College Grad daughter moving to Lexington to work at UK Med Center (Louisville: apartment complex)
Lexington areaFayette County
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My daughter is applying for positions at the UK Med Center as a graduate RN. We are from California, and she is graduating in December from college in Arizona. If she is hired, she would like to find an apartment in a nice complex not too far from the UK Med Center but NOT an undergrad student-type complex. She lived in one of those for a year in Arizona and found the drunken, rowdy behavior of the students not to her liking, nor the fact that college students and their stuff attracted lots of burglars. Is there a well-kept, safe apartment complex which wouldn't be further than maybe a 20-minute drive to work for her? She would probably be looking for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit, preferably in the $800-$950 range. She may have a dog as well. Thanks for any input: specific complexes, parts of town (details, please - we are not familiar with Lexington), etc.
Merrick Place Apartments | Home is the first one that I would recommend. It is a quick, simple drive to work, it's in a great location that is convenient to plenty of shopping and restaurants, and it's a beautiful well-kept property. I know plenty of people have lived here, and do currently live here, and they range from graduate students, to young professionals.
The good thing about Lexington and working at UK is that you could live in almost ANY area of town, and have a 20-minute or less commute. It really comes down to what kind of area she would like to live in... in my opinion, it will be easy to find an apartment with your specifications but you do have more options. Is there anything else that she would like to be close to, or would she like to live as close as possible to work?
Thanks for your answer! We really know nothing about Lexington and don't know what else would be there that she might like to be close to. Obviously shopping, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. would be important; however, it sounds like the apartment complexes you mentioned would fit those requirements. I also wondered about traffic, and it sounds like that may not be a huge problem in Lexington - which would be a vast improvement over Tucson.
I guess what I am also looking for are reasons for which Kentucky in general and Lexington in particular would be attractive to a 21-year old new college grad working in the medical field. We have a lot of family in the Midwest (Tennessee, southern Illinois, Missouri), and Lexington wouldn't be far from them. However, she would not know anyone in town and would probably want to meet people mostly through work or church. She is not particularly interested in a partying lifestyle. What sorts of recreational opportunities are there? I notice several state parks that aren't too far away and look beautiful. She does enjoy hiking and camping. Also sports such as football, basketball, and baseball (college and pro). I'm sure she could become a UK fan, and perhaps even a Cincinnati Bengals fan since Cincinnati isn't too far away.
Any general Lexington information would also be helpful. Of course she has to get a job offer first, but if she does, I would like her to have a "feel" for Lexington as a possibility and not just write it off because she knows nothing about the area.
If your daughter enjoys the outdoors, she will enjoy living in the Bluegrass! The Red River Gorge, including Natural Bridge State Park, is a beautiful mountainous area in the Daniel Boone National Forest which contains one of the world's greatest areas of natural arches. There are remarkable waterfalls, cliffs, and other rock formations, along with archeological sites, a good small museum at Gladie, the beautiful river itself (a wild river in part), plus gorgeous fall color and spring wildflowers. There are miles of trails of different levels of difficulty. Camping is popular in the Gorge - just don't get up at night and fall over a cliff. This seems to occur at least once a year - usually excessive drinking is involved - and there have been a number of deaths and serious injuries as a result, as the cliffs are both abrupt and tall. For day use, there are many picnic grounds and a loop drive through the Gorge, starting at Nada.
Natural Bridge State Resort Park includes a majestic natural arch, high atop a mountain, along with mature forests, a lodge with a restaurant and giftshop, cabins, campgrounds, a pool, scheduled outdoor activities, a skylift up to the bridge if the trails seem too tough (they are steep!),
In Fayette County itself is Raven Run Nature Sanctuary, along the Palisades of the Kentucky River. Also wooded, Raven Run includes early 19th century ruins of an old watermill, drystone walls, springhouses, a nature center, waterfalls, wildlife, and again, fall color, spring wildflowers (check YouTube for a short video of the wildflowers at their peak), and miles of trails. There are frequent programs at Raven Run, conducted by naturalists. There are additional natural areas here and there along the Palisades, which are 300 foot limestone cliffs which line the Kentucky River for about 40 miles - the area is still very wild and largely untouched, so it's a haven for migratory birds (which follow the river), wildlife, and is known for both fall color and spring wildflowers, especially along the smaller tributaries (like Raven Run).
