bowling green relocation, neighborhoods, childcare, housing (Covington, Glasgow: apartments, rental, high crime)

[stefanie83]

I am sorry to post yet another "relocating to bowling green" thread. I have read through about a hundred of them but still thought I'd see if I could get some individualized comments. Thanks so much to those of you who respond!

I am trying to get a job at WKU and if I am so lucky, I will be moving with my husband and 18 month old son to Bowling Green. We are currently living in northern indiana, but i am from southern indiana, and my husband is from hancock county kentucky. we have barely even visited bowling green--i stayed there with a friend one night, and we have been camping in cave country. i will be going to bowling green for my interview in 2 weeks but unfortunately will have zero time to explore the town.

we want to rent for at least 1 year, probably 2-3, then buy a home. renting a home would be the best because we have a dog who is used to getting to run free in the back yard for long periods of time. i have checked craigslist and the paper but any other tips would be great!

i prefer to live close to the university (willing to commute up to 15 minutes). my husband possibly will work for a restaurant chain that he is an assistant manager for now. it is in the greenwood area. but closer to WKU would be better because he is also hoping to attend the univ in the future.

i also want to live near a park and where we can take walks to the park and around the neighborhood. i wish that google maps had the parks on their maps (other than lampkin and hobson grove). schools are less important since we hope to move (buy a home) before our son is old enough to start elementary school.

can anyone tell me about child care quality/availability for young children. as i said, my son is 18 months old. he is currently enrolled part time at an excellent day care center and that is what i want for when we move. i see that there is a center on WKU campus but i don't know much about it and it seems it might be for low-income only...?

thanks again for any comments! and wish me luck in getting this job in bowling green--we would love to live closer to our families! as you can see, i am very excited and nervous and wish i could know absolutely everything about bowling green!

[stefanie83]

i left out how much we are willing to spend. now we pay $500 for our mortgage and about $250 for utilities. i would love to keep it around that but i know i have to be realistic. definitely want to keep rent+utilities under 900 though. if we have trouble selling our house before we move we will really be tight financially... i actually prefer older houses, our house is 102 years old, but i am concerned about safety considering i have a young son.

[EclecticEars]

Bowling Green is a dump. Period. I know the forum folks will jump on me and accuse me of being yet again an "Ambassador of Negativity," but seriously, I'm from Western Kentucky originally and many of my family members and friends just flat out agree that B.G. is a dump.

THAT SAID, Glasgow, Russellville, Franklin, and Brownsville, all within thirty miles of B.G., aren't anything to write home about, either. At least B.G. is its own independent city with a revitalizing downtown, a young population b/c of the presence of WKU, and easy access to I-65 providing very easy access to Nashville. If I were to move to the B.G. area, I would just move to B.G.

And yes, you can find decent apartments in most places in B.G. for $500/mo. There aren't really any high crime areas, but there are some in the older, more industrial areas on the west side and along the Barren River on the east side that have more incidents of theft, domestic disturbances, etc.

[stefanie83]

Originally Posted by jcm1986

Bowling Green is a dump. Period. I know the forum folks will jump on me and accuse me of being yet again an "Ambassador of Negativity," but seriously, I'm from Western Kentucky originally and many of my family members and friends just flat out agree that B.G. is a dump.

THAT SAID, Glasgow, Russellville, Franklin, and Brownsville, all within thirty miles of B.G., aren't anything to write home about, either. At least B.G. is its own independent city with a revitalizing downtown, a young population b/c of the presence of WKU, and easy access to I-65 providing very easy access to Nashville. If I were to move to the B.G. area, I would just move to B.G.

And yes, you can find decent apartments in most places in B.G. for $500/mo. There aren't really any high crime areas, but there are some in the older, more industrial areas on the west side and along the Barren River on the east side that have more incidents of theft, domestic disturbances, etc.

thanks for your response. but why do you think bg is a dump? do you mean that it's dirty/trashy? nothing to do?

well that is good to hear that we should be able to find affordable housing!

[dixiegirl7]

Originally Posted by jcm1986

Bowling Green is a dump. Period. I know the forum folks will jump on me and accuse me of being yet again an "Ambassador of Negativity," but seriously, I'm from Western Kentucky originally and many of my family members and friends just flat out agree that B.G. is a dump.

