Who has ever moved out of Kentucky? Why do you return or not return? (Lexington: home, job market)

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by jcm1986

Well, you know, I meet them at the usual places: church, college, work. I did the same thing up in Cincy as I do here downstate. In Atlanta, I just struck up friendly conversations with girls working at hotels, restaurants, and stores; no overt flirtation or sexual harassment, I was just myself, cool and casual. Most (not all, but most) Kentucky girls I encounter are sour or really "countrified" to the point of annoyance and I'm not sure I really even want to hit it off with them (and I haven't with the ones I've talked to.) I don't go to nightclubs (okay, I've only been once,) do the online singles thing, and don't hit on girls at bars. I'm a nice guy, after all. I don't feel like I'm giving off a rude or negative vibe.

You're right, it is a matter of perception. We all have different experiences in life and the places we venture to, and our perceptions of Louisville and Cincinnati are opposite. Actually, when I talk about Cincinnati, I lived in Highland Heights, KY, which is practically just across the river, and it's the only place in Kentucky where I actually enjoyed living (I guess b/c the culture isn't all "Kentuckified.")

While I lived up there, I did a lot of things in Cincy, though: the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati Art Museum, Eden Park, got a special tour of Great American Ballpark, watched the Reds Play, watched the construction of Paul Brown Stadium, toured the University of Cincinnati, had my picture taken on the UC football field, and watched the opera. Plus, I saw that the people of Cincy/NKY were SO enthusiastic and proud of their area and always recommended things to do. Oh yeah, the girls (the natives, anyway) were friendly to me.

In Louisville, all I ever felt like I received was a snub, like nobody even wanted me in "their" city, and a semi-sneering "oh, you have a slight Kentucky accent, you're obviously not from Louisville." Funny, since it is in Kentucky. It was sad to read the school paper and read comments and letters to the editor from students saying something like "UofL has always been a school for us from Louisville and would be best if it stayed that way." Uh, uh...was I still in America's 16th-largest city? Oh lastly, I've met some nice L'ville natives, sure, but most of the nicest people I met while I lived and/or attended college in Louisville were from...wait, you guessed it, Cincy/NKY!

Okay, sorry I got off tangent here, but this was totally improptu.

I have to say that I have lived in Louisville almost my entire life and have an accent, as a matter of fact there are several people here who have an accent so that wouldn't be it. I get some friendly teasing about it sometimes from "east-enders" but for the most part, it is barely even mentioned.

As far as "too countrified", what does that mean? You say that you don't like what people think of your accent but aren't you in a sense doing the same thing?

I have met nice people from everywhere and rude people from everywhere. It is more about looking in the mirror and changing yourself than anything else.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by jcm1986

In Atlanta, I just struck up friendly conversations with girls working at hotels, restaurants, and stores; no overt flirtation or sexual harassment, I was just myself, cool and casual. Most (not all, but most)

Kentucky girls I encounter are sour or really "countrified" to the point of annoyance and I'm not sure I really even want to hit it off with them (and I haven't with the ones I've talked to.) I don't go to nightclubs (okay, I've only been once,) do the online singles thing, and don't hit on girls at bars. I'm a nice guy, after all. I don't feel like I'm giving off a rude or negative vibe.

As someone who has worked in the service industry most of her adult life, it is your job to be friendly Ya know, maybe we should finish this conversation in private message. Feel free to message me if you would like.

[johnsonkk]

All good points for everyone that made comments relating to this thread (no hijackers).

Last year, we moved to (SA) Texas after 10+ years in Louisville and most posts list accurate information about Houston but there are too many individual preferences on why people stay and why they return back to Kentucky. I'd like to return to Kentucky when it becomes a possibility - hopefully within 2 or 3 years. I had the choice last year - Atlanta or San Antonio.

My reasons and observations that are deciding factors:
1) Traffic. You just don't have a full grasp of crowded until you're in a big city traffic jam - you dream for slow left lane drivers when you're stopped on a freeway. SA just doesn't have the alternative routes like Louisville.

2) Big city feel. When a city gets to be so big where it takes an hour (with no traffic) to go from a friends house, it's too big for me. My boss threw a Christmas party and it took just over an hour to drive from the other side of town.

3) Critters. So many are large and many varieties here. Rattlesnakes are common (saw another one last week) and wild hogs/armadillos tear up your yard while coyotoes clean up the neighborhoods. I miss running off-trail and/or being able to walk where you want thru the woods. Can't do that here. Parks prohibit off-trail and it's mainly for your health.

There are many others issues but they don't pertain to the original topic of 'why do you stay/go from Kentucky'.

