Affluent Areas in Lexington Metro Area: Is there such a thing? (advice)

[PhDCandidate]

I agree with some of the others and your post is a bit abrasive. If you're looking for what most Lexingtonians would consider "affluent" you're talking about neighborhoods that would have very few rental properties and if you found one, the rent would be closer to a couple thousand a month.

Like I said, I'm not looking for a horse farm, but I don't want to be adjacent to a trailer park or the ghetto either. To me, you can be "affluent" without being stinking rich.

If you go to Wilmore, Midway, Versailles, etc., you can get more for rental dollars, but the obvious challenge of commuting every day. Midway and Wilmore offer small town living with some very charming older homes. You won't be popping over to a movie or the large grocery store at a moment's notice though.

I have no problem with a 45 minute to an hour commute, which I understand is the norm for coming from Wilmore due to the main artery (Nicholasville Road, if I recall correctly) being overwhelmed. That was the norm when I commuted into Detroit for work and also was what I did for several years here in Indiana.

That said, I was told that Versailles has a "significant problem" with drugs and the related crime. Those are not my words, but the words of a friend of mine who currently attends UK, but his definition and mine may differ so I'd prefer to hear whether others feel this is the case before passing judgment. His contention seems supported by the statistics on the City-Data page which show stats a little higher than the national average.

If you like Wilmore, check out Midway. I dont know about rentals but I think it would fill your requirment for a somewhat upscale small town.

What is the commute from Midway like? Any other comments on the town and its people? I can't seem to find much information on the town.

I think close-in there is Chevy Chase and the areas along Fontaine, I think, east of Chevy Chase. From what I recall there are a few older small apartment buildings in that area. This puts you in an older, yet affuent part of Lexington. Apartments and wealthy neighborhoods dont necessarily go together, and what is to rent will be high.

Thank you. I will look into that.

Also thanks to everyone else who chimed in with helpful suggestions. I do apologize for initially coming off as abrasive and honestly hope that no one took serious offense at what I said.

[herbgal]

Keep in mind that Wilmore is a college town...seminary type. It's very small and in my opinion very religion oriented, although many might not agree.

They are widening Rt. 68 which is the direct route to Wilmore from Lexington, so that should make travel time faster and certainly less accident prone!

Have you considered Northern Garrard County? While the county seat of Lancaster proper does not have much to offer, the northern part of the county is fast growing and it's a relatively easy drive (on four lane) to Lexington. Lake Herrington and the Kentucky River offer boating and lake access. The Nature Conservancy has purchased much of the river palisades so you will find a country atmosphere while still being within a 30 minute drive to Lexington and even closer to Nicholasville.

Just a thought.

[JefferyT]

Wilmore used to be nicknamed (by the students at Asbury College) the Holy Hamlet due to the religous nature of the college (there is a college and a seminary, both affliated with the Methodists, I think).

[PhDCandidate]

Wilmore used to be nicknamed (by the students at Asbury College) the Holy Hamlet due to the religous nature of the college (there is a college and a seminary, both affliated with the Methodists, I think).

That's not a problem. Having seminary students around would not necessarily be a bad thing, especially since my wife and I are both active in our church (we're Episcopalian by the way) and many of our friends are either ministers or are seminary students for one denomination or another.

Have you considered Northern Garrard County?

Had not even heard of it until you mentioned it. That said, I will check it out as it sounds like an interesting place.

[bluegrassgirl]

I would voice that your friend is entirely incorrect about Versailles. To say they have a significant drug problem is absurd. There are drugs everywhere and no more in Versailles than other similar size communities. I, for example, would pick Versailles over Nicholasville or Winchester as communities to live - personal preference mostly. Versailles is a perfectly safe town with many middle class and "affluent" areas to live in. Because of the wealthy horse farms in Woodford County though, rental property is more than I'm sure than some of the other areas you've mentioned. I wouldn't take it off my list though as I personally would recommend it to any friend that was investigating an area to live in.

