Kentucky (Lexington, Louisville, Frankfort: best towns, real estate, apartments)

[lulabarbie]

Hello all..I myself am relocating to Ky from New Hampshire with my husband..we have no children, we love the quiet life.....we've been to Ky 2 years ago to look at real estate, I loved the lexington area and Richmond area but we want to look at all areas, I'm finishing my 20 years of state service in November so we're looking now..I'm wondering if anyone can give us some advice on the best places to live, I've read some of the threads..alot of people do like the Lexington area..and Berea area..what about Lake Somserset area..any good?..our town in New Hampshire is one of the best towns in the state for schools so the community is very well established and has apple orachards, old homes day once a year, concerts on the common every summer...etc., so we're looking for alot of the same type of perks ...I'd appreciate any info people may have..I have been down athens-boonesboro rd (not sure if that's the exact st) but I dont remember the town and I'm trying to find it so I can see about real estate..anyone familiar with the area?
Also..are the state jobs in Ky easy to come by?...

[lexingtongal]

The bulk of state jobs are in Frankfort. Shouldn't be too difficult to obtain one. You might want to add Versailles to your search. It is just outside of Lexington and closer to Frankfort. It is a prosperous town and offers a lot of amenities (coincidentally there are a few apple orchards there too). Rt 33 has homes in a country setting. There are several nice subdivisions as well.

[lulabarbie]

Oh thank you for the reply..my husband is in Lexington now..he's traveling south tomorrow to check out the areas....we've been to Versailles..its absolutely gorgeous...but we want to make sure we look at alot of possabilities before settling down...I'm eager to move..I've heard nothing but good about the state...and hopefully we can find someplace soon so I can start applying for the jobs in the Frankfort area..you're right..I do see on the Ky state website that alot of jobs are located in that area...thanks for the tip..

[Kichenwich]

G' Morning! You have GOT to check out Somerset! It is SO beautiful-and affordable. We have a little cabin there on Lake Cumberland, and spend most of the summer there. Somerset has good shopping for a small town, all kinds of recreation, breath-taking scenery, low crime, and some of the most affordable homes I have ever seen.

www.somersetkycityguide.com
www.somerset-kentucky.com
www.city-data.com/city/Somerset-Kentucky.html
www.somerset.kctcs.edu

Hope this helps! ~joanna~

[lulabarbie]

Thanks for the reply kichenwich...we're leaving april 16th for Ky to look at some areas....our realtor did tell us that Lake Somerset is a very nice area, she owns a house there also..that will be on our list to do...I think we have to rent first before we can invest in a home in Kentucky..I really need to know the area that I will be living in before I spend money to build or buy...so now I guess I need advice on which is the best places to rent until we can find the perfect town....so if anyone has any advice to give me I'd appreciate it.....I've heard that Grand Reserve at Pinnacle is a good place, also something called Colts Run(?)...

[Micah Girl]

Originally Posted by lulabarbie

Thanks for the reply kichenwich...we're leaving april 16th for Ky to look at some areas....our realtor did tell us that Lake Somerset is a very nice area, she owns a house there also..that will be on our list to do...I think we have to rent first before we can invest in a home in Kentucky..I really need to know the area that I will be living in before I spend money to build or buy...so now I guess I need advice on which is the best places to rent until we can find the perfect town....so if anyone has any advice to give me I'd appreciate it.....I've heard that Grand Reserve at Pinnacle is a good place, also something called Colts Run(?)...

Please, please post your thoughts after your visit! We are a New England family who is looking to relocate, too, but our trip is not until May. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[Kichenwich]

My suggestion on renting in the Somerset area would be to either stay in the older section (close to "downtown" or in the Bronston area. We was down there about 2 weeks ago, drooling over the old victorian-style houses in the old section of Somerset. You know the ones, at least 10 rooms, large lots, with loads of charm and attitude . Well, anyways, I noticed several "for rent" signs. If you go to Somerset, drive around the old Main street area-it's surrounded by loads of these types of homes. Follow those roads all the way up to behind the Convention Center.
The Bronston area is also good-but with newer homes. It's easy to find-right off the by-pass, about halfway out on the right. You'll see a sign for it. Drive around that section as well.

I would also suggest hooking up with a realtor from the area asap. Many now handle rentals as well as sales, and can point you in the right direction. Have a great trip-and you are in for some breathtaking scenery! ~joanna~

[lexingtongal]

The Grand Reserve is in a suburban area. It looks like a nice complex though I've never been inside one of the apartments. Another nice complex is Park Place. It is close to the Grand Reserve. Both of these are in a heavily populated suburban area. If you like more of an urban feel there are numerous 4 plexes in and around Ashland Park. You won't get as large of an apartment but you will get more of a neighborhood feel. Lots of restaurants within walking distance. Most of these are privately owned so you might check out the Lexington Herald Leader rental ads.
I'm not familiar with Colts Run.

[lulabarbie]

Well we've been to Ky, just came back to New Hampshire yesterday and I absolutely loved Ky...the beautiful greenery there was breathtaking..my husband and I decided to rent starting in July at Park Place...it seemd the best choice for us and hopefully within the year we can know exactly where w'd like to buy or build our home...On our way down from Louisville airport to Lexington I saw some beautiful brick homes on some of the finest grass I've ever seen with about 1 to 2 acres of land and I would love to live in an area like that..I'm just not sure how the town is itself..If anybody has any info on these type of homes and in which town i can find them in...it just seemed like mansions on rolling green hilltops but I know the cost of the house will be much cheaper than the cost of the ones here in Londonderry....All in all I loved what I saw in Ky...the weather was nice, people were very friendly...and it has the same type of stores that we're accustomed to here...

[nlschr0]

The most likely places for the homes you saw were Shelby Co (closer to Louisville), or Scott or Woodford County (closer to Lexington).

Some realty sites, like lbar.com for Lexington and surrounding counties, let you search by parts of the county and not just cities or towns. If you want to live in a more rural area, that might be the easiest way to start.

Brick homes are more common here than many parts of the country, and we're known for our rolling hills of Bluegrass .