Two techies considering moving to Kentucky (Lexington, Louisville: house, tech jobs, construction)

[sarahhorselover]

My husband and I are looking to move out of California in the next few years. I am currently working on my master's degree in computer science, and my husband is a systems administrator. So we need to live near a large town with plenty of tech jobs. But I'm also an avid horseback rider and want to live in the country with plenty of land.

Are there any areas near the larger cities (Louisville, Lexington, etc) where we can have 5+ acres for an affordable price, and yet still have a less than 30 minute commute to work? I have no problem commuting for miles with no traffic, but I absolutely hate being stuck in gridlock for the same amount of time. The horrible traffic and the high cost of housing are the main reasons we want to move out of California.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you!

Sarah

[Toria]

tell us what you consider an affordable price, and maybe we can help.....

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Originally Posted by sarahhorselover

My husband and I are looking to move out of California in the next few years. I am currently working on my master's degree in computer science, and my husband is a systems administrator. So we need to live near a large town with plenty of tech jobs. But I'm also an avid horseback rider and want to live in the country with plenty of land.

Are there any areas near the larger cities (Louisville, Lexington, etc) where we can have 5+ acres for an affordable price, and yet still have a less than 30 minute commute to work? I have no problem commuting for miles with no traffic, but I absolutely hate being stuck in gridlock for the same amount of time. The horrible traffic and the high cost of housing are the main reasons we want to move out of California.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you!

Sarah

[sarahhorselover]

Ah, good question. Well, I figure we'll be making a little less money in Kentucky than we make in California, and we do not want to be house-poor, so I'd say no higher than $350k (and preferably a bit lower).

We're not terribly picky about the type of house. We'd like 2000-2500 or so square feet. I'm fine with a manufactured home, but my husband would like a basement since he's worried about tornados.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Sarah

[Toria]

Originally Posted by sarahhorselover

Ah, good question. Well, I figure we'll be making a little less money in Kentucky than we make in California, and we do not want to be house-poor, so I'd say no higher than $350k (and preferably a bit lower).

We're not terribly picky about the type of house. We'd like 2000-2500 or so square feet. I'm fine with a manufactured home, but my husband would like a basement since he's worried about tornados.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Sarah

in the greater Lexington area, you can do very well in that price range or even lower, with the acreage you want. Bourbon County to the northeast is filled with horse farms and is 17 miles from Lexington, Boyle County is southwest about 25 miles from Lex., or Madison County just southeast of the city is really growing - again about 20-30 min. from the city. A thirty mile radius from Lexington contains hundreds and hundreds of horse farms, so finding a property with the qualities you desire shouldn't be that hard - after all, it is the Horse Capital of the World! If I can figure out how to send a private message I'll do so with a couple of realtor sites where you can specify the acreage you are interested in, as well as price range, etc.- that will give you an idea of what you can get for the money.
The Lexington area is not prone to tornadoes, that is more frequent as you go west in the state....it's not unheard of , but pretty uncommon. You can go on NOAA' site and search by county to see how many have occurred in the past fifty or more years.

[Peter1948]

You say you want a larger city, but how big do you want? Realize that Louisville is at least 3 times bigger than Lexington. Louisville MSA is around 1.2million compared to 400k in Lexington. Lexington acts, feels and looks more like the small college town that it is. Louisville acts like a much larger city by comparison, but certainly not like a big city.

With that said, it is VERY easy to find 5 acres in the Louisville metro within a 30 minute commute of downtown. A 2000 sq foot house on 4 acres for 350k shouldnt be hard to find.

In some ways it seems like Lexington has worse traffic than Louisville even though it is much smaller. The reason is Louisville has a multinodal, advanced freeway system that Lexington really lacks.