Midway is a charming small town that is about 15 minutes from Versailles. It and Versailles form Woodford county. Midway has several churches, a couple small grocery stores, a physicians office, a well respected college, and some charming shops along with a couple of restaurants. No chains or fast food offerings, nor movie theatres, bowling, etc. It is an area with sidewalks where people walk at night safely. There's a couple of areas that are more economically challenged and a couple of areas with newer larger homes. Quite a few older and charming types of homes that might rent. Oh, there's a post office there. :-) Two stop lights I think unless they've added a new one. The drive from Midway is beautiful. There's several ways to head back to Lexington, but the two most beautiful IMO would be to go through Versailles or to head out Old Frankfort Pike into Lexington - both take you past Horse farms and beautiful large trees. A scenic drive is relaxing for me after a long day's work. Also worth investigating IMO.

[PhDCandidate]

Originally Posted by bluegrassgirl

I would voice that your friend is entirely incorrect about Versailles. To say they have a significant drug problem is absurd. There are drugs everywhere and no more in Versailles than other similar size communities. I, for example, would pick Versailles over Nicholasville or Winchester as communities to live - personal preference mostly. Versailles is a perfectly safe town with many middle class and "affluent" areas to live in. Because of the wealthy horse farms in Woodford County though, rental property is more than I'm sure than some of the other areas you've mentioned. I wouldn't take it off my list though as I personally would recommend it to any friend that was investigating an area to live in.

Midway is a charming small town that is about 15 minutes from Versailles. It and Versailles form Woodford county. Midway has several churches, a couple small grocery stores, a physicians office, a well respected college, and some charming shops along with a couple of restaurants. No chains or fast food offerings, nor movie theatres, bowling, etc. It is an area with sidewalks where people walk at night safely. There's a couple of areas that are more economically challenged and a couple of areas with newer larger homes. Quite a few older and charming types of homes that might rent. Oh, there's a post office there. :-) Two stop lights I think unless they've added a new one. The drive from Midway is beautiful. There's several ways to head back to Lexington, but the two most beautiful IMO would be to go through Versailles or to head out Old Frankfort Pike into Lexington - both take you past Horse farms and beautiful large trees. A scenic drive is relaxing for me after a long day's work. Also worth investigating IMO.

Thanks for your input! I always like hearing that negative information I hear about an area may be incorrect.

[BrewCityMama]

For what it's worth, I just moved to Lexington from Wisconsin (Milwaukee area). I grew up in the Detroit area, and still visit as family is still there. (just a bit of background so you know that I can acknowledge the Detroit experience) I am fairly confident that you will find what you are looking for in this area. I can't give you much specific information since I am still learning the areas, having been here only six weeks, but so far we are enjoying the pace of life, lack of overall drama in the news, and the beautiful drives in and out of the city. We are renting a house in a nice area until we can determine where we want to buy or build, and we already have several areas that are looking good to us for the long term. There are several on this forum who have great advice and know the area quite well (Lexpert comes to mind immediately - we'll be contacting him when we are ready to buy). From reading your posts, I think you will find what you want. Have you visited to see areas for yourself? I was surprised how sometimes the data doesn't seem accurate when seeing the reality.

I really hope you can find a great place!

[bluegrassgirl]

Brewcity - Welcome to Lexington! Michigan is one of my favorite states - been there several times. I have a friend who lives in Adrian and we've visited Detroit a couple of times for Tigers' games (my favorite MLB team). Hope you continue to enjoy your KY home!!

[BrewCityMama]

bluegrassgirl - thank you so much for the welcome!! Go Tigers!

[PhDCandidate]

Thanks BrewCityMama. Like I said, where I wind up at is definitely going to depend upon where I get into school. Right now based on what I've learned and stuff, the Lexington area definitely finds itself high on my list of places I'd like to be at (along with Iowa City and Minneapolis). Any further advice, background or other information is definitely still welcome! Thanks again to everyone who helped me out with this.