Life in Danville versus South Florida? (Lexington, Louisville: tornadoes, travel, job)

[familyguy2008]

Hello, my family (wife and 3 small boys) are considering moving from West Palm Beach Florida to Danville, Kentucky and would like to hear from anyone who has done the same or has experience about the transition?
We are curious about day to day life (weather, crime, people, shopping, schools, etc).
Especially dealing with the Winter months.
Any comments would be appreciated...both positive and negative.

Thanks in advance!

[Off Topic]

Wow! I cannot think of a more drastic change in lifestyle. You're going from the Miami area to Danville?

It would be a culture shock to move from Louisville to Danville, much less West Palm Beach. I really don't even know where to start!

The crime issue and cost of living will be much better in Danville, but that is just about it, as far as I'm concerned. I mean, seriously, I am totally freaked out just thinking about this!

[JRR]

We currently live in the Orlando area and Danville and Berea are on our short list for areas to retire to. I have lived in Florida (Vero Beach and Orlando) for a lot of years and there isn't much that I will miss when I leave. Just out of curiosity, what would be so devastating about someone moving to Danville from West Palm Beach?

[Digger57]

I grew up in Orlando and had relatives in Danville. I always looked forward to visiting my aunt & uncle there, it was such a pretty town with a relaxing atmosphere. Although it has been years since I've been there I feel that it would be a good choice if a slower, less stressful lifestyle.
I plan to retire from Atlanta to Morgantown KY. You can't imagine a much more drastic change than that, can you?

Digger~

[nemcovic]

i live in south florida to. north miami beach. transferred down here due to a promotion. i hate it here and after my year is up i plan on moving some place(kentucky, west vrginia) to raise my kids in a decent enviroment. my wife loves eastern kentucky and south west virginia. we are definitly getting out of south florida.

[Off Topic]

I love the fact rural Kentucky is being compared favorably to an area like Miami. Maybe it's just that I'm used to living near larger cities that has me so freaked out thinking about this.

Let's just say the night life is somewhat less. And the arts scene. And the sports scene. And the restaurant scene. And the weather. And shopping. And medical care. And entertainment.

Seriously, if you are looking for the quiet life, then Danville is great. Something like Mayberry, which is good and bad, I guess. I just think a lot of big city people glamorize what small town life is like.

[gb lady]

I stayed in Danville when I made my exploration trip in November. The thing I liked most was the rural feeling as you could live at the edge of town and feel like you were living in the country. It would definitely be a culture shock coming from Miami but it could be either good or bad depending on what you are looking for. I think it would be a great place to raise kids, has most of the basic stores and I never felt nervous being by myself. If you are looking for bars or clubs, it's pretty limited as I believe you can only buy alcoholic drinks at Applebee's and a couple other places. If you are a Green Bay Packers fan like me, I know that a lot of their games are broadcast in this area. I suggest that you make a list of things that are important to you and see if Danville has the majority of those things on your list. What I can tell you is that I met a lot of nice people that lived in Danville and of the people I spoke to in length, not a single one had anything bad to say about this city. I found the same to be true about Harrodsburg though. When I move this summer, Danville is on my list, along with Paris and Harrodsburg.

[bcfarmlady]

As I always say, depends on who you are, where you are in life, what you like and how you want to live. As for me, I'm in my early 50's, grew up in Mass. and have lived here in Florida since 1991. I raised two kids here, my husband raised 3 (all from previous marriages) .... it's time to leave.

Two years ago we bought 60 Secluded Acres just west of Liberty KY.... for the same price you pay for 1/2 -- 3/4 Acre here in Florida !! In November our builder started building our new home there and we can't wait to get there. We've been to Danville and think it's a very nice place. It will probably be one of our main shopping places as we will be about 20 minutes south.

My husband will be quitting his job here when we go. I work from home. We are really looking forward to a slower lifestyle. BUT we have plans for lots of things to keep us very busy. The city life is not for us. We are not looking for broadway shows, museums or party places. At this time in our lives, we've been there done that.

