Moving to KY in 2007 (Lexington, Richmond: apartment complex, rental, co-op)

[craigho]

Hi all,

My name is Craig and my wife and I are planning to move to Lexington in 2007 (the earlier, the better in my opinion!), as we are sick of the high cost of living here in Southern CA.

I would appreciate any info with regards to jobs (either staffing agencies or local companies) and housing before we go.

My wife has friends there and has visited Lexington several times, but I would just feel easier with the help that hopefully this forum can provide

Thanks in advance for any help that anyone can offer.

Craig

[ymbk]

Hi Craig -
We live an hour from Lexington. I’ll respond from the POV of a native southerner who spent ten years in central CA before moving here five years ago.

Lexington is a nice medium-sized town. Compared to the rest of KY, it has some cultural and racial diversity, but compared to the east and west coasts, it is very homogenous. The climate is reasonable. We get some seasonal excitement -- some dramatic lightning in summer and ice storms in winter, but it’s not that big a deal. Humidity in summer can be stifling, but that’s the price you pay for all this green. .

Fayette County is beginning to feel growing pains, especially in terms of infrastructure. (roads, utilities, etc.) There’s been a mini-housing boom in the last few years, and housing costs are increasing. When I look at demographic info on average income and housing costs, I have to wonder where they are getting the numbers. The housing costs seem too conservative and the income levels too optimistic.

The difficult thing about trying to describe housing or jobs to someone from out of state is that they often are using their current yardstick with which to compare the information. So, if I gave you figures on home prices, you’d probably think it looked pretty good compared to what you have in SoCal…until you realize that finding a job with SoCal wages is highly unlikely, so you have to change the income yardstick, too.

The major employers in the area are UK, Toyota, Lexmark, the city/county school system, and the hospitals. I think Wal-Mart and Amazon.com’s warehouse are still in the top ten employer list, too. The area is still heavily manufacturing and service sector. The trend of using temp agencies to do “temp to hire” (with corresponding lack of benefits) has hit the area in a big way, so unless you’re in an occupation that is in high demand or in education, you’ll probably end up using a temp agency to find jobs. I don’t know enough about the ones in the city to recommend a specific one. Perhaps your wife’s friends would know of one.

My recommendation would be to take out a subscription to the local newspaper. While you’d be receiving it several days after publication, it would still give you a better picture of the town than the slick, glossy PR stuff town chambers are famous for creating. The Herald does have a website, but I find the website doesn’t include some of the little details that give you a more complete picture of an area.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/ -- Herald Leader (the daily paper)
http://www.lexchamber.com/ -- Chamber of Commerce
http://www.lfucg.com/ -- Official city site

Maybe if you post some specific questions, we can be of more help. I can understand wanting to get out of a high cost area, but sometimes where you want to be is more important to look at than where you want to leave. A lot of people have come to this area in the last few years from the west coast thinking they were moving to a cheap, quiet, quaint area and have had some major culture shock. I'm not trying to disuade you, I'm just saying there's more to consider than cost of living. There's lifestyle differences, cultureal differences, etc.

By the way, we'd like to (in jest) make a request that the last person leaving CA please close the door. I swear I think we've met more people from CA here than I knew when living there.

[Doubledown]

Hi C,

The previous poster provided an excellent description of Lexington.

Lexington has been listed in the top ten "most educated" cities in the U.S. for a couple of years now, due to the percentage of residents employed by the U of K(hence, free learnin'), so depending on the type of job you seek it may be a little competitive. Searching our newspaper and local government sites(as the previous poster said) might give you a sense of what's available. Job types vary, but(like most other places)Medical listings are always the longest. Search for jobs on UK's campus(uky.edu/HR/UKjobs/), kentuckykernel.com(UK student newspaper)& if either of you teach I'm sure there's a Kentucky Schools website. I wish I could be of more help.

I don't know if you're looking to buy or rent, or what your budget will be in regards to living; but my favorite area is Richmond Road(what you'll hit after a few miles if you take exit 104 from I-75)just before it turns into Main Street. There are several streets(starting just past Henry Clay Blvd--if you look on a map you can easily see the area I mean...Preston, Bassett, etc)with very quaint, affordable homes(rent/buy)that have personality. It's a quick cab ride to "downtown"(re: nightlife, bars)where you'll also find Rupp Arena, various little shops, etc, and the road to UK; but it also feels like you're living in a quiet and safe neighborhood. It's mostly friendly 25 and over couples, with and w/o families. Don't pick a house too far down these streets, because the quality of the homes decreases after a certain point(you can spot where they start to go downhill).