THAT SAID, Glasgow, Russellville, Franklin, and Brownsville, all within thirty miles of B.G., aren't anything to write home about, either. At least B.G. is its own independent city with a revitalizing downtown, a young population b/c of the presence of WKU, and easy access to I-65 providing very easy access to Nashville. If I were to move to the B.G. area, I would just move to B.G.

And yes, you can find decent apartments in most places in B.G. for $500/mo. There aren't really any high crime areas, but there are some in the older, more industrial areas on the west side and along the Barren River on the east side that have more incidents of theft, domestic disturbances, etc.

You are not he quite right, I am sorry but that is all there is to say. Everything you just told this person is totally inaccurate. First of all, Bowling Green is far from a "dump"...it is one of the prettiest and cleanest cities in Kentucky, it is not easy to find a house or an decent apartment for $500.00 a month, and there are higher crime areas than some. Why do you constantly feel the need to bash Kentucky to every person that inquires on this site, when you obviously do not know what you are talking about?

[dixiegirl7]

Originally Posted by stefanie83

thanks for your response. but why do you think bg is a dump? do you mean that it's dirty/trashy? nothing to do?

well that is good to hear that we should be able to find affordable housing!

Please completely ignore the previous poster, his information is not correct.

As far as your questions, there is an area closer to WKU around the Covington Woods Park that may have an older home to rent. The streets are Nutwood, Magnolia, Covington. That sounds like an area you would really enjoy. You can walk to the park from there. Rent will be $700 to $800 a month, but for almost any house in a good neighborhood that will be the case. As far as childcare, check with the First Baptist Preschool and Childcare program. It is handsdown one of the best and is right on the way to WKU downtown. The do usually have a waiting list but don't let that deter you. The childcare on campus is a headstart program.

You will find out how nice Bowling Green is once you move here. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.

[city_data_poster]

BG isn't a dump. It's just a college town with big box stores. It's a great place to live (if you have a family). Kinda boring though, if you're, say, a single twenty/thirtysomething. It's a nice city for college-age people and people with families. But if you're a (relatively) young single person (beyond college-age).....then the best thing you can say about BG is....is that it's not too far from Nashville.

[stefanie83]

oh shoot i just wrote a reply and now it's gone!ok i said thanks everyone and thanks for mentioning covington woods park. i saw a rental house on josephine just a few blocks from the park and the area looks nice on google street view. i know that house will probably be gone when we are moving (if we are moving!) but it is good to know what might be available. all i know about the house is that it's 2 bedroom and $600/mo. and close to both wku and that park. i know someone from my high school who lives in BG so i asked her about child care and she also mentioned first baptist so i will have to check that out! if i don't get this job i'm going to cry! thanks again!

[emily829]

Originally Posted by dixiegirl7

Please completely ignore the previous poster, his information is not correct.

As far as your questions, there is an area closer to WKU around the Covington Woods Park that may have an older home to rent. The streets are Nutwood, Magnolia, Covington. That sounds like an area you would really enjoy. You can walk to the park from there. Rent will be $700 to $800 a month, but for almost any house in a good neighborhood that will be the case. As far as childcare, check with the First Baptist Preschool and Childcare program. It is handsdown one of the best and is right on the way to WKU downtown. The do usually have a waiting list but don't let that deter you. The childcare on campus is a headstart program.

You will find out how nice Bowling Green is once you move here. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.

i agree that covington would be a good area for you. the neighborhood is nice and very close to western. the houses are all very cute and a little bit on the older side, in a good way. a lot of them have fenced backyards, too, for your doggie

i saw you mentioned lampkin park earlier, i've always been told to stay clear of the surrounding neighborhood and the park, especially when it gets dark. not to scare you or anything, just letting you know.

[stefanie83]

Originally Posted by emily829

i agree that covington would be a good area for you. the neighborhood is nice and very close to western. the houses are all very cute and a little bit on the older side, in a good way. a lot of them have fenced backyards, too, for your doggie

i saw you mentioned lampkin park earlier, i've always been told to stay clear of the surrounding neighborhood and the park, especially when it gets dark. not to scare you or anything, just letting you know.

yes i have noticed that rents in that area seem to be a lot lower. I'm wondering about that area just north of campus. I have seen a couple of houses for rent less than 1 mile north of campus for very affordable prices. it seems like the areas that close to campus couldn't be bad...? i should definitely have time to drive around since it is so close to campus.

my interview is in 5 days! boy do i hope i get this job!