Best Urban Neighborhood in Lexington? (Louisville, Ashland: high crime, credit, houses)

[censusdata]

Just curious... what is YOUR favorite urban neighborhood in Lexington?

If I end up staying in Lexington long term I want to live in an urban area similar to Old Louisville, where I lived for 3 years. Most urban neighborhoods in Lex are smaller but very nice looking. Here is a list of the main neighborhoods here:

- South Hill (many houses from 1820s, south of Downtown along Mill & Upper)

- Ashland / Chevy Chase (Euclid Ave, along Main & High Streets near UK)

- Gratz Park/ North Broadway / Transy U (just north of Downtown along Broadway)

- Woodward Heights (Madison Street & Maxwell/ High Street - just west of Rupp)

- West Suburb (just nw of Downtown near the M.T. Lincoln House)

[InLondon]

Ashland and Chevy Chase areas of course.

[LEXpert]

I guess I don't really consider Chevy Chase and Ashland Park to be urban neighborhoods. When new, they were on the edge of town away from the hustle and bustle of Main Street just as much as anything outside Man O War is today. Ofcourse, now they seem really close to downtown, which probably fits most peoples definition

By my own personal definition of Urban Neighborhood, places like Fayette Park, Hamilton Park, South Hill, and streets like Maxwelton come to mind.

[EclecticEars]

I agree with your list, censusdata.

With all due respect, however, I must ask this. You speak of your bad experiences in Lexington, how snooty/rude the people are, etc. If you don't like Lexington so much, why stay there? Do you have a job, or have the means to pick up a second/third job, where you can diligently save a comfortable threshold to move out of the Lexington area once and for all? Not mocking you, I'm just curious.

[DeoGratias]

If I had to pick, I'd go for Chevy Chase. That's if I absoltely had to choose from among those choices.

I have lived on N. Broadway near Transy and it is no picknick. Very high crime and forget going for a pleasant stroll down the street.

[censusdata]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

I agree with your list, censusdata.

With all due respect, however, I must ask this. You speak of your bad experiences in Lexington, how snooty/rude the people are, etc. If you don't like Lexington so much, why stay there? Do you have a job, or have the means to pick up a second/third job, where you can diligently save a comfortable threshold to move out of the Lexington area once and for all? Not mocking you, I'm just curious.

I'd rather like some place I don't like and complain

Basically I do like Louisville a lot better but I have zero family there. It's only an hour down the road so I can go there almost anytime I need to go to a real city park or drive down a real urban corridor.

As far as my bad experiences in Lex public schools... all of those kids came from those ultra snooty neighborhoods like Palomar & Firebrook. I actually got along great with the kids in the neighborhood where I first moved to Lex after my mom died, which was the Skycrest/ Beacon Hill area. I feel that all suburbs - anywhere - have an intense fear of all those "others" - Blacks, Hispanics, eccentrics, etc are all seen as threats to the status quo. It's not as bad in L'ville, but it's still there.

I don't sense that level of zenophobia in Lex's urban neighborhoods even if they are snootier that similar areas in L'ville, so there places I could feel comfortable enough in.

[censusdata]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

I agree with your list, censusdata.

With all due respect, however, I must ask this. You speak of your bad experiences in Lexington, how snooty/rude the people are, etc. If you don't like Lexington so much, why stay there? Do you have a job, or have the means to pick up a second/third job, where you can diligently save a comfortable threshold to move out of the Lexington area once and for all? Not mocking you, I'm just curious.

I hope you like my list because I was listing ALL urban neighborhoods in Lex, not just the best ones.

As for why I stay or my work status... to be perfectly honest I am autistic - granted on the higher functioning end, but still autistic, with what is specifically called Asperger's Syndrome. AS is manifested by intense interest in a few topics, trouble staying on task/ remember to do certain things, trouble understanding social cues, and general problems in social situations.

Even though it would have been much better for me to live at home while in college I couldn't stand going to a nearby school and being around the same people who really made my life miserable in middle/high school, so I went to U of L because it was the closest school where I could have a 'new' school experience w/o the baggage of the past. I got good grades for a couple of years, but the lack of home structure meant I spent little time on home work and all my time on my special interests, which is of course KY related demographic stuff, as well as photography and walking/ cycling. In addition I'm really bad at math & U of L doesn't have a BA in any Geography area, meaning I needed precalc to graduate.

Since I'm diagnosed w/ autism I will be able to start receiving education & job placement services through Lex/KY's vocational rehab & disability resources. Unfortunately UK's phyc dept is ultra conservative about diagnosing autism (they, like Michael Savage seem to think most high functioning austic people are spoiled brats) so I could never recieve an official diagnosis as a teenager and receive these wonderful services. My family took me to 4 different UK phyciatrists to find someone to recomend autism screaning, but to no avail. Fortunatly U of L has one of the premier autism research centers so I easily got clearance to be screened for it.

Basically I'm currently living at home while seeing if I can get my credits transfered to EKU or if I needed to get a 1 year degree from the school formerly known as LCC. If I have stable employment I may or may not return to Lousiville, since I have no family there & it's only a short drive to visit anyway

[rnc76]

Gratz Park area is my favorite. However, it is adjacent to some pretty crappy areas. If I was to live in one of those neighborhoods in Lex, it would be Ashland/Chevy Chase.