Who has ever moved out of Kentucky? Why do you return or not return? (Lexington: live in, airplane)

[EclecticEars]

Sorry, it's true, Kentuckians are rather standoffish.

I deal with Kentuckians, Hoosiers and Buckeyes daily in my customer service job. Kentuckians and Hoosiers are far more provincial and less open to "outsiders" than the Buckeyes. Of course, Cincinnati has its provinciality, don't get me wrong, but compared to downstate Kentucky it's not nearly as bad.

[Wing Feathers]

Originally Posted by JeanneEleven

Well, I spent my youth overseas, my child-rearing years in Washington, DC, a couple of years in Orange County, California after that -- and now I'm fine without all that "culture" -- pleasant vistas, affordability, community and people who love the Lord are what I want now.

Bravo!!!

[JTinTx]

I'm a Kentucky native, born in Lexington, who moved to Texas with my family at age 12. My wife is a 3rd generation Austinite. I have lived and worked in Austin for 42 years and have always felt that the Austin/Central Texas area was the best part of the state. Good job opportunities, friendly people, the University of Texas, the Highland Lakes and a low crime rate are a few of the amenities that attract new residents.

The area is not without it's problems though. The cost of living is higher than anywhere else in Texas, though it is still considered reasonable compared to many other parts of the country. The city has experienced rapid growth over the past few decades and is in a transition from mid-sized to large city. The road infrastructure has not kept up with growth and traffic is terrible. Much of the newer growth consists of suburban sprawl. Summers can be unbearably hot - we've had 67 days this summer of temperatures 100 degrees or above. Austin has a large homeless population and large and growing population of illegal immigrants (Austin is a "sanctuary city").

We recently moved to a small hill country village about an hour West of Austin and we love it here! Austin has grown too big for us and we feel it no longer has the unique character and good vibes it enjoyed in the 70's and 80's. We still enjoy visiting though. Anyone considering relocating to Austin should check out the smaller surrounding towns (Georgetown, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, etc.)

The Houston area has never been a favorite of mine. Traffic there is even worse than Austin, IMO. Summers in Houston are even more uncomfortable that Austin due to the high humidity. Houston also has a high crime rate. It does have a lot of amenities in the way of jobs, entertainment and good restaurants though.

I enjoy returning to Kentucky to visit friends and enjoy the great natural beauty of the state. I agree that some of the people there can be a bit standoffish - I've noticed this the most around Lexington. Most folks I've met in the smaller towns and rural areas have been quite friendly though.

I wish you the best of luck whether or not you decide to relocate to Texas.

[InLondon]

Originally Posted by JTinTx

I'm a Kentucky native, born in Lexington, who moved to Texas with my family at age 12. My wife is a 3rd generation Austinite. I have lived and worked in Austin for 42 years and have always felt that the Austin/Central Texas area was the best part of the state. Good job opportunities, friendly people, the University of Texas, the Highland Lakes and a low crime rate are a few of the amenities that attract new residents.

The area is not without it's problems though. The cost of living is higher than anywhere else in Texas, though it is still considered reasonable compared to many other parts of the country. The city has experienced rapid growth over the past few decades and is in a transition from mid-sized to large city. The road infrastructure has not kept up with growth and traffic is terrible. Much of the newer growth consists of suburban sprawl. Summers can be unbearably hot - we've had 67 days this summer of temperatures 100 degrees or above. Austin has a large homeless population and large and growing population of illegal immigrants (Austin is a "sanctuary city").

We recently moved to a small hill country village about an hour West of Austin and we love it here! Austin has grown too big for us and we feel it no longer has the unique character and good vibes it enjoyed in the 70's and 80's. We still enjoy visiting though. Anyone considering relocating to Austin should check out the smaller surrounding towns (Georgetown, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, etc.)

The Houston area has never been a favorite of mine. Traffic there is even worse than Austin, IMO. Summers in Houston are even more uncomfortable that Austin due to the high humidity. Houston also has a high crime rate. It does have a lot of amenities in the way of jobs, entertainment and good restaurants though.

I enjoy returning to Kentucky to visit friends and enjoy the great natural beauty of the state. I agree that some of the people there can be a bit standoffish - I've noticed this the most around Lexington. Most folks I've met in the smaller towns and rural areas have been quite friendly though.

I wish you the best of luck whether or not you decide to relocate to Texas.

Austin is so so so overrated! Also, everything is dead there. Not a lot of green that's for sure.

[JTinTx]

Originally Posted by InLondon

Austin is so so so overrated! Also, everything is dead there. Not a lot of green that's for sure.

There has been a lot of media hype about Austin lately, most of it is not true. Some people really hate Austin, others love it. There's no substitute for making an extended visit to find out for yourself.

The grass may be dried up and brown from the heat and drought this summer, but I assure you everything is far from dead. There's quite a bit of green actually, just not during summers like this one. Of course, it probably seems like a desert compared to the Bluegrass State. No place on earth I know of is greener than Kentucky in the spring and summer.

[snowdancer]

I lived in Metcalfe County, KY from 1998 until 2005 when I just couldn't take it any longer. My experiences are for the south central KY area and larger metropolitan areas may be way different.

