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Originally Posted by DCNative
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Definitely Louisville. As I have shown before, Louisville is three times larger than Lexington, and there is really no comparison. Louisville is a metro area of 1.2 million, and Lexington is 450k. Louisville is a good, mid sized city that has the cultural atmosphere you are looking for. I think Lexington is a bit too small to offer what you are looking for, although it is a very cultured town with a top flight University and a nice private college.
Louisville has a lot of areas for young singles to meet and greet, and is a much better social scene for 22 and up compared to Lexington. Louisville has a major flagship University, and several smaller ones, inlcuing a nice private Catholic Univeristy. The city is family friendly, safe, and has a moderate amount of diversity in certain areas, although it is pretty uniformly white as major cities go.
Traffic is light, living is easy, and people are friendly. If you search my other posts, you will see I have provided links to provide you with a wealth of information. Louiville has 4 distinct seasons and a low cost of living, with pretty healthy economy. The city has a strong focus on urban development, and its urban neighborhoods and parks are the city's strength, so sprawl is minimal compared to almost any other southern city.
It sounds like Louisville, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, or Nashville would all be to your liking. Of those four cities, Louisville is most similar in vibe and feel to Richmond, which is near you. Louisville has less sprawl than all these cities, but I feel like Louisville attracts less young professionals in some instances so the social scene can seem more "stagnant." Like its river neighbor Cincinnati, many people here still want to know where you went to HS even if you are 30. It should be noted though that more young professionals with college degrees move into Louisville than out, which was not the case even 15 years ago. Louisville has a surprisingly sophisticated art, music, and cultural scene, and several nightlife districts with strips of bars where young professionals congregate.
Please PM me with specific questions. Your best bet is to search my posts for knowledge about the city. Also, read about the city on Wikipedia. Louisville is going to feel like a small town compared to DC (metro 5 million plus), but I think Lexington would feel like a tiny village, and would be much too small for you.
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