The good/ bad of Bardstown...Please let me know

[CraigCreek]

I had an incident last spring in which my credit card info. was "skimmed" locally and sold online to someone in Texas. PNC caught it within 48 hours of the first bad transaction, and made it easy for me to straighten things out (they did most of the straightening). I lost no money, of course, just some time and peace of mind, but the bank did all they could to assist me and the police (and the business where the skimmer had been installed on the credit card reader - they had no idea, either).

The local skimmer was arrested and is presently awaiting trial (I wasn't his only victim). I don't know if his "customers" have been apprehended - the person using my card number was in Texas!

[ladyalicia105]

Glad to hear PNC did you well Craig. hey ar a huge branch and on their game.

Off topic, I was looking up demographics on nelson county and I noticed the population of foreign born....there is a decent amount of people from the south pacific like japan, china, indonesia, korean, etc. It says there are more there than other counties in KY. Any reason why asians flock to nelson county? Im curious...

[ladyalicia105]

Anybody know whats up with the schools in Bardstown? The high school is supposedly excellent with an 8 but the elementary and middle schools get a horrible score of 3 and 4. Any input?

[tomocox]

Originally Posted by ladyalicia105

I want BIG!!Nothing against small or family owned banks, its just that their technology is behind. The are a few in Jersey and when you give them cash, its has to clear over 3-4 days!!! Its cash! Whats to clear?Its not a check! So Im looking for the biggest because they will invest the most money in technology and safe online banking transactions. My sister had a mediocre bank up here and had identity theft.

Sorry Alicia, the big banks are not more advanced than some of the area's regional banks. I bank at two of the best and have banked with the largest regional bank. If you do give up a bit of technology, you will gain back far more with personal and local understanding of your needs.

I can swear by Commonwealth Bank, Republic Bank, & Stock Yards. We are proud they exist.

Now, if you are not convinced, that is still fine. Louisville, including Nelson County, Oldham County, and Hardin County have branches of PNC, 5/3rd (actually a super-regional), US Bank, and Chase.

Part of your transition from NJ and NYC is that you will learn that even integrity has a higher standard in the area.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by ladyalicia105

I want BIG!!Nothing against small or family owned banks, its just that their technology is behind. The are a few in Jersey and when you give them cash, its has to clear over 3-4 days!!! Its cash! Whats to clear?Its not a check! So Im looking for the biggest because they will invest the most money in technology and safe online banking transactions. My sister had a mediocre bank up here and had identity theft.

Originally Posted by tomocox

Sorry Alicia, the big banks are not more advanced than some of the area's regional banks. I bank at two of the best and have banked with the largest regional bank. If you do give up a bit of technology, you will gain back far more with personal and local understanding of your needs.

I can swear by Commonwealth Bank, Republic Bank, & Stock Yards. We are proud they exist.

Now, if you are not convinced, that is still fine. Louisville, including Nelson County, Oldham County, and Hardin County have branches of PNC, 5/3rd (actually a super-regional), US Bank, and Chase.

Part of your transition from NJ and NYC is that you will learn that even integrity has a higher standard in the area.

Alicia, I'm with tomocox on this one, too. Even though I live in California now, I still have accounts with a small financial institution serving the Frankfort/Lexington area. It is a far more interpersonal (and with personality!!) institution that what you'd expect to find at big banks, online banking isn't a hassle, and talking to somebody is always a pleasure by phone, even 2,300 miles away. DON'T RULE OUT LOCAL BANKS!!!

As for your original questions, pros v. cons, here goes:

Pros:
- Low crime rate
- Beautiful architecture
- Beautiful surrounding countryside
- A lot of old money in town to make sure it stays this way
- Easy access to Bluegrass Parkway or, just 15 miles north, I-65.
- Basically a suburb of Louisville anymore, reflected in its residential and commercial growth over the last two decades.
- Third or fourth largest Walmart in all of Kentucky, and usually kept very clean!

