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Just depends on your wishes. I have had close connections with both. Tell me more of what you would like to have. How important is transportation, education, recreation, etc.
Which of the two cities listed do you like the best: Lexington, KY or Louisville, KY? Also, tell us why you prefer one city over the other.
My preference is Louisville because its a river city, while Lexington is riverless.
Both cities are a lot different in many ways. What they have in common are friendly people, weather, and a low cost of living. Other than that, they really are much different. Louisville is nearly three times the size of Lexington, so comparing them can be apples and oranges.
I have to agree it is a bit like comparing apples to oranges...I live near Lexington and I happen to prefer it since I used to live in Cincinnati...and I've come to enjoy the smaller metro area. Louisville has a lot to offer but depending on your interests may or may not be best for you. Gas prices are generally lower in Lexington than Louisville, sometimes as much as 10-15 cents a gallon. Louisville has more advanced public transportation and a more elaborate highway system but of course, more traffic due to the size of the area.
Just depends on your wishes. I have had close connections with both. Tell me more of what you would like to have. How important is transportation, education, recreation, etc.
Transit, things to do, setting, job opportunities are all important to me.
Transit, things to do, setting, job opportunities are all important to me.
I think Louisville has it all over Lexington in all four categories, but then, I'm from Louisville! No question there is a lot more going on in Louisville with regard to the arts, music, etc.
Wow, I'm sorry you have such a negative, and untrue, impression of Lexington.
Actually Lexington offers all the amenities of Louisville but on a smaller scale.
There are fewer people living in Lex so obviously we need less duplication of things to meet our residents needs. We have an active arts scene, great restaurants, a great school system (the highest rated in the state), and less traffic to contend with. It is less spread out than Louisville so it takes less time to navigate around town.
Wow, I'm sorry you have such a negative, and untrue, impression of Lexington.
Actually Lexington offers all the amenities of Louisville but on a smaller scale.
There are fewer people living in Lex so obviously we need less duplication of things to meet our residents needs. We have an active arts scene, great restaurants, a great school system (the highest rated in the state), and less traffic to contend with. It is less spread out than Louisville so it takes less time to navigate around town.
Lexgal, lets not turn this into a comparison. I would most definitely disagree with you here, though. Its like me saying Louisville offers everything Atlanta does but on a smaller scale. Well, that is just not true! Yes, Louisville does have many of the amenites of Atlanta (or many large cities), but it is also lacking alot. In the same way, one cannot compare Lexington and Louisville! I will be glad when Louisville gets more national recognition so I don't have to explain to people anymore that they are nothing alike Anyone who has lived in both cities knows they are virtually nothing alike, especially size wise.
Anyways, Lexington is a FINE town. It is so beautiful and has a lot of knowledge based workers, and a decent amount to do. It is just a lot smaller and does not have as many amenities as Louisville, that is all.
Please, let's not use these forums to bash other people's homes, but rather talk about the differences. I think we can all agree on the differences in the two cities without bringing them down.
Actually stx I agree with you on not bashing each others city. Both have a lot to offer. It seems as if a lot of posts take the position that Louisville is SO superior to lex and it just rubs me the wrong way
Yes, I agree. The two cities are entirely different, and to decide which is better is totally based on personal opinions.
As others have pointed out, Louisville is certainly larger, so most things in Lexington are on a smaller scale. For example, both have nice art museums. Louisville's Speed Museum is larger and tends to attract more popular national traveling exhibits, whereas Lexington's has smaller, more specialized visiting exhibits. There are outstanding schools in both - Louisville has a greater selection of magnet schools and optional programming, but it also has forced busing and some really poorly rated schools. There are more private schools in Louisville, including parochial/Catholic, "other religious", and independent, upscale schools.
Both have great restaurants. If you're looking for an upscale, contemporary, NYC style restaurant experience, Louisville has a good selection. Lexington also has some great ones, but certainly fewer. If you want funky, hole-in-the-wall, local eateries, it is the same thing. Louisville has quite a few selections, Lexington has fewer but still some great offerings. If chain restaurants are your thing, both have many well-known selections. Louisville has a Hard Rock Cafe and Cheesecake Factory, etc - Lexington doesn't.
