Info about Paducah/Western KY

[Davart]

Originally Posted by kentuckydad95

It's on Thurman St and even I am not sure where that is.

Thurman St is over in Tyler going out Bridge St in the Reidland direction. It runs between Bridge St. and Powell St. It's the southside, lower middle class area. I don't know that part of town that well.

Paducah city limits has rather high taxes, it's rather crowded for it's size since 90% (give or take) of the population doesn't live in Paducah. The utilities in Paducah are higher too.

[Sundance]

You're not going to get a decent house in Paducah for <$25,000...unless you want to live in a run-down part of town....

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by Sundance

You're not going to get a decent house in Paducah for <$25,000...unless you want to live in a run-down part of town....

Heck, you won't truly get a house for <$75,000 unless it's in a run down part of town.

[KelsieG]

I live on Monroe Street, and I think it's wrong to say that ALL of Monroe Street (given that it runs from the river on down for 20 blocks or so...) is a bad street. Part of it runs through Fountain Ave., which is really coming back and finding its feet.

I just bought an 1800 sqf. home on Park Ave. for $65,000. It's the Victorian I've always wanted--and it's been completely rewired, re-plumbed, re-roofed, new appliances, etc. Seemed like a pretty fair price to me!

But yes...I've looked at about 45 homes (before I found my Park Ave. house), and even the ones in the $30-40,000 range need EXTENSIVE work. Many, many of them have failing foundations. Others have wiring that hasn't been updated since the 20s. Some need new roofs before they can be inhabitable. I went into this thinking "surely most of these houses JUST need cosmetic work," but it's just not true. Many of them have severe issues that need to be addressed. They're fine, fine old homes...they just need some money poured into them.

I'd recommend checking out a Fountain Avenue project that was put in place to assist lower income folks in getting a really nice home while revitalizing one of Fountain Ave's historic homes. Basically, if you qualify, you can end up with a $100,000 home (renovated) for a $40,000 mortgage. Not too shabby. You'd have to visit the Fountain Avenue website (just google "Fountain Avenue") to find out more. I didn't quite qualify, but you might.

But yes--I do feel obligated to tell you that you really can't get very much house at all for $25,000. There are definitely some areas I would recommend avoiding. Anything north of Park Avenue is pretty dicey, unless you're over by Bob Noble Park (a very nice little area) and anything south of Kentucky Ave (South 4th-19th, or thereabouts) is pretty off-limits, too, unless you want to take your chances with the neighbors.

I've never felt unsafe in Paducah, but there are neighborhoods I tend to avoid, especially after dark.

Hope this helps!

-Kelsie

[akeiffer]

So the population of Paducah as of July 2007 is 25,539 residents? Not possible. I have a relative who lives in nearby Metropolis, IL, and over the years he has noticed how Paducah has grown while Metropolis has declined, as scores of people from Metropolis have moved to Paducah. Basically, one could say that this is because people are moving to where jobs are available, and the city of Paducah supposedly has seen job growth, which has resulted in a population boom there as well. I have other relatives who live in southern Illinois, and they know that Paducah surely is bigger than this.

I have also been to Paducah on numerous occasions myself, and couldn't help but notice the abundance of dining and shopping options available in the community, especially Kentucky Oaks Mall. Paducah would certainly need a higher population than 25,539 to be able to support all of these businesses. What's even more preposterous is that even though Paducah is said to be growing, census figures show that it has steadily declined since 2000, and even since the 1990's. How could this be so?

I suggest that the U.S. Census Bureau take a much closer look at what the population of Paducah really is. The City of Paducah ought to take this into account as well; many cities across the United States have challenged the final population figures counted by the Census Bureau, and most have succeeded. I live in St. Joseph, MO, and the municipal government here recently challenged the U.S. Census Bureau's population count for St. Joseph. Fortunately they succeeded; the population of St. Joseph turned out to be nearly 3,000 more than was originally counted. If Paducah's municipal government takes this sort of action, then Paducah's population would most likely be counted at around 35,000 or 40,000 residents, roughly that of Cape Girardeau, MO.

[tyboo123]

Paducah...Brookport, il, just across the bridge from Paducah. Check it out.

Lease w/option to buy...Check Craigslists.
As far as financing, I would offer the seller a decent amount up front...don't for get the taxes, and forget about financing. The housing market now is crazy. Once you rent for a year or two, then you can either buy or continue with another option, but you will have a chance to see if you like the house or not. Then, the renter may want to sell at reduced rate.


Good luck

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by akeiffer

So the population of Paducah as of July 2007 is 25,539 residents? Not possible. I have a relative who lives in nearby Metropolis, IL, and over the years he has noticed how Paducah has grown while Metropolis has declined, as scores of people from Metropolis have moved to Paducah. Basically, one could say that this is because people are moving to where jobs are available, and the city of Paducah supposedly has seen job growth, which has resulted in a population boom there as well. I have other relatives who live in southern Illinois, and they know that Paducah surely is bigger than this.

I have also been to Paducah on numerous occasions myself, and couldn't help but notice the abundance of dining and shopping options available in the community, especially Kentucky Oaks Mall. Paducah would certainly need a higher population than 25,539 to be able to support all of these businesses. What's even more preposterous is that even though Paducah is said to be growing, census figures show that it has steadily declined since 2000, and even since the 1990's. How could this be so?

I suggest that the U.S. Census Bureau take a much closer look at what the population of Paducah really is. The City of Paducah ought to take this into account as well; many cities across the United States have challenged the final population figures counted by the Census Bureau, and most have succeeded. I live in St. Joseph, MO, and the municipal government here recently challenged the U.S. Census Bureau's population count for St. Joseph. Fortunately they succeeded; the population of St. Joseph turned out to be nearly 3,000 more than was originally counted. If Paducah's municipal government takes this sort of action, then Paducah's population would most likely be counted at around 35,000 or 40,000 residents, roughly that of Cape Girardeau, MO.

Many people shop and conduct business in Paducah, but only a small proportion live within the city limits. This gives the illusion of a much larger population. Also there's alot of old industrial infrastructure, that gives a more urban effect, than that of being a small town.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by BLS2753

Many people shop and conduct business in Paducah, but only a small proportion live within the city limits. This gives the illusion of a much larger population. Also there's alot of old industrial infrastructure, that gives a more urban effect, than that of being a small town.

I second that.

The City of Paducah is very spread out, but peaked at nearly 40000 residents in 1960. It now has less than 26000. That is a pretty rapid drop from 4th to 12th in the state's population ranks; of course, other cities like Richmond, Nicholasville, Bowling Green, and Florence have all just exploded since 1960.

Even when you factor in all of McCracken County's suburban sprawl, the countywide population is less than 65000, down about 1-2% since just the 2000 Census. Folks are moving to Marshall, Graves, or Ballard Counties for cheaper housing stock and property taxes. But, Paducah is a regional center for everybody from Princeton, KY to Sikeston, MO, and from Golconda, IL to Fulton, KY, about a 60 mile radius in any direction from the city. Hence, Paducah feels like it has a lot of residents when in fact it doesn't.

[MiMi2000]

When you see these cheaper priced houses in Paducah, be careful! If it is located IN the city zone, the city is already involved and they are a hassle to redo yourselves since the city will get right on in there and they have requirements that may not fit your budget AT ALL...I flip houses for a living and do them ONLY in the county which is McCracken. You can do what you want with the house if it is NOT in the city zone.....and I sell my houses in the 40s and they are move in ready and structurally sound....you want to look for the districts of Reidland, Farley, Heath, West Paducah, these areas of McCracken Co. paducah are good to do a fixer upper...maybe harder to find however, but they are out there.