Looking at London, KY and immediate area (Lexington, Elizabethtown: relocation, house)

[freezerhack]

I am looking at a potential job transfer (voluntary) to London, KY and am concerned as to the economy, educational system, etc. My wife and I have 2 girls, the oldest 3 yrs. School is not too much of an issue now, but will be in the future.
What is the main economy in the Laurel and Wilkens(Corbin?) County areas? Also, concerned about home resale values as well.
Moving from the Gulf Coast of Texas where the mosquitos are terrible and the humidity is worse.
Any info would be great!
Thanks!

[ba32347]

Also from Texas, Pasadena and Lufkin. Left in 95 to Elizabethtown KY. Liked it at first. In Hodgenville KY now and it is not a place to live. I am planning a move to the Somerset KY, Lebanon Ky area., around Lake Cumberland. Not familiar with any ares other than where I am LaRue County...don't come here. I was told the Lebanon area is booming. We have mosquitos here too. Humidity not near as bad as Texas. No place is lol. Ky is very pretty and has all 4 seasons (most of the time.) skip spring now and then.

[freezerhack]

Thanks for replying. Yes, I am looking at the Somerset area as well. Doesn't appear the commute to London is all that bad. And yes, seasons would be nice. Oh...and a view(of anything besides tank farms and refineries). Sure mosquitos are everywhere, but here it seems since hurricane Rita, you can't get a break. My kids cannot even play outside without getting completely attacked. The mosqitoes have always been bad, but not like this.

As far as all the looking via internet I have done, seems that SE Kentucky is where most are complimentary. We will see.

Thanks again!
Fellow Texan

[undertheironsea]

I went to high school in London for 2 years (2 years of middle school, so 4 altogether)...I'm now a College Junior..and I can tell you, from my standpoint, you're going to be in for a big culture shock if you're not used to "mountain folk."

Some areas of London are very nice, but in a large part of the area, it's very seedy. I remember riding the bus into some of those areas and being scared out of my wits...fights and drug problems every other day...I honestly can say I wouldn't ever go back. Lexington is a wonderful place, but London, I'd pass on. SE Kentucky is a very poor area of the country, and isn't full of the most open-minded people. If you really want to go, then you may enjoy it, but it just wasn't for me. I would NOT raise a family there.

[Jewels36]

I am not familar with the London KY area, I do have friends in Lebanon, KY. Lebanon is growing however, I think it still takes outsiders awile to fit in. We relocated to KY from the Clearlake/Friendswood/Pearland, TX area almost 8 years ago, maybe a little longer. We moved to the Elizabethtown area. It was culture shock at first but now we love it. It only took me a year to a year and a half to adjust. It took my husband longer. It is only now that we have to relocate again, that he is realizing just how much we love the area. We will probably look for land to purchase so that we can return in 3-5 years and build a home.

Elizabethown is a great place to raise a family and there are many good school choices, as well as many organizations for homeschoolers if you should chose that route.

This town has grown leaps and bounds since we first moved here but has still kept it's small town appeal. It is sort of an upscale small town.

[freezerhack]

At this point, I am willing to tolerate the "mountain folk". Realistically the decision comes to Refineries & Ignorance vs. Fresh Air & Ignorance. Trust me, much research will be done before settling near or around the London area for a decent place to live. Yes, it appears the mean income in all surrounding areas is lower than average. And, our kids are young enough that we have a few years before the oldest starts school. That will give us enough time to figure out if we really want to be there.
Speaking of areas, does anyone have input of Keavy, North Corbin or Somerset? These seem to be the immediate areas with the most new development that I can tell.
Sure, Lexington or Elizabethtown would be nice, but the job is in London, so I have to make my peace remotely close to there. Lemonade from ......
Thanks for all the feedback!

[undertheironsea]

Somerset would probably be a bit better. A bit bigger town.

Although don't let the population size of London fool you. It's not in the 5,000-6,000 range. That's just in-city...mostly everyone lives out in the county, and it's the main place for everyone to go to. I'd say these days there's about 80,000 out in the county.

[Doubledown]

On the positive side, many say that London and its surrounding areas are the fastest growing in the state; but I have no hard proof of this being true. I've always seen it as a town with a bit of an economic and cultural struggle, but that's just my personal opinion. If it's expanding, I'm sure many more opportunities will appear and/or be created.

