why are people not moving into kentucky? (Lexington, Louisville: for sale, homes)

[ajohnson56]

Hi, I'm doing a little research, because I live in california, but need to move out!! this state is way too expensive and the housing market in insane, I noticed beautiful affordable homes in northern kuntucky (florence area) but while doing research i notice that in the past couple years the population as a whole (the state) is declining? why is that? why are people leaving? is there something I should know?

[Toria]

what figures are you going by? The US Census estimates show that Kentucky's population is growing, and has gained over a half million people since 1990. In the past six years, the population has grown by 164,000 people.
In Florence specifically, the population gain since 1990 is about 8300, and in the past six years it's up by 3300.

[Floridahater]

Originally Posted by ajohnson56

Hi, I'm doing a little research, because I live in california, but need to move out!! this state is way too expensive and the housing market in insane, I noticed beautiful affordable homes in northern kuntucky (florence area) but while doing research i notice that in the past couple years the population as a whole (the state) is declining? why is that? why are people leaving? is there something I should know?

Where do you live in CA? I lived for many years in SD County. I am endeavoring to move to KY (or in that particular region) from FL. Kentucky is growing in most places although there may be a slight decline in some smaller towns particularly in the eastern portion. Good luck!

[LittleMan]

I'm with you Floridahater. I live in Palm Beach County and my husband and I are going to Northern Kentucky in two weeks to look for a home. Cost of living, taxes, crime, I can go on and on. We can't wait to move, hoping to start the new year in Kentucky.

I was born and grew up in SE Kentucky. I might be way off on this, but I think the reason the population is gowing down in some areas could be that more people are getting a collage education and moving to find better paying jobs. Like I said, I could be way off, but thats the only reason I left

[dumpstermcnuggets]

To answer ajohnson's question, I believe the reason he initally suspected what he did was that he probably looked at data somewhere that measures population growth/decline for ALL areas of Kentucky. If you do that, of course you might get a wrong impression that Kentucky is in decline, since I believe the only areas of Kentucky that might be struggling to 'tread water' and/or declining, population-wise, are areas in rural parts of the state(particularly eastern KY, and possibly certain counties in the southern and far-western portions of the state), and away from major cities. BTW, so noone rips me on this, I'm definately aware that there are areas in eastern KY, and in the far-west part of the state, that are at the same time, on a population upswing(Ashland/Boyd County, Murray/Cadiz/anywhere in the general 'Land Between the Lakes' area of KY/TN, Paducah, etc.).

And there's no doubt to me that overall(plus since I've traveled to KY throughout my entire life, myself), while there still are a minority of areas/counties in decline, there are a greater number of areas in KY that are booming in population right now. Without a doubt to me, KY's population overall is on the upswing. All you have to do is look at housing values, population data, etc., to see what I mean. Examples of boom areas that I mean include the greater Louisville area(and including nearby areas, such as Shelby and Oldham Counties), the 'Northern KY' area south of Cincy(generally defined as anywhere within Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties), Elizabethtown, and Bowling Green. I wouldn't be surprised if there were other KY areas I missed that are also on the upswing, too, but I don't have the time to list all of them.

I hope you didn't get too much of a wrong impression of KY, ajohnson, and give KY a more thorough look. Not to mention, there are areas within KY that work for anyone's taste, whether they want a very populated area, a suburban-like area, or a rural one. Good luck to you in your search! (and coming from someone who still has KY very high on my list of places I'm considering moving to in the next 3-5 years, after I graduate college).

[tomocox]

Simple reason why people aren't moving to Kentucky. We have standards here. If person is a jerk, a bum, or a person without neighborly concern, then Kentucky is not for sale.

People who are decent, law abiding, caring, and courteous, then we have plenty of opportunities here. Kentuckians love decent people of all races, all ethical, political, and social backgrounds. We don't wear signs here that say we are better than our neighbors, nor do we want newcomers wearing chips on their shoulders. We want people who respect people although they may be different, and most people here treat neighbors old and new with that very respectful attitude.

[Sundance]

The economy in Kentucky, generally speaking, isn't great. There aren't that many opportunities. Many people leave the state and go elsewhere, for career reasons.

However, IF you will be able to make a living when you get here, you will probably like it.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by Sundance

The economy in Kentucky, generally speaking, isn't great. There aren't that many opportunities. Many people leave the state and go elsewhere, for career reasons.

However, IF you will be able to make a living when you get here, you will probably like it.

I disagree with that. Can you provide stats that KY's urban areas like Louisville, Lexington, and NKY have a poor economy?

Also, KY clearly has a steadily growing population.

[tomocox]

Kentucky under Governor Fletcher has found an outstanding economy. Only glitch in Kentucky's economic armor is how well Ford Motor Company has faired with the same problems GMC has with its big SUV's and gas hog pickups. For those who don't know it, homes in the Louisville Metropolitan Statistical Area (LMSA) have never in history including 2007 had average home values lower on December 31 than they were on the previous January 1. This year homes in LMSA are up 1.4% which when compared to most of the rest of the nation is a huge number.

Also for the record, where there are a large number of Mexicans (legal or otherwise) that means there are jobs and a vibrant economy. Not intended as a racial statement or an unwelcome slur, but rather just a simple economic 2000's fact.

The last 7 years have been great for Kentucky, and only the highly political Democrat leaning media, especially the Courier-Journal and Lexington Herald-Leader papers, have led people to believe that there is a pseudo-resession. There is a Governor's election this year and there is a deliberate attempt to hide the truth by the media.

[Jzer21]

Kentucky isn't aggressively advertising and promoting itself as a place to live when compared to some other nearby states like Tennessee and North Carolina. Those states advertise very heavily in Florida, Michigan and the Northeast.