help in moving decision (Lexington, Columbia: rent , college, suburban)

[imdavidbowie]

i'm a northwest oregon native living in manhattan looking for a southern town with at least a little of the feel of portland--bikes, eclectic restaraunts, places to people watch, bookstores and some outdoor recreation. lexington seems like a cool spot on paper-can someone describe the overall vibe? how about the landscape-flat or rolling? we're reasonably well off and not too worried about rent. my wife is concerned about the bible-belt culture and some yankee hostility. any words of wisdom?

[lexingtongal]

Here is a link to some info on Commerce Lexington's website.
CommerceLexington.com - BLUEGRASS RANKINGS
Lexington has something to offer everyone. You can find a niche for whatever you are interested in. The downtown and surrounding areas are generally more urban feeling and more liberal. The further out from downtown you go the more conservative and suburban the feel (obviously these are generalizations and do not fit everyone within these areas but overall this is pretty accurate).
Landscape-Lex is on a plain but is not totally flat. It is surrounded to the east and south by gently rolling hills.
Also check out Lexington, Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau. You can see from this site several of the offerings in this area.
Lex has Ravens Run for short hikes, the Arboretum for pretty strolls, the yellow bike program and soon there will be a bike/walking path from the Ky Horse Park all the way into downtown. There is a 5 year plan to have the path go all the way to the Ky River in Jessamine county.
Yes we are in the Bible belt but I think you will find most people accepting of others beliefs or lack thereof.
As for people watching I think Keeneland is one of the best places in the world to do so. I rarely bet on the horses but love to go just to see the people there.

[teebird1012]

Some of my step-family moved here from Portland also and so I think I might be able to help.

- Religion: Yes Lexington is essentially within the Bible Belt and I've been asked by numerous people where I attend church. For those who don't attend church, be prepared for some to try and persuade you to start attending. You won't be shunned for not going to church. In fact, a larger percentage of my generation around town (I'm 17) is not religious. You wife doesn't need to worry.

- The outdoors: A couple of years ago, Lexington tried bicycle taxis where you could rent a yellow colored bike and return it at another location. The city stopped the program a year or two ago, but have talked about starting it again either this year or next year. Most streets have sidewalks and some of the major roads have bike lanes. The UK Arboretum is a great place to walk around and see numerous native plants to our region. McConnell Springs and Raven's Run are two other great spots. Take a drive through the countryside around town to see some of the horse farms. If you don't mind the drive, Lake Cumberland is a great place to spend a day or two and rent a boat.

- "Vibe": Lexington is a college town, hence much of the city revolves around UK. There is a good restaurant scene here, especially for a city of our size. No we don't have Ethiopian cuisine like in Chicago, but the selection is still good. The areas close to downtown are generally more liberal and the further out of town you go, the more conservative it gets. There are a number of little coffee shops around downtown and no I don't mean Starbucks: Third Street Stuff and Common Grounds in particular. For bookstores, Joseph Beth Booksellers is consistently one of the top ranked bookstores in the country.

- Landscape: The areas surrounding the city are categorized by rolling hills, typical of the bluegrass region of Kentucky. The city itself actually is pretty flat.

Hope this provided some help!

[Irishtom29]

"No we don't have Ethiopian cuisine like in Chicago,"

Believe me TBird, we ain't missin' nuthin'. When I was dating my wife she wanted to go to this Ethiopian joint in Uptown (Chicago), all I can say is no wonder those guys are so skinny. Blech! Pa-tooey!

I lived in Chicago for 57 years and ate Polish, Italian, Bohemian, Serbian, Slovenian, Vietnamese, German, Turkish, Columbian, Jewish, Peruvian----you name it. And Ethipoian was the worst. Worse than Irish food even.

[teebird1012]

Ethiopian was the first thing that came to mind.