Thinking of moving to Lexington- What is it like? (Ashland: low income, best city)

[Zoe51]

I'm thinking of visiting Lexington and considering moving there. I'm originally from Virgina (Virginia Beach\Norfolk) and have been living in the west for the past 30 years. I left the south over racism, but miss many of the other positives about the culture, the warmth of the people, the "southern hospitality," not to mention "hush puppies!"
Is Lexington fairly open and liberal regarding race and religion? I'm not a Christian, and belong to no religious group. I like to do some volunteer work wherever I'm living and it looks like there would be much to do in Lexington.
I do some freelance writing so am interested to know about libraries and bookstores. Are there any community gardens in Lexington? When living in Oregon, I kept a garden for one of the food banks and enjoyed doing that.
What do folks like and dislike about Lexington?
Is it easy to meet people and make friends there? Any feedback is appreciated.
Zoe

[rbryant]

Originally Posted by Zoe51

I'm thinking of visiting Lexington and considering moving there. I'm originally from Virgina (Virginia Beach\Norfolk) and have been living in the west for the past 30 years. I left the south over racism, but miss many of the other positives about the culture, the warmth of the people, the "southern hospitality," not to mention "hush puppies!"
Is Lexington fairly open and liberal regarding race and religion? I'm not a Christian, and belong to no religious group. I like to do some volunteer work wherever I'm living and it looks like there would be much to do in Lexington.
I do some freelance writing so am interested to know about libraries and bookstores. Are there any community gardens in Lexington? When living in Oregon, I kept a garden for one of the food banks and enjoyed doing that.
What do folks like and dislike about Lexington?
Is it easy to meet people and make friends there? Any feedback is appreciated.
Zoe

Without writing a book, I will list my likes and dislikes for Lex

Pros
Lexington has a college town feel to it...so the area around UofK is somewhat more liberal.
I'm thinking the downtown Public library is very nice...maybe some of the Lex natives can comment on that
If you like bookstores, you will really like Joseph Beth Booksellers which is out on Nicholasville Road.
I cannot really comment on community gardening, I do know that Farmers Markets are very popular in Lexington. There is a very popular weekend farmers market downtown.
Healthcare is very good. Central Baptist/St Josephs/UK Hospitals are some of the best in the state.
If you like outdoor recreation, you are very close to Red River Gorge and natural bridge.
Cons
Traffic is horrid, especially when school is in (late august through may).
Honestly, a lot of social contacts are made through churches, so you may have to do a little more research on where to meet people

[Zoe51]

Thanks for the feedback!

[lexingtongal]

There is a wonderful Arboretum that would probably welcome any time you could volunteer. All the work is done by volunteers. Ashland, Henry Clay's home also has a garden that is maintained by a garden club.
There are many volunteer opportunities. Depends on what your interests are.
The downtown library is great. I highly recommend a visit to it. Also, as rbryant mentioned, Joseph Beth Booksellers is a great bookstore. It consistantly rates in the top 5 bookstores in the nation.

My favorite thing about Lexington is that there is something for everyone. If you are not religious there are plenty of other folks like you, if you are religious you can easily find a church to suit your needs, if you like the arts there is an active arts scene, if you are liberal you will find that community, conservative? you'll find that too. Single? Lex was just rated the 5th best city for singles, family? tons of family activities. You get my drift.
As for traffic it is easy to avoid. I do try to avoid campus when school is in session. If you live within New Circle Road is it very easy to not have traffic issues to contend with. It is generally when you live in outlying subdivisions and have to commute into and out of downtown during rush hour that you have traffic. But even then you are talking 20-30 minutes.

[ReefAreCoolToo]

lexington is definately a college town....EKU, Transylvinia (spl), UK, LCC and some others are nearby..

Tates Creeks is a nice neighborhood

[Zoe51]

Originally Posted by lexingtongal

There is a wonderful Arboretum that would probably welcome any time you could volunteer. All the work is done by volunteers. Ashland, Henry Clay's home also has a garden that is maintained by a garden club.
There are many volunteer opportunities. Depends on what your interests are.
The downtown library is great. I highly recommend a visit to it. Also, as rbryant mentioned, Joseph Beth Booksellers is a great bookstore. It consistantly rates in the top 5 bookstores in the nation.

