Downtown Neighborhood Question (Lexington, Ashland, Bardstown: real estate, houses, neighborhoods)

[Al555]

I have read posts on this forum back several months and have appreciated the thoughtfulness of the replies. My wife and I are about to join the ranks of those relocating to Lexington. My wife is taking up a faculty position at UK in the fall, and so we are hard at work gathering information about the city and its neighborhoods. There seems to be consensus on two facts: 1) traffic is a problem, and 2) the city leans toward the conservative. As we were both raised in large northern cities, traffic is not much of a concern. And as we have, unfortunately, lived most recently in Columbia SC, I am imagining that the contrast might make Lexington seem more liberal to us than to most, at least for a time.

We will be visiting Lexington in early December, but want to narrow our neighborhood search before then. We are leaning very strongly toward downtown neighborhoods like Ashland Park and Chevy Chase. Our children are grown, so schools are not an issue. We like old houses with some "character", dislike suburban developments, and are looking for neighborhoods that are more, for lack of a better word, progressive.

Can anyone give us more information about these neighborhoods? I have looked at some of the houses, so I get a sense of that, but what does the area look like in general? What is life like there? Is there energy, do people relate well to one another, are there university types there-- that sort of thing. Is there a nightlife nearby, a good place to walk my dog? And aside from these two, are there other areas that might fit the bill?

Kentucky was not on our shortlist of places to move to at this point in life--we had dreams of New England or the coast, but Lexington so far has looked very pleasing to us. We are not into horses but love good bourbon. Not so keen on bluegrass but like college basketball. Also like long motorcycle rides in the the country, and Kentucky looks great for that.

We also love to eat and love restaurants, so any information about that would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Al

[goldenmom7500]

Hi,

Not much time to write, but those neighborhoods you mentioned are *wonderful*. Chevy Chase would have been my absolute first choice, just one of those ideal neighborhoods; the house I saw in Ashland was on a street that was less pristine (than Chevy Chase, or the street in Chevy Chase where I was looking), but I can't say that all of the streets would be like that, I'm new.

good luck!

[jehnifer]

will you have an opportunity to visit at all before the move? i will be in lex for the thanksgiving holiday. i could snap some photos of the Chevy Chase and campus areas and send them to you!! You will be pleased that it has a university feel, lovely park nearby (Woodland) for walking the dog, character-filled, and friendly and open-minded people.

[Al555]

jehnifer,

My wife and I will be visiting Lexington in December. Your offer is quite generous. If it does not require you to go too far out of your way, the photos would help alot. And thanks so much for the comments.

[lexingtongal]

I live in Ashland Park. There are many university folks in the neighborhood in large part due to its proximity to UK. There are many different types of people in the neighborhood. There are young families, couples with no kids at home, retirees, and singles. If you like neighborly functions you will find it here. If you like being left alone you can do that too. People are generally very accepting of each others opinions and choices. Most of my neighbors are very liberal. My husband and I tend to be more conservative. This has not been an issue for us with our neighbors. We accept each other and respect each others opinions.
There are several green spaces in the neighborhood. Slashes Rd has two large green spaces as does Fincastle. Ashland, Henry Clay's estate is also a great place for dog walking.
Overall Ashland Park is more liberal and Chevy Chase more conservative (judging from voting records and yard signs).
We have lived in Ashland Park 9 years and our neighbors have become the center of our social life. We all get along wonderfully and enjoy our lifestyle together.
Downtown is easily walkable from here. We walk to many restaurants, the Farmer's Market, the Gallery Hop, etc. There is so much to do without ever getting in your car! Another area you might consider, that has a large university base, is Bell Court.
Traffic is more of a problem if you live in one of the outlying suburban areas. That is one of the highlights of living within New Circle Rd, you don't have to contend with traffic!

[kygirl79]

Originally Posted by Al555

I have read posts on this forum back several months and have appreciated the thoughtfulness of the replies. My wife and I are about to join the ranks of those relocating to Lexington. My wife is taking up a faculty position at UK in the fall, and so we are hard at work gathering information about the city and its neighborhoods. There seems to be consensus on two facts: 1) traffic is a problem, and 2) the city leans toward the conservative. As we were both raised in large northern cities, traffic is not much of a concern. And as we have, unfortunately, lived most recently in Columbia SC, I am imagining that the contrast might make Lexington seem more liberal to us than to most, at least for a time.

We will be visiting Lexington in early December, but want to narrow our neighborhood search before then. We are leaning very strongly toward downtown neighborhoods like Ashland Park and Chevy Chase. Our children are grown, so schools are not an issue. We like old houses with some "character", dislike suburban developments, and are looking for neighborhoods that are more, for lack of a better word, progressive.

Can anyone give us more information about these neighborhoods? I have looked at some of the houses, so I get a sense of that, but what does the area look like in general? What is life like there? Is there energy, do people relate well to one another, are there university types there-- that sort of thing. Is there a nightlife nearby, a good place to walk my dog? And aside from these two, are there other areas that might fit the bill?

Kentucky was not on our shortlist of places to move to at this point in life--we had dreams of New England or the coast, but Lexington so far has looked very pleasing to us. We are not into horses but love good bourbon. Not so keen on bluegrass but like college basketball. Also like long motorcycle rides in the the country, and Kentucky looks great for that.