In addition, there are many museum houses and other historic sites in and around Lexington. All are worthy of a visit. Shakertown at Pleasant Hill is a restored Shaker village, which also offers hiking trails, plus a riverboat ride on the adjacent Kentucky River, right through the scenic Palisades. The remarkable Kentucky Horse Park, home of the 2010 World Equestrian Games and much more, is just outside Lexington, and offers much to see and do, plus horse shows and competitions of various kinds each weekend during the summer season.
There are churches of many denominations in Lexington, and many of them have active young adult programs aimed at your daughter's demographic, with lots of related activities. There are also many restaurants of all kinds here, and eating out is quite popular.
Uk football...well, let's just say this doesn't appear to be UK's best year. Tickets are going begging this fall, in fact. Now, basketball is expected to another story, but those tickets are extremely hard to come by. Still, much of the town turns Wildcat Blue when the 'Cats play, whether or not one actually gets to go to a live game or not. We also have a minor league baseball team, the Lexington Legends, with tickets readily available. The nearest major league team is of course the Cincinnati Reds, with Cincy being about two hours up the road. Louisville is about the same distance away, and both cities nicely supplement the Lexington scene. There are opportunities for all kinds of participatory sports.
Nashville is four hours away, but is on central time, so you gain an hour heading southwest, then lose it coming back. It's four-lane or better all the way and a pretty drive.
Merrick Place would suit your daughter well, I expect. It is an older complex, but is well-maintained, with a village look and lots of mature trees. It includes a clubhouse and the original mansion is now a very good restaurant. It's on Tates Creek Road just inside New Circle Road, with the Lansdowne Shops almost adjacent and other shopping plus a newish branch library no more than a mile away. UK and the med center are only a few more miles in towards town, though rush hour traffic, particularly the homebound stretch, does tend to tie up around the Lansdowne Shops (or are they Shoppes?? I can't remember!). There are LOTS of quite large churches (and some smaller) along Tates Creek Road.
One more thing - Lexington is very much of a place with a four-season climate. Winters have been fairly mild recently - but we've been known to have much colder winters. This past summer was quite hot and dry, so far this fall seems seasonal and we're making up the rainfall. Spring and fall are the most beautiful and most pleasant. Coming from Tucson, your daughter will definitely need sweaters and a warm coat, scarf and gloves and perhaps a hat or hood during the winter. Right now, sweaters or lightweight jackets work, and you don't need those between noon and sundown. Colder temps are forecast for next weekend, however, so we'll all be covering the flowers against the first frost, from the sounds of it. Fall color is just starting to appear now - it usually peaks around October 20 and is just about gone by the first week of November. Snow begins in late November to mid-December most years, but doesn't get serious until January and February. Spring arrives in March and peaks in late April into early May.
I think your daughter would enjoy Lexington - you might want to check with the local Chamber of Commerce and the Lexington Visitors' Center, as I think they can send your daughter free materials which might be of interest. Also, look for related websites for the places I mentioned above to get a better idea about what's here.
I cannot thank you enough for all the helpful information. If my daughter ends up in Lexington, it sounds like it will be a great place to visit! I appreciate both of you taking the time to respond to my post.
Thanks for your answer! We really know nothing about Lexington and don't know what else would be there that she might like to be close to. Obviously shopping, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. would be important; however, it sounds like the apartment complexes you mentioned would fit those requirements. I also wondered about traffic, and it sounds like that may not be a huge problem in Lexington - which would be a vast improvement over Tucson.
I guess what I am also looking for are reasons for which Kentucky in general and Lexington in particular would be attractive to a 21-year old new college grad working in the medical field. We have a lot of family in the Midwest (Tennessee, southern Illinois, Missouri), and Lexington wouldn't be far from them. However, she would not know anyone in town and would probably want to meet people mostly through work or church. She is not particularly interested in a partying lifestyle. What sorts of recreational opportunities are there? I notice several state parks that aren't too far away and look beautiful. She does enjoy hiking and camping. Also sports such as football, basketball, and baseball (college and pro). I'm sure she could become a UK fan, and perhaps even a Cincinnati Bengals fan since Cincinnati isn't too far away.
