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Actually stx I agree with you on not bashing each others city. Both have a lot to offer. It seems as if a lot of posts take the position that Louisville is SO superior to lex and it just rubs me the wrong way
Neither city is superior...just different! Some people prefer a smaller city like Lexington, less traffic etc. Some people want a little more going on. Its all just personal preference However, it is our job to make sure the two cities are fairly represented. To say that Lexington and Louisville are about the same, and offer the same amenities, would be grossly misleading and an outright lie! Again, it would be like me comparing Louisville to a city over twice our size (metro wise), like St Louis. Even though the two hold much in common, St Louis is a much larger city!
Yes, I agree. The two cities are entirely different, and to decide which is better is totally based on personal opinions.
As others have pointed out, Louisville is certainly larger, so most things in Lexington are on a smaller scale. For example, both have nice art museums. Louisville's Speed Museum is larger and tends to attract more popular national traveling exhibits, whereas Lexington's has smaller, more specialized visiting exhibits. There are outstanding schools in both - Louisville has a greater selection of magnet schools and optional programming, but it also has forced busing and some really poorly rated schools. There are more private schools in Louisville, including parochial/Catholic, "other religious", and independent, upscale schools.
Both have great restaurants. If you're looking for an upscale, contemporary, NYC style restaurant experience, Louisville has a good selection. Lexington also has some great ones, but certainly fewer. If you want funky, hole-in-the-wall, local eateries, it is the same thing. Louisville has quite a few selections, Lexington has fewer but still some great offerings. If chain restaurants are your thing, both have many well-known selections. Louisville has a Hard Rock Cafe and Cheesecake Factory, etc - Lexington doesn't.
Shopping: both have large shopping malls with many popular chain stores and department stores. Lexington has 1 main traditional mall (with a second, smaller mall that is not as popular), and one major contemporary open "lifestyle" shopping center. Louisville has 3 major traditional malls, and more than one open "lifestyle" center. Looking for organic and gourmet foods? Lexington has Wild Oats and a great local market (Good Foods Co-op), with a few smaller local places. Louisville has both Wild Oats and Whole Foods, with several smaller local places throughout. Want unique, boutique, locally owned shopping? Louisville has more, with larger clusters. Lexington also offers some great ones, just fewer and less overall selections.
Both offer a downtown environment that is being re-invented and re-emphasized. Louisville's is much larger. Both have contemporary loft living, modern high-rise living, and older historic neighborhood rings around the downtown area. Both also offer a range of housing in "suburban" environments. Louisville has a larger suburban area and offers more distinct communities and neighborhoods with their own vibes (the Highlands vs Middletown, for example). Lexington's neighborhoods tend to be smaller, and less defined, but there are still some distinctive areas (the Ashland/Chevy Chase area vs Palomar and Beaumont).
Lexington has UK, which is the largest university in the state and tends to be a bigger influence throughout the city. Louisville's UofL is smaller and more of a commuter program, so there is less of a presence throughout most of the city. Lexington tends to have a higher percentage of residents with college degrees, and the university introduces a large international and "transplanted" group of families, students, and faculty. Because Louisville does have more distinct areas, and Lexington's size is much smaller, Lexington's population tends to blend together and you interact with all different types of people. For example, to focus on an issue brought up above, you will find "rednecks" in both cities. In Louisville, there are large areas that are stereotyped as "redneck" communities, and large areas that are considered upscale and "snobby", and people from one community rarely venture into others. In Lexington, you will find people stereotyped as "rednecks" and people stereotyped as "snobs" living much closer together, sharing their shopping and restaurants. So, yes, in Lexington if you go shopping or out to an average chain restaurant, you are much more likely to encounter people of different socio-economic status, backgrounds, etc - there is much less space for segregration of lifestyles and more of a blended environment.
Lexington is in central KY, right in the region that typifies KY for many outsiders. In Lexington's area, you will find the horse farms, the groups of men and women dressed for Keeneland in suits and hats, etc, with a lot of old-money "horse families" interwoven into local government and communities. Lexington also shares a closer relationship with Cincinnati to its north, where a lot of residents commute back and forth or travel between for sports events, shopping, traveling, etc. Lexington embraces the stereotypical KY image, whereas Louisville has a more unique blend with southern Indiana and even picks up some western KY/St Louis influences. Yet both are still distinctive from the other unique areas of Kentucky - eastern KY with its Appalachian culture, southern KY with its shared influences from Tennessee, and Western KY with its closer alliance to Missouri and the "river" culture.
