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As a fluke I started to look at farms in KY and just could not believe how beautiful and Cheap land is! So, here's my scenario: I farm/raise honeybees/work as a substitute teacher. I am looking for a minimum of 100 acres, preferably w/a house already on it; I have spent a lot of time on Zillow and local realtors websites so I have a bit of knowledge of what is available/going prices etc.
What I would like as far as input from you folks here on City-data is what counties (I ask in counties because it makes it easier for me to do searches) are considered farmland? Meaning, that the people in those areas farm - hay or cattle, and actually anything but tobacco or cash crops (tired of all the chemical spraying). What counties are populated w/Amish? What counties are not experiencing urban sprawl, or God forbid, subdivisions ( I apologize in advance for offending anyone that likes/lives in sub-divisions, but I think it's important that you know of my aversion to them). Is it mostly land along I-64 that is springing up sub-divisions?
I would like to live in an area where the people are friendly. Is land north of I-64 tend to have an Ohio feel and a northern attitude? If so, any ideas on where (counties) this starts? Oh, I guess I should mention that I am looking east and south of Lexington. I use the VA hospital and I would like to be within two hours of Lex, how far out can I go (roughly)? Not that big a deal of a factor as I'm not sickly. I know there a few VA outpatient clinics outside of Lex, anyone have an opinion on them, like someone you know uses it or works there?
To sum it up and kind of give you an overall picture: where I live now, my nearest neighbor is a mile away and it takes me about 15 mins to get to town where there is Wal-mart, hardware, grocery, feed and dollar store (and some other small businesses). It takes me an hour to get to a decent sized city (Bloomington, 80k people) which has just about everything I need. This small town is too big for me; city-data says 2500 and a county of 24k and I think they all show up in town at once, just too congested for me. All I need in town is a grocery, feed, and hardware store. To help again w/perspective, I looked at a farm in Irvine and just loved it. I saw one in Greenup that I fell in love with, but didn't care for the proximity to Oh and WV (or should that not be a concern?).
Well, if you are still reading thank you for doing so. I would much appreciate any thoughts, opinions, or questions if you have them.
You don't get a lot of that "Northern attitude" in Kentucky unless you're north of Dry Ridge or in Metropolitan Louisville. For whatever reason, Bardstown has always kinda had some attitude; maybe spillover from Louisville transplants.
Casey County in south central Kentucky and Crittenden and Webster Counties in western Kentucky have large Mennonite populations, basically cousins to the Amish and very similar except Mennonites drive used, older model vehicles. These aren't exactly counties people are dying to move to, either, so there's very minimal subdivision and other "suburban" development. Yet, you can be in a city of more than 100,000 residents in less than two hours if you need to--Webster Co. is 30 minutes from Evansville, IN, which has a VA Hospital; Casey Co. is 90 minutes from Lexington and Crittenden Co. is 90 minutes from Evansville.
I know very little about Irvine and Greenup in regards to actually living there (except regarding public schools), so I can't comment.
There are Amish communities in Livingston, Trigg, and Graves counties also, that I know of. Of course none of these counties are anywhere near where you're looking to move. Ears was telling you where the Amish were way west of where you're looking but wanted to update the counties.
EE,
Thank you for responding...I couldn't believe all the crickets after so many people had read the post. I suppose maybe it is clumsy? I would be interested in your opinion on the public schools in Greenup and Irvine, as it does speak to the community. Are you aware of how many students are in the schools/type of programs? I realize rural schools have the bare minimum, but you never know.
I am not sure where Dry Ridge is? I am familiar w/Louisville and that is why I prefer to look around Lex. I'm surprised you connected Casey cty w/L'ville? I really don't want to be connected there. Oddly, I talked to a man in Lowe's yesterday whose wife is from Lex and they are trying to relocate back to there; he spoke highly of the area.
I'm familiar w/Mennonites too as there are some here. There was a big kerfuffle here w/the Amish, half of the clan wanted to become more modern and able to drive cars. The other half didn't and therefore left. I forget at the moment where they went, but I believe it was still Indiana. As to why I am interested in where the Amish are, well, that generally speaks to where farm country is.
Kygman,
Thanks for the updates. I am looking for farming communities, but in the end I will end up where the best price for land/quality of land/quality of community meet. I suppose I am looking in the eastern part mostly to get in the foothills and away from heavy humidity. My neighbor lived in Hart cty (Ky) for years and said it was very hilly, due to caves, lots of farming and that he remembers the weather being better than here but couldn't elaborate. Can I have your opinion on the weather in your part of the state? I would appreciate it.
2 hour proximity to Lexington? That gives you a big circle with a lot of little counties. Remember: Louisville and Cincinnati are both about an hour from Lexington. Ashland is like an hour and a half. Two hours gets you most of the way to lake Cumberland, and an hour outside of Nashville on the highway!
South and east of Lexington is mountainous / hilly, but very scenic. Heading out west and north from Lexington, its more rolling land, but it's also expensive horse land.
There's probably hundreds of small (<2500 people) towns all over, its hard to name just one!
