[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by UKUKUK

I'd take the suburbs of Michigan anyday. Louisvillians are hit or miss when it comes to friendliness and openness to others, the younger generation is particularly friendly, but if you're 25 or older, don't expect to make many friends. There's a lot of bad neighborhoods, some even neighboring the worst parts of Detroit, and at the same time, there are a lot of good. It's fairly cheap, extremely car-based, good luck walking anywhere outside of the neighborhoods approaching downtown. It's nowhere near as soulful as MI I think. My personal favorite part of Kentucky is NoKY in the Cincinnati metro. I've never met a person from Cincinnati who wouldn't go out of their way to help a person in need or simply to meet and make friends with an unfamiliar person. It's by far my favorite KY metro.

Louisville is just very sterile! There are some exceptions. Based on your description of what you like I'm guessing you're either in downtown Bardstown or somewhere near the Highlands?

I live in Jeffersonville, IN near plenty of old walkable neighborhoods with small businesses. Some of the older areas need some major help with economic development, though. Quite a bit of blight... It has some nice areas as well. I agree about walkability near any big box concentration. Very poor... I work at the Census Bureau so I can actually walk to work

[UKUKUK]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

I live in Jeffersonville, IN near plenty of old walkable neighborhoods with small businesses. Some of the older areas need some major help with economic development, though. Quite a bit of blight... It has some nice areas as well. I agree about walkability near any big box concentration. Very poor... I work at the Census Bureau so I can actually walk to work

I've never really explored the Indiana side of the river, so I can't comment on that. As for Kentucky metros, my previous opinion stands. I LOOOOOVE Cincinnati, it's a great town!

[darstar]

Originally Posted by UKUKUK

If that is the case, then they've preserved that southern charm a lot more than Lexington and Louisville. It's nothing but sterility, subdivisions, and Wal Mart here nowadays.

Hillbilly heaven in the hills ...Ypislanti and other places around suburban Detroit...not much Southern charm, unless you count washing machines, refrigerators, and cars up on blocks in the front yard as " Southern Charm".

[UKUKUK]

Originally Posted by darstar

Hillbilly heaven in the hills ...Ypislanti and other places around suburban Detroit...not much Southern charm, unless you count washing machines, refrigerators, and cars up on blocks in the front yard as " Southern Charm".

That is nowhere near the truth for the majority of metro Detroit. However, I was actually referring to the attitudes and the pride in preservation.

[darstar]

A lot of folks came from the hills and MTS. in WV and Ky. to work in the Car factories. Many felt most comfortable settling in surroundings that looked a little like home. Nothing wrong with that, its just that in a some cases they brought the back woods way with them. I would have done the same I guess, rather than living in tenements in the City. Michigan has a lot of hillbillys...not all came from Ky ether. Then there were the immigrants from Poland, and other eastern Europe places, they settled mostly in neighborhoods and created their own little community. same thing happened in Chicago, to work in the Steel mills. Its all part of our history, in the Midwest, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Lexington is Blue Grass country, a far cry from the Eastern Ky. hills, if only by culture and not miles. I always liked stopping there when going up and down I-75, great malls, restaurants and friendly people.

[UKUKUK]

I grew up in Harlan County, probably THE example of "the hills" though :P I can tell you, Michigan "hillbillies" are nothing like what you find in Eastern Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky is less of an issue of culture and more of an issue of having most of the same problems as Detroit/Highland Park. No crime, blight, no jobs, horrible schools, lack of access to basic services.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by UKUKUK

I grew up in Harlan County, probably THE example of "the hills" though :P I can tell you, Michigan "hillbillies" are nothing like what you find in Eastern Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky is less of an issue of culture and more of an issue of having most of the same problems as Detroit/Highland Park. No crime, blight, no jobs, horrible schools, lack of access to basic services.

I once took a group trip in our vintage cars all the way up US 23 from Knoxville to Columbus,Oh. was quite an experience. We met a lot of the locals, they brought out the local TV reporters ,newspapers, welcomed us with food , and in general nice people. We did get a glimpse of what the Coal regions were like, more so than most who never get off I-75 except to eat at the Cracker Barrel.

[UKUKUK]

They get pretty bad, especially these days, in terms of poverty.

Most people are fairly friendly in the region though, I agree. Very proud, but very friendly.

[WheredoIlive?]

I do not know where home is either. Ive moved too much as an adult and way too much as a kid. Huge cities, mid-sized cities, East coast, Wash DC, Chicago, MI, , ....Learned I loved small town life as an adult in my early-mid 30s the first time ever living in one, but sadly forced to economic issues, had to leave the only town that felt like "home" during my life. [Small town in central southern Michigan] I want to go back to that small town or another one again. That small town was friendly. It was also the longest Ive lived anywhere in my entire life 8 and half-9 years. Here some are friendly but it has more of the urban high acheiver reserved feel, and lacks the small town feeling I miss very badly. Would have loved to grown up and lived in same small town all my life, some people think I am nuts.

Am surprised here that people find Kentucky unfriendly...Ive met many people from Kentucky in Southern MI, and they were always some of the friendliest most down to earth people I ever knew. Been there only once myself but liked it.

[motherwaddles]

Ha. The place I live still does not feel like my "home" . It never really has. But it is where my family is. So I stay here...