Question about Stanton (Lexington, Richmond, Danville: for sale, real estate, low crime)

[marino760]

Does Stanton have a quaint small downtown area similar to other small towns? There are so few pictures available of Stanton. The county courthouse looks relatively modern and in a residential neighborhood.

[Crazee Cat Lady]

I had a friend in the seventies who lived there and told me that it was in the middle of nowhere (ofcourse that was decades ago and she was a teenager, so make of it what you will.)
Actually that is where the Red River Gorge is and it can be argued that it is one of the most beautiful places in America, much less in Kentucky. (I don't remember a town, by I am sure there was one, I was interested in the scenery the times I have been there.)

Stanton Kentucky

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanton,_Kentucky

Red River Gorge

Wish I had more info for you - the natural scenery there is next to none though...and in Federally protected Daniel Boone National Forest.

[censusdata]

The downtown isn't very compact or have any Victorian buildings but the town itself if clean looking. Good location for someone who wants to be in Eastern KY but still be as close to Lexington as possible. It's the nearest town to Natural Bridge / Red River Gorge which is one of the top tourist destinations in KY.

[Mr. In-Between]

It's a nice little town, in one of the 2 or 3 most absolutely beautiful areas of the state. You could do a lot worse than Stanton - a heck of a lot worse.

[marino760]

Thank you for the information. Stanton certainly looks like it's the gateway to some of the most beautiful scenery Kentucky has to offer. I'm really stuck on finding a relatively small town with an old city center that's walk-able and safe. Being next to or very close to the Appalachian Mountains has become high on my priority list (Thank you Mr. In-Between). Next year, I'm going to try to get the time off work in April to attend the mushroom festival in Irvine and also check out Owingsville. The search continues......but it's narrowing down.

[censusdata]

If you need a more substantial downtown area I'd add Mt Sterling to the list. It has a much larger Victorian district and is in the Bluegrass Region but just 6 miles to the edge of the Appalachian foothills.

[marino760]

Originally Posted by censusdata

If you need a more substantial downtown area I'd add Mt Sterling to the list. It has a much larger Victorian district and is in the Bluegrass Region but just 6 miles to the edge of the Appalachian foothills.

Thank you. I will certainly check out Mt Sterling since it's on the way to Owingsville and if I move to Owingsville, I'll be working part time in Mt Sterling, just 10-20 hours a week for maybe just 2-3 years. Likewise with Irvine and Richmond. I'm not thrilled with commuting for a part time job but I can transfer from my current work to either location. It's all going to be a balance. Plus working PT in a larger town will allow me to meet people and hopefully make some friends.

[Mr. In-Between]

Originally Posted by marino760

Thank you for the information. Stanton certainly looks like it's the gateway to some of the most beautiful scenery Kentucky has to offer. I'm really stuck on finding a relatively small town with an old city center that's walk-able and safe. Being next to or very close to the Appalachian Mountains has become high on my priority list (Thank you Mr. In-Between). Next year, I'm going to try to get the time off work in April to attend the mushroom festival in Irvine and also check out Owingsville. The search continues......but it's narrowing down.

Has anyone told you about Berea? That may be my favorite little town in the entire state. And while it's a long way from the mountains, I've always had a soft spot for Midway, too. You ever see "The Flim Flam Man"? You know that scene where they show a train running right through a small downtown, with a street on either side of the tracks? That's Midway. They've got a really cool little downtown. Very historic, just the right combination of restored and well-preserved.

[Crazee Cat Lady]

Midway is one of my favorite Kentucky towns also, I have a cousin who lives there, and we were there one Christmas, and it was covered in snow, and the whole town decked out in Christmas decorations...one of the loveliest sights I have ever seen...it was sort of surreal, like being in a dream.
Midway Kentucky

[marino760]

Midway is beautiful, conveniently located and very low crime. The down side for me are high property taxes (some of the highest in the state) and high home costs, both being significantly higher than the Kentucky average with very few if any homes for sale at any given time within my price range.
Berea also has higher property taxes but it's certainly going to be on my list of towns to visit and explore. It has so much to offer.
For what it's worth, I'll explain why I find Irvine the most appealing to me at this point.

-Geography.... It's hilly and nestled between mountains and a river. Almost anywhere in town feels like the mountains are almost in your backyard.
-Crime.....Irvine has some of the lowest crime rates per population in the state. It ranks 98 out of 100 in safety.
-Property taxes are among the lowest in the state
-Real estate values are significantly lower than the national average and even Kentucky average. I can buy a nicer house here for less money.
-It has a quaint little walkable downtown area. Not grand like Danville or Bardstown, but still nice and lovely from what I can see of it.
-There appears to be no "bad" part of town despite low values of homes. I can virtually walk down any street on google and the homes appear to be well maintained, lawns mowed, no trash on streets. Overall it appears that people have pride in their town and keep it up very nicely.
-Weather.....being up against the mountains the risk of tornadoes is significantly lower. The risk of a tornado hitting the town is lower than the KY average as well as below the national average.
-It has a small but award winning hospital
-It's conveniently located within a half hour drive to Richmond for work, shopping and entertainment, although I realize Richmond is not the safest place to be.
-It's the county seat
-It's a real, authentic small town in middle America, the type of town I've always wanted to live in (I know this sounds silly to many of you).

It really all comes down to compromise. So far, Irvine fits most of the things I'm looking for, but I am keeping an open mind. I really want to visit Owingsville and historical little Stanford in the Bluegrass region too.
If you haven't seen this video yet, I think it's nicely done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxY6vaAmsIA