We also love to eat and love restaurants, so any information about that would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Al

I agree that Chevy Chase and Ashland neighborhoods are very nice. They are more expensive, however if I had that much money to buy a home in Lexington, it would definitely be in one of these neighborhoods!

I don't know much about Lexington's nightlife. I'm 28 however I don't attend the bars downtown b/c most are college kids. The Lexington Opera House has great events.

As for dog walking, the city has an ordinance that makes you clean up your dog's mess. There are two main dog parks in Lexington...Masterson Station and Jacobson Park. MS is the nicer of the two.

[teebird1012]

Originally Posted by Al555

I have read posts on this forum back several months and have appreciated the thoughtfulness of the replies. My wife and I are about to join the ranks of those relocating to Lexington. My wife is taking up a faculty position at UK in the fall, and so we are hard at work gathering information about the city and its neighborhoods. There seems to be consensus on two facts: 1) traffic is a problem, and 2) the city leans toward the conservative. As we were both raised in large northern cities, traffic is not much of a concern. And as we have, unfortunately, lived most recently in Columbia SC, I am imagining that the contrast might make Lexington seem more liberal to us than to most, at least for a time.

We will be visiting Lexington in early December, but want to narrow our neighborhood search before then. We are leaning very strongly toward downtown neighborhoods like Ashland Park and Chevy Chase. Our children are grown, so schools are not an issue. We like old houses with some "character", dislike suburban developments, and are looking for neighborhoods that are more, for lack of a better word, progressive.

Can anyone give us more information about these neighborhoods? I have looked at some of the houses, so I get a sense of that, but what does the area look like in general? What is life like there? Is there energy, do people relate well to one another, are there university types there-- that sort of thing. Is there a nightlife nearby, a good place to walk my dog? And aside from these two, are there other areas that might fit the bill?

Kentucky was not on our shortlist of places to move to at this point in life--we had dreams of New England or the coast, but Lexington so far has looked very pleasing to us. We are not into horses but love good bourbon. Not so keen on bluegrass but like college basketball. Also like long motorcycle rides in the the country, and Kentucky looks great for that.

We also love to eat and love restaurants, so any information about that would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Al

If you're looking for nightlife than the Chevy Chase would be your best bet as you're just outside UK and about 5- 10 minutes from downtown. Pretty much any house in zip code 40502 is 30 + years old and start around $350,000. Another plus about that area is that you don't sit in rush hour traffic since you're basically in the heart of the city already. There are a number of parks in the area to walk your dog (Ecton, Lansdowne- Merrick, and Woodland are the main ones). This is the area I grew up in so I'm a bit partial to this side of town. Yes the city tends to lean towards the conservative side but seeing as you're from SC this should be nothing really new. I wouldn't go advertising that you're not big basketball fans, UK athletics are a major part of this city.

Lexington has a very diverse range of restaurants for a city of its size. During high school I worked at a wonderful Japanese restaurant called Tomo. Mexican, Chinese, and Italian restaurants are all over town so you really can't go wrong there. In Chevy Chase is a really good BBQ place called Billy's, but it really is not the same as Carolina BBQ (some of my family is from around Raleigh, NC). Many of the big US chains such as PF Chang's and Olive Garden are either located in or around Fayette Mall or Hamburg Pavillion. Bardstown, KY is a haven for bourbon lovers and is about a 40 minute drive from Lexington.

Let me know if you have any more questions.
Thomas

[lexingtongal]

I thought you might find this interesting. Not many photos but a good overview of Ashland Park.

http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/lexington/aph.htm

[Al555]

You all have been terrific in your responses and very helpful. A couple more questions, if I might. From the Ashland Park and Chevy Chase neighborhoods, can you walk to areas where there are restaurants, clubs, and so on? Second, my wife and I now live in a Columbia SC neighborhood called Shandon that sounds alot like these. Older houses, lots of trees, university faculty, and prices that are way inflated. My sense from looking at real estate in these Lexington neighborhoods is that prices are high because of the location. I understand that and we're willing to pay more for an environment that we like. But here in SC, real estate prices are falling pretty fast. Is the same true of Lexington? When we move, we are likely to sell our house for 20-25% less than what we would have gotten just a year ago. What is the general sense up your way? Are prices holding in these neighborhoods or falling like everywhere else?

Also, Thomas-- basketball we like. It's bluegrass that we're not crazy about, but I'll take your advise about that too. Maybe better not to advertise it.

Thanks,

Al

[goldenmom7500]

My real estate agent kept emphasizing that Lexington real estate is pretty stable, no pops, no crashes, but a steady 2-5% increase a year. I bought my house at the end of the summer for a lot ($60,000) less than the original asking price because the sellers had to relocate and enroll their kids in school. But now that I am browsing prices, particularly in 40502, prices actually seem higher than even a few months ago. Is that possible? So much of real estate is about timing - I don't mean that in the traditional sense - I mean that if I need to sell this house in the next month for whatever reason, I'll get a lot less, but if I'm in no hurry just waiting for the right buyer, then I can ask more of a true 'market value'.

[Not sure about your question re walking distance to restaurants, but generally speaking, it seemed to be the case, some neighborhoods in 40502 closer than others. Isn't it wonderful to have these experts (not me of course) weighing in?].