South Shore Kentucky- might be moving and clueless on the area (Lexington: low income, rent)

[Movingtowhoknowswhere]

Looking at a possible move to South Shore Kentucky

We are from northern NM and have a large family. we have several kids. I am white and my husband is Mexican.
Housing prices in South Shore are fantastic.

1) Is there anything to do out there? We are kind of homebodies anyway but it's nice to be able to get out and do things

2) does anyone homeschool?? We homeschool due to my kid's food allergies and my husband's weird work schedule. Is KY a homeschool friendly state or will we be looked at as a bunch of weirdos? We aren't by the way. hahaha

3) Will there by any trouble with my husband being Mexican? We are from a town that is mainly mexican and native american and we have whites and blacks - its a big melting pot. Will KY be completely different?

4) grocery shopping- is there a wide range of grocery stores at all?? Any costcos close by??

5) this might sound stupid (but we've never been anywhere than our little town!!) but are there any crops grown nearby??? One of my kids has food allergies to peanuts and treenuts. Are these grown in KY?
Thanks for all your help

[kygman]

I'm in the opposite end of the state from Greenup County (where South Shore is), but you will see walnut and hickory nut trees, and maybe up there, pecan trees. Don't think you have to worry much about peanuts grown there, except if somebody has some in their garden.
There are plenty of home schooled children in Kentucky, and even more now because of Covid-19.
There was a famous Kentucky author/poet who lived in Greenup County. Jesse Stuart was poet laureate for the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 1954 until his death in 1984. His poetry and stories, fiction and non-fiction, are mostly based on growing up in that area. If you have a chance you should check out his poetry.

Welcome to Kentucky! Hope you have a chance to vacation around the state. There's a lot to see and do.

[Crazee Cat Lady]

Originally Posted by Movingtowhoknowswhere

Looking at a possible move to South Shore Kentucky

We are from northern NM and have a large family. we have several kids. I am white and my husband is Mexican.
Housing prices in South Shore are fantastic.

1) Is there anything to do out there? We are kind of homebodies anyway but it's nice to be able to get out and do things

2) does anyone homeschool?? We homeschool due to my kid's food allergies and my husband's weird work schedule. Is KY a homeschool friendly state or will we be looked at as a bunch of weirdos? We aren't by the way. hahaha

3) Will there by any trouble with my husband being Mexican? We are from a town that is mainly mexican and native american and we have whites and blacks - its a big melting pot. Will KY be completely different?

4) grocery shopping- is there a wide range of grocery stores at all?? Any costcos close by??

5) this might sound stupid (but we've never been anywhere than our little town!!) but are there any crops grown nearby??? One of my kids has food allergies to peanuts and treenuts. Are these grown in KY?
Thanks for all your help

Welcome to the Kentucky forum here at City-Data.
I live in Lexington, not South Shore, but I can tell you that yes I have know several people who home school.
I am not sure if it varies by county though. Not sure about South Shore, but we have a Costco in Lexington.
Louisville too I think.
We are a very rural state for the most part, but we have lots of farms and crops that grow here....not sure about the nuts though. I don't think people would care if your husband is Mexican....people in Lexington don't care, but once again, I haven't been in South Shore.


Just did a quick search they have a Krogers, Aldi's. Walmart grocery and others
Looks to be on the south shore of the Ohio River across from Portsmouth Ohio.

[NW Crow]

South Shore has a little over 1,000 people... and according to the Census, about 2 Hispanics. 2.

98% white, 2% everyone else (mostly black or mixed). Very very low income explains the low housing prices.

Portsmouth OH across the river is where almost everyone lives. About 20,000 people. About 450 Hispanics.

Is your husband considering working for the lumber products company? That was mentioned as being a largely immigrant workforce.

Portsmouth admits to a huge drug problem, including prescription drugs. Violent crime 50% above national average. Property crime 175% higher. South Shore reported crime is low but I am not sure I believe that. So few people and so little of value to steal there.

In Portsmouth, there is a small arts / music scene. Local university. A few parks for walking and low key activities.

Nearest Costco is 100 miles away in Lexington. There is a Wal-Mart supercenter in the Portsmouth suburb of New Boston. There are at least 6 bigger grocery stores including Kroger, Aldi and several chain food discount / outlet stores.

Things to do? What you should expect for a tiny town next to a small city. Hunting / fishing if interested. Ashland KY / Huntington WV (about an hour away) have small amusement parks, auto racing, other possibilities.

It would be wise to visit before moving. I'd rent before buying / deciding where to buy.

[NW Crow]

A lot of the homes are probably modular homes.

[KY_Transplant]

You’re going to be in for some serious culture shock. That is an area I strongly advise people to do their research on before moving. Portsmouth, Ohio is across the river and the principal city in the area, and let me tell you...not a place I would ever want to raise a family. Rampant drug abuse, extremely poor employment opportunities and a remote location. Beautiful scenery and friendly folks, but it’s a place way past it’s prime.

[Movingtowhoknowswhere]

I am kind of used to "culture shock" as everyone else says that about our town. AKA Drunk Town USA. It's a huge culture shock for everyone when they move here so I imagine anywhere we go is going to be a culture shock to us!!

We've kind of always dreamed of a mini farm so rural doesn't scare us at all

My husband works for refineries and might be taking a position for the terminal so no, no lumber work

I didn't realize it was so close to Ohio - I mean I knew it was, and yet didn't really pay attention.
Are drugs there really that bad?? Our current town is considered high crime. At least in Kentucky we could afford some land to roam free on!

[jimwen]

I live in the Portsmouth area, about 5 miles north on SR-23 in an area called Rosemount. It's much nicer than Portsmouth, and to tell the truth, I only go into Portsmouth if I have to. But I can say after living in this area the better part of 2 years, I am ready to leave. There really isn't much to do there, drugs and crime are a huge problem. Someone mentioned the parks, but for the most part, the parks have been taken over by druggies.

There really isn't much in Portsmouth at all, it is a city past it's expiration date. At one time, it was an economic rival to Cincinnati when the main ways of travel were river and rail. The interstate bypassed Portsmouth and like most of Ohio, they lost a lot of jobs. There are a lot of smaller towns around the area you may want to look into. But like everyone else, I don't recommend moving into Portsmouth itself.