Relocating to Louisville (La Grange, Prospect, Anchorage: houses, neighborhoods, theatre)

[amaynie]

Hello everyone...my husband just accepted a fantastic job opportunity in Louisville and we would like to know more about where the good public schools are. Our daughter is 14 going high school (she is excited about the move) and is an honor student very active in sports and band. We have researched KY and it seems that Oldham County is similar to where we live now and have a great school district like here in Overland Park, Kansas (Blue Valley). We are looking for a home with a lot of bells and whistles, preferably a golf course property, with nearby grocers, shopping, restaurants, but we will be working with a relocation specialist to assist us in our move to help pinpoint what we are looking for exactly. We are trying to get a feel for what to expect from those who know KY pretty well. This site was very helpful when we moved to KS. We will visit soon to look for a house and want to know where the places are to see and/or visit. I know when we moved to Kansas 2 years ago, we were pleasantly surprised by it being such a beautiful place to live. Driving is not a problem as for we are originally from Michigan and driving a distance is so normal in larger cities, we are used to that.
Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. We are excited about the move and look forward to our visit to KY.

Thank you for your help!

[tomocox]

A relocation specialist? Please be more descriptive so I can help you better.

[downtheroad]

Welcome to Kentucky! I've lived in Kansas and know OP well. OP is more commercialized than Oldham County and they "feel" differently as well to me.

I would suggest that you try Prospect. It's a nice city and has some beautiful neighborhoods with a great school system in Oldham County. Traffic is pretty easy here, so your husband will have an easy time getting to work etc.

Your daughter will probably feel like a genius in Kentucky schools, so good for her. But monitor her new friends here. Affluent area, but drugs are an issue.

Enjoy The BlueGrass State!

[amaynie]

Thank you and I am excited to come to The BlueGrass State! The realtor is a relocation specialist hired by the company to help us find a house and is involved with us through the process. I guess I wanted more info about Oldham County, the schools, and things to see and do when come for a visit. ( I don't feel comfortable posting what our price range for a home is...sorry) We want our daughter to keep up grades, adjust, and be in a similar environment she is in now. My daughter is very disciplined with her grades and goals at 14! Yes, we are blessed. I don't worry about her becuase the same drug/alcohol problems are here as well, we have been blessed that our children have managed to steer clear of it. Is it that much different in Oldham County vs. OP? How is the weather there? Nightlife? My husband and I like to go out on "dates" and wine and dine, I guess...lol. I appreciate the advice and I look forward to coming to KY!

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by amaynie

Thank you and I am excited to come to The BlueGrass State! The realtor is a relocation specialist hired by the company to help us find a house and is involved with us through the process. I guess I wanted more info about Oldham County, the schools, and things to see and do when come for a visit. ( I don't feel comfortable posting what our price range for a home is...sorry) We want our daughter to keep up grades, adjust, and be in a similar environment she is in now. My daughter is very disciplined with her grades and goals at 14! Yes, we are blessed. I don't worry about her becuase the same drug/alcohol problems are here as well, we have been blessed that our children have managed to steer clear of it. Is it that much different in Oldham County vs. OP? How is the weather there? Nightlife? My husband and I like to go out on "dates" and wine and dine, I guess...lol. I appreciate the advice and I look forward to coming to KY!

All one needs to do is look at the population difference to realize Overland Park is a much larger suburban area than Oldham County, which is rural/suburban. To give you an idea, there is not even a Target in Oldham County. Likewise, Kansas City is a decent clip larger metro area, but there isn't too much of a difference between KC and Louisville with the exception of pro sports and a couple high end department stores.

So yes, schools are in issue for JCPS/Louisville, but as I have said time and again, it is a nice district worth looking into. Louisville is also a bistate metro, and places like Floyds Knobs, IN are very close to downtown and give you more bang for your buck plus just as good as public schools as Oldham Countywith substantially more neighborhood amenities .

Fortunately for Louisville's sake, it doesn't have as much sprawl as a lot of mid major cities because it doesn't have any major edge cities like Overland Park or Chesterfield, MO, etc etc.

If you guys like wine and arts and theatre, living in the actual city in the Highlands or St Matthews would be much better for you guys, if you can just figure out the school situation. I would in no way rule these areas out sight unseen. Also, private schools may be an option as they are hugely popular with the middle upper and upper classes in Louisville, especially parochial schools. The education is far superior at these schools to any Oldham County schools and most Louisville schools with the possible exception of Manual HS.

Judging by your post, you may have some decent money to spend, and if you do, an incredible school district within Jeffereson County is called Anchorage, and is located in a very nice suburb only 20 minutes to downtown and much closer to good wine bars and restaurants, and just things to do (Oldham County has a cinema so small it looks like something out of 1982 for example).

[mdawg]

Nevel Meade, the Oldham County section of Glenoaks, and Hunting Creek are all golf course neighborhoods and the price of these houses range from the 300s up to 1mil+. Also, they are all in Oldham County, but not too far away from amenities in Jefferson County. Other neighborhoods to consider are Paramont and Hillcrest in Goshen, and Briar Hill Estates and Summerfield in Crestwood. These neighborhoods feature custom built homes so they have all the latest features in them. Briar Hill will get you a little more land, and has a bit more of a country feel, but it is a very nice neighborhood that has a community park and a lot of hiking trails.

[tomocox]

My bride and I live in Briar Hill. We have been part of the Oldham County scene for years. The biggest issue you will face in living in Oldham County will be which shoes to wear today. Your wish to live in a golf community is the only limitation you may have to consider. Mdawg hit the nail on the head above with the three communities with golf courses as part of the development. Not to despair, places such as Briar Hill, Grand Dell, Grand Villa, and so many more offer charms, too.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by tomocox

My bride and I live in Briar Hill. We have been part of the Oldham County scene for years. The biggest issue you will face in living in Oldham County will be which shoes to wear today. Your wish to live in a golf community is the only limitation you may have to consider. Mdawg hit the nail on the head above with the three communities with golf courses as part of the development. Not to despair, places such as Briar Hill, Grand Dell, Grand Villa, and so many more offer charms, too.

Briar Hill is very nice I must say, but for Oldham County, I really prefer the areas off US 42 and also KY 1793. Almost any subdivision around there is good, especially close to N Oldham High.

Again, for the OP, don't rule out the city sight unseen, though. Oldham County is much more rural than what you are thinking. The nearest wine bar would be Brix Wine Bar at I-265 and La Grange Rd, which is 15-20 minutes from some parts of Oldham.

[amaynie]

WOW, thank you sooo much everyone for such detailed information. I appreciate your help. We are not rural people at all so thanks for that tidbit of info! I don't want to be away from locals like you mentioned, such as Target, lol. Your information helps me feel not so blinded by what to expect of Louisville. My husband can do without a golf course community, I think (smile). We are more concerned with schools and a really nice place to live without being far away from everything.

I will definitely take the information back to the realtors and let them know of the areas you guys mentioned. I will keep you posted and let you know how it's going. I love this site, it is so helpful to the newbies!

[tomocox]

I think you are going to wind up in the Oldham County section of Moser Farms. Reasonably priced homes, golf, and just east of I-265/KY 22. That road will get a massive widening over next two years, but should be great thereafter.