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These towns are the ones that seem to come up most as bedroom communities for Lexington with a relatively short commuting distance.
Questions:
Living in these towns do you still consider yourself as being from Lexington? Or do you consider yourself a part of this small community first and only a commuter to Lexington?
Also, if you were to choose which of these communities had the most character, the best community life, and the best "feel" for families--which would you pick? Which one is on the way up and will have the best appreciating real estate? Which one is the most beautiful?
Anything else you would like to tell me about these places and living just outside Lexington as opposed to inside Lexington I am eager to hear!
Hi Micah! I will add my thoughts and hopefully someone can bring in some other information for you.
Versailles - surrounded by horse farms, probably the most scenic surrounding area from a traditional KY point of view (horse farms, rolling pastures, etc). The schools probably have the best reputation of the towns you mentioned. A nice small town, with convenient access to Lexington, especially the airport and downtown areas. Many people seem to be either native to the town or commute to Lexington. Not a lot of local chain shopping (I think a Kmart, Kroger grocery, and local, smaller stores) A nice public rec center, and some great historic buildings in the downtown area. Midway is nearby, and it is a great treasure of a small town, too.
Georgetown - a LOT of Toyota transplants and employees, so Georgetown definitely tends to feel like a separate entity, and not just a bedroom community for Lexington. Very charming, historic Main St area, with antiques, coffee shops, etc, and a liberal arts college. Still very scenic in the surrounding area - more rugged hills, farms, etc, and not quite as many horse farms as Versailles. Anne Mason Elementary is one of the top in the state for test scores - the other schools tend to test slightly above average. There is a lot of money put back into the community by Toyota, so schools have good funding for technology, etc. I *think*(???) it is the largest of the towns you mentioned - local chain shopping includes Wal-mart, Kohl's, Lowe's, as well as some others, and a larger center is rumored to be in the works. A lot of emphasis on outdoors-y activities, with fishing, hiking, boating, and hunting being popular past-times of some residents. Mallard's Point is one well-known, upscale neighborhood with beautiful lakes, woods, etc. A good range of housing is available, and growth is still pretty high - local realtors predict that housing will appreciate at a good rate here. Good access via I-75 - it is pretty convenient to the northern, downtown, and Hamburg areas of Lexington but not really to the south.
Nicholasville - I am not as familiar with it - I used to work there but it was some time ago. Of all of the towns you mentioned, it seems to have the most direct connection to Lexington (probably due to the huge growth along the Nicholasville Rd corridor). Not as well known for its scenery, but it does have a large retail corridor with a Wal-mart, Kohl's, etc that is rapidly expanding. Also a larger town, it has great access to the south side of Lexington but getting to the downtown or campus area has become a bigger hassle.
Wilmore - I think this is the smallest of all of the towns you mentioned. It also has a quaint, historic (albeit smaller) downtown area and is also in Jessamine County (same school district as Nicholasville). There is a small college and a seminary there, so you tend to get a lot of people brought in for both of those. I've heard that the town feels very "safe" and people often forget to lock their doors. I've also heard that the commute to Lexington is probably the worst of all of the towns you mentioned, due to traffic congestion. The town also seems to have a lot of religious influences from the seminary. When I taught there (several years ago), the local schools still had public prayer and left Wednesday evenings open for families to attend church services. Also, there was a great cafe and coffee shop downtown that was Bible-themed - all of the sandwiches and offerings had Bible-related names. Keep in mind, though, that I haven't been there recently and a lot might have changed.
Overall, I think that you will find these smaller towns to feel a little more conservative and traditional, with a little more rural KY influence and a little less diversity than the city of Lexington. Also, you will usually be able to get much more house for your money. Although there are a lot of commuters to Lexington, there are still a lot of working farms and strong agricultural influences in the area. People here actually still need the tractor sales lots!
Hi Micah! I will add my thoughts and hopefully someone can bring in some other information for you.
Versailles - surrounded by horse farms, probably the most scenic surrounding area from a traditional KY point of view (horse farms, rolling pastures, etc). The schools probably have the best reputation of the towns you mentioned. A nice small town, with convenient access to Lexington, especially the airport and downtown areas. Many people seem to be either native to the town or commute to Lexington. Not a lot of local chain shopping (I think a Kmart, Kroger grocery, and local, smaller stores) A nice public rec center, and some great historic buildings in the downtown area. Midway is nearby, and it is a great treasure of a small town, too.
Georgetown - a LOT of Toyota transplants and employees, so Georgetown definitely tends to feel like a separate entity, and not just a bedroom community for Lexington. Very charming, historic Main St area, with antiques, coffee shops, etc, and a liberal arts college. Still very scenic in the surrounding area - more rugged hills, farms, etc, and not quite as many horse farms as Versailles. Anne Mason Elementary is one of the top in the state for test scores - the other schools tend to test slightly above average. There is a lot of money put back into the community by Toyota, so schools have good funding for technology, etc. I *think*(???) it is the largest of the towns you mentioned - local chain shopping includes Wal-mart, Kohl's, Lowe's, as well as some others, and a larger center is rumored to be in the works. A lot of emphasis on outdoors-y activities, with fishing, hiking, boating, and hunting being popular past-times of some residents. Mallard's Point is one well-known, upscale neighborhood with beautiful lakes, woods, etc. A good range of housing is available, and growth is still pretty high - local realtors predict that housing will appreciate at a good rate here. Good access via I-75 - it is pretty convenient to the northern, downtown, and Hamburg areas of Lexington but not really to the south.
