Looking for advice about where to live (Lexington, Louisville: crime, buying)

[oneluckymug]

Yeah Trigg is the only school I would think about sending my kid to. I wonder if they still have a killer cross country team. I don't think that area satisfies any of your other requirement though, except some of the outdoors. Good luck. It really sounds like you are looking for 1 of 100 small towns that exist in Oregon, but not Kentucky.

[Wanttocomehome]

thanks everybody, maybe I will look into Trigg County. Oneluckymug, I really think part of the problem is that I DIDN'T grow up there. My father left the coal mines for the air force before I even turned 2 and eventually we settled in Florida, so I wound up growing up far away from every relative that I have. I did actually move up there for about a year in my mid-20s in order to spend some time with my grandparents before they passed away, so I have SOME idea of what it's like, although still not the same as if I'd actually grown up there. But while I was there I helped my aunt's children with their homework and I was pretty astonished by some of the things they brought home from school. One of them had an English paper which had been corrected by a teacher ... but the teacher made 3 grammatical mistakes of her own, and corrected a sentence that was actually grammatically correct! So I DO know how bad the public schools are there. And yet no one seems to mind, and from a certain perspective it probably really DOESN'T matter, not really, when you think about the things that really matter in life ... and I don't want to live in a community that my children aren't really a full part of, you know? And how do I explain to relatives that their schools aren't good enough for my children? It's very disheartening. I myself am probably horribly overeducated, but would be hard for me to see my children receive an education that does not match my own, I don't think I can do it. But my children need a family and a community. I am afraid that if I raise them too far away from my family that they will never be close. I myself am lucky in that my mother and her sister have stayed close and so I have always been close to that side of my family there, but as new generations come up, I am afraid that will be lost. I knew a real loneliness growing up an only child with no family around most of the time. I just don't want that to happen to my children. I honestly do not know what to do. But I will look into Trigg County. thanks very much everyone for listening and making suggestions. And you can't offend me, truly; I appreciate your honesty.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by Marie Christmas

Virginia!

I was going to say Vermont. I don't think Virgnia (even NoVA) has all the items on that list.

[oneluckymug]

Originally Posted by Wanttocomehome

thanks everybody, maybe I will look into Trigg County. Oneluckymug, I really think part of the problem is that I DIDN'T grow up there. My father left the coal mines for the air force before I even turned 2 and eventually we settled in Florida, so I wound up growing up far away from every relative that I have. I did actually move up there for about a year in my mid-20s in order to spend some time with my grandparents before they passed away, so I have SOME idea of what it's like, although still not the same as if I'd actually grown up there. But while I was there I helped my aunt's children with their homework and I was pretty astonished by some of the things they brought home from school. One of them had an English paper which had been corrected by a teacher ... but the teacher made 3 grammatical mistakes of her own, and corrected a sentence that was actually grammatically correct! So I DO know how bad the public schools are there. And yet no one seems to mind, and from a certain perspective it probably really DOESN'T matter, not really, when you think about the things that really matter in life ... and I don't want to live in a community that my children aren't really a full part of, you know? And how do I explain to relatives that their schools aren't good enough for my children? It's very disheartening. I myself am probably horribly overeducated, but would be hard for me to see my children receive an education that does not match my own, I don't think I can do it. But my children need a family and a community. I am afraid that if I raise them too far away from my family that they will never be close. I myself am lucky in that my mother and her sister have stayed close and so I have always been close to that side of my family there, but as new generations come up, I am afraid that will be lost. I knew a real loneliness growing up an only child with no family around most of the time. I just don't want that to happen to my children. I honestly do not know what to do. But I will look into Trigg County. thanks very much everyone for listening and making suggestions. And you can't offend me, truly; I appreciate your honesty.