Any general Lexington information would also be helpful. Of course she has to get a job offer first, but if she does, I would like her to have a "feel" for Lexington as a possibility and not just write it off because she knows nothing about the area.
Well I moved to Lexington for a few months from Chicago and grew up in southern Indiana. Lexington is a nice city but you start to feel like your in the south and a different culture when you hit Kentucky. It seems like there are not many Catholics and a lot of Protestants. Since it was a slight culture shock for me coming from the region, I bet it will be a huge one for her. The best thing Lexington has going for it is UK. Other than that the city is a bunch of chain restaurants and shopping centers. It is a nice city though, as I mentioned. She would probably meet most of her friends through work. Plus she is only 21, so living close to UK would be great for her!
Oh, c'mon, Jman07, there are multiple Catholic churches in Lexington and most of them are quite large! You might want to visit Christ the King Cathedral, Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary Church, St. Peter Church and historic St. Paul (both located downtown), plus several newer large suburban churches with growing congregations, in addition to the Newman Center which serves UK students, but also a good number of townies. There is also a long-established, large and successful Catholic school system, which serves K-12.
While the majority of church members in this area are Protestant, there are many Catholics as well, and no friction at all between Protestants and Catholics, most of whom are friends and neighbors. Historically, most of Lexington's early settlers were Protestants of English and Scots-Irish backgrounds, but the Catholics were not far behind in reaching Kentucky and immediately establishing churches. Agrarian-Lexington did not experience the great wave of mid-nineteenth century immigration from many predominately Catholic European countries as did many larger industrial American cities, so these patterns remained and there are still traces of them today.
We have far more than just chain restaurants here, although they are certainly present as well. In the last year or so, I've dined at Thai, Mexican, Italian, French, Caribbean, Chinese, Japanese, and many other privately owned and very good restaurants, all in and around Lexington. Check 'em out!
Yes, Lexington is a Southern city - it is located in the Upper South. There's no denying it is a different place than much-larger, industrial, Great Lakes area Chicago, and even the much-closer southern Indiana. We are blessed to live in a diverse country, with many different areas, all of which have their own distinct flavors. Why not view this as a bonus, rather than something negative?
If your daughter loves outdoors/Hiking she should love Kentucky. Usually nature loving people are very
happy here. (People use to extremely large metro areas like Chicago and NYC sometimes aren't though.)
Lexington is nowhere near that large.
Emalineky gave you some great advice on Apartments, those would be a great fit.
Here are some others that I have heard good things about. The Mansion is really nice, located on Nicholasville Rd., close to Malls and lots of shopping and dining. They have a bark Park, and Shillito Park
Apartments are large and right next door to Shillito Park where there are miles of Hiking trails right outside the door. (Saltwater pool in the winter to enjoy, fireplaces to enjoy during warmer months.)
Lexington is in the south, and part of the Bible Belt and there are plentiful Churches of all denomination
to attend.( For a city it's size, it has at least three Catholic Churches that I can think of, at the top of my head, Pax Christi, St. Peter's and Mary Queen.) There are probably are a few more Protestants than
Catholics, but it's not as if they war each other or don't get along.
Thanks so much, everyone! I definitely think she can find her niche in Lexington. It sounds like for the most part traffic is not a huge consideration (especially since as a nurse, she may not be driving at the usual "rush hours"). Are there parts of town she would want to avoid? When you don't know a place and just look at a map, that is something you just don't know - especially if you are getting around by GPS.
As far as "the South," I think I have an idea what jman07 means. I have another daughter at Auburn University and it was a huge culture shock for her at first. So she will have to be expecting some differences.
Not that it matters particularly, but she would be looking at Protestant churches, and I would not be surprised to find those in abundance.
I just moved to South Carolina... now that's South. I really doubt there'll be much of a culture shock at all. Sure, she'll notice some differences but I sincerely doubt that she'll be blown away by anything.
Just like I told some of my new South Carolina friends just last night... (please don't anyone take offense to this... I myself lived in Kentucky ALL of my life) Kentucky is southern when it wants to be and Kentucky is northern when it wants to be. It's a very borderline state. My official opinion is that it's not officially a southern state until you don't get looked at funny when you order a sweet tea, and believe me, there are plenty of places in Kentucky where this still happens
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