I have two friends who live there--a mid/late-20s couple with no children. I think they are typical Londoners: They have very average paying jobs, even for that area, and both have been at the same jobs for years. Neither job really has room for advancement. The Guy has been searching for something new for a few years now and I think he may have actually finally found something last week. If he gets it, it will be the same job, same pay, better company with more benefits. The Gal probably won't ever do anything but what she currently does, unless she has kids and stays home with them (which I believe is the plan). They recently bought the home they've been renting for several years (for a fantastic price, so maybe the same will happen for you) and are now working hard to pay it off and fix it up in order to sell in a few years and purchase a better home. They might end up staying there, as it came with some land and a pond; ultimately they do plan to stay in London.

They love (1)the small-town, country atmosphere provided by London--They go to movies...lots of movies. And bowling. For fun, most men are into fishing and hunting, outdoor sports, Nascar, their own cars; mostly gruff hobbies. And women do various things such as "scrapbooking" and, well, Nascar. I'm not really sure what else there is for women to do. Honestly, I don't think there is much to offer, and even the restaurant selection is pretty limited. I think I was told a new bakery/coffee place was recently opened in Somerset to some rave reviews. My friends religiously attend various niece and nephew events like Little League games (I believe that's a pretty big deal for kids and parents). Now that the serving and selling of alcohol is allowed, they also go to a couple of bar-n-grill places (one is called Angels and Wings, but the other is fairly new and I can't remember the name). That's about it, except for quirky little things like the annual Chicken Festival, The Colonel Sanders Museum, Levi Jackson Park, a flea market, and a few other odds and ends. There might be a drive-in there...I know there used to be one. If so, that's a must(if not, there are several that are probably within driving distance). There's a Blockbuster, some fast food places, a few restaurants; everything that small towns usually have. Baptist Regional (located in Corbin) is a truly wonderful medical facility if that need ever arises. I also heard there's a new comedy club that's pretty great, and for fine dining I personally suggest Vintage House in Barbourville--and (2) when they want something else, Lexington is a drive away.

So, that's recreation/entertainment. As for education, you'll have time to make decisions about your children's education(as you mentioned); but as they grow older you may want to consider relocation. I'm generalizing here (and if London is developing fast, things may change for the better overall), but the vibe I get is that there doesn't seem to be much pressure to attend college or even leave the area. Only one person of the many I've met through my friends I mentioned earlier went to college (she's now in law school). The others were born and raised there, and they're staying. Again, that's a generalization. I can't speak on specific schools, but SE Ky in general isn't known for having a great educational system. I hope someone with more knowledge on that topic posts...I'll ask my friends about elementary schools there and update.

There's also a great lack of diversity--it's basically the regular church attendees and sinners from my experience. That's just about the extent of the "diversity" in London. However, if you manage to find your crowd(as my friends have) you are welcomed into a very friendly, down-home atmosphere. What London lacks in culture(for lack of a more appropriate word), it makes up for in genuine smiles and waves. Helpful, polite townspeople who may become true friends--and that goes for surrounding areas as well. If you fit in. Though I know much less about it, I would suggest Somerset--which seems to be growing the quickest--over London, and London over Corbin.

Good luck!

[somersetmarine]

Greetings,

We've moved from CA to KY a couple of years ago. We both were born and raised in CA and have lived in several different places. My husband is now retired from the Marines and we picked KY to raise our kids.

We live in Somerset and are enjoying the community. Life is different here. Commuting to London was difficult during the winter with snow and ice to deal with on the road. There is wildlife that you may run into also.

Please look into government activities and how it works. It's different here. Something we had to get use to. They do things different here. Buying a home...beware.... There is no building inspector (check with realtors) in lots of rural counties. Got to go...More later if you are interested. Don't just look at weather.

Regards,

CW

[robj]

With the age of your children, consider Corbin (not North Corbin). Corbin Independent schools consistently rank in the top 15 in the state. There is a preschool center with Montessori preschool and there are private preschools in the area as well. Corbin is a wonderful place to raise a family. The community supports its kids academically and through sports programs. The cost of living in this area is extremely affordable.