Would like info on Owensboro/Madisonville/Central City region

[Quinque]

Originally Posted by VAF84

Oldhag1 pretty much nailed it there. Thing is, if I can be 15 minutes away, I can see my kids when they wake up before heading to work, go home to eat lunch with the family, and not be too far if I work late. If we're based in Owensboro, I'll be out before the kids wake up, will miss lunch with the wife and kids, and then if I work late (which is fairly frequent), I'll miss dinner with them. Not to mention, we typically work 6 days, but most the time a half day on the sixth. It'd be a 1.5 hr drive for 4-5 hrs of work. My daily driver is 3/4 ton truck, not the most efficient for commuting either.

Don't get me wrong, Owensboro would be much nicer; but I'm hoping to find something that works, closer to the job site.

I know this is a few months late but I am quite familiar with this area I want to add something as well especially for anyone in the future that may be looking at this same area.

McLean County which you have to cross to get from Bremen to Owensboro is largely Green River floodplain. That means it can flood and flood bad. In 1997, up to 40% of the county went underwater for days and the general area sustained some damage in the more recent 2011 flood and 2020 flash flood. Winter weather can cause issues with black ice and those little pesky freezing drizzle events leaving just a tiny glaze of ice everywhere will cause the roads to become dangerous. Those seem to be a bit more common than typical snow which at least has some traction. That is something to think about in relation to commutes and commute time. ​


Overall this area has friendly people and you can get involved in extracurricular and church activities. There are several sports leagues available in the general area. Since it is part of the Western KY Coalfields, it will look a bit run down in parts that is what happens when a major source of employment leaves the area. It isn't any dangerous than any other rural to semi-rural area, but a few buildings here and there that look like they have seen better days is something that one has to deal with.

[VAF84]

Thanks for sharing the flooding info, wasn't aware of that.

We found a local corporate housing company here in Madisonville, and we've settled into a furnished house the next few months. So far everything is great; outside of someone breaking into my cargo trailer within days of arriving. Luckily nothing in there to steal. Anyway, I'm glad we picked Madisonville. There are great parks for the kids, and plenty to do during the week. We are also a fairly easy drive from other larger cities for anything else we need. The people have been great so far; we've already had visited everything from doctors, dentists, libraries, dealerships, Fourth of July festivities, and multiple restaurants in our short time here. The summer weather here has been incredible compared to the heat and humidity we've been used to down south. We'll see if we can survive the winter; which is my real concern.

Anyway, for future folks with a similar question, I'm glad we picked Madisonville. If the work site were halfway between Owensboro and Madisonville, we'd probably opt for Owensboro. However, between Madisonville and Central City, I think Madisonville is a no brainer just because it has a lot more of everything, so less need to visit larger towns.

[Quinque]

Originally Posted by VAF84

Thanks for sharing the flooding info, wasn't aware of that.

We found a local corporate housing company here in Madisonville, and we've settled into a furnished house the next few months. So far everything is great; outside of someone breaking into my cargo trailer within days of arriving. Luckily nothing in there to steal. Anyway, I'm glad we picked Madisonville. There are great parks for the kids, and plenty to do during the week. We are also a fairly easy drive from other larger cities for anything else we need. The people have been great so far; we've already had visited everything from doctors, dentists, libraries, dealerships, Fourth of July festivities, and multiple restaurants in our short time here. The summer weather here has been incredible compared to the heat and humidity we've been used to down south. We'll see if we can survive the winter; which is my real concern.

Anyway, for future folks with a similar question, I'm glad we picked Madisonville. If the work site were halfway between Owensboro and Madisonville, we'd probably opt for Owensboro. However, between Madisonville and Central City, I think Madisonville is a no brainer just because it has a lot more of everything, so less need to visit larger towns.

Our summer hasn't been bad so far, but there are signs that the classic southern heat and humidity are going to roar back. Winter is quite variable in that some winters can feature some fairly intense cold and even snow/ice periods while others go largely snowless and low temperatures hardly ever drop below 20F.

[VAF84]

Originally Posted by Quinque

Our summer hasn't been bad so far, but there are signs that the classic southern heat and humidity are going to roar back. Winter is quite variable in that some winters can feature some fairly intense cold and even snow/ice periods while others go largely snowless and low temperatures hardly ever drop below 20F.

I had a feeling this wasn't normal. I think it was in the mid to high 60's yesterday morning; felt like fall. Back home, everything practically shuts down when temps hit 30-32F. Outside of some ski trips to Colorado, I don't think we've experienced anything below 30F for any prolonged period of time. Would be nice to see some snow, but other than that I'm hoping for a mild winter this year. In particular because the road I take to work is a country road that has a fairly large section with a drop off and no shoulder; it's also heavily bordered by trees. Worried about ice to/from work, especially in a HD truck where the rear end can be a little light.

[Oldhag1]

Originally Posted by VAF84

Thanks for sharing the flooding info, wasn't aware of that.

We found a local corporate housing company here in Madisonville, and we've settled into a furnished house the next few months. So far everything is great; outside of someone breaking into my cargo trailer within days of arriving. Luckily nothing in there to steal. Anyway, I'm glad we picked Madisonville. There are great parks for the kids, and plenty to do during the week. We are also a fairly easy drive from other larger cities for anything else we need. The people have been great so far; we've already had visited everything from doctors, dentists, libraries, dealerships, Fourth of July festivities, and multiple restaurants in our short time here. The summer weather here has been incredible compared to the heat and humidity we've been used to down south. We'll see if we can survive the winter; which is my real concern.

Anyway, for future folks with a similar question, I'm glad we picked Madisonville. If the work site were halfway between Owensboro and Madisonville, we'd probably opt for Owensboro. However, between Madisonville and Central City, I think Madisonville is a no brainer just because it has a lot more of everything, so less need to visit larger towns.

I’m glad it appears to be a good fit! Welcome to Kentucky.

[kygman]

Originally Posted by VAF84

I had a feeling this wasn't normal. I think it was in the mid to high 60's yesterday morning; felt like fall. Back home, everything practically shuts down when temps hit 30-32F. Outside of some ski trips to Colorado, I don't think we've experienced anything below 30F for any prolonged period of time. Would be nice to see some snow, but other than that I'm hoping for a mild winter this year. In particular because the road I take to work is a country road that has a fairly large section with a drop off and no shoulder; it's also heavily bordered by trees. Worried about ice to/from work, especially in a HD truck where the rear end can be a little light.

Before winter sets in, check with a tire store and see if they have a couple old innertubes you could have. Cut them in half, take some wire and tie off one end, fill each half with sand or gravel, the tie off the other end. Then put one on top of each tire well in the back. I worked for 26 years with the KYDOT (the district office is next to the YMCA on Main St.) and that's what we did with the pick ups.