I feel anywhere outside Louisville MSA (or perhaps Northern KY in the Cincy MSA) will be a culture shock to you coming from CA. Also, Louisville is a larger city with more jobs and tech opportunites, and has good job growth being the world hub for UPS air. I would really look at Crestwood and Lagrange. Crestwood is continually ranked as one of the top cities for locating in the country. Shelbyville and Simpsonville are very nice in Shelby county and still retain a rural feel even with great growth. This whole area is the heart of horse country--beautiful rolling hills, KY bluegrass, and a serene setting that is ultimate peace compared to the traffic I have seen in CA.

That said, you are still only 20-30 mins from big city cultural attractions in Louisville. The highlands area offers a Santa Monica type feel, and Crescent Hill and St Matthews have wonderful retail and boutique opportunites that you will just not find in a smaller town like Lexington. Downtown Louisville offers cultural, arts, and museum amenities you will not find anywhere else in KY. Plus Louisville's strength may be its restaurants.

Back in Oldham co, Lagrange is still a somewhat small town feel even though it is a growing suburban area. Shopping is not great in that area but they will begin construction soon on a large business park and outdoor mall type lifestyle center in Buckner, which lies on I-71 between Crestwood and Lagrange. This whole area has plenty of new arrivals mainly from both coasts who are looking for an easier lifestyle, cheaper homes, and less hassle all with enjoying amenties of a fairly major city only a few minutes (and no traffic) away. Its growing, but no so fast that your 5 acres will be impinged upon by sprawl, traffic, and pollution like it would be in say, Riverside CA area.

[TLynnlooking]

My boyfriend and I are concidering moving to Kentucy. I don't know anything about this state. My boyfriend has lived there before so that leaves me uncomfortable state. So, my question is if anyone can give me some personal experience on living in Kentucy;rather, then me reading about it on line, I would appreicate it Thank You

[rppipa01]

Agree with what STX posted. I'd also add bullitt county (south of Louisville) and Oldham County (north of Louisville) to you places to search. Both are very nice bedroom communities for the Louisville area.

As for TLynnlooking, what do you want to know? What part of the state are you moving to, do you want to know about weather, what people are like? If you could give me a bit more info, I can help you out a bit more.

[tomocox]

I am a lifelong Kentuckian. (54 yrs worth). I have lived in Western Coal Fields, old Louisville, and now in Oldham County. Kentucky people are what makes this state glow. While we do have our share of unfortunate, uneducated, and often unclean people, even those people are some of the best people on Earth. Their music is real, they love life, but hate its pits. Our art is genuine, our education is bread and butter, and we can get to almost anywhere faster. Medically speaking, Kentucky is where the first successful artificial heart was implanted, where the first successful hand transplant occured, and most recently, the place where a 100% successful vaccination for cervical cancer has been discovered. Historically, Kentucky has more written history than any other state in the Union. We make bourbon, cars, furniture, and so much more. We are the national headquarters for Papa John's Pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and the home of UPS's International Sorting Hub. We grow corn, hogs, soybeans, cattle, & timber. We love baseball, basketball, soccer, and even football. We attend church regularly and raise better kids because of it. We love America, and we'll fight for our state's rights.

Our weather is kind, never too much of any season.

Find a better place to live, and I'll fix you some burgoo, maybe some fried chicken, or a wonderful steak. Come to Kentucky!

[ymbk]

Based on our experience (also moving from CA) and that of three other couples who did the same and have since relocated:
1. Be very sure you want to do this
2. If so, pick something around Louisville and Northern KY
3. Have a job before you get here and realize it is highly unlikely you will make anything near what you make there.
4. Understand that this is not a diverse area.

You should be able to find a house in that price range easily. I wouldn't worry that much about tornados. They happen, sure, but they aren't that common. Your more immediate weather hassles will be lightning and ice...thankfully, not at the same time.

[Southside Shrek]

speaking of jobs in Lexington, I am not aware of very many major employers there. There is Lexmark, the Toyota plant, and maybe a couple of others. That's about it as far as I know based on the times I've been there. There's also the university, U of K, and quite a few medical facilities around town. In addition there's the Kentucky State Horse Park to the north of town and that's an interesting place to visit, especially if you want to see a cool statue of Man of War and have your pic taken standing next to it.