Moving to Lexington area...good place to live (excellent schools) (Louisville: apartments, rental homes)

[ladylake]

My family may be moving from a small town (10,000) people a half hour north of Milwaukee, WI. My husband will be attending the medical school in Lexington. We have two children (school age) and I am a teacher. Where are some good places to live that have #1 excellent schools (we come from a district that is ranked in the top 100 in the US) #2 is a safe community and is 30 minutes or closer to the university. We are use to living in a smaller town and would prefer to live in a smaller community as opposed to living in the heart of Lexington. It would have to be a place where there are many families. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to look to find a house/school ?

[lexingtongal]

I think you'll have to decide between good schools (living in Lex) and small town (outlying communities that are smaller but the schools won't be as good).

[matcase]

Congratulations on your move to Lexington. My family and I love living here. Moderator cut: edit I will say that my wife and I are personally biased to Lexington Christian Academy on Nicholasville Rd. The Southwest are of Lexington is a great place to live for raising a family such as the Tates Creek Rd. area. If you are wanting something a little newer and maybe a bit more "open" feeling, you could try the Hamburg area. Also a great area for families. I hope this helps a little, and by all means let me know if I can help you guys. Moderator cut: edit

[LCA2013]

Lexington Christian Academy is the best school! I personally like the Harrodsburg Road Area...Beaumont, Harrods Hills, Palomar, safe family neighborhoods. Everyone is very friendly and great neighbors. Void Tates Creek Road...too much congestion each day getting to work or school. It is a college area and full of apartments and rental homes. Hamburg is great if you don't have to drive away from it, but it does not have the best schools. I lived there and hated every commute. Traffic in the area is a nightmare...an accident every day.

[tibor75]

BTW, is there a map available anywhere that shows the boundaries of the Fayette school district for the different elementary schools, high schools, etc?

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by lexingtongal

I think you'll have to decide between good schools (living in Lex) and small town (outlying communities that are smaller but the schools won't be as good).

She has a point. Although, I have to say that only an single public school system in Central Kentucky has impressed me, and that's Model Lab down in Richmond. Otherwise, not one, anywhere from Springfield to Owingsville. Pretty sad.

To Fayette County's credit, though, it has some very strong elementary and junior high schools. Its public high schools leave something to be desired, though, but the SCAPA program at Dunbar High (very selective program) is magnificent. The state's best public highs can be found in N. KY., Louisville, Owensboro, and the Raceland and Russell areas near Ashland. Fayette County does have some excellent private school systems for K-12, though, such as Catholic schools, Lexington Christian Academy and, probably the best, Sayre.

Otherwise, lexingtongal is right. If you move to a rural or exurban area (i.e.: Scott, Anderson, Jessamine, Clark Counties, etc.,) you're basically comprimising the school situation.

Originally Posted by LCA2013

Lexington Christian Academy is the best school! I personally like the Harrodsburg Road Area...Beaumont, Harrods Hills, Palomar, safe family neighborhoods. Everyone is very friendly and great neighbors. Void Tates Creek Road...too much congestion each day getting to work or school. It is a college area and full of apartments and rental homes. Hamburg is great if you don't have to drive away from it, but it does not have the best schools. I lived there and hated every commute. Traffic in the area is a nightmare...an accident every day.

I agree with the points on Tates Creek Rd. and Hamburg Pavilion. Hamburg is suburban planning at its absolute worst. Just horrible! For example, I live 33 miles from Hamburg and 47 miles from Louisville's The Summit and I will drive to The Summit anyday just b/c it's both more pedestrian- and driver-friendly.

[InLondon]

Originally Posted by jcm1986

I agree with the points on Tates Creek Rd. and Hamburg Pavilion. Hamburg is suburban planning at its absolute worst. Just horrible! For example, I live 33 miles from Hamburg and 47 miles from Louisville's The Summit and I will drive to The Summit anyday just b/c it's both more pedestrian- and driver-friendly.

That would be because The Summit is much smaller.

[lexingtongal]

The best school district (imo) is within 40502. Csssidy, Morton and Henry Clay. There are numerous magnet schools. Starting in 3rd grade there is a gifted/talented magnet. It is housed at either Meadowthorpe or Ashland for elementary, Winburn for middle and feeds into the Liberal Arts Academy at Henry Clay. For the last several years all of the graduates of the Academy have received at least one full scholarship offer. Last year's class of 35 students received over 3 million dollars worth of scholarship offers.
Morton is regards as the best middle school in Lex. Glendover also feeds into it and is a good elementary school but then those students go to Lafayette.
Rosa Parks and Veterans Park are excellent elementary schools but they don't feed into as good of a middle school. The Rosa Parks district does eventually go to Dunbar though which is good. Dunbar houses a magnet, Math, Science and Technology Center, which is an excellent program. There is also a spanish immersion program that starts in kindgergarten and goes through high school. In addition SCAPA served talented children.
I think you will find that people have several good options.
Check out fcps.net to find individual schools scores. Morton rates in the top of the state as does Veterans Park.

[ilealbert23]

My husband and I are planning to move to Lexington, KY. We would like to received advice from you guys. Help us.!

[LEXpert]

Hi ilealbert 23. You may want to start your own thread for your questions. Be sure to include what you are looking for in a neighborhood, what you want to be close to, your price range, etc.

I've been in Lexington for 24 years. I really love it here. It is big enough to have some fun and variety, but small enough to feel safe. I guess it is either a small city or a big town. People will complain about traffic or other issues, but I think the quality of life here is awesome!!