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This is an answer I got about moving to KY from someone named TechWired. Is this for real because he makes it sound like its the WORST place to live
Kentucky certainly has some very friendly people, a rich history and many beautiful areas, especially in and around the Blue Grass region of the state. With that being said, I would highly recommend you do some additional research on the region, along with spending some time in the areas you are most interested in possibly moving to. If you're Catholic, the Louisville area would be your best choice, it's somewhat of an anomaly for the South, with its large Catholic population currently at 22% of the metro -The St. Matthews area is very nice, and close to everything. Only New Orleans, and maybe the heavily Hispanic areas of SE Texas and South Florida have larger Catholic populations per-capita in the Southern U.S. Kentucky is a interesting place for sure, my wife and I own a investment property in the Fort Thomas area-NKY, very close to Cincinnati. If you're coming down from NJ, and have never lived in the South or Appalachian region of the country, you should understand this region is very different from the one you're possibly moving away from.
Kentucky’s overall well-being score is the second worst in the nation. KY residents consider themselves among the worst-off in the country in life evaluation, healthy behavior and in both physical and emotional health Kentucky is ranked in the bottom 5% in the nation. Kentucky is a poor state, with the fourth-lowest household income and the fourth-highest rate of poverty in the U.S.. Many residents of Kentucky have a low level of education compared to many of the other states in the country. KY ranked 47th in the U.S. for residents with high school diplomas, and over one quarter of Kentucky's children live in poverty. Forty percent of 2.5 million people in Kentucky of working age have problems with reading and writing -- The state was recently ranked as the worst run state in the country, as well as one of only four states to be awarded an unfavorable AA- credit rating, the third worst score awarded to any state in the nation. Over 29% of the state currently smokes, the highest of any state in the U.S. Kentucky has the second highest rate of diabetes after WV. and KY also has some of the worst animal welfare laws in the country.
Kentucky: The highest rate of cancer in the country
Well-being index score: 63.3 second lowest in nation after West Virginia
Life expectancy: 76.2 (bottom 10%)
Obesity: 31.3 percent (5th highest in the nation)
Median household income: $40,062 (4th lowest in the U.S.)
Adult population with high school diploma or higher: 80% percent (5th lowest in the nation)
I don't know where you got this information and don't want to know. If you want to know about Kentucky, come and visit. You will either accept us or hate us. Either way, you say a lot about yourself.
The information is skewed Alicia. It includes some Rural, Poverty stricken parts of the state that bring down statistical information numbers. There are places in Kentucky that are poverty stricken, uneducated (There was an article in the Lexington Herald a couple weeks ago that focused on this, and the fact that in certain parts of the state, parents get upset if their children are getting an education
and pull them out of school, because they are afraid of losing Welfare Benefits, and they think that
if their children get literate and educated they will lose benefits.) Interesting article.
Like I posted, Lexington usually comes out as one of the top ten or top twenty most educated cities in America. Louisville also has some great stats as far as education goes.
Looking for a city that's dedicated to education? Check out these 10 communities, which have impressive graduation rates, test scores, and lots of highly-rated schools. Also notable are the high expenditures per student and low pupil/teacher ratios. Your kid's bound to reap the benefits these education-friendly cities have to offer.. #2: Lexington, KY
With its an excellent pupil/teacher ratio (13.8:1) and high reading scores, Lexington, is a city with education as a top priority. More good news for Lexington: it came in as our 5th best city for families overall. http://www.parenting.com/gallery/bes...on?pnid=113302
Quote:
8. Educated Residents Lexington,
According to the most recent U.S Census, is one of the most educated cities in the nation. Of those over the age of 25, 22.4% have bachelor's degrees, 11.4% have master's degrees and 3.1% have an advanced professional degree. The census indicated Lexington ranks 10th in the nation in a list of the country's most educated cities with a population of more than 250,000, ranked by percentage of residents 25 or over holding bachelor's degrees.
With two traditional universities (University of Kentucky and Transylvania University) and several smaller colleges located in Lexington, educational opportunities abound. In k-12 education, Lexington offers a strong public school system and a variety of private schools to fit the needs of virtually all families with children.
Lexington has smart people. In fact, in 2008, Business Facilities ranked Lexington as the 2nd most educated city in the U.S. just behind Seattle, WA. The ranking looks at the percentage of our workforce who have graduated high school or earned a bachelor's or more advanced degree. Also, the 2007 American Communities Survey (U.S. Census Bureau) ranked Lexington #11 among cities with a population over 250,000 with the highest percentage of residents over age 25 with a bachelor's degree or higher...
As for K-12 public education, the Fayette County Public Schools are consistently listed among the nation?s best for cities of Lexington's size. Lexington also offers many quality private and parochial schools, many of which have found success in sports with state championships and academics with high test scores. Most recently among private schools, Lexington Catholic High School produced eight National Merit Semifinalists, while Lexington Christian Academy and Sayre School each had four.
