Bowling Green.....yes or no?? (Greenville, Scottsville: real estate, low crime, motel)

[dlk33]

We just returned from a trip to Bowling Green to check the area out to see if it's a city we'd like to retire to in the near future. My observations were that there are traffic issues mainly due to the fact that most everything retail or food wise is along Hwy 231. Are there other reasons for congestion that I'm not aware of?
I was impressed with the many parks in the city, mainly the disc golf course options It does seem like you really only have one larger grocery store, that being Kroger (if you don't count Walmart Supercenter). I've noticed that biking around the city is out of the question, with the only other option being some of the walking trails in the parks. I guess the biggest negative to me, is the lack of a smoking ban within the city. Where I live now we do have one & it seems to make a difference, for the good.
I'd love to hear some input from anyone who has an opinion about living in Bowling Green. If you enjoy living there, what are the reasons? If not, how come? I'm interested in hearing whatever you have to say, it will help me in my decision. By the way, my other option is Greenville, SC (just in case anyone has any experience with that area that they'd like to bring up).
Thanks in advance for your input

[dlk33]

17 views & no input, how come? I know there are plenty of people living in Bowling Green, the traffic gave me a good clue to that. I know you have opinions or experiences you'd care to share with me, things you like or dislike about living there. I really do want to know. Moving to a new area isn't something I take lightly! I can use all the help I can get to help me make up my mind about a place. I've gotten lots of input from the Greenville, SC forum so far, so please give me a reason to want to live in Bowling Green, or not to.

[dixiegirl7]

I live in Bowling Green and it is a very nice area. I guess I am used to the traffic because it doesn't seem all that bad to me. It is worse when the WKU students are here with their cars and during the holiday shopping season. Bowling Green is the hub for all of the surrounding counties for shopping and entertainment.

Bowling Green has beautiful parks everywhere city and county and I think we have about nine golf courses now. We have good schools, WKU, fairly good rescources for healthcare and we are an hour from Nashville for specialists or a little over an hour from Louisivlle.

The cost of living is still relatively low compared to other places and there is still a fairly decent job market...although not nearly as good as a year ago.

I think you would love it here if you are looking for a city that is still fairly rural and not all that sophisticated.

[dlk33]

dixiegirl7...
Thanks for being the first & maybe only person to add their input.
I don't know that I'd like to see worse as far as traffic is concerned. I live in a city three times the population as BG & it isn't half as congested.
While BG does have some things we enjoy, I'm afraid it doesn't offer as many options as Greenville, SC does. I will agree the parks are wonderful! I couldn't ask for more disc golf (frisbee golf) choices. This will be a retirement move, so schools are not a concern for us.
The reasons you suggest for loving it there just may not fit our criteria, coming from a city with over 150,000 people. I haven't totally ruled BG out yet, but it's a consideration.
I'm glad you like living there though

[dixiegirl7]

The traffic is only worse than when you were here around the holidays in the Scottsville Road area, where the mall and shopping areas mostly are. They are doing road expansions constantly to try and keep up with the growth, but it is slow going. We are going to have a golf cart/biking path that goes around the city eventually, which will be nice. They are just starting and it is in some areas now.

Warren County, which is the county Bowling Green is in has a little over 100,000 residents and then the students add around 18,000 to 20,000 more so with all of the people coming here from the outlying counties for work, shopping and such it does get congested. If you go to Nashville, you will not think Bowling Green is bad at all though...lol.

Greenville, SC probably does have more to do in some respects, but the cost of living will be significantly higher also. Whatever you choose, good luck to you and if you have any specific questions, let me know.

[PURPL3 F0R LYF3]

I am a bowling green native and have loved it all my life. Most 15 yr old girls want to get away but i wouldn't change a thing!!!!! Bghs purples 3x's in a row football visits to championship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REALLY THERE IS ALOT OF TRAFFIC BY THE MALL AND ANYTHING AROUND SCOTTSVILLE ROAD JUST LIKE IT IS SAID ABOVE. BUT WITH NASVILLE ROAD EXPANDING THAT WILL CUT DOWN ON ALOT OF THE TRAFFIC. BUT THE ONLY DOWN SIDE I CAN REALLY THINK OF IS THERE ARE SOME AREAS THAT YOU WOLD WANT TO AVOID IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE JUST ASK!!!! ;P

[Digger57]

I live in Atlanta and will be retiring to a small town just north of Bowling Green in about 10 years. Greenville SC is a great place but not on my list even though I have friends there and have visited often. It all depends on what you want. South Carolina is growing fast and traffic/taxes will certainly follow, based on my lifelong observations. Kentucky is growing slower and offers more of the small town lifestyle I am personally fond of. BG has a good mix of everything and the traffic is not bad, especially compared to what I am used to!
Besides, the amount of money SC is spending on advertising, etc. it will be the new Florida all too soon. No thanks!

