Moving with small children to Paducah (Buckner: fit in, houses, neighborhoods)

[abmc]

We are looking at a job opportunity in the city of Paducah itself. It would be a major relocation for us. We have three small kids (7,4,2). We don't know if we would fit in with the community. We like to live near where my husband works. If he could ride his bike to work that would be great. A 20 mile commute is something we want to leave behind. I like to walk or bike with my kids to school, the library, for errands, to the park, to activities. We are not big shoppers or consumers but love eclectic restaurants that highlight local food. We rarely eat at chain restaurants. We love to vegetable garden and buy food from the local farmer's market or get a share at a farm that does a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). We do not want to live in a subdivision. Usually you have to drive to everything and there are no sidewalks. We would love to find a 4 or 5 bedroom house with a big back yard and a big front porch. Ideally it would be in a neighborhood with other young families so our kids can go back and forth to friend's houses. My husband has faith, but I am not religious. We are okay with the idea of church on Sunday but do not want to have our entire social life revolving around church. When we get out without the kids we like live theater, movies that are not 3-D and do not have lots of violence, local music, and even ballroom or latin dance lessons. We would like good schools, obviously. We would like to avoid the homeschooling route.

Could we find what we want in Paducah? Any help that local folks could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by abmc

We are looking at a job opportunity in the city of Paducah itself. It would be a major relocation for us. We have three small kids (7,4,2). We don't know if we would fit in with the community. We like to live near where my husband works. If he could ride his bike to work that would be great. A 20 mile commute is something we want to leave behind. I like to walk or bike with my kids to school, the library, for errands, to the park, to activities. We are not big shoppers or consumers but love eclectic restaurants that highlight local food. We rarely eat at chain restaurants. We love to vegetable garden and buy food from the local farmer's market or get a share at a farm that does a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). We do not want to live in a subdivision. Usually you have to drive to everything and there are no sidewalks. We would love to find a 4 or 5 bedroom house with a big back yard and a big front porch. Ideally it would be in a neighborhood with other young families so our kids can go back and forth to friend's houses. My husband has faith, but I am not religious. We are okay with the idea of church on Sunday but do not want to have our entire social life revolving around church. When we get out without the kids we like live theater, movies that are not 3-D and do not have lots of violence, local music, and even ballroom or latin dance lessons. We would like good schools, obviously. We would like to avoid the homeschooling route.

Could we find what we want in Paducah? Any help that local folks could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Paducah is not a large city, and many of the amenities mentioned are non-existent.

Most social activities revolve around church. If you are perceived as not being religious, you will be continually scrutinized by the locals, and undergo various "sales pitches" to "accept" Jesus and become active in their respective church.

Finding desirable housing within the city limits is iffy. Most of the housing stock is old, and in undesirable neighborhoods. The majority of people who work in Paducah, live in small towns or isolated rural areas, and commute anywhere from 20-50 miles.

The local culture is polarized between middle class religious psychotics, and poor alcoholic/meth heads, with very little in between.

The town is not bicycle friendly. Generally, if you see an adult riding a bike, it means they have a DUI, and have lost their driver's license.

[kentuckydad95]

Here is some info for biking in and around Paducah: Our Town | Bike World | Paducah, KY (http://bikeworldky.com/our-town/ - broken link)
Here is a cycling club in Paducah: CRCC Depending on where you live vs where your husband works would sum up whether you could bike or drive. I see plenty of people on the city roads on their bike. They also have "Share the Road" signs everywhere, so the bicycle presence is there.

A comprehensive list of restaurants here: Dining

Paducah has over two dozen parks: Parks and Facilities | Paducahky.gov

As for live theater: Welcome to The Market House Theater | Market House Theater | Paducah, KY and The Carson Center

If you want a movie theater that shows indie films: Maiden Alley Cinema Online

Paducah also has a fairly large farmer's market: Paducah's Downtown Farmers' Market | Paducah Renaissance Alliance

To answer some of your other concerns, Paducah does have a library (of course ), not sure about a CSA, plenty of places in town that have sidewalks that are not subdivisions. Also, Paducah has a large artist community via their artist relocation program. Lots of culture to soak in. Lastly, if you do need something from a chain store, Paducah has almost every chain store/eatery you can think of.

