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I've just come back from Lexington again to register car and get new liscence, we are official residents!.My husband will be leaving next weekend and I will leave in October since I am finishing up my state service here...as we were driving I noticed an area in town I didnt care for, I dont even know exactly where it was but if I remember correctly it was around the Jiffy plant area...can anyone tell me which areas in Lexington are the most desired and which are the least cared for?....Also, is Krogers the only supermarket in the area?...Thanks for the help!
Hi! Were you at the Jif peanut butter and Smuckers jelly factory area? That is Winchester Rd, and it isn't a very popular area to live in. In addition to the industrial aspect, that's also where you'll find some of the adult video stores, pawn shops, etc - certainly not the best of Lexington. There are some neighborhoods in the area but they aren't areas that most people prefer.
Further out Winchester road, where there are more rural landscapes, there are some nice homes and some new upscale neighborhoods. Plus, that is the "back entrance" into the Hamburg area, which is booming with retail and residential growth.
For more average, middle class suburban settings, your best bet is to focus on the southern areas of Fayette County and some selected areas in the northern corridor. If you give us more information about your housing preferences (average price range, historic homes vs new construction, whether schools are a consideration, etc), there are quite a few people on this board who can give you neighborhood recommendations.
As far as groceries, Kroger is the primary source as a traditional grocer. Wal-mart has its "supercenters" that include groceries, as well as its new "neighborhood market" centers that exclusively offer groceries. Meijer offers a similar environment to Wal-mart, although it tends to offer a little better selection of natural, organic, and gourmet groceries compared to Wal-mart. Slone's is a local chain but I don't think there are many still open. For discount options, there are the Save-a-Lot brand stores. For more upscale or natural foods, there is a Fresh Market, a Wild-Oats, and the local Good Foods Co-Op. Critchfield Meats is a grocer that focuses on meats and select gourmet and unique foods. And, there are quite a few small neighborhood, ethnic, gourmet, and international shops and mercados.
Thanks nslchr0!..I appreciate the info....we wont be buying a house until next year, I need to live in the state before I invest in a home but we do have a rental at Park Place on Tates Creek Road...that seems like a nice area..I'm just so confused as far as my driving on where to go around Lexington because I'm new there, I just didnt like the looks of that Winchester road area so I prefer not to drive around there.....
Krogers seemed liked the best grocery store to me...I just wasnt sure if they had more, I stopped at a Save-a-lot and it reminded me of a store going out of business soon..I didnt like it....again thanks for your feedback!
For more average, middle class suburban settings, your best bet is to focus on the southern areas of Fayette County and some selected areas in the northern corridor. If you give us more information about your housing preferences (average price range, historic homes vs new construction, whether schools are a consideration, etc), there are quite a few people on this board who can give you neighborhood recommendations.
I still can't quite figure out which select northern neighborhoods are considered desirable. Are they Fayette County NW or NE? Within those broad categories are there development names? I am looking under 200K, but still a very safe, up & coming neighborhood. When I go to lbarmls.com I usually just plug in Fayette County SW & SE figuring that those are "safe".
Lula - Personally I am not a fan of Save-a-lot, especially because they seem to carry mostly off-brands. I am a bit of a food snob and like to know exactly what I am buying. Plus, like many super-discount stores, their customer service and store appearance can be pretty bad, and vary from location to location. But I know some families that shop there regularly and they do save a lot of money and are happy with the option. I do prefer the more traditional grocery stores, myself. Kroger in Tates Creek is pretty nice, although like most grocery stores it can get PACKED during the weekend!
Micha - Unfortunately I'm not as familiar with the northern areas of Fayette County because I've never lived there myself. I do know some people that live in the area and I can ask them for feedback. Traditionally, the neighborhoods have a higher number of African-American families and recently a growing number of Hispanic families. So, sometimes its hard to get valid feedback for that area. Some areas (like around Winburn) do have higher crime rates and homes that don't appreciate well. But I would assume that other nice, quiet safe neighborhoods are overlooked by people who are uncomfortable with living in a diverse (ie "not predominantly white") neighborhood, or automatically assume that the area is blighted. One valid issue is that the best schools are all in the wealthier, southern areas of town. There is a lot of recent new development in the northern areas of town. I am not a huge fan of Masterson Station (you can search for my previous posts on the neighborhood), but one reason is that they plop large $300,000 homes in the midst of much smaller, less expensive homes. However, if you're looking under $200,000, this won't be as much of an issue and there are quite a few options in your price range there, including current areas under construction. There are also some new, smaller neighborhoods in that area, and a new elementary school is under construction right now. I spend a lot of time at friends' homes in Masterson Station, and for the most part they are happy with the area, especially because it is currently more affordable than areas in southern Lexington. Builders like Ball Homes, who are putting in homes all over Lexington, charge less for a home in Masterson Station than the same floorplan in a southern neighborhood like Chilesburg. I would avoid Westwood (across from Masterson) and its nearby McConnell's Trace (which has nicer homes but is attached to Westwood) due to some ongoing crime and drug issues. I'll let you know if I get any more info for you!