Lexington is smart. To say that Lexington values education at all levels is not only a given but a way of life. Lexington is the brains of Kentucky. If you're smart, you'll be in good company here. http://www.homesinlex.com/prudential...5&ptid=7734275
You can't judge all of Kentucky, by the overall stats of the state. And a lot of time stats are manipulated,
so they cannot always be trusted. And there are the stereotypical views and prejudiced opinions that many people have about the state, that simply aren't true.
Quote:
Kentucky: The highest rate of cancer in the country
Well-being index score: 63.3 second lowest in nation after West Virginia
Life expectancy: 76.2 (bottom 10%)
Obesity: 31.3 percent (5th highest in the nation)
Median household income: $40,062 (4th lowest in the U.S.)
Adult population with high school diploma or higher: 80% percent (5th lowest in the nation)
Yes, the cancer thing is right, but that has a lot to do with the fact that more people smoke in Kentucky than any other state. I am not sure what to make of the Well Being score.
The life expectancy ~ I have had family members who live into their 80's and 90's - maybe this has to do with the cigarette smoking stats also, for certain groups, I am not sure, but would imagine that would have some effect.
Kentucky is also a coal mining state, and people in the coal mines usually don't live to be of a ripe old age.
Yes, Kentucky has problem with Obesity, but so does the whole US as a whole.
Our Median Household Income may be small, but so is the cost of Living, these things usually correlate (and both seem to be the case, for the Southern US in general - lower wages but lower cost of living.)
Lexington ranks 7th among major U.S. metros for its quality of life, according to
Business Facilities, July/August 2010, that and cost of living gives more information than just
household Income.
The Education thing I have already delved into earlier.
Last edited by Crazee Cat Lady; 01-03-2013 at 01:31 PM..
I don't know where you got this information and don't want to know. If you want to know about Kentucky, come and visit. You will either accept us or hate us. Either way, you say a lot about yourself.
Go on the main Kentucky thread and look for my thread saying you must be the proudest people. Some person wrote all those statistics there. He is from Texas and obviously hates the state.
You can't judge all of Kentucky, by the overall stats of the state. And a lot of time stats are manipulated,
so they cannot always be trusted. And there are the stereotypical views and prejudiced opinions that many people have about the state, that simply aren't true.
Yes, the cancer thing is right, but that has a lot to do with the fact that more people smoke in Kentucky than any other state. I am not sure what to make of the Well Being score.
The life expectancy ~ I have had family members who live into their 80's and 90's - maybe this has to do with the cigarette smoking stats also, for certain groups, I am not sure, but would imagine that would have some effect.
Kentucky is also a coal mining state, and people in the coal mines usually don't live to be of a ripe old age.
Yes, Kentucky has problem with Obesity, but so does the whole US as a whole.
Our Median Household Income may be small, but so is the cost of Living, these things usually correlate (and both seem to be the case, for the Southern US in general - lower wages but lower cost of living.)
Lexington ranks 7th among major U.S. metros for its quality of life, according to
Business Facilities, July/August 2010, that and cost of living gives more information than just
household Income.
The Education thing I have already delved into earlier.
Thanks for these facts. Its a nice breathe of fresh air after the garbage that guy posted. Personally most of these things are because of personal decision....obesity, smoking, quality of life. If someone eats or smokes to much how does that affect me? Its irrelevant. And 76 is a low life expectancy? My dad died at 55, ill take 76 any day. And quality of life is equal to happiness. I feel most people can be happy in any situation if they have God!
This is an answer I got about moving to KY from someone named TechWired. Is this for real because he makes it sound like its the WORST place to live
Kentucky: The highest rate of cancer in the country
Well-being index score: 63.3 second lowest in nation after West Virginia
Life expectancy: 76.2 (bottom 10%)
Obesity: 31.3 percent (5th highest in the nation)
Median household income: $40,062 (4th lowest in the U.S.)
Adult population with high school diploma or higher: 80% percent (5th lowest in the nation)
Lady be careful of listening to anyone from Texas (including me) with regard to how "bad" Kentucky is. If I could magically transport myself to Kentucky from Dallas, I'd do so in a heartbeat. I'd far rather be a Kentuckian than a Texan (graduated from Campbellsville College about a hundred years ago and lived in Kentucky 17 years, Louisville and Lexington both.
Ironically, I've been following and sharing private CD posts with someone who lives near Austin (where TechWired is from), who is leaving Monday to move to Idaho. The only good thing he had to say about Austin was that the music scene is decent.
I'm currently helping to increase the substantial obesity statistic in Texas!! (I do work out almost every day, so I'm fit, if fat--think of too much barbecue in Texas as a reason for being fat).
Kentucky has more unique in-state cultural diversity than Texas. Texans are pretty much Texans anywhere you go (not talking about immigrants). But Kentuckians in the eastern part of the state are quite different from the big metro areas, and, IMO garnered from traveling the state extensively when I worked there, quite different from western Kentucky, too, which is also different from the metro areas. That's what I mean about in-state diversity. It's more by locality than by ethnic or racial makeup. The "feel" you get in Louisville is different from Lexington. But I liked them both.