My favorite thing about Lexington is that there is something for everyone. If you are not religious there are plenty of other folks like you, if you are religious you can easily find a church to suit your needs, if you like the arts there is an active arts scene, if you are liberal you will find that community, conservative? you'll find that too. Single? Lex was just rated the 5th best city for singles, family? tons of family activities. You get my drift.
As for traffic it is easy to avoid. I do try to avoid campus when school is in session. If you live within New Circle Road is it very easy to not have traffic issues to contend with. It is generally when you live in outlying subdivisions and have to commute into and out of downtown during rush hour that you have traffic. But even then you are talking 20-30 minutes.

Thanks for your comments. It sounds like I could find a niche there. I'm getting some travel information from AAA so I can start planning a trip. If I do start looking for apartments while visiting, what areas of Lexington have the highest\lowest crime?
Thanks!
Zoe

[easydoesit]

Zoe -

I will warn you on the religous front. I don't go to church and I don't care to talk about religion. However, I get the question all the time -- Where do you go to church? What is your denomination? After my response, most people are still friendly but I do feel as though they pass judgement. I have had A LOT of people try to convince me that I need to go for my own good

There is a good sized gay population that seems to be born out of Lexington's proximity to small towns where gays are trying to escape from for a more open lifestyle. So I would say it is liberal compared to surrounding areas but still very conservative. Residents seem to want things to stay the same and it can be a tad too UK basketball focused at times.

Traffic is surprising bad for a city of its size. The city and surrounding area's population has far exceeded what the infrastructure can handle. It's a lot of stop and go traffic and the times at which it starts seems to creep up every year.

Those are my negatives against Lexington. The city and surrounding area is very pretty. I think many outsiders simply pass by on their way to other areas in the south without even stopping in to see what Lexington is all about.

The Red River Gorge is a nice place for outdoors. I wish there were more places right in Lexington but a 45 min drive isn't too bad.

I think the "singles fact" is based on UK being there but I can't complain. You can find a bar or club for whatever age crowd you want. I have always heard people talk about how Lexington is a great place to raise kids.

I also really like the people. I travel around and I always feel Lexington's residents are pretty nice overall.

Where to locate -- what's your price range?

[Zoe51]

Originally Posted by easydoesit

Zoe -

I will warn you on the religous front. I don't go to church and I don't care to talk about religion. However, I get the question all the time -- Where do you go to church? What is your denomination? After my response, most people are still friendly but I do feel as though they pass judgement. I have had A LOT of people try to convince me that I need to go for my own good

There is a good sized gay population that seems to be born out of Lexington's proximity to small towns where gays are trying to escape from for a more open lifestyle. So I would say it is liberal compared to surrounding areas but still very conservative. Residents seem to want things to stay the same and it can be a tad too UK basketball focused at times.

Traffic is surprising bad for a city of its size. The city and surrounding area's population has far exceeded what the infrastructure can handle. It's a lot of stop and go traffic and the times at which it starts seems to creep up every year.

Easy,
Your negatives don't sound too bad, considering what it's like in other parts of the country. If it feels too oppresive on the religious front, I likely will only visit, not stay. I started my own church, "The Church of the Single Doctrine." The doctine is, "There shalt be no doctrines."
Several places I have lived in the west, people talk and are polite, but never, never get involved, get close. After a while, it is like living in the twilight zone, or among androids. This is the type of isolation I hope to leave behind, like coming out of exile.
I'm checking into some groups and things to do before coming to visit too. If I do decide to move, I'll be looking for apartments, in the low income range, not subsidized. Do you know what rental rates are there for 1 bedrooms, ball park figures?
Zoe

[easydoesit]

Zoe -

The religous warning isn't a deal breaker just something for you to consider.

1 bedroom depends on your tastes. I rented a 1 bedroom that was around Tates Creek - while trying to sock away money - for $425 and when I left it was raised to $435. It was older but not a bad complex.

Nicer apt communities will probably run $550-650. Since you will be new, you may want to get a roomie. That could provide an easy way to make some contacts. 2 bedrooms split between 2 people could save you some money. I really liked Breckenridge Court Apt.

Breckinridge Court in Lexington, KY

Hope that helps.

[easydoesit]

BTW, Welcome