Thinking of moving to Lexington- What is it like? (Lexington-Fayette: to rent, crime)

[connie3448]

Hi Zoe,
Lexington has been home to me for over 40 yrs. There's a great Good Foods Coop, which enjoys a lot of community. We have active farmer markets about 4 days/week. UK hosts a lot of the art scene. Lex. is fairly open to all, in fact I wish it was more "small-town." You'd love it!
Connie

[cynthia007]

Originally Posted by tomocox

You know, as a matter of fact, typically when an entire community is asking you about which church you attend, the crime factor in the area is extremely low. Interesting? mmmmmm?? Is there a connection between faith and lower crime rates? Funny how the better subdivisions and places a family would wish to raise their children are those same communities where church is important.

You've gotta be kidding me! Are you living in the real world? The crimes commited by people who are "church goers" are reported in the news every day. The thought of living in a neighborhood of hypocrites is the most frightening thing of all!!!

[Zoe51]

Originally Posted by whoabuck

Hey, Zoe

Maybe we'll catch up with you! My son and I are relocating to Lex within the year (probably next spring), and are orthodox unitarians...(speaking of having no doctrine...) The Lex UU website looks interesting, the pastor sounds like she might be the real deal.
Coming from College Station, Texas, home of the George Bush Pres Library and arguably one of the most conservative big-universtiy towns in the country, Lex will be a relief for us. I'm originally from the Bay Area, CA, and living in the south was quite a shock to my system...This is the bible belt, as is Kentucky. But think of all the cool cities that will be within a day's drive - Washington DC, Chicago, NYC... and all the cool places to go outside...and it SNOWS in the winter (but not too much...). We're horsey people, too, so it's really a no-brainer for us.

See you there - ?!

Maybe we will run into one another in Lexington. At this point, I'm tying up some loose ends and hope to be on my way by the end of summer. The next phase is locating some temporary housing while searching for an apartment and will post a question on this board about it later.

From the Bay to Texas, must have been quite a culture shock! I lived in Palo Alto for a year also. I'm trying to picture "orthodox" unitarians . Growing up in Virginia, my dad, an outspoken atheist used to take me to a Unitarian Sunday school on occasion. Very memorable and no bible thumping, as from some of our neighbors who tried to "save" me from my "heathen "father.

I'm impressed thus far with the people and posts on this site, more outgoing than many places, something I will surely appreciate. The climate also looks to be about right too.
Sounds like you and your son won't have any major problems making the transition and getting connected when you get to Lex. Good luck in your move.

[Zoe51]

Originally Posted by connie3448

Hi Zoe,
Lexington has been home to me for over 40 yrs. There's a great Good Foods Coop, which enjoys a lot of community. We have active farmer markets about 4 days/week. UK hosts a lot of the art scene. Lex. is fairly open to all, in fact I wish it was more "small-town." You'd love it!
Connie

Thanks Connie,
I'm pretty sold on moving to Lex when I finish up my business here. Looks like there'll be plenty to get involved with when I get there.

[Zoe51]

Originally Posted by bluegrassgirl

Some of the Tates Creek Rd area is nice and some isn't. For a very blanket statement, I would suggest that you would want to avoid the older sections of the north side of Lexington, downtown and the UK area, and the Versailles Rd area.

Regency Rd area that was mentioned earlier is older, no amenities, but is very reasonable costs and fairly safe.

I might suggest you check Shillito Apartments. I know a couple of women that live there and it's fairly reasonable for Lexington. Plus, they have a pool and club house... nice pluses for the costs. It sits right by one of the largest parks in Lexington, is about two minutes from our largest mall, and about three minutes from grocery stores.

Thanks a lot! I'm copying all these suggestions down and will be checking them out. Looking for a place in a strange city is nerve wracking, and the feedback here is leaving me feeling much safer about the move. I was hoping to visit first, then decide about living in Lex, but the sense of the place I get from these posts leaves me feeling ok about just going without visiting first. I have live all over the United States and am reallpy impressed by all the positive feedback and useful information. It's much appreciated.