Side note: The best vet clinic in Lexington is also located on Richmond Road--and it's conveniently called Richmond Road Vet Clinic. I've taken my pets to several places over the years, and I now only go to them.

There's a backstreet that connects RR to Winchester Road--important info for your wife because Winchester Road leads to Sir Barton Way, which leads to Hamburg Pavillion, which means shopping! Nicholasville Road, located on the other side of town, has better shopping selections, but I hate going to that area unless absolutely necessary due to the ridiculous traffic. But as a SoCal driver, I'm not sure you'll find it as frustrating as I do. Back to living...

The R Road zip code is 40502, but I think there are also nice places to be found in these zip codes: 40503, 40513, 40517, 40509, & parts of the 40504 and 40515 areas. I love the 40507 and 40508 areas--but if you have no desire to be right in the middle of downtown and/or campus life I wouldn't bother. Do not rent or buy anything that uses BlueGrass Energy. It's really worth passing on a rental or purchase if it means avoiding BGE, in my opinion. We're talking hundreds of dollars each month in the winter.

Speaking of weather, it can get very hot/humid or really cold(we had a terrible ice storm a few years ago that was dangerously severe), but the weather is tolerable for the most part. Spring & fall are lovely, and fun! Derby & Keeneland are a blast, Legends games(minor league baseball)are cheap & fun. We've been season ticket holders for UK football for a few years; another cheap, fun way to enjoy yourself(we rarely play well, much less win)by tailgating and spending time with friends. Thoroughblades hockey games were so great, but alas they are no more. And of course, there's basketball. One of the best parts of living here if you're into that sort of thing. Kentucky basketball games are so exciting, even if you aren't a fan.

There are other things to do--some you'll hear about, others you'll have to find yourself. I enjoy the museums. I usually drag my boyfriend to a few Gallery Hops because I love them. Other things I suggest looking into: Seeing anything at The Kentucky Theatre, Shakespeare in the Park(not a regular event). Golf, camping(I'd look for off-the-beaten-path places outside Lexington for the best spots), hiking(Raven Run), & fishing(though I'm not much of a "fisher"). Drive-In movies! Pretty good concerts at Rupp--but we drive to Riverbend(Cinci, Ohio) for the great ones. Casino/Riverboat(another drive). Joseph-Beth bookstore, located in Lexington Green shopping center off Nicholasville Road--as someone who hates that road, JBeth is worth the trip. There's a Wild Oats in that shopping center...but I recommend Good Foods Co-Op (http://www.goodfoods.coop/) off of Southland Drive instead. The main grocery chain here is Kroger, if you're familiar.(I was going to list my favorite restaurants and bars, but I've written a novel and need to bring it to a close. Plus, part of the fun is trying & deciding for yourself!)

Good luck!

[ITChick]

Originally Posted by Doubledown

Do not rent or buy anything that uses BlueGrass Energy. It's really worth passing on a rental or purchase if it means avoiding BGE, in my opinion. We're talking hundreds of dollars each month in the winter.

That was a great description, Doubledown (I'm thinking about moving to Lexington as well as the OP)! I have a question about BlueGrass Energy that you mentioned in your post. Are there other providers available where BGE services is (I am assuming this is for natural gas) or are you stuck with BGE even if you are a new property owner (I thought with deregulation you can choose whomever you want)?

[Doubledown]

Hi ITChick,

It's an odd thing, that BlueGrass Energy. First, here's what I C&P-ed from their website:

QWhat does an electric utility territorial law mean in Kentucky?

AIn 1972, the Kentucky General Assembly passed one of the country’s first territorial laws. The law, in essence, set up parameters for the service areas for Kentucky’s investor-owned utilities and the electric cooperatives, which were then filed with the Kentucky Public Service Commission. This was a good way for Kentucky’s electric utility companies to avoid the extra cost of stringing expensive electric lines that were already in place and to keep others from annexing service areas so the utility would not lose its source of income.

