft house high-low? (In CA a low bill is just under $300 and high in Summer is pushing $900!) But I like my AC.
What other suburban areas (or slightly rural) should we consider?
What features of a home should a newcomer consider? (we don't have basements in CA because the ground does not freeze.)
What is the weather like? Humidity? Snow?
We live less than an hour from Yosemite- what activities/attractions are in the drivable area?
We have elementary aged children- and will be coming from a top-notch public school district- what are the schools like in the areas? I see a few posts about private schools- what's the scoop?
Thanks in advance for any information/opinions you might provide. This whole process is still in the "looking into the opportunity" stage- so nothing is certain- but I like to have a heads up from the locals if possible!
Thank you in advance,
Crewcrews in Clovis
Georgetown? I am not a fan of that place at all...I don't think it would be anything like what you are used to...it is largely a small manufacturing town without much character, is very country, and not much going on. The only place in the bluegrass region that will be similar to what you are used to is the eastern half of Jefferson County...although it is still "Louisville," this is a large suburban area. Many relocaters simply don't get this because the core of large metros is largely associated with "ghetto," but such is not the case in Lousville. For example, you would probably never consider living in the LA city limits, but the analogy does not go here.
Your best bet is looking around Hurstbourne Parkway and east and north of I-64, including Oldham and Shelby Counties. I think your best bet may be some of the new subdivisions on US 60 on the Jefferson/Shelby line of which Rock Springs, Polo Fields, and a few others come to mind. You may find Oldham and Shelby counties very country but kind of bucolic. Oldham has the best public school system overall in the sate, although the highest ranked high schools by US news, both public and private, are all in Louisville. I think Lexington is nice but feels more like a smaller town instead of a metro area, and the road congestion is surprisingly bad due to the fact that there are no real freeways in the city, only those bypassing it and a half freeway known as New Circle.
- A/C is a must have here. Come June, temperatures soar to the upper 90's with 90%- 100% humidity.
100% humidity is rain, isn't it And according to the weather stats, Lexington averages only about 20-25 days during the summer where the temperatures reach 90 degrees or above. Last year there were about 44 days, but that was unusual and in conjunction with the drought.
100% humidity is rain, isn't it And according to the weather stats, Lexington averages only about 20-25 days during the summer where the temperatures reach 90 degrees or above. Last year there were about 44 days, but that was unusual and in conjunction with the drought.
Rain is precipitation which causes humidity. Rain falls, humidity just hangs there as a vapor.
We'd have a choice between Lexington and Louisville (he'd actually work in both) and we're much more suburban than in-the-city folks. I've lived in Northern California all my life- so this would be completely new to me. I ...for example:
I did a search and Georgetown came back as the KY city most similar to where I currently live. What is Georgetown like?
Well, just know that no place in Kentucky will even be anything remotely close to Northern California (I don't know if you're closest to SF, San Jose, Sac, or Redding.). In terms of climate, culture, terrain, people, etc, you ARE in for something totally new and, who knows, you may love it. Most CA transplants I know love it here in KY and stay.
The closest thing to suburban living as you know it can be found, for Louisville, in eastern Jefferson County east of Smyrna Rd., Bardstown Rd., and I-264. In other words, mostly the eastern 40% of Jefferson County. What most people in Louisville consider suburbia also stretches into counties that are still fairly rural in landscape and culture, particularly Oldham Co., Shelby Co., Spencer Co., and Bullitt Co. If I was going to live in the Louisville area, I'd stick to eastern Jefferson Co. or Oldham Co.
The best public schools can be found in these areas, as well as a lower crime rate (not that Louisville's is sky high, anyway.) Also, many "east end" parents there take their children to parochial and private schools in the city of Louisville, some of the best in the country with graduates often going to Harvard, Yale, Indiana, Vanderbilt, and other great colleges. But, Kentucky Country Day in far east Jefferson Co. is no sham, either.
The best public high schools are Eastern, Louisville Male, Dupont Manual, Oldham County, North Oldham, and South Oldham. I'd recommend DM; it has a rigorous admissions testing process, but if your child can get in, then awesome! They consistently have the state's highest accountability test scores and send many students to ivy league and "public ivy"-type schools. Of course, DM is in a sketchy neighborhood, so live out and commute in. If DM is not possible, then move in to a district where your child will be able to attend one of these schools someday.
For Lexington, it will be anywhere in Lexington/Fayette County outside of New Circle Road and south of US 60 (although there are a few sketchy neighborhoods here and there just off Tates Creek Rd., Richmond Rd., and New Circle SE.) Also, northern Jessamine County along US 68 north of KY 1980 or along US 27 from Nicholasville northward have become just plain suburbia, for the most part. Lexington folks would also consider bedroom communities like Wilmore, Versailles, Lawrenceburg, and Georgetown (a fast growing community) as suburbs, but they're still more rural communities close to but detached from Lexington.
As for Georgetown, well...if I was going to live in the Lexington area, I'd just live in Lexington. The best public and private schools can be found in Fayette Co., and you have two major shopping hubs in the city, Fayette Mall and Hamburg Pavilion that you're closer to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crewcrews
Utilities: Gas & Electric- what is the name of the power company and how are the rates? What do you think an average bill would be for a 2500sqft house high-low? (In CA a low bill is just under $300 and high in Summer is pushing $900!) But I like my AC.
Louisville Gas and Electric covers Louisville. Your average price will be about $250-275/mo. combined. Kentucky Utilities covers Lexington and the average is very similar.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crewcrews
What other suburban areas (or slightly rural) should we consider?
Well, I've already answered that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crewcrews
What features of a home should a newcomer consider? (we don't have basements in CA because the ground does not freeze.)
Basement, definitely. We do have tornadoes sometimes. Definitely a 2-3 car garage because of our unpredictable weather.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crewcrews
What is the weather like? Humidity? Snow?
Winter: mixed, it can go from 70 degrees and sunny to 40 degrees and just gloomy to 32 degrees and alternating between snow and ice...all in a week. Seldom do we have massive snowfalls, though, only every 5-15 years.
Spring: warmer than winter, but still just as unpredictable. A little humid, average temps around 65, and quite a few "pop-up" thunderstorms.
Summer: when the most powerful storms come, but also the most powerful sunshine. It's not uncommon to get about 90, or even 95, and have 80% or higher humidity. But, the average temp falls in the 78-80 range from June-August.
Fall: average temps around 50-55, will need a sweater most of the time. Typically not as much rain for some reason, but it's usually cool, calm showers as opposed to raging thunderstorms.
The weather in Kentucky is either really bright and sunny or really gloomy and depressing. Very few days fall into that truly "partly sunny," in-between area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crewcrews
We live less than an hour from Yosemite- what activities/attractions are in the drivable area?
Red River Gorge, Natural Bridge, Big South Fork, Cumberland Falls, Cumberland Gap, Carter Caves, Mammoth Cave (the world's largest at over 350 miles long) are all with in three hours of either city.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crewcrews
We have elementary aged children- and will be coming from a top-notch public school district- what are the schools like in the areas? I see a few posts about private schools- what's the scoop?
Got that covered!
Good luck in what ever you decide to do. We'll essentially be switching places, since I'm really trying to get out and go to Texas. But, I know quite a bit about Kentucky as I've lived here for my entire life and have lived and traveled throughout it extensively.
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