Confused (Lexington, Nicholasville, Georgetown: skateboarding, to rent, house)

[Andy'z Girl]

I am confused about areas to look at to relocate:

I live in a small town in PA and would like to move to Kentucky. A little about me, I have a son who is 14 and needs a very good school district oh and if I don't mention this he will be upset, but he loves to skateboard. I also have a horse and want to buy a small property so that he can finally come home and keep board prices down. Right now my horse is in another state in a great boarding facility so I drive 2 1/2 hours one way to see him on weekends. The facility is great, but it is not a "horse-friendly" state, there is no respect on trails for the horses or their riders and even less on any road you must cross to get there and back.

I ran a ranch for years in the area and love horses and working with them and just being around a barn for me is heaven. I work from home as a web designer and will probably be bringing most of my clients with me and hope to gain a few more.

So ultimately, I would like to work part-time around horses or doing web work.

I am a single mother and I don't drink or party so that type of night life can be at a distance, if I go out once every couple months to dance that is fine.

So I am looking for the perfect place, close enough to Lexington to get a job, enough property to have my horse and maybe a second one, but a small town, friendly people (especially ones that don't mind skateboards) and good schools.

I know this will get all different opinions as I have read numerous posts were everyone says something different. I am hoping to come down during the holidays to start looking at places since this summer is when I plan on moving.

Thanks in advance for any advice or recommendations.

[nlschr0]

Do you have a specific price range in mind?

There are certainly plenty of horse opportunities in central KY! Once you get outside of the major Lexington area, the land prices will fall, too.

I know that there is a skate park in Scott County (part of the rec center), and there are quite a few tracts of land in that area that could have a horse. I'm pretty sure that several other communities (including Lexington near downtown, and maybe Nicholasville?) also have skate parks, and there are more land opportunities in the outlying counties.

You will find a lot of the professional horse community (horse farms, etc) around Woodford County (Versailles) and Bourbon County (Paris) with some located in Scott County also, but the influence is pretty high all throughout central KY.

Several state parks and state-owned wildlife management areas offer public riding trails. There are also some private stables that will let you use their trails for a small fee.

[Andy'z Girl]

Thank you so much for the quick response. I saw one property in Owingsville that seems very interesting. I definitely need to stay in the under $100,000.00 price range. The property I was referring to is 20 acres with house and fencing and a pretty bad barn but that is fixable. Acreage wise anything around 10 acres would thrill me, with fencing and a barn is good as well. House can be small with 2+ bedrooms as well.

[Toria]

Owingsville is going to be a bit of a commute into Lexington - almost 50 miles. Have you looked around Carlisle, Millersburg, Cythiana, Sadieville...or Lawrenceburg, Salvisa? You might find something with some acreage in your price range in those areas. The schools may not be as top-notch as the city of Lexington, but still some good programs in various towns and counties.Not sure on the skateboarding thing, though....the more rural areas (which will probably fit your price range best) may not offer much that way.

[lexingtongal]

Woodland Park, in Lexington, has a skate park.

[bluegrassgirl]

You might want to look at Jessamine County - Wilmore area in particular. Land is cheaper and Asbury College has an equestrian program and board horses there. I know that the horses are well cared for. Or, if you could find a small farm, Lexington is close enough to commute and the college might offer students to "babysit" your horse if you all travelled.

[ttyl1979]

You should try Georgetown. Small town.. but with a Wal-Mart Supercenter so not too small.

There is what they call "the pavilion".. it's a skateboard facility, you can see it off interstate 75.

As for horses...Keenland and the Horse Park are about 15 minutes. Plenty of open green space in Georgetown and I'm sure there is a place where you could board your horse.

Also, the Georgetown public schools are great because they are that small town atmosphere!

[teebird1012]

I would beg to differ about Scott County High though. Everyone I know who has gone there has compared it to Bryan Station in Lexington.

[nlschr0]

Also, Midway College (in Midway - Woodford Co) has a popular equestrian program, so that might be a resource for you.

[pj mills]

My fiance is thinking of selling his farm but wants to rent it first. It is an older log home with a beautiful barn.He has horses.It is in Lawrenceburg. It is close to Versailles which is the heart of horse country and 18 minutes from Lexington. You may want to rent and look around to find what you want.