Must have misunderstood your post. Guess I figured with so much family there you grew up there. It's not hard to explain why you might want to live elsewhere. With my wife's family, they know of many people who dropped out of school or who got really involved in drugs. My very persistent mother in law understands we want the best for our kids, and we feel like schools where I grew up in Illinois will give them more opportunities. I took my opportunities to be Dr. The opportunities given to my wife in that area limited her choices. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH COAL MINING .....but my in-laws are all coal miners because they didn't have the opportunity to NOT be a coal miner. If my kids grow up and want to be a coal miner because it makes them happy....I will be thrilled. We just worried that by choosing a poor area for schools we were limited our children's choices later in life. I think your family would understand that.

I really think you should look into Bowling Green or a surrounding town. It doesn't have all the things you are looking for. It's a college-ish town so it's more liberal. It allows you to see family almost any weekend you choose. It has great educational opportunities. It is one of the up and coming cities in the US. It is a short drive to the mountains for a weekend trip.....a good balance that doesn't have everything you want, but does the more important things.

[Wanttocomehome]

thanks for the suggestion, I will look into Bowling Green, at least I know one person there! It is very scary to me to think about moving somewhere where I don't know ANYONE, but having children kind of changes your perspective. In so many ways, we really have it made here in ATL, but yet the smog, the crime, the congestion, etc. ... it just doesn't seem like the best environment for raising children. If only I'd known how to think like a parent BEFORE I had children, LOL! Plus I'm turning 40 next month, so maybe it's just midlife crisis making me feel disconnected. If anyone has any other ideas let me know! I really will give up the coffeeshop. Maybe I could open my own coffeeshop?

[308]

Cadiz is the place to be.....

[JasonAndAmelia]

You might want to check out Owensboro. Schools are good. Medium to small sized city. Near Madisonville. Also, it does have some fine arts, and has 2 private universities so it does have some culture. As far as your political and religious views, it's honestly going to be fairly tough to find somewhere that matches those in rural areas in KY. But, there are quite a bit of liberals in O'boro. Honestly, about the drugs, you are going to have that problem anywhere you go in KY if you look hard enough, and hang out with that type of people, then you are going to encounter it. If you choose the people you are running around with better, then you won't. It's not like it's all over, but you will occasionally hear about meth busts on the news. Although, they are more prevasive on the Indiana side of the river than ours. Just my opinion, but I think that O'boro would fit you pretty well.

[xxmagex]

Danville or Berea

[dixiegirl7]

Originally Posted by Wanttocomehome

thanks for the suggestion, I will look into Bowling Green, at least I know one person there! It is very scary to me to think about moving somewhere where I don't know ANYONE, but having children kind of changes your perspective. In so many ways, we really have it made here in ATL, but yet the smog, the crime, the congestion, etc. ... it just doesn't seem like the best environment for raising children. If only I'd known how to think like a parent BEFORE I had children, LOL! Plus I'm turning 40 next month, so maybe it's just midlife crisis making me feel disconnected. If anyone has any other ideas let me know! I really will give up the coffeeshop. Maybe I could open my own coffeeshop?

Bowling Green sounds like a good compromise for most of what you are looking for. We do have some very good schools, you just have to choose carefully about the district you choose to live in and double check because we are in the process of redistricting the county school system. Because of the university, you will find the cultural influences and such you need. Since you have a cousin here already, come and visit and check things out. I am sure they can give you some insight. Bowling Green is still a fairly rural, predominantly Christian community in southern Kentucky but we have such a melding of people here now due to the university, industry and the fact that we are an international refuge city it seems much more progressive than some of the other areas around us.

[jmwbaw]

I'll put in another suggestion for Bowling Green.
There is a growing unitarian church there, as well the Coffee Shop feel you are looking for. (I like Spencers coffee on the square personally, but Greener Grounds on broadway is also popular.)
BG is predominately a conservative area, but compared to the other options, it seems to be the best match for what you are looking for. BG is pretty progressive when compared to surrounding cities. I wouldn't call BG a liberal place, but it's about as close you are going to get for a town that size in Kentucky.
They are also building a brand new Performing Arts Center right smack in the middle of downtown, which will be great for the arts scene in BG.
Also, the schools are great, its growing pretty rapidly, and it's close to Nashville.