Honest Masterson Station Opinions (Lexington, Nicholasville: rentals, crime, houses)

[kmb23]

My husband and I will be relocating to Lexington from Atlanta at the end of 2012 for a job transfer. His office will be on the north side of Lexington on Sandersville Road. I plan to stay home when we have children in a year or two so we are looking for a nice young family friendly neighborhood in the $175k-$200k price range with a decent yard. We do not eat out often or go shopping and mostly spend our free time at the dog park, going for walks and spending time with friends at home. Because of the location of his work, we have been looking at Masterson Station. I like the proximity to the park/dog park, pool nearby and good elementary school (we will likely move before kids are in the poorly rated middle and high schools).

I have read differing accounts of this neighborhood on this board and was looking for some feedback.

Would Masterson station be a decent friendly community for a young family and stay at home mom?
Are there grocery stores, pharmacies and libraries nearby?
Is it a safe area?

As we currently live in Atlanta, we are accustom to some crime and driving 20+ minutes to get anywhere but it is hard to try to commit to an area without really knowing the feeling of it. It seems the trend seems to be more Southeast Lexington, but without really using the shopping/restaurants and schools it may not be worth the extra money, longer commute and smaller yards. Any feedback you have is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[LEXpert]

I think Masterson is as nice of a neighorhood as you can find anywhere in Lexington. It mainly gets a bad rap from people who don't like new/newer construction and those who feel like anything outside of New Circle Road isn't the real Lexington.

Masterson is really about value. You can often get the same houses that are available in more popular parts of town for less money. We don't have many large builders in town, so you tend to see the same models in just about any neighborhood built in the past 15 years or so.

I have sold several houses out there and all of my clients like it. Everytime I go out there (which is often) I see mothers with strollers, kids playing, people walking their dogs.

The only thing I personally don't like is that there isn't much commercial/dining around that area. You will always be going to another part of town. Some people like that, some don't.

I think you'll find that the crime is about the same as any other middle class suburban type neighborhood. Here is a link to the crime map: LexingtonKy.gov : Crime Map.

[CraigCreek]

There are also two "white collar" prisons quite close to Masterson Station - I am not aware of any problems resulting from this proximity, but it might be something to consider. There seem to be a lot of rentals in MS lately as well, and it's a bit of a monotonous cookie-cutter neighborhood architecturally speaking (almost all similar-looking snout-houses, with brick fronts and three vinyl sides). Traffic can be heavy on Leestown Road, less so on Georgetown Road, the two major roads to downtown Lexington.

However, the floor plans are comfortable, the big park is next door and offers lots of activities, there's an almost brand-new elementary school right there, young trees line the streets...so it's a trade-off.

[kmb23]

Thank you for your opinions! That helps quite a bit!

[beerlover]

George Carlin has a bit he does about living near a prision. something like "no one ever breaks out and then *hangs around*... they get the heck away!"

[PONYPULR]

Yeah, I don't think someone would break out and then invade the first house they come across!!

[cartomanlex]

Escapes from these facilities usually involve either an accomplice and a car on the Interstate or a stolen auto from an adjacent residential property.

Most escapees will be found within 5 miles of their hometown.

[JesseRohr]

I have friends out there and they're looking to move to the East side of town having lived in MS since 05. Their biggest complaint is traffic and congestion.

[LEXpert]

That prison is very low security. The only buyers I ever hear express any concern about it are those that are new to Lexington. The local buyers know there is nothing to worry about.

[billl]

I know someone who lives across from Masterson Station and we visit often. We live in the Atlanta area, so maybe I can offer some perspective on comparing the two.

You've mentioned some benefits (the nearby park, the nice neighborhood, the rural setting). But there are some negatives that haven't been mentioned. The area is under the approach to the main runway at the Lexington airport. The airport is no Hartsfield, but you will occasionally hear and see jets overhead. The closest grocery and food is 2 miles away, just inside New Circle. As another poster said, you will always be going to another part of town. Target, Lowes, a mall, and other types of retailers are all a good 20 minute drive away.

Someone mentioned the traffic. First, it is nothing at all like Atlanta traffic. Second, the traffic on Nicholasville and Harrodsburg (from what I've seen) is far worse than what is on Leestown. I think compared to other residential areas in Lexington, Masterson Station has very good traffic.

Finally, I get amused when people talk about how far things are in Lexington. If they say "oh that's really far" they mean 20 to 30 minutes. Compare that to Atlanta where 20 to 30 minutes won't even get you downtown, much less the other side of the city.