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I'm a 24 year-old graduating college this upcoming year. Looks like I'll be stopping through Lexington for 2-3 years to work at a local TV station (for my first real job ). Grew up in Toledo, OH and went to school in Cincinnati. So, I've been slowly trickling south.
Looking for ideas/opinions for living locations. I understand Lexington isn't the mecca of nightlife and I'm comfortable with that. But, I'd also like to maintain a semblance of livelihood when I'm not at work. Living around people my age is what I'm looking for. Looking for anything under $650-ish, but ideally in the $500s. A spot near/close to a bar district of some sort would be cool. If that price point is hard to find, where are the hidden gems (older houses rehabbed into apartments) found? Sometimes, those are even better than brand new apartments. High ceilings, windows, airy spaces would be the cherry on top.
Overall, I'm looking to keep it pretty urban and active. Any suggestions or opinions are very appreciated. Maybe throw out a few spots that are good to meet new friends.
Oh yeah. Are there many young non-natives in the Lexington area in general? Cincinnati is notorious for being a very loyal, homegrown city so I know how that is already. As somebody from out-of-town, it seems easier to relate to people in similar situations at first.
And, if there's any NW Ohio natives or UC alumni on this forum who live in the area, give me a shout.
Can't help you with some of your inquiries, but you'd want to look into the neighborhoods closest to downtown which are not given over to UK student housing, if you like older places. The trade-off is that many of these historic and architecturally interesting neighborhoods are not the safest parts of town.
A compromise might be to look into one of the older four or six-plex apartments in Ashland Park, a very safe and desirable older neighborhood between Richmond Road