Shopping: both have large shopping malls with many popular chain stores and department stores. Lexington has 1 main traditional mall (with a second, smaller mall that is not as popular), and one major contemporary open "lifestyle" shopping center. Louisville has 3 major traditional malls, and more than one open "lifestyle" center. Looking for organic and gourmet foods? Lexington has Wild Oats and a great local market (Good Foods Co-op), with a few smaller local places. Louisville has both Wild Oats and Whole Foods, with several smaller local places throughout. Want unique, boutique, locally owned shopping? Louisville has more, with larger clusters. Lexington also offers some great ones, just fewer and less overall selections.
Both offer a downtown environment that is being re-invented and re-emphasized. Louisville's is much larger. Both have contemporary loft living, modern high-rise living, and older historic neighborhood rings around the downtown area. Both also offer a range of housing in "suburban" environments. Louisville has a larger suburban area and offers more distinct communities and neighborhoods with their own vibes (the Highlands vs Middletown, for example). Lexington's neighborhoods tend to be smaller, and less defined, but there are still some distinctive areas (the Ashland/Chevy Chase area vs Palomar and Beaumont).
Lexington has UK, which is the largest university in the state and tends to be a bigger influence throughout the city. Louisville's UofL is smaller and more of a commuter program, so there is less of a presence throughout most of the city. Lexington tends to have a higher percentage of residents with college degrees, and the university introduces a large international and "transplanted" group of families, students, and faculty. Because Louisville does have more distinct areas, and Lexington's size is much smaller, Lexington's population tends to blend together and you interact with all different types of people. For example, to focus on an issue brought up above, you will find "rednecks" in both cities. In Louisville, there are large areas that are stereotyped as "redneck" communities, and large areas that are considered upscale and "snobby", and people from one community rarely venture into others. In Lexington, you will find people stereotyped as "rednecks" and people stereotyped as "snobs" living much closer together, sharing their shopping and restaurants. So, yes, in Lexington if you go shopping or out to an average chain restaurant, you are much more likely to encounter people of different socio-economic status, backgrounds, etc - there is much less space for segregration of lifestyles and more of a blended environment.
Lexington is in central KY, right in the region that typifies KY for many outsiders. In Lexington's area, you will find the horse farms, the groups of men and women dressed for Keeneland in suits and hats, etc, with a lot of old-money "horse families" interwoven into local government and communities. Lexington also shares a closer relationship with Cincinnati to its north, where a lot of residents commute back and forth or travel between for sports events, shopping, traveling, etc. Lexington embraces the stereotypical KY image, whereas Louisville has a more unique blend with southern Indiana and even picks up some western KY/St Louis influences. Yet both are still distinctive from the other unique areas of Kentucky - eastern KY with its Appalachian culture, southern KY with its shared influences from Tennessee, and Western KY with its closer alliance to Missouri and the "river" culture.
So, to try to summarize, I think we can all agree that Louisville is a larger, more traditional "city", and it offers the amenities that come with that territory. There is nothing in Lexington that rivals the large festivities for the Derby celebration, for example, and Louisville's airport is much larger and offers more flight options than Lexington. If you're young, single, and looking for a social scene, you will most likely be happier with Louisville's offerings, because Lexington's are much smaller. However, Louisville also has larger industry, heavier pollution, etc. If you are looking for a larger city environment, Louisville will probably be your preferred choice. However, many people choose Lexington because it offers many city amenities on a much smaller, more accessible scale. For examply, in my experience the Lexington public bus/transit system is more comprehensive and easier to use than Louisville's, although Louisville's is obviously larger. (Although FWIW, neither are outstanding).
Personally, I've lived in both for several years. When my husband and I were forced to relocate back to KY last year, we had a choice between Louisville and Lexington. And, even though I am a "big city" girl who would much prefer to move back to Chicago, we chose Lexington for the reasons I've mentioned above. So far, we have been very happy with our decision, even though there are times when we've had to drive into Cincinnati to access some of the shopping or entertainment options that we've wanted. So, to each his own. If you are seriously considering the two, just plan to spend some time driving through the areas. It isn't that difficult to pick up on the differences, and you will most likely be easily drawn to one or the other.
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Anyone who has lived in both cities knows they are virtually nothing alike, especially size wise. 