What this means for Lexington is that certain areas--and unfortunately these areas are rather randomly located due to the smaller and more scattered population back then(many are in the Tates Creek area, I believe, but it really is a spot here and a spot there)--are to only use BlueGrass Energy. They had already set up and established themselves, and it would have been expensive for everyone to make arrangements to change things, so some sort of agreement was made to the extent that BGE would be left alone. There may have even been agreement that they'd stick to their designated areas and not try to branch out until a certain date, but I'm a little unclear on the details (this was all told to me years ago by an apartment mgr and her husband, a former BGE employee).

In this situation, BlueGrass has a contract that prevents those who rent or own in the designated areas from using any other gas provider. I believe this contract does have an expiration date, but if I recall it will probably extend beyond my lifetime. Now, because they call themselves "non-profit" and talk about the environment; it all looks pretty nice and neat on their website. However, everyone hates BGE. Notice how the answer above says "investor-owned" which to me reads as "the man." I'm not certain what the conditions of this contract are, but I know that BGE can charge whatever they want. And they do. I think the people who hate it most are apartment complex managers/leasers, because (a)there's nothing they can do to change it, and (b)if they are asked by someone in-the-know whether they are with BGE or Columbia(the other gas provider), they know they're possibly going to lose a rental. I haven't rented from anyone with BGE in years, and it's about the 3rd question I ask when talking to potential landlords.

I have very little knowledge of this kind of thing, but in my mind I liken it to stars of yesterday being under contract to make films with only one company. I've read that some production companies treated the stars however they wanted once they had signed the papers. They could make good or bad decisions for the stars because they "owned" them for a certain number of films, which gave them the chance to stretch out a contract for years; or for a certain number of years and work them to death, film after film; and even hire them out to other companies and not pay the stars for that work. The point is they owned them and had free reign in what decisions were made in regards to the actors' careers and sometimes lives. (Possibly the worst comparison I could have come up with, but I try.)

I am not affiliated with Columbia, I just recall receiving my first heating bill from BlueGrass and the shock that came along with it. It continued each month until the weather warmed up. I'm sure there are people in Lex who couldn't care less, but honestly, I haven't met any of them. I don't know one person who prefers BGE over Columbia. I try to avoid anything but all electric to begin with, but I will never write another check to BGE as long as I live.

I hope that was helpful. I feel like I should know more if I'm going to be so negative about them!

[ITChick]

Thanks Doubledown! That was a very helpful explanation.

I guess that BGE is something only someone living in KY would probably know about (I never heard of them here in Illinois). It is appreciated that you had mentioned the trouble with them in your original post (or some of us might have gotten burned!).

[Lexington Relo]

There is a local website bluegrassworks.net that lists a lot of local jobs. Also, Indeed.com does a good job of having a lot of jobs from several websites in one place. The job market in Lexington is looking good right now. An article in the Lexington Herald Leader the other day showed Lexington as having the most job growth in Kentucky this year.

[patsycat]

My husband and I are both Ky natives. We've been living for years in the Northern Kentucky (Greater Cincinnati) area, and just got job offer from University of Kentucky and will be moving this spring.

I would highly advise monitoring UK's job opportunities. The benefits are fabulous, including 18 hours of undergrad or grad credit a year and things like up to $15,000 forgivable loan for a house downpayment in areas around the University.

Lexington is definitely an overgrown college town (which we like -- we grew up in a college town); but you are only just over an hour's drive to Cincinnati, where you can find a wide variety of cultural experiences while not actually having to live there.

I don't know if you have kids, but the Fayette County school district is mostly very high quality. My brother lived in Lexington for several years and his children were in elementary, middle and high school there and fared well. (I'm also a former h.s. teacher; all but maybe one of their high schools have a very good reputation).

Good luck!

[Addi's Mom]

My family and I are moving very soon to Murray, KY. Anyone know of any cheap decent places that allow pets close to MSU?

[Micah Girl]

Originally Posted by patsycat

My husband and I are both Ky natives. We've been living for years in the Northern Kentucky (Greater Cincinnati) area, and just got job offer from University of Kentucky and will be moving this spring.

I would highly advise monitoring UK's job opportunities. The benefits are fabulous, including 18 hours of undergrad or grad credit a year and things like up to $15,000 forgivable loan for a house downpayment in areas around the University.

Good luck!

Do you know how long you have to work for UK before you qualify for the loan? When we move my husband is likely to work for the UK Medical Ctr.

Thanks!