Cons:
- Fairly snobby. Then again, I live in the shadows of San Francisco, so Bardstown is snobby by Kentucky standards.
- Even though a suburb, still a bit isolated from the Louisville (and Lexington) regions, and driving to the center cities can take an hour.
- Not nearly as redneck/hillbilly as some surrounding counties (i.e.: Bullitt, Anderson, Washington), but enough to remind you that you are in Kentucky. Of course, some love this, some don't, and that's okay.
- Crappy public schools
- You'll probably hear the yokels refer to Elizabethtown, just 20 miles west and population 25,000, as a "big city." I heard Frankfort, also nearby and with nearly the same population, referred to as "big city" growing up. I just laughed at them. Try to contain your laughter as a Metro NYC transplant, though, even though it will be difficult to!

[ladyalicia105]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

Alicia, I'm with tomocox on this one, too. Even though I live in California now, I still have accounts with a small financial institution serving the Frankfort/Lexington area. It is a far more interpersonal (and with personality!!) institution that what you'd expect to find at big banks, online banking isn't a hassle, and talking to somebody is always a pleasure by phone, even 2,300 miles away. DON'T RULE OUT LOCAL BANKS!!!

As for your original questions, pros v. cons, here goes:

Pros:
- Low crime rate
- Beautiful architecture
- Beautiful surrounding countryside
- A lot of old money in town to make sure it stays this way
- Easy access to Bluegrass Parkway or, just 15 miles north, I-65.
- Basically a suburb of Louisville anymore, reflected in its residential and commercial growth over the last two decades.
- Third or fourth largest Walmart in all of Kentucky, and usually kept very clean!

Cons:
- Fairly snobby. Then again, I live in the shadows of San Francisco, so Bardstown is snobby by Kentucky standards.
- Even though a suburb, still a bit isolated from the Louisville (and Lexington) regions, and driving to the center cities can take an hour.
- Not nearly as redneck/hillbilly as some surrounding counties (i.e.: Bullitt, Anderson, Washington), but enough to remind you that you are in Kentucky. Of course, some love this, some don't, and that's okay.
- Crappy public schools
- You'll probably hear the yokels refer to Elizabethtown, just 20 miles west and population 25,000, as a "big city." I heard Frankfort, also nearby and with nearly the same population, referred to as "big city" growing up. I just laughed at them. Try to contain your laughter as a Metro NYC transplant, though, even though it will be difficult to!

Yeah, big city to me is my families home towns of Brooklyn, Bronx, and Jersey City lol! But you know what? I dont like it anymore. My family left to. We all wanted suburbia. But my town is still well over 100,000 and its not considered a city, its just a suburb, a shore community. We all got sick of the crowds, the expense of everything, the noise. I want quiet and privacy but not to much. I dont want to feel like im in " no mans land" either lol! Once i visit in March Ill be able to tell if I can handle such a huge change. ill either love it or hate it By the way what bank are you talking about? And yes, Bardstown I heard is lovely but the school ratings are garbage. I DONT like that!

[Sundance]

Originally Posted by ladyalicia105

That is amazing news! What a join it is to hear people say that the isnt much wrong wth he town! I was originally looking into Pennsylvania and most of the people actually complained about the state or didnt have good things to say. I cant wait to visit. One thing I didnt realize is I heard some counties are dry" . Does that mean they dont sell alcohol or its prohibited? Im married to a Scots-Irish...dry would be a no -no lol!!!

Check out to make sure whatever your destination is, that you are moving to a "wet" county.
I prefer a dry county myself, but as this is a prime consideration for you, you'll want to check.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by ladyalicia105

Yeah, big city to me is my families home towns of Brooklyn, Bronx, and Jersey City lol! But you know what? I dont like it anymore. My family left to. We all wanted suburbia. But my town is still well over 100,000 and its not considered a city, its just a suburb, a shore community. We all got sick of the crowds, the expense of everything, the noise. I want quiet and privacy but not to much. I dont want to feel like im in " no mans land" either lol! Once i visit in March Ill be able to tell if I can handle such a huge change. ill either love it or hate it By the way what bank are you talking about? And yes, Bardstown I heard is lovely but the school ratings are garbage. I DONT like that!

Take EclecticEars with a grain of salt. He has a well known distaste for all things KY, especially Louisville. He has been trolling these boards for years although he does make some good points sometimes, much of it is blinded by his hate for the state of KY based on being a young person raised there.