[amagoh]

I'm moving back after being away 37 years! My family moved from Louisville in 1971 (I was 7), so I grew up in the Jersey suburbs of NYC and Philly. However, we spent almost every summer and Christmas "going home" to visit our relatives in Kentucky. After undergrad, I moved to San Francisco...so I've lived on the East and Left Coasts...and in two of our country's more cosmopolitan cities. There is an old adage stating "live in New York once, but leave before you get too hard...live in Northern California once, but leave before you get too soft." I agree. So, I have decided to move my family back to my Kentucky roots because:

1) Family - great place to sink roots and raise one of my own
2) Louisville is a very eclectic place with a strong independent streak, great parks and awesome (walkable) neighborhoods
3) Housing affordability
4) Genuine warmth of the locals
5) Natural beauty of Kentucky
6) Easy access to small batch BOURBON (lol)

Don't get me wrong - I think it is VERY worthwhile to live other places, especially when you are young and just starting out. In my opinion, it is only then that you discover what is important to you in a "place." I only caution you that visiting a place is much different than living there. When I lived in San Francisco and told people in other parts of the country I lived there, their eyes would glaze over and they would invariably state, "Oh, I love San Francisco! We visited there [blah, blah, blah]." However...living there...I had to contend with horrific traffic, stratospheric prices on just about everything, aggressive panhandlers, and very narrow-minded, faux-liberalism. I do agree with the posting in re Chicago; it is an awesome metropolis (and a much more affordable option than coastal cities. Unlike Houston or Dallas...IMO...it is a true "urban" environment). I traveled extensively in my previous career in high tech and I found Houston (along with most other Texan cities...except Austin) is just a huge, sprawling suburb connected by massive freeways. Not the place you may want to live in the world of $4/gallon gas. One city which may hold some promise for you is Portland, OR - which is cosmopolitan, less rainy than Seattle, has awesome public transit, and is blessed with spectacular scenery. I have a JD as well (Indiana Univ Bloomington), so wherever you decide to settle with that new JD/MBA sheepskin...remember that blasted state bar exam you'll need to pass before you can practice

Best to you in your search.

[InLondon]

Originally Posted by amagoh

I'm moving back after being away 37 years! My family moved from Louisville in 1971 (I was 7), so I grew up in the Jersey suburbs of NYC and Philly. However, we spent almost every summer and Christmas "going home" to visit our relatives in Kentucky. After undergrad, I moved to San Francisco...so I've lived on the East and Left Coasts...and in two of our country's more cosmopolitan cities. There is an old adage stating "live in New York once, but leave before you get too hard...live in Northern California once, but leave before you get too soft." I agree. So, I have decided to move my family back to my Kentucky roots because:

1) Family - great place to sink roots and raise one of my own
2) Louisville is a very eclectic place with a strong independent streak, great parks and awesome (walkable) neighborhoods
3) Housing affordability
4) Genuine warmth of the locals
5) Natural beauty of Kentucky
6) Easy access to small batch BOURBON (lol)

Don't get me wrong - I think it is VERY worthwhile to live other places, especially when you are young and just starting out. In my opinion, it is only then that you discover what is important to you in a "place." I only caution you that visiting a place is much different than living there. When I lived in San Francisco and told people in other parts of the country I lived there, their eyes would glaze over and they would invariably state, "Oh, I love San Francisco! We visited there [blah, blah, blah]." However...living there...I had to contend with horrific traffic, stratospheric prices on just about everything, aggressive panhandlers, and very narrow-minded, faux-liberalism. I do agree with the posting in re Chicago; it is an awesome metropolis (and a much more affordable option than coastal cities. Unlike Houston or Dallas...IMO...it is a true "urban" environment). I traveled extensively in my previous career in high tech and I found Houston (along with most other Texan cities...except Austin) is just a huge, sprawling suburb connected by massive freeways. Not the place you may want to live in the world of $4/gallon gas. One city which may hold some promise for you is Portland, OR - which is cosmopolitan, less rainy than Seattle, has awesome public transit, and is blessed with spectacular scenery. I have a JD as well (Indiana Univ Bloomington), so wherever you decide to settle with that new JD/MBA sheepskin...remember that blasted state bar exam you'll need to pass before you can practice

Best to you in your search.

Thanks for the nice post about KY!

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by amagoh

I'm moving back after being away 37 years! My family moved from Louisville in 1971 (I was 7), so I grew up in the Jersey suburbs of NYC and Philly. However, we spent almost every summer and Christmas "going home" to visit our relatives in Kentucky. After undergrad, I moved to San Francisco...so I've lived on the East and Left Coasts...and in two of our country's more cosmopolitan cities. There is an old adage stating "live in New York once, but leave before you get too hard...live in Northern California once, but leave before you get too soft." I agree. So, I have decided to move my family back to my Kentucky roots because:

1) Family - great place to sink roots and raise one of my own
2) Louisville is a very eclectic place with a strong independent streak, great parks and awesome (walkable) neighborhoods
3) Housing affordability
4) Genuine warmth of the locals
5) Natural beauty of Kentucky
6) Easy access to small batch BOURBON (lol)