I'll give you another "bad" statistic. Kentucky (at least in the 80's) led the nation for kidney stones. Why? My doctor (for MY kidney stone) said there was some discussion among health professionals about limestone based water. There are a lot of limestone shelves in KY. He said the key for the majority of people was simply to drink a LOT of liquids to keep the kidneys flushed out. Uh, I don't think he meant alcholic beverages which would be destroying your liver while saving your kidneys!
Education? UK is a terrific school (took one post-graduate course there). U of L is a terrific school (took 21 hrs there post-graduate). I still love my alma mater, Campbellsville. And there are a number of other great schools, Berea College, Kentucky Weslyan, and Centre College which has an extremely high level of academic achievement. I'm going to leave out mentioning Georgetown because they were hated sports rivals of Campbellsville! And, of course, other public institutions like Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky and Morehead. I'm sure to have left some out (to give a chance to other posters to bash me for not being PC about their schools).
Kentucky is a great place to live. But visit. If you can spend a few days, spend them one place, then go back and visit again in another place. You will get different vibes from different localities.
I haven't lived in Kentucky since 1990, but I still get a tear in my eye when I hear "My Old Kentucky Home." And I'm originally from Alabama.
Last edited by Wardendresden; 01-03-2013 at 03:44 PM..
Reason: spelling
I appreciate your input. Some statistics are just stupid and irrelevant. Americans are fatter, period. I have family from Europe and in other countries they talk about how fat this country is lol! I doubt Kentucky is worse off than other states. In Nj as an Italian, we eat pizza every week and some sort of pasta at least twice a week.i make all home made meals and old recipes. All those carbs lol! But I exercise. But really....if my neighbor is fat will it change my life? Not really unless he choses to walk around shirtless LOL!! And I really am a fan of great education. My kids are honor students and one is in the " gifted and talented" program. But my relatives came through Ellis Island. They were poor immigrants in NYC and NJ. The first generation born here from these immigrants had to work instead of attend high school and had an 8th grade education. But they got jobs, bought homes, made families and created loving memories. Education is important but I would never shun anyone because lack of it
While I don't necessarily doubt any of those statistics, I also don't like them representing the sate as a whole. Because I grew up in a rural area that was below the poverty level, but we also had excellent public schools and most of the people I graduated with went on to college with scholarships. I can see the education thing changing steadily over time. LIke I said, I don't think those stats are false, but I also think they don't paint a full picture of the state as a whole.
One thing I will agree about - definitely visit for a while and get to know the people and the lifestyle. I've lived in both KY and New York. I like both a lot, but I had total culture shock coming to NY. It's not even the politics or social views (I fit better with NY that way) but the CULTURE - how people act, how people talk, how people relate to one another and perceive others behavior. Things that are totally common place and acceptable in the north might be seen as "rude" int he south, for instance. It's just a different type of life. I know some people from up north who moved to KY and LOVED it. I know others who ended up back up north in a matter of a few months because they hated the cultue so much. It could really go either way for any given person.
But yeah. Don't let these stats scare you away. As you said - many of these won't directly impact you. And like Crazee pointed out, Lexington is a great city.
This is an answer I got about moving to KY from someone named TechWired. Is this for real because he makes it sound like its the WORST place to live
Kentucky’s overall well-being score is the second worst in the nation. KY residents consider themselves among the worst-off in the country in life evaluation, healthy behavior and in both physical and emotional health Kentucky is ranked in the bottom 5% in the nation. Kentucky is a poor state, with the fourth-lowest household income and the fourth-highest rate of poverty in the U.S.. Many residents of Kentucky have a low level of education compared to many of the other states in the country. KY ranked 47th in the U.S. for residents with high school diplomas, and over one quarter of Kentucky's children live in poverty. Forty percent of 2.5 million people in Kentucky of working age have problems with reading and writing -- The state was recently ranked as the worst run state in the country, as well as one of only four states to be awarded an unfavorable AA- credit rating, the third worst score awarded to any state in the nation. Over 29% of the state currently smokes, the highest of any state in the U.S. Kentucky has the second highest rate of diabetes after WV. and KY also has some of the worst animal welfare laws in the country.
Kentucky: The highest rate of cancer in the country
Well-being index score: 63.3 second lowest in nation after West Virginia
Life expectancy: 76.2 (bottom 10%)
Obesity: 31.3 percent (5th highest in the nation)
Median household income: $40,062 (4th lowest in the U.S.)
Adult population with high school diploma or higher: 80% percent (5th lowest in the nation)
Last edited by Alpha_Dog; 01-03-2013 at 10:03 PM..
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Speaking of Kentucky from Texas
in Texas as a reason for being fat). 
And, of course, other public institutions like Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky and Morehead. I'm sure to have left some out (to give a chance to other posters to bash me for not being PC about their schools).
