We are Torn Between Louisville and Lexington (Richmond, Shelbyville: amusement park, house)

[vutru02]

We are moving to KY and have been given the choice between Louisville and Lexington. We have been to both cities and like them both. We have 2 elementary aged children and schools are important. I have read the posts about both Louisville and Lex and while helpful gave us no clarity over our choice.

We are looking to spend less than 400K on a house and the housing market in Lex seems to be booming with sellers making little concession on list price. In Oldham county on the other hand, it seems sellers will negotiate and you could get a deal.

Where we are challenged is that we more of a small town feel and a college sports atmosphere.

Any suggestions or ideas that could help us make a decision would be appreciated !!

[censusdata]

Maybe you should buy a house in Waddy

If you are wanting better urban neighborhoods w/ local restaurants or museums/ zoo / larger amusement park Louisville would be better. Not that Lexington doesn't have any local eateries or older neighborhoods (it actually has the best downtown I've seen among similarly sized cities) Lex doesn't have any theme parks or a zoo, and it only has a nice children's science museum & two art museums (Headly Whitley & UK)

Lex generally has better public non-magnet schools based on test scores. Private & magnet schools are so popular in Lou that even some public schools in nice areas (like J-town or Hikes Point) are awful (again, based on test scores).

[stx12499]

Oldham County is a substantially better school district than Lexington. I would choose there for rural/small town feel with the nearby amenities of a much larger city.

Louisville is 3 times the size of Lexington, but it is not too large to feel like a big, dirty city. It is a happy medium IMO.

If you ultimately cant decide, Shelbyville may be a compromise, and it also has very good schools. While considered a Louisville suburb, it is 35 miles to downtown Louisville and about 42 to downtown Lexington.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by stx12499

Oldham County is a substantially better school district than Lexington. I would choose there for rural/small town feel with the nearby amenities of a much larger city.

Louisville is 3 times the size of Lexington, but it is not too large to feel like a big, dirty city. It is a happy medium IMO.

If you ultimately cant decide, Shelbyville may be a compromise, and it also has very good schools. While considered a Louisville suburb, it is 35 miles to downtown Louisville and about 42 to downtown Lexington.

Honestly, Shelbyville does NOT--I repeat, NOT--have good public schools. Heck, the town itself has in general gone downhill in the last ten years. I'd pick Oldham County anyday before Shelby Co.

[lexingtony]

If you want a small town feel, with big city amenities, and you like to follow college sports, then I think you really can't do better than Lexington. You could also consider some of the smaller bedroom communities around Lexington like Versailles or Paris. Richmond seems to be on an upward trend, too, and is just about 20 minutes from Lexington.

[TNKY]

I agree with lexingtony. Lexington seems to fit your desires better, though Louisville is an awesome city.

[lexingtongal]

Here's a link that you might find helpful.

CommerceLexington.com - BLUEGRASS RANKINGS

We love Lexington and think it's a great place to raise our son. It's small enough to be warm and inviting but large enough to offer lots of amenities.

[Hey_Hey]

If you want the college sports excitement then there are few cities (maybe none?) better than Lexington for year-round passion. Louisville has UofL, but to be honest, there's no comparison between the excitement and following of UK and UofL.

Lexington and Louisville are both very nice cities. There are more amenities in Louisville, but the difference is fairly small and you won't notice it day-to-day. Lexington, as a whole, is a much cleaner and "newer" city (although East Louisville is comparable in my opinion). The landscaping throughout lexington is exceptional and makes everything feel much nicer. The best part about the city of lexington is that you can be in the middle of beautiful horese farms in 15 minutes from downtown Lexington, and there's little in the world that is more serene and beautiful than horse farms in centrla KY.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by Hey_Hey

If you want the college sports excitement then there are few cities (maybe none?) better than Lexington for year-round passion. Louisville has UofL, but to be honest, there's no comparison between the excitement and following of UK and UofL.

Lexington and Louisville are both very nice cities. There are more amenities in Louisville, but the difference is fairly small and you won't notice it day-to-day. Lexington, as a whole, is a much cleaner and "newer" city (although East Louisville is comparable in my opinion). The landscaping throughout lexington is exceptional and makes everything feel much nicer. The best part about the city of lexington is that you can be in the middle of beautiful horese farms in 15 minutes from downtown Lexington, and there's little in the world that is more serene and beautiful than horse farms in centrla KY.

Louiville only has a "few" more amenities? Really? Several Fortune Five Hundred Companies more. 3 times the population in the city and metro more. More divfersity. More suburbs with better schools (ie Floyd and Oldham County). A downtown with all the performong arts, a substantially better parks system.

Is there a zoo in Lexington? Amusement Park? How about Museums? How many nationally known festivals are in Lexington? How about night clubs for young people at 4 AM? Shopping? Where does one find Armani in Lexington?

Seriously, Lexington is a great town, but it simply cannot compare amenity wise. One of the first things I heard when I moved to Louisville was it's dirty. Why? Because it's a historic city with dense, walkable urban neighborhoods? The answer Lexingtonians usually retorted was, well we have Keeneland! And that is just fine by me

Someone from Louisville could say, well Louisville is a great town blah blah and it has just about the same amenities of Seattle, a city 3 times its size...not a chance!

[lexingtony]

I think Hey_Hey's assertion that you "won't notice the difference day-to-day" is correct. I mean, do you go to an amusement park, zoo, or nightclub 'til 4AM everyday? For most folks, I think that answer is "no."

For what the OP is looking for, I still think Lexington would better suit their needs than Louisville. Unless, of course, they have a burning desire to shop for Armani on a daily basis.

P.S. Where do you buy Armani in Louisville??