I would look towards Cumberland state park. The red river gorge area is very scenic, and the hills north of there are nice, too. Depending on your proximity to the highway,you're anywhere from 1.5-2.5 hours from Lexington. Being in a park, there's no cash crops. Its mostly wooded land, but a few clear ridge tops can be found for sale at a reasonable price per acre. That far east, you're also out of horse and tobacco country, so prices drop. I can't name any specific counties offhand, but someone else will be more knowledgeable.
And, dry ridge is about 30-45 minutes north of Lexington, past Georgetown (if memory serves me right). The closer you get to Ohio, the more its like Ohio.
I would like to live in an area where the people are friendly. Is land north of I-64 tend to have an Ohio feel and a northern attitude? If so, any ideas on where (counties) this starts? Oh, I guess I should mention that I am looking east and south of Lexington. I use the VA hospital and I would like to be within two hours of Lex, how far out can I go (roughly)?
You can go almost anywhere in Kentucky and be within 2 hrs of Lexington. I live near Greenup, on the far eastern end of the state, and I can get to Lexington in less than 2 hours. Also, it's near Huntington, WV which also has a VA.
Not that big a deal of a factor as I'm not sickly. I know there a few VA outpatient clinics outside of Lex, anyone have an opinion on them, like someone you know uses it or works there?
To sum it up and kind of give you an overall picture: where I live now, my nearest neighbor is a mile away and it takes me about 15 mins to get to town where there is Wal-mart, hardware, grocery, feed and dollar store (and some other small businesses). It takes me an hour to get to a decent sized city (Bloomington, 80k people) which has just about everything I need. This small town is too big for me; city-data says 2500 and a county of 24k and I think they all show up in town at once, just too congested for me. All I need in town is a grocery, feed, and hardware store. To help again w/perspective, I looked at a farm in Irvine and just loved it. I saw one in Greenup that I fell in love with, but didn't care for the proximity to Oh and WV (or should that not be a concern?).
Quite honestly, I doubt that there is any place in Kentucky where your nearest neighbor is a mile away, although there are lots of small towns scattered around the state. If you truly live in a town/county the size you describe above and it's too big/congested for you, you probably need to look out west where population densities are lower. Also, although land CAN be cheap, you usually get what you pay for, and either it has been recently clear cut (at least in the Greenup area) or it's virtually untillable. Greenup probably won't work for you because it's in the Ohio River Valley Corridor, which means that, because of the industry along the Ohio, it's somewhat dirty and polluted, which bees don't tend to like that much, as I recall. Also, it's in the foothills of the Appalachians, so the ground is rocky and usually very steep (i.e. untillable). The "farmable" areas of the state are located more in the center of the state, but those areas are VERY expensive.
Well, if you are still reading thank you for doing so. I would much appreciate any thoughts, opinions, or questions if you have them.
Oh, and I believe that you had asked about schools too. Greenup county schools are some of the worst in the state, with apologies to my numerous friends who live in Greenup county. I drive my kids to Russell, because the Russell school district is one of the best in the state.
Thanks for the updates. I am looking for farming communities, but in the end I will end up where the best price for land/quality of land/quality of community meet. I suppose I am looking in the eastern part mostly to get in the foothills and away from heavy humidity. My neighbor lived in Hart cty (Ky) for years and said it was very hilly, due to caves, lots of farming and that he remembers the weather being better than here but couldn't elaborate. Can I have your opinion on the weather in your part of the state? I would appreciate it.
Thanks for the well wishes!
Indy Beek
You won't escape the humidity in the eastern part of the state. I would be willing to wager that we have as high or higher humidity here than any other part of the state, although MAYBE it's not QUITE as hot as the western end of the state.
Crazyhorse,
Good perspective, thank you. As for weather, I'm comparing it to living in Indiana, where the extremes are miserable. Miami type summers and Antarctic type winters. Just Miserable. And that's just about me, let alone the bee losses I suffer.
The school question was more about the type of students since I work in them. If I had children, I would be in Jersey and have them in school there.
If I won the lottery I would buy one of the 24,000 acre ranches out west. But I never play or have that type of money. And yes, land out there is expensive, more expensive than Ky and the winters go.on.forever.
Yes, I realize that the cheaper the land, the less desirable it is. But, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I just don't want to see or hear another neighbor, unless it is a tractor mowing hay. And when I say farming I should have said agriculture. Bees are ag and the only farming I want to do is cows and hay. And that's an if anyway. If I find a place that I like and it is all wooded, so be it. If it has pasture, I'll stick cows on it.
I realize I am as clear as mud and I apologize for that. It's just that "where" is very flexible; no children, no job I have to travel to. I just need to be as private as possible within my budget and the weather has got to be bearable-I'm tired of hiding in a/c in summer and feeding the woodstove in winter.
Lastly, Greenup is polluted/pollution from Ohio RV trickles down to there? Bees only fly in a 5 mile radius, they're not gonna hitch a ride to Cincy....
Thank you again for your input!
Indy Beek
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