Lula - Personally I am not a fan of Save-a-lot, especially because they seem to carry mostly off-brands. I am a bit of a food snob and like to know exactly what I am buying. Plus, like many super-discount stores, their customer service and store appearance can be pretty bad, and vary from location to location. But I know some families that shop there regularly and they do save a lot of money and are happy with the option. I do prefer the more traditional grocery stores, myself. Kroger in Tates Creek is pretty nice, although like most grocery stores it can get PACKED during the weekend!
Micha - Unfortunately I'm not as familiar with the northern areas of Fayette County because I've never lived there myself. I do know some people that live in the area and I can ask them for feedback. Traditionally, the neighborhoods have a higher number of African-American families and recently a growing number of Hispanic families. So, sometimes its hard to get valid feedback for that area. Some areas (like around Winburn) do have higher crime rates and homes that don't appreciate well. But I would assume that other nice, quiet safe neighborhoods are overlooked by people who are uncomfortable with living in a diverse (ie "not predominantly white") neighborhood, or automatically assume that the area is blighted. One valid issue is that the best schools are all in the wealthier, southern areas of town. There is a lot of recent new development in the northern areas of town. I am not a huge fan of Masterson Station (you can search for my previous posts on the neighborhood), but one reason is that they plop large $300,000 homes in the midst of much smaller, less expensive homes. However, if you're looking under $200,000, this won't be as much of an issue and there are quite a few options in your price range there, including current areas under construction. There are also some new, smaller neighborhoods in that area, and a new elementary school is under construction right now. I spend a lot of time at friends' homes in Masterson Station, and for the most part they are happy with the area, especially because it is currently more affordable than areas in southern Lexington. Builders like Ball Homes, who are putting in homes all over Lexington, charge less for a home in Masterson Station than the same floorplan in a southern neighborhood like Chilesburg. I would avoid Westwood (across from Masterson) and its nearby McConnell's Trace (which has nicer homes but is attached to Westwood) due to some ongoing crime and drug issues. I'll let you know if I get any more info for you!
Thank you that is just the kind of specific information I was looking for! I very much appreciate it. I am very interested in a home in a good school system--even if I don't use it right away because we currently homeschool. But things change and we may send the kids to public school. Also it does drastically affect the resale value.
Thanks again Nslchr0...now can I ask you in your opinion which is the best neighborhood in Lexington to live according to you??...if you can give me street names or landmarks so that I can recognize the area...I drove around some really pretty streets but all that can be deceiving unless you know the area really well....
Ok here I go how I lived in Lexington, KY for 3 years.
If you are looking for the prized areas to live in Lexington listen up! You would want to live anywhere on Tates Creek, Harrodsburg Rd, Richmond Rd especially near Henry Clay Estes, University of Kentucky area as long as you do not mind the student's because this is a beautiful area to live and most student's are not disrupted and it is great to walk to the statadium for a game because people are die hard UK tailgater's when it comes to football, Chevy Chase off Chinoe, and Man of War are some prized areas.
Hamburg area is great and has town homes for rent here and has everything you need in one area and you do not need to leave for anything. Fayette Mall area on Nichloasville Rd is great as well because this has been developed into a mini hamburg and you get to live on the south side of town.
As far as grocery stores Meijer's is next to god they are basically an upscale Wal-Mart only exclusive to the mid west area how they are based in MI you must shop here and you will be spoiled. They buy most of the produce they use from this region only outsource certain things but most comes frrom the mid west. They take coupons and offer double and triple couples up to 50 cents. They offer tons of sales every week including buy one get one free or two free, or even three free for real. Also they have pharmacy and in the medicine area Meijer's always has a sale on Minerals and Vitamins where you can get them buy one get one free.
I prefer the Meijer's on Reynolds Rd which is on the south side behind Fayette Mall off Nichloasville Rd.
New Circle Rd in Lexington circles the whole city and Man of war stretches from North to South from Hamburg to past Fayette Mall.
I will comment on the north side of Lex as I grew up there. I don't think people avoid it as much for racial issues but more of socio-economic issues. By and large the neighborhoods are low to low-middle income. There are pockets, such as Deepwood, that are very nice but they appreciate much less than comparable houses on the southside due to their location and school district. You have to go to the south side for any major shopping. Getting there is a hassle. New Circle Rd on the north end of town is horrendous. There is traffic light after traffic light and traffic is awful during rush hour.
I indured the schools on the northside and took the highest classes available. I was woefully underprepared for college and struggled as a result the first year.
Thanks lexingtongal - I was hoping you had some information. I know very little about the north side, other than general opinions (some of which come from people who have never spent any time there).
Are there any older, established neighborhoods that are good, safe, middle-class areas? I agree about the school situation, and that there really aren't many amenities nearby.
One reason I'm interested is because I know there is a surge of new development that is planned for the area, especially along the Newtown Pike area in the NW, and that is an area that we are keeping our eye on for a future move due to commuting reasons.
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