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My husband and I are considering a possible job opportunity in Lexington, KY at UK. We are both native Los Angeles. We are in our mid 30's with 2 children. We are specifically looking for a simpler life with cheaper cost of living to raise our young family. Would appreciate any feed back on anyone who lives or has lived in Lexington and is from California.
Hey I'm not from CA but my sister in law lives in LA and we visit her all the time. I work at UK also and after 8 yrs living in the city decided to buy a house in a surrounding county. The major difference from LA to KY, are, well there are alot. The lack of public transportation is the first I can think of, the local bus service is not that wonderful. Also Ky has a lack of diversity, even though Lex is more diversified then most of the state. Every time I go to LA I feel like a minority (I'm caucasion) and that definately doesn't exist here. But there are many positives. First of all, is the air quality is 100 times better. 2nd of all is the lack of traffic. It takes me about an hr to drive my sister in laws house to Santa Monica Beach. The same distance in Lexington takes about 12 mins. Also Lexington is a truely beatiful city containing many parks and destinations for the family. I'm in my early 30's and would make the move If I was you.
I love LA! I would love to move there and even though we have great jobs...we still can't afford it. I loved Lexington and although it will be different for you, there are lots of new opportunities. Is the income the same? In Lexington you can get a great home for like 500k or less!! I moved to Dallas and the housing market is about the same. Lexington is a beautiful city..especially when you get out into Versailles and horse country
Hi, My family is in LA and I lived there for a couple of years (Palos Verdes area). I think it's reasonable to come to Lexington for a lower key lifestyle. There's something a little more open and accepting in a place like Los Angeles. I have family around here, but I've still been met with 5 years of "why did you move here?" like you can't move here without suspicion unless you have a good reason, which I wouldn't expect in Seattle or Los Angeles or DC or other places where you are welcome to land and just start living. But Lexington is a nice town, the size is nice, and it has pockets of highly educated people, and pockets of people who are maybe less affluent and less educated but are decent and have big hearts.
I've lived in Lexington and lived just outside of LA:
Pros of moving to Lexington:
- CHEAPER, CHEAPER, CHEAPER - housing, food, utilities, gas, and just about everything else.
- Less crime
- Less pollution
- Less hectic pace of life
- Driving in the "major" cities of Kentucky, including Lexington, is a piece of cake compared to LA and most of Southern California
- People are definitely friendlier and politer
- Public schools are safer
Cons of moving:
- Once you leave the Lexington area you lose what little culture you found there (although the areas have their own charm)
- You are quickly in the middle of nowhere
- The weather is nowhere as nice or consistent as Southern California. Kentucky has 4 seasons and they can be dramatic and include things like tornadoes and ice storms
- While Lexington has stellar education for the state - it isn't as good as your best schools in California (I should note the worst schools will be better than LA's worst schools by a long shot)
- Lexington is better than most places in Kentucky, but you may have to battle being "an outsider" for quite some time
Wow, this thread was started several months ago.
Did you all decide to relocate, or stay in LA?
Well, Welcome to Lexington if you decided to move here.
(I have never lived in California though - Miami Beach, Connecticut, Baltimore, SLC yes, but not California - but I really love it here a lot.
Ive always heard from people that move from california to here is that the main differences are the culture, people and the weather.
Most I have heard prefer california and would rather move back if it was feasable and the cost of living was cheaper.
Although a have met 1 or 2 that have told me that they like the country lifestyle better here and love the cold weather/snow. One guy from the san fernando valley viewed the area as dirty and polluted with a huge traffic problem. He claims it is cleaner here because of the rain and the traffic is far better.
I am honestly led to believe how successful you are in a certain place determines your opinion of it so whenever someone gives me an extreme opinion I usually ask about there background "back home". The guy who had a bad view of california said he lost his moving business, became forced to sell his house and his wife had family in kentucky. If I had a business that failed in a certain place I would have a negative view about it as well, as would anyone, its human nature.
Personally If I was going for low key I would move somewhere out in texas to avoid the winters we have here in kentucky.
Personally If I was going for low key I would move somewhere out in texas to avoid the winters we have here in kentucky.
I'm originally from California but left in 2004 for Arizona. My husband and I are ready for a life-change and are contemplating a move. I've never lived in snow or icy conditions (apart from having to scrape my windshield in winter in Northern California). What are the winters like in Lexington? I really like the idea of having 4 seasons. In the desert, you just get year-round brown and the seasons are hot and not (first day of summer and it is 113 degrees today with air quality so bad you can't see the surrounding hills/mountains). I don't think I'd mind snow that sort of came and then melted like what my sister experiences in Colorado.
Are the summers hot and humid? Is the humidity tolerable? I'm used to about 16% humidity so that would be a change.
I'm just starting my search and am looking for a slower paced city that is smaller and more family-focused.
I do miss California weather however the grass and cleaner air make up for it. It is very humid here and there really is a difference between dry heat and wet heat. The snow doesn't hang around here very long. If you are looking for slower paced and a more family focused place this is a good place to be.
Yes, every place has pro's and con's but if you are looking for a slower paced lifestyle and more family focused place,
Lexington would definitely fit that description. I have had friends and neighbors from California, and they usually love it here.
They are usually in shock about the cost of living difference. You can live here much, much cheaper. There is also a lot less crime and pollution.
The humidity here can be really bad at times though, really bad - I don't leave the air conditioned indoors much during July/August. To me, that's the only time I have a hard time enduring the humidity.
But it's nice to enjoy all four seasons, and the difference and the beauty that each hold. It's very, very green here though,
so allergy season (Usually Spring) can be really bad for some people.
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LAX to LEX
Weather?
