Who has ever moved out of Kentucky? Why do you return or not return? (Louisville: transplants, for sale)

[bsdsys]

Originally Posted by Robocops Uncle

sounds hot...

Theres nothing worth mentioning that you can do in chicago that you can't do where I'm at..

Hahaha... yeah!

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by Robocops Uncle

sounds hot...

Theres nothing worth mentioning that you can do in chicago that you can't do where I'm at..

Let's see...The Field Museum? It's in Cadiz...no, wait, Chicago!

The site of the Chicago Spire, under construction to be 2000 feet tall, the world's tallest residential building. All of Webster County could live in that thing, seriously!

The Sears Tower, John Hancock Tower, 25-mile lakefront walk, the magnificence of Lake Michigan, Diversey Harbor, The Art Institute of Illinois, Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, U.S. Cellular Field, the "El", the Metra, Museum of Science and History (a Smithsonian institution, I believe,) Lincoln Park Zoo, Dearborn Avenue, Giordiano's restaurant, a very strong following of college and pro sports faithful...

Kentucky can't and will never replicate all this, I'm afraid.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by jcm1986

Let's see...The Field Museum? It's in Cadiz...no, wait, Chicago!

The site of the Chicago Spire, under construction to be 2000 feet tall, the world's tallest residential building. All of Webster County could live in that thing, seriously!

The Sears Tower, John Hancock Tower, 25-mile lakefront walk, the magnificence of Lake Michigan, Diversey Harbor, The Art Institute of Illinois, Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, U.S. Cellular Field, the "El", the Metra, Museum of Science and History (a Smithsonian institution, I believe,) Lincoln Park Zoo, Dearborn Avenue, Giordiano's restaurant, a very strong following of college and pro sports faithful...

Kentucky can't and will never replicate all this, I'm afraid.

So when are you moving?

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Robocops Uncle

sounds hot...

Theres nothing worth mentioning that you can do in chicago that you can't do where I'm at..

Drink at a bar until 4am Sun-Fri and 5am on Sat?

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by LouisvilleJake

I moved away from Louisville 7 years ago and I am currently in Chicago. I've been here for two years and I really like living here. I plan on being in Chicago, or another large city for a long time to come. However, I know I will end back in Louisville.

Louisville is simply a fantastic city. It is dense, has a great art and restaurant scene, and the neighborhoods are second to none. I love Louisville. No matter where I have lived I have always been, and will always be, a Louisvillian at heart.

Why dont you ever post on the Chicago board? We would love you on there too.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

So when are you moving?

Whenever I can land a job! I don't want to go someplace broke.

I've "widdled" my choices down to, in no particular order, Houston, Chicago, and Fort Worth. Each city is great, vibrant, economically strong, and walkable (yes, even the TX cities,) but each has their own identity. It's very hard to choose.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by jcm1986

Whenever I can land a job! I don't want to go someplace broke.

I've "widdled" my choices down to, in no particular order, Houston, Chicago, and Fort Worth. Each city is great, vibrant, economically strong, and walkable (yes, even the TX cities,) but each has their own identity. It's very hard to choose.

If you choose my place of birthplace be sure to tell me. I would love to meet for a drink.I would also be open to helping you in any way I can. I have spent time in Kentucky so we could have some interesting conversations.

[mckinneydeb]

I was born in Mayfield, attended Symsonia School and graduated from Murray State. During my high school and college years I knew I didn't want to stay in KY. By my senior year of college I had plans to move to Florida (love the ocean) but was side tracked when I fell for a guy from Benton. We moved to Texas in 1984 because of his job.

When we moved to McKinney Texas, it was a sleepy little town of 10K about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas. Today McKinney is one of the fastest growing cities in the country with 125K. Within an hour drive of my home there are over 6 million people and you can't really tell where one city ends and the next begins. There are more places to eat in this area per sq mile than any other place in the US. Wal-Marts on nearly every corner, ton's of grocery stores, malls, nail salons, banks and dry cleaners. You can always find a place to eat regardless of the time of day/night, day of week or holiday. I can drive an hour to see a Broadway style play, visit a museum, attend a sporting event (football, basketball, soccer, baseball, car race or rodeo), marvel at the beauty of an arboretum or drive a boat across a lake at sunset. There is ALWAYS something to do for every type of individual. And travel is so convenient because DFW airport is just an hour away. We just got back Monday night from a weeks stay in Cozumel. A 2.5hr plane ride to Mexico and within an hour of landing we were laying on lounge chairs enjoying the blue green waters off the Yucatan peninsula.

We visit KY a couple of times a year and it is always a culture shock for us. While slow drivers are frustrating, it's the actual pace of life in general that is so different than what we live each day. And although I sometimes dream of a simpler life, I just really don't think I would ever be completely satisfied if I didn't have the choices I currently have. I grew up on a gravel road where the nearest neighbor was about a quarter of mile away and that was my grandparent. To me Murray and Paducah were "big" towns. Even now when we visit, I still think of Paducah as the only real "big" town in Western KY.

A few month's ago my husband and I considered moving back because of our aging parents. A realtor showed me several nice places in Paducah. The cost of those homes was amazingly low compared to what the same property would cost here. But when it came down to it, McKinney Texas is our home. We've grown with it and we can't imagine living anywhere else. We love the accessibility and the convenience of living here. The job market is good here and even with the housing/mortgage crisis the real estate market is doing pretty well in North Texas compared to other areas of the country.