Nicholasville - I am not as familiar with it - I used to work there but it was some time ago. Of all of the towns you mentioned, it seems to have the most direct connection to Lexington (probably due to the huge growth along the Nicholasville Rd corridor). Not as well known for its scenery, but it does have a large retail corridor with a Wal-mart, Kohl's, etc that is rapidly expanding. Also a larger town, it has great access to the south side of Lexington but getting to the downtown or campus area has become a bigger hassle.
Wilmore - I think this is the smallest of all of the towns you mentioned. It also has a quaint, historic (albeit smaller) downtown area and is also in Jessamine County (same school district as Nicholasville). There is a small college and a seminary there, so you tend to get a lot of people brought in for both of those. I've heard that the town feels very "safe" and people often forget to lock their doors. I've also heard that the commute to Lexington is probably the worst of all of the towns you mentioned, due to traffic congestion. The town also seems to have a lot of religious influences from the seminary. When I taught there (several years ago), the local schools still had public prayer and left Wednesday evenings open for families to attend church services. Also, there was a great cafe and coffee shop downtown that was Bible-themed - all of the sandwiches and offerings had Bible-related names. Keep in mind, though, that I haven't been there recently and a lot might have changed.
Overall, I think that you will find these smaller towns to feel a little more conservative and traditional, with a little more rural KY influence and a little less diversity than the city of Lexington. Also, you will usually be able to get much more house for your money. Although there are a lot of commuters to Lexington, there are still a lot of working farms and strong agricultural influences in the area. People here actually still need the tractor sales lots!
Thanks for that wealth of information! That is so very helpful. When we visit Lexington in the next 2 weeks we will also be visiting these areas.
The other town that seems to come up in this category is Paris. A couple of people who have posted on this forum are from there. I know nothing about it but it might be worth checking out.
Thanks for that wealth of information! That is so very helpful. When we visit Lexington in the next 2 weeks we will also be visiting these areas.
Any other insights??
Not sure if you are from KY and may already know this, but when you do go, make sure you pronounce "Versailles" properly: The town in KY is pronounced "ver-SAILS" , not "vair-SIGH" like the French (not to mention the rest of the world) pronounce it . . . .
Not sure if you are from KY and may already know this, but when you do go, make sure you pronounce "Versailles" properly: The town in KY is pronounced "ver-SAILS" , not "vair-SIGH" like the French (not to mention the rest of the world) pronounce it . . . .
I actually now have it in my head the Kentuckian way and not the French way, but I am glad for the pointer because that is one of those mistakes you don't want to make!
The other town that seems to come up in this category is Paris. A couple of people who have posted on this forum are from there. I know nothing about it but it might be worth checking out.
Unfortunately, pictures for Nicholasville and 'Ver-sales" are pretty lacking so far, and Wilmore has none. They DO state that Nicholasville has a higher population than Georgetown, so it might be that they are the largest. Of course, sometimes their data seems a little off.
Of the three larger towns of Georgetown, Versailles, and Nicholasville, city-data shows Georgetown with the highest average housing cost and income range, and Nicholasville with the lowest. Again, though, I'm not sure of how accurate their data is.
You might want to throw in Winchester as a place to check out as well. Within very short commute to Lex., still has that small town feel, but right off the interstate as well.
Just a thought.
AND if you are not used to MAJOR traffic jams, then Nicholasville has one of,... if not THE biggest hassle to commute to Lexington during morning and evening rush hour... it's a pain in the behind... The other outlying towns (other than Wilmore) do not have this same problem. Nicholasville road stinks for traffic at peak hours.. it IS do-able, but certainly something I would consider as a major down-side if commuting to Lexington... trust me.
You might want to throw in Winchester as a place to check out as well. Within very short commute to Lex., still has that small town feel, but right off the interstate as well.
Just a thought.
AND if you are not used to MAJOR traffic jams, then Nicholasville has one of,... if not THE biggest hassle to commute to Lexington during morning and evening rush hour... it's a pain in the behind... The other outlying towns (other than Wilmore) do not have this same problem. Nicholasville road stinks for traffic at peak hours.. it IS do-able, but certainly something I would consider as a major down-side if commuting to Lexington... trust me.
Desiree
Traffic is one of our least favorite things and this is not the first time I've heard about it in Nicholasville & Wilmore so I think both of those towns are out.
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, not "vair-SIGH" like the French (not to mention the rest of the world) pronounce it . . . .