Don't get me wrong - I think it is VERY worthwhile to live other places, especially when you are young and just starting out. In my opinion, it is only then that you discover what is important to you in a "place." I only caution you that visiting a place is much different than living there. When I lived in San Francisco and told people in other parts of the country I lived there, their eyes would glaze over and they would invariably state, "Oh, I love San Francisco! We visited there [blah, blah, blah]." However...living there...I had to contend with horrific traffic, stratospheric prices on just about everything, aggressive panhandlers, and very narrow-minded, faux-liberalism. I do agree with the posting in re Chicago; it is an awesome metropolis (and a much more affordable option than coastal cities. Unlike Houston or Dallas...IMO...it is a true "urban" environment). I traveled extensively in my previous career in high tech and I found Houston (along with most other Texan cities...except Austin) is just a huge, sprawling suburb connected by massive freeways. Not the place you may want to live in the world of $4/gallon gas. One city which may hold some promise for you is Portland, OR - which is cosmopolitan, less rainy than Seattle, has awesome public transit, and is blessed with spectacular scenery. I have a JD as well (Indiana Univ Bloomington), so wherever you decide to settle with that new JD/MBA sheepskin...remember that blasted state bar exam you'll need to pass before you can practice

Best to you in your search.

Welcome Back!

[mdawg]

i moved to Buffalo, NY and it sucked, it snowed everyday and it was always cloudy and the whole city looked run-down, so I moved back. I hate it up north, kentucky and its cities are way nicer.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by mdawg

i moved to Buffalo, NY and it sucked, it snowed everyday and it was always cloudy and the whole city looked run-down, so I moved back. I hate it up north, kentucky and its cities are way nicer.

Glad you like it!

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by amagoh

I'm moving back after being away 37 years! My family moved from Louisville in 1971 (I was 7), so I grew up in the Jersey suburbs of NYC and Philly. However, we spent almost every summer and Christmas "going home" to visit our relatives in Kentucky. After undergrad, I moved to San Francisco...so I've lived on the East and Left Coasts...and in two of our country's more cosmopolitan cities. There is an old adage stating "live in New York once, but leave before you get too hard...live in Northern California once, but leave before you get too soft." I agree. So, I have decided to move my family back to my Kentucky roots because:

1) Family - great place to sink roots and raise one of my own
2) Louisville is a very eclectic place with a strong independent streak, great parks and awesome (walkable) neighborhoods
3) Housing affordability
4) Genuine warmth of the locals
5) Natural beauty of Kentucky
6) Easy access to small batch BOURBON (lol)

Don't get me wrong - I think it is VERY worthwhile to live other places, especially when you are young and just starting out. In my opinion, it is only then that you discover what is important to you in a "place." I only caution you that visiting a place is much different than living there. When I lived in San Francisco and told people in other parts of the country I lived there, their eyes would glaze over and they would invariably state, "Oh, I love San Francisco! We visited there [blah, blah, blah]." However...living there...I had to contend with horrific traffic, stratospheric prices on just about everything, aggressive panhandlers, and very narrow-minded, faux-liberalism. I do agree with the posting in re Chicago; it is an awesome metropolis (and a much more affordable option than coastal cities. Unlike Houston or Dallas...IMO...it is a true "urban" environment). I traveled extensively in my previous career in high tech and I found Houston (along with most other Texan cities...except Austin) is just a huge, sprawling suburb connected by massive freeways. Not the place you may want to live in the world of $4/gallon gas. One city which may hold some promise for you is Portland, OR - which is cosmopolitan, less rainy than Seattle, has awesome public transit, and is blessed with spectacular scenery. I have a JD as well (Indiana Univ Bloomington), so wherever you decide to settle with that new JD/MBA sheepskin...remember that blasted state bar exam you'll need to pass before you can practice

Best to you in your search.

Thank you for your honest post! I agree with you on points #1, #2, #3, #5, and #6, but not #4.

In any state I take the bar exam, it WILL be blasted! I've heard that Virginia's is among the hardest of the hard. However, with any law school I look at, I try my hardest to find its 1L through 3L retention rate and bar passage rate.

I see us switching places: you entering, me leaving! I hope you'll enjoy Kentucky more.

[timelesschild]

I left in college to experience a different location. Loved it but returned to Kentucky because I was homesick. Recently we just made the move to Los Angeles due to better job market and to be with family (my family keeps moving to California). I love it in LA. Don't know whether we'll get homesick from here, or how long it might take.

If you want to move to Houston, do it! You're only young once. More experience of the world can only be a good thing, generally. Even if you move back sooner or later, your experiences will be the richer for the variety - and your community will be the better for your broader life experience. One of my sisters met her husband in Houston, after moving there for variety (and a job).