Digger~

[dlk33]

Digger57...
You don't think the traffic in Bowling Green is just as bad or worse then in Greenville SC? I'm sure there is a big difference between living in either the BG area or GV, compared to Atlanta! I wouldn't think GV would compare in any way to Atlanta, being that Atlanta is much more populated. 10 years is a long time from now, lots of things can change in either place. I think it's going to take BG a long time to catch up to the growth that has happened there, as far as restructuring the roads & moving the shopping situation around so that everything isn't along the one main road, which causes so much congestion. I would think living there while all that is happening could be a big mess! Fixing things won't happen overnight.
I've checked the cost of living in both areas, and there isn't that much difference. Greenville has many more options as far as state parks for hiking & the mountians, and it's less then a days drive to the ocean. Their shopping centers & restaurants are spread out & convenient in different areas of town out so that everyone doesn't have to drive to one area to shop or eat.I woudn't say that BG has nearly as much to offer as GV, from what we experienced on our visit. I don't see GV turning into a Florida at all. I know what Florida was like & how it has grown for the worse over the years. I just don't see how the two compare at all. Now Nashville I might compare to Florida or Atlanta much faster then GV.
You're right when you say it depends on what you want. I want a happy medium. I don't want much stress, want to be able to live an active lifestyle that includes hiking, disc golf, bowling, biking if possible. I like the shopping to be convenient. I require a lower cost of living, desire access to an airport with decent prices not to far away, low crime, to name a few.
What is it that you're looking for? Maybe we desire different things in retirement.

[dixiegirl7]

I am not sure why you were ever considering Bowling Green from what you are saying. I think you chose SC before you posted your question. As PURPL3 said, Bowling Green's shopping and restaurants are expanding out toward the Nashville Road, Campbell Lane, Verteran's Memorial Blvd areas which will help with Scottsville Road traffic some. Also, the downtown area is undergoing major renovation and expansion (if we don't go broke first) which will be very nice.

As far as state parks for hiking and lakes, Kentucky is blessed with the most beautiful state parks you have ever seen. We have Mammoth Cave State park, the parks and hiking in eastern Ky, land between the Lakes, too many to even name. We don't have an ocean though, that is one thing we can't compete with.

Good luck with where ever you choose.

[dlk33]

dixiegirl7...
I see that you are a Real Estate Agent, so of course you would have positive things to say about where you live. That's not saying they aren't positive, but would you say anything really negative?
I didn't have my mind made up before the posting, I'm still not 100% sure.
Why do you say that you're not sure why I was ever considering BG? There are things that I do like about BG, mainly though it's the park system, mostly the disc golf course options. I do like that there are a decent amount of shopping options in BG. I don't like that there aren't that many food stores to choose from. I don't care for the traffic congestion. I did have a sort of negative experience at the motel I stayed at, which does make a reflection on the city, although it's not related to the city. The decision isn't just mine to make, my hubby has to be happy as well.
As far as the state parks, GV has several state parks within an hours drive towards the mountains. BG has Mammoth Cave. I believe land between the lakes is further. We had the time to check out one of the parks close to GV, but didn't have the time to check out Mammoth Cave(I wish we had).
I appreciate you letting me know about the expansion. Do you have anymore detail about it, as in what shopping or restaurants will be there?
We were only in the downtown area once, where we were kind of lost trying to get back to a street we had missed a turn for.
I'm just going to keep an eye on the forum for anything that comes up related to BG, and keep reading the online newspaper to get whatever information I can to help us make a decision. I want to make the right move for us, which may be very different then for someone else. The phase of life we will be moving into, is quite different then what we have been living. Honestly, the whole moving thing is scary to me! If it weren't for a couple really important things like cost of living & the weather, we'd stay put where we are now.
Two negatives for BG... I like to bowl in clean fresh air, this is not possible in BG since BG does not have a no smoking ban. Along those lines, the lack of a smoking ban puts me off on wanting to move there, especially since I feel like I'd be moving backwards, being that there is one where I live now.
I will say though that while we were there, it was only an issue in a few places that we noticed.
So, don't give up on me just yet