Looking for the straight 'poop' on Bardstown (Lexington, Louisville: sales, condos)

[Rapunzll]

I was going to move to TN to be closer to my daughter, but it looks like she and her family will be moving in another couple of years so I am trying to figure out where I want to go. I really have been interested in coastal Georgia, but everytime I drive through KY I find it to be really pretty.

I will be selling (I hope!) a home in northern Michigan and KY would be much closer to my elderly parents than GA is. I am only working pt at the moment and collecting unemployment from a job that ended in Dec., but I of course will be wanting full time work.

How is the job situation in Bardstown? I have worked in tourism for many years, at a convention and visitors bureau, so travel and customer service are my things, but I will try anything that will pay the bills. Also, I have heard that the tax burden in pretty high in KY. Does Bardstown have any extra city or county taxes above and beyond the regular sales tax? I would be looking at condos and a couple I have seen look good and reasonably priced in Ashton Park and Salem Hills. How are these areas?

Anything you can tell me would be great. I expect to be driving through sometime this week.

TIA

[censusdata]

Nelson County is among the fastest growing counties in Kentucky, growing by 12.3% since 2000 to over 42,000. It is right between a lot of big job markets: 30-40 miles from Louisville, 30 miles to Fort Knox, and 50 miles to either Frankfort or Lexington

[Rapunzll]

Thanks! Do you know anything about any local sales tax?

[EclecticEars]

The tax burden in Kentucky is pretty high. A progressive tax system, if you will, that taxes the income of poorer folks more stringently than the rich. I would rather have that than a greater tax burden on the rich, though, because if not for the contributions of the rich and their fostering of industry and commerce, Kentucky would be in economic shambles. I'd like to see the income tax repealed like in Tennessee...but I digress. Just expect to have good chunk of your check taken out in income taxes.

Local sales tax: 6% state tax. There are no local taxes levied in Kentucky (except, I believe, at hotels.)

Property taxes in Bardstown and Nelson Co. are pretty high, by Kentucky standards. I'm willing to bet they're cheaper in coastal Georgia.

The closest job markets are 35-40 minutes away in Louisville and 50-55 minutes away in Frankfort and Lexington. I will say that Fort Knox Army Reservation, 35-40 min. away, is in the process of adding 12,000 new jobs (yes, 12,000) over the next 5-6 years, and I'd say many of those will be civilian jobs. Have any longtime experience in government? A college degree you are (or are not using)? Now might be the time to jump on board.

The town of Bardstown is absolutely beautiful. My Old Kentucky Home State Park, My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, Historic Downtown, 2-3 distilleries nearby, Bernheim Forest, Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven. There are a lot of "cutesy" things to do around the town, you know. Might seem kinda corny to me as a 22 year old (except the distilleries and hiking in the forest, and don't combine those. )

Lastly, the people I've met there are generally rude and surly. You can see that in the customer service or just the random strangers you meet in town. It's not one of Kentucky's truly "friendly" towns, that's for sure. I've found the people in nearby Elizabethtown or Springfield to be less uptight and more down-to-earth (of course, we're talking Kentucky here, not Chicago or Miami, so these terms are relative to everybody.)

As far as I'm concerned, the good and bad elements of Nelson County are about equal. I personally wouldn't choose to live there. But, the new MASSIVE MEGA Super Wal-Mart on sterroids, Lowe's, and Chili's are indicative of the community's rapid growth. My choice, between Bardstown and coastal Georgia, would be coastal GA any day of the year! However, if there are more places in Kentucky you're interested in, other people in C-D and I can give you more info.

[EclecticEars]

//www.city-data.com/forum/3097297-post40.html

This post might interest you too. It's a list of state and local tax burdens by state, in order from most to least burdensome. Kentucky is 19th out of the 50 states, not too far below Michigan actually. I've seen this list before on the Tax Foundation's website.

I'll also add that many municipalities and counties in the state have levied occupational taxes (the state doesn't allow localities to levy "income" taxes, but that statute is ill-defined and 70+ of the 120 counties as well as many county seats have gotten around this law.) That contributes greatly to our 19th place tax burden ranking. Of course, I'll add that Georgia's isn't considerably cheaper, but Atlanta Metro probably skews the statistics for the rest of the state.

[Rapunzll]

Thanks for the info. It's helpful.

[EclecticEars]

You're welcome.

By the way, have you looked into Danville? It's probably my favorite small town in Kentucky. Home of Centre College and the Norton Center for the Arts, which has a refreshing and surprising amount of theatrics and lectures occur. It even hosted the Vice-Presidential debate in (I think) 2000. There's a nice, clean, very historic downtown, as well as a state historic site commemorating the site of Kentucky's first capitol building. For shopping, there's Peebles, JCPenney, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Kroger, Aldi Grocery, and for dining there's Applebee's, Cracker Barrel, and O'Charley's. Perryville Battlefield State Park is about 15 miles west of town near Perryville and was the location of a major civil war battle. Looks like a cookie-cutter small town from the bypass but you have to venture downtown to discover its hear; that different-than-it-looks-on-the-outside aspect is the biggest charm of the town. Plus, you have a close-by view of the Appalachian foothills, which are only ten miles away, and Danville has a lot of just good ol' everyday country people, but it's not infiltrated with white trash and "hillbillyism" (which is why I try not to venture into surrounding towns like Liberty, Stanford, and Lancaster.) Not bad for this, a town of 16,000 people, is it?

Get bored and need more of an urban fix? Lexington is 40-45 minutes away. Louisville is 1.5 hours away. Cincinnati is 2.25 hours away. Need to hike or take in some true country? Drive in the Boyle County countryside, or drive to Cumberland Falls State Park just an hour south.

Of course, I think the best place to live in Kentucky is extreme northern Kentucky. Pretty open-minded folks, decent economy, nice housing, cheap cost of living, beautiful hills, and so close to Cincinnati. In my mind, there's NKY, then huge drop-off to Danville, then another huge drop-off to the rest of the state.

[missymomof3]

http://heartland.temp.siteexecutive.com/pdf/21355.pdf Here is another link to tax info.

[tomocox]

More tax information: Kentucky Dept of Revenue list of all property tax rates

Kentucky: Department of Revenue - Property Tax

[ba32347]

I live in Bardstown now the second time I have lived here. I like it somewhat so far. I am from TX orginally. Any place in KY would be better than HODGENVILLE KY. arm pit of KY. Rudness,non-helpful, corupit,high priced for a little nothing town