Lexington or Louisville - HELP?????? (Lexington-Fayette, Nicholasville: neighborhoods, private schools, college)

[MoveALot]

We are considering relocation to KY from Columbia, MO and wondered which city has the most to offer a family with a 4 year old. We lived outside Columbus, OH for a year and in Orlando, FL for 25 years so would like to be near a large city but live in the burbs. We fly to FL 6 - 8 times a year so we would need an airport pretty close. Any information would be appreciated.

[Sundance]

No question, for me I would pick Lexington any day over Louisville. Lexington is beautiful.

[gimme it]

sundance,
what are your favorite neighborhoods and areas of lexington?

[stx12499]

If you read my other posts, you will see that comparing Lexington and Louisville is not really fair, as Louisville is a much larger city. Louisville is closer in size to Columbus than to Lexington, and I think Louisville and Columbus have a similar vibe. Lexington doesn't really have "suburbs." It has suburban like areas but they are part of Lexington-Fayette.

Louisville is a friendly city, but it is going to have more arts and restaurants, private schools to choose from for your kids, and more suburbs to live in. The airport in Louisville is much bigger and services more major cities with direct routes (even though its a fairly small but convenient airport by "big city" standards). In fact, Lexington does not have any direct flights to Florida. Louisville has direct service to all major cities in FL, including the Miami/Ft Lauderdale area. Louisville also has Southwest, and Lexington does not. If you fly from Lexington, you can be almost certain you will have a layover in the mess known as Atlanta/Hartsfield.

Louisville has an advanced freeway system. In Lexington, you will basically take secondary roads everywhere and this can get frustrating during rush hour on places like Nicholasville Rd. Louisville has more shopping, more bars, more nightlife. Well, you get the idea.

If you liked the size of Columbus, try Louisville. If not, consider that Lexington is only about 1/3 the size of Louisville.

Both are great cities, though. I think they both have different vibes despite the size differences. Lexington comes off as a bit more southern. Lexington is also much more centered around its college, and is thus the epitome of a college town. That said, the people there are well educated and very friendly. PM me if you would like any relocation info.