[gb lady]

bcfarmlady, I agree with you. I'm not looking for the broadway shows or any of that other stuff. I'm ready for a place where I can garden and plant all kinds of flowers in my yard. I want to be able to drive to work and know that it's going to take the same amount of time each day, I have NO patience for sitting in traffic. Now, all I need is to find a job so I know where I'm going.

As for Liberty, believe it or not, I got lost there when I visited the area in November. I figured it out on my own because I wasn't about to ask someone. I was trying to find the Mennonite area, got all turned around and never did find it. I thought the drive from Danville to Liberty was very pretty in spots.

[jcm1986]

Originally Posted by familyguy2008

Hello, my family (wife and 3 small boys) are considering moving from West Palm Beach Florida to Danville, Kentucky and would like to hear from anyone who has done the same or has experience about the transition?
We are curious about day to day life (weather, crime, people, shopping, schools, etc).
Especially dealing with the Winter months.
Any comments would be appreciated...both positive and negative.

Thanks in advance!

Maybe we can switch places. I've actually decided to leave Kentucky by year's end--but not for Florida (lol). Still, for a more urban region of the country. Anywho, I've traveled this state very extensively and Danville is the ONLY small town in which I'd willingly live. A very nice place indeed. Read my copy and past from another post below:

Originally Posted by jcm1986

It's probably my favorite small town in Kentucky. Home of Centre College and the Norton Center for the Arts, which has a refreshing and surprising amount of theatrics and lectures occur. It even hosted the Vice-Presidential debate in (I think) 2000. There's a nice, clean, very historic downtown, as well as a state historic site commemorating the site of Kentucky's first capitol building. For shopping, there's Peebles, JCPenney, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Kroger, Aldi Grocery, and for dining there's Applebee's, Cracker Barrel, and O'Charley's. Perryville Battlefield State Park is about 15 miles west of town near Perryville and was the location of a major civil war battle. Looks like a cookie-cutter small town from the bypass but you have to venture downtown to discover its hear; that different-than-it-looks-on- the-outside aspect is the biggest charm of the town. Plus, you have a close-by view of the Appalachian foothills, which are only ten miles away, and Danville has a lot of just good ol' everyday country people, but it's not infiltrated with white trash and "hillbillyism" (which is why I try not to venture into surrounding towns like Liberty, Stanford, and Lancaster.) Not bad for this, a town of 16,000 people, is it?

Get bored and need more of an urban fix? Lexington is 40-45 minutes away. Louisville is 1.5 hours away. Cincinnati is 2.25 hours away. Need to hike or take in some true country? Drive in the Boyle County countryside, or drive to Cumberland Falls State Park just an hour south.

Certainly not a metropolitan area by any means. If you venture out into the surrounding towns like Liberty, Harrodsburg, Perryville, Lancaster, or Burgin, you might hear people moan about how "bad" Danville traffic is, much less Frankfort, Lexington, or Louisville. Do it if you want a good laugh, I dare you.

As for the schools, well there are only about three school systems in Kentucky that I would consider "great." Danville and Boyle County systems are not two of them. They're still decent and among the best in the central Kentucky region, but the level of education per grade will be more advanced in classrooms in middle- and upper-class areas of South Florida than Kentucky. Just the way it is. On the upside, the crime in the schools and town is very minimal; you just hear about domestic disputes in the homes, really, and not much else.

The weather: there's a saying in Kentucky that goes "If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes. It will change." To illustrate the inconsistency of the weather, in the month of February alone we had tornadoes, thunderstorms, straight-line heavy winds, flooding, 6" of snow, ice, 5-degree mornings, and 72-degree afternoons with sunshine...all in the same month! "Mixing it up" keeps it interesting, but one reason I'm looking to leave is b/c of how truly crazy the weather does get. But you may get here and like it. Our summers are hot and humid but not to the extent of Florida.

The people are decent enough, but I've not found a single place in Kentucky in all my years of living here that has awed me with its genuine friendliness. The people are much friendlier and warmer than many in Florida, though. I must say, though, that Danville is one of the few places in the state where I've had the fortune of actually striking up a nice conversation in the Wal-Mart line.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy Kentucky!