As for people, you have to be a good neighbor in order to have good neighbors. With the mobility of our society, it can be hard to make friends anywhere. Here people live in brick boxes set feet from each other and put up 8ft wooden fences to keep people from seeing in their back yard. You come home in the evening and pull you car into the garage and slip quietly into your house. You don't have to see a soul if you don't want to. But we have made it a point to get out and work in our yard as a way to meet our neighbors. We keep an eye on each other’s homes when we're out of town and offer to help mow the yard or trim a hedge if our neighbor's mower or trimmer is broken. I remember it USED to be that way when I was living in KY. But after my dad passed away a couple of years ago, I didn't see that same sort of neighborly concern that I had witnessed when I was young. I mean, yes some people brought food and sent flowers, but there wasn't that same level of "neighborliness". As a kid I remember the male neighbors making sure the elder neighbors were taken care of, visiting them to see they had heat in the winter, food on the table or trips to the doctor. Cutting the grass for the widows or making sure fields were tended was just the neighborly thing to do. Maybe because most of the older neighbors are gone now, replaced with those who have moved into the rural area in search of their piece of land, that these sorts of things no longer are the norm. Not that people moving to the country is a bad thing, only that the ways of days gone by have been lost. The closeness of the community was what made my area of KY special and that closeness just isn't evident any longer. I don't think I romanticized the "way things were ". I think things really were that way 30 years ago. They sort of were that way when we moved to McKinney 24yrs ago. So in that sense, KY and TX are similar. The fact is the times they are a changing. My parents began locking their doors about 10yrs ago. It was nothing to see them leave the keys in every vehicle. Now the vehicle doors get locked and the keys are safe inside on the counter. Just like mine here in Texas. Crime in McKinney isn’t bad. We have the occasional thefts, the increasing drug problems and a rare murder. When we’ve watched the local Paducah news, I see similar stories.

I would encourage you to spread your wings and live wherever you dream to live. While it may not be the Utopia you expect, at least you will have no regrets. And although they say you can never go home again, I'm sure KY would welcome you back with open arms should you decide to return.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by mckinneydeb

...Within an hour drive of my home there are over 6 million people and you can't really tell where one city ends and the next begins. There are more places to eat in this area per sq mile than any other place in the US. Wal-Marts on nearly every corner, ton's of grocery stores, malls, nail salons, banks and dry cleaners. You can always find a place to eat regardless of the time of day/night, day of week or holiday. I can drive an hour to see a Broadway style play, visit a museum, attend a sporting event (football, basketball, soccer, baseball, car race or rodeo), marvel at the beauty of an arboretum or drive a boat across a lake at sunset. There is ALWAYS something to do for every type of individual. And travel is so convenient because DFW airport is just an hour away. We just got back Monday night from a weeks stay in Cozumel. A 2.5hr plane ride to Mexico and within an hour of landing we were laying on lounge chairs enjoying the blue green waters off the Yucatan peninsula.

The convenience to an airport offering direct international flights is great! The closest such airport to my house is CVG (Cincinnati), which is 1 hr. 20 min. from my house. McKinney does sound a bit too suburban for my tastes, but compared to a small town, the plethora of stores, restaurants and other things is excellent! One thing I DO miss about living in Kentucky's metro areas is the close proximity to neat neighborhoods, many cuisines, and retail that is very competitive with Wal-Mart!

Originally Posted by mckinneydeb

We visit KY a couple of times a year and it is always a culture shock for us. While slow drivers are frustrating, it's the actual pace of life in general that is so different than what we live each day. And although I sometimes dream of a simpler life, I just really don't think I would ever be completely satisfied if I didn't have the choices I currently have. I grew up on a gravel road where the nearest neighbor was about a quarter of mile away and that was my grandparent. To me Murray and Paducah were "big" towns. Even now when we visit, I still think of Paducah as the only real "big" town in Western KY.

I've only spent a combined ten months living in metro areas. The rest of my life, in non-metro areas. But I STILL find it hard to adjust back to the slow-EVERYTHING pace of the small town where the only 24-hour entity is Wal-Mart and Danville is considered a sprawling metropolis. Aside from the incredibly slow drivers, I also HATE going into Wal-Mart to find people taking up the aisle by the multitudes, walking as slow as they possibly can! Move, dang it! I've learned to just walk fast (talkin' Chicago or NYC brisk, I don't slow down for anybody,) say "excuse me, please" in a polite tone when I pass people, and just deal with the occasional dirty look I receive.

Originally Posted by mckinneydeb

I would encourage you to spread your wings and live wherever you dream to live. While it may not be the Utopia you expect, at least you will have no regrets. And although they say you can never go home again, I'm sure KY would welcome you back with open arms should you decide to return.

There is no such thing as utopia...literally. I hope where I move will be a much better fit for me than the Bluegrass State. I can already assure you that I won't miss the Bluegrass.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

If you choose my place of birthplace be sure to tell me. I would love to meet for a drink.I would also be open to helping you in any way I can. I have spent time in Kentucky so we could have some interesting conversations.

Chicago is a city I like but still don't know a lot about. I'm sure I can think of plenty of questions.