So, to try to summarize, I think we can all agree that Louisville is a larger, more traditional "city", and it offers the amenities that come with that territory. There is nothing in Lexington that rivals the large festivities for the Derby celebration, for example, and Louisville's airport is much larger and offers more flight options than Lexington. If you're young, single, and looking for a social scene, you will most likely be happier with Louisville's offerings, because Lexington's are much smaller. However, Louisville also has larger industry, heavier pollution, etc. If you are looking for a larger city environment, Louisville will probably be your preferred choice. However, many people choose Lexington because it offers many city amenities on a much smaller, more accessible scale. For examply, in my experience the Lexington public bus/transit system is more comprehensive and easier to use than Louisville's, although Louisville's is obviously larger. (Although FWIW, neither are outstanding).
Personally, I've lived in both for several years. When my husband and I were forced to relocate back to KY last year, we had a choice between Louisville and Lexington. And, even though I am a "big city" girl who would much prefer to move back to Chicago, we chose Lexington for the reasons I've mentioned above. So far, we have been very happy with our decision, even though there are times when we've had to drive into Cincinnati to access some of the shopping or entertainment options that we've wanted. So, to each his own. If you are seriously considering the two, just plan to spend some time driving through the areas. It isn't that difficult to pick up on the differences, and you will most likely be easily drawn to one or the other.
Thanks, that was a very good, unbiased comparison.
Location: Somewhere along the path to where I'd like to be.
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Trying to decide which city is better than another is always a subjective matter. It quite literally depends on who you are, what you like/dislike, and what you are willing to deal with or sacrifice. That all begins with soul searching, and trying to figure out exactly WHAT you would like around you, as well as how important those things are.
That being said, it's actually going to be a bit harder to compare Louisville to Lexington, than say comparing Louisville to Cincinnati. By virtue of their size differences, Louisville is obviously going to offer MORE of the same general things you can find in Lexington, absent the Ohio river. And even if there IS something in one or the other city that you admire, it's not a massively long drive between the two. Personally, I prefer Lexington, though I can't quite express why. It's just how I feel.
This truly is the the type of situation in which you would simply have to visit both cities to get an accurate feel for what each offers.
Thanks, that was a very good, unbiased comparison.
I agree - nlschr0 did a great job. In fact, it was so unbiased that I was surprised when she chose Lexington over Louisville! She really gave Louisville a fair evaluation for a Lexington "native".
Thanks! We did choose Lexington over Louisville, so I just wanted to point out that Lexington has some great amenities but on a smaller scale than Louisville. If you want arts, culture, great restaurants, diversity, etc, I think you can find easily find them in Lexington or Louisville. Louisville just has a larger, more comprehensive set of offerings. As Lexingtongal pointed out, there isn't as much need for duplication of services in a smaller city like Lexington.
Personally, I find that I spend more time in the downtown areas of Lexington than I did in Louisville (and I really like urban areas, including Louisville's downtown). Perhaps because the drive is shorter, the city smaller, etc, but I am more likely to take advantage of concerts, festivals, etc in Lexington even though Louisville offers a larger selection. I know other people that agree and really think that Lexington is very accessible because of its size, although there are plenty of people that live in Louisville and make it a point to take advantage of all of the opportunities there.
Of course, there are some people that HATE Lexington because it's too big of a city, and people that HATE Louisville because it's too small and boring for their lifestyle! So, it really depends on a personal choice, like so many have pointed out. That's why we'll always have the NYC's and Wilmore, KY's of the world!
Ive been to both cities and each has its own charm,I just happen to work in Lexington ,but have driven on the interstste thru Louisville and liked what i saw like the bridges the ohio river,its like comparing apples to oranges.
I'd have to vote for Looeyville every time! If my ex ever gets abducted by a ufo or run over by the blimp, then I'll move back immediately. I miss the great live theater productions of Louisville, but I'll admit to having had some fine experiences at Lexington's Otis Singletary Center, as well.
Well if you are a pet owner who has plans for showing your dog or cat ( or any animal for that matter) Louisville has a new mandatory Spay Neuter law so if you plan to have any show animals Louisville is NOT the place to live. Even visitingthe city with an intact animal can land you with a heafty fine. Hence a number of Dog clubs have moved their dog shows to other cities otherwise visitors could get their dogs seized and neutered.
Mind you I am all for spaying and neutering of pet dogs and cats but for some species that is not practical or necessary.
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Both have their Charm
Ive been to both cities and each has its own charm,I just happen to work in Lexington ,but have driven on the interstste thru Louisville and liked what i saw like the bridges the ohio river,its like comparing apples to oranges.
highliner