[Zoe51]

Originally Posted by jess46

I recently moved to Lexington for job relocation purposes. I find that most of the people are pretty friendly once you get to know them a little. Unlike the southern areas of the country it is not like feeling right at home.
There is a great nursery I happened upon out on highway 421 going toward historic Midway there is also a nice one on Nicholasville Rd. Community Gardening I have not heard about here but you could ask about it at one of the local nurseries. I have not spent alot of time looking at Apt. 's but I pay 600.00 and my own utilities for what I consider dumpy. I do however love the location as I am directly across from Uk hospital and college campus. Close to downtown and all shopping areas. I will plan on moving after winter.
The traffic is terrible at times but I got use to it pretty quickly and I came from a town of 5 traffic lights literally so I love the bustle of the city life.
However, everything can have it's perks the lonliness for me is very overwhelming. I am in commute between here and my home away from home 2hours away and it get's pretty hard. My husband and I are commuting because of my job opprotunities being better here but it is difficult.

Hi Jess,
Sorry you are finding your move difficult. Maybe there is something, some group, you and your husband can get involved with to put yourselves in a situation to meet and get to know people better.
Where I'm at now is forty miles from the nearest town, 150 miles from the nearest city. I look after an elderly neighbor in exchange for a place to stay right now. It is beautiful, mountains all around. But no town and very few people. The post office and a garage is about half a mile from here and a there's a liquor store as you drive by, and a small RV park behind the post office. There is a country store gas station about 10 miles down the road and that's it. You might go for days here seeing or talking to no one.
I came here very much needing some isolation to work on some health issues. The quiet's been good but after a year I'm really looking forward just to having some everyday normal relationships with other people. I'm afraid if I stay here another year I might get squirrely from too little people contact. Thanks for your notes and I hope you find a way to meet others and feel at home, even if this is a temporary home for you.

[Zoe51]

Originally Posted by bluegrassgirl

Some of the Tates Creek Rd area is nice and some isn't. For a very blanket statement, I would suggest that you would want to avoid the older sections of the north side of Lexington, downtown and the UK area, and the Versailles Rd area.

Regency Rd area that was mentioned earlier is older, no amenities, but is very reasonable costs and fairly safe.

I might suggest you check Shillito Apartments. I know a couple of women that live there and it's fairly reasonable for Lexington. Plus, they have a pool and club house... nice pluses for the costs. It sits right by one of the largest parks in Lexington, is about two minutes from our largest mall, and about three minutes from grocery stores.

Hi again!
Shillito had some very bad reviews on the web and some good ones too, so I need to check it out further. I did find a list of apartments and wonder if anyone is familiar with these apartments:

Southwest Lexington Apartments
1585-1662 Alexandria Drive
Lexington, KY 40504

AAA does not put out a map on Lexington so I don't have one yet. Is this in a decent area? Is it near the areas you suggested? Thanks.

[easydoesit]

Zoe -

You don't want to go there. It is kind of dicey. You can PM me for more details.

Shilito is fine. Great location.

One more I will throw in - Lighthouse Square Apartments off Redding Rd. Very close to Tates Creek too.

[bluegrassgirl]

Originally Posted by easydoesit

Zoe -

You don't want to go there. It is kind of dicey. You can PM me for more details.

Shilito is fine. Great location.

One more I will throw in - Lighthouse Square Apartments off Redding Rd. Very close to Tates Creek too.

That is a good suggestion for Lighthouse. I actually lived there MANY years ago. They are very reasonable in rent, but not much on anything fancy.

Zoe - What are the negative comments about Shillito if you don't mind sharing. I'm just curious... as I said, I know two women who live there. One single woman and one woman with three daughters. It's about as safe an area as you can find in Lexington, close to so much, and very reasonable for the style of apt/amenities.

I agree wholeheartedly with Easy Does It. Would not go for Alexandria Drive.

[Zoe51]

Thanks mucho! This will be easier when I get a street map, it's on its way in the mail. I'll look up the posts I saw on Shillito and post the links here or send them PM. I will keep it on my list of places to check out now too.

These links are to reviews of Shillito. I don't need anything fancy, just quiet and safe. Thanks!

shillito park apartments loc: Lexington, KY - Google Maps


Shillito Park Apartments*Apartment Ratings and Reviews in Lexington, Kentucky by ApartmentReviews.net