I came for the beauty and what I thought was the more rural, welcoming attitudes we got when visiting.
I was wrong, the welcoming attitude was reserved for those with $$ to spend as a tourist.

We bought a 40 acre farm in a very rural area-Summer Shade to be exact. We originally thought we'd bought our little piece of paradise and looked forward to being involved in our new community.
Even though I wasn't one of those 'we did it this way in (name previous location) nor tried to change things such as zoning life there was a lonely one. I tried to become part of the community by volunteering, etc but it wasn't happening.
Even after 5 yrs I was being told 'you're not from around here' followed by the explaination about the difference between a Yankee & a Damn Yankee-one visits and leaves, the other visits and moves to the area. I originally thought the folks were joking but no, they were serious and made it quite clear they didn't like outsiders.
Also the high level of racially biased comments( the 'N' word was common as was other racial/ethnic epitets), the theft(we had $600 of fence & fencing supplies stolen within 24 hrs of it's delivery to our farm) and vandalism- our fences(both perimeter and interior pasture) were cut, 4 wheelers tearing up crops, people hunting our woods and fishing in our newly built/stocked pond & numerous dogs being allowed to run free and kill my livestock.
Oh and then there was the mindset that trash & old tires were best disposed of along the rural roads & old used oil was ok to be poured down the sink holes made the decision to leave even easier.

I wouldn't have believed it until I experienced it but good old boys network is alive and well in south central KY; so getting the sheriff or constable to help was next to impossible, probably because the person doing the most damage had the same last name as the law enforcement people.

The day I moved, when I saw the KY state line sign in my rear view mirror was the happiest day of my life.

Would I move back? I'd rather live in a tent in any other state than move back to KY. As far as I'm concerned, KY is a place best visited and never considered as a relocation option.

[nokygirl]

Originally Posted by snowdancer

I lived in Metcalfe County, KY from 1998 until 2005 when I just couldn't take it any longer. My experiences are for the south central KY area and larger metropolitan areas may be way different.

I came for the beauty and what I thought was the more rural, welcoming attitudes we got when visiting.
I was wrong, the welcoming attitude was reserved for those with $$ to spend as a tourist.

We bought a 40 acre farm in a very rural area-Summer Shade to be exact. We originally thought we'd bought our little piece of paradise and looked forward to being involved in our new community.
Even though I wasn't one of those 'we did it this way in (name previous location) nor tried to change things such as zoning life there was a lonely one. I tried to become part of the community by volunteering, etc but it wasn't happening.
Even after 5 yrs I was being told 'you're not from around here' followed by the explaination about the difference between a Yankee & a Damn Yankee-one visits and leaves, the other visits and moves to the area. I originally thought the folks were joking but no, they were serious and made it quite clear they didn't like outsiders.
Also the high level of racially biased comments( the 'N' word was common as was other racial/ethnic epitets), the theft(we had $600 of fence & fencing supplies stolen within 24 hrs of it's delivery to our farm) and vandalism- our fences(both perimeter and interior pasture) were cut, 4 wheelers tearing up crops, people hunting our woods and fishing in our newly built/stocked pond & numerous dogs being allowed to run free and kill my livestock.
Oh and then there was the mindset that trash & old tires were best disposed of along the rural roads & old used oil was ok to be poured down the sink holes made the decision to leave even easier.

I wouldn't have believed it until I experienced it but good old boys network is alive and well in south central KY; so getting the sheriff or constable to help was next to impossible, probably because the person doing the most damage had the same last name as the law enforcement people.

The day I moved, when I saw the KY state line sign in my rear view mirror was the happiest day of my life.

Would I move back? I'd rather live in a tent in any other state than move back to KY. As far as I'm concerned, KY is a place best visited and never considered as a relocation option.

We have experienced some of the same reactions from the locals just by moving from Northern Kentucky to a county farther south in Ky. I can't imagine if you weren't even from Ky...I'm sorry your experience was such a bad one. I hope things are better now

PS - If you decide to come back and visit you are welcome at my house!

[Wing Feathers]

I hear the "N-word" a lot in black music. So don't let that be a reason to leave a state

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

Sorry, it's true, Kentuckians are rather standoffish.

I deal with Kentuckians, Hoosiers and Buckeyes daily in my customer service job. Kentuckians and Hoosiers are far more provincial and less open to "outsiders" than the Buckeyes. Of course, Cincinnati has its provinciality, don't get me wrong, but compared to downstate Kentucky it's not nearly as bad.

Are you serious? Cincinnati is one of the most provincial cities I have ever seen. For me anyways, that was part of its charm, as it was so different than my hometown. The same can be said of Louisville, which is also very provincial, but IMO, a tad more "hip" than Cincinnati.

[personalensign79]

That's one thing I worry about (because I've LOVED KY on my visits to date) but I DON'T go to church. I was raised Catholic in the Northeast and I don't go anymore. I'm not against people religious or spiritual but I am not a big fan of organized religion in general. I want us to make friends with people who talk about more than church and college football. I love horses so I might get friends that way