Research the links provided. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with what you find.

[abmc]

Thank you Kentuckydad and BLS for your replies. It is great that they are from both ends of the spectrum. I will check out all the links that were sent. We have alot to think about.
If anyone else out there has info that could help. I am still listening.
Thanks!

[kygman]

Didn't know that about being scrutinized for not being religious. Especially in Paducah. Oh, you'll find a few people, but you'll find them in almost any town you go to. Also, several times each spring and summer, a long stretch of Broadway is shut down to vehicular traffic so you can bring your bicycles and ride up and down the road and visit with other bicycling families. They show it on the news where you see cyclers from parents and grandparents down to little kids with training wheels riding down the middle of Broadway.
Something else you might like to check out is the National Quilting Museum. The National Quilt Museum . The floodwall along the Ohio River is painted with murals showing the history of Paducah. Pretty interesting. Paducah Wall to Wall, Paducah, KY - Paducah's History on Floodwall Murals - Floodwall Murals Photo Gallery - Self-Guided Tour Just noticed that on the left side of this page is a directory of information about the Paducah area.
Have a safe trip!

[BLS2753]

The OP is speaking of using bikes as regular transportation, not in secure parks, nor special events on Broadway. If you think bike riding is the norm in Paducah, you obviously have never lived in a city with dedicated bike routes. I think this is what the OP is referring to.

My inclination is that the OP is young, well educated, liberal and green thinking. I'm trying to limit the culture shock, not give links to Paxton's PR machine.

I'm on the streets of Paducah everyday, and I call it as I see it.

[BLS2753]

And concerning religion. Members of the upper middle class in this community, are almost unanimously avid church goers. There's a few exceptions, like the agnostic physicists at the USEC plant, and maybe a few physicians at the hospitals. If you are atheist, agnostic, or even Catholic or Jewish, you will be urged to join a Baptist Church. The subject will be raised in the most benign of conversations. Over and over again, until you give in, or accept the consequences of being a social outcast. I've seen it time and time again with newcomers.

As I've said before, I'm in Paducah everyday. I have the perspective of being a career military officer, who has lived in major cultural centers through out the world. My view is not limited to the life long fish bowl of living in western Kentucky, or southern Illinois for that matter.

The regulars here continue to give bad advice about relocation to this area. The region is in a slow cultural and intellectual decline, and has been for about 50 years. People who are use to an upscale urban lifestyle should only move here at their own risk.

[kentuckydad95]

Originally Posted by BLS2753

The regulars here continue to give bad advice about relocation to this area. The region is in a slow cultural and intellectual decline, and has been for about 50 years. People who are use to an upscale urban lifestyle should only move here at their own risk.

What bad advice would that be? Just curious.

[schwiggiddy]

BLS2753 maybe ought to drop the L and the digits. As a Catholic, I haven't been pressured by baptists or otherwise since moving here. It seems to me that the entire w.KY region is on the verge of a transformation, driven by the population centers of 4 different counties. It's just that long time locals here, with perhaps the exception of those who provide aid on this forum, have become complacent and do not realize some of the treasures that outsiders turn up when forced to find things to do. I don't know how many local mothers my wife has clued into the various children's activities that are in the area.

[slfountain]

Wow, I had a very positive experience the two years we lived in Paducah. We lived off Buckner and walked everywhere. My son bought his first bike at the local bike store and learned to ride on the horse racing track. He went to Clark elementary, which was easily the best public school we've been in out of 4 states. Loved homemade ice cream, walking by the river and watching barges, the farmers market was excellent, and there was a CSA through the local health food store in Heath. We spent many happy weekends exploring the land between the lakes and the Shawnee national forest, along with the wine trail. Loved the Garden of the Gods and Giant city state park (Sunday lunch at the lodge!). Many kids programs available through the parks and recreation department. The community college has many fun public offerings. The public library was excellent.
I'm not really sure what there is to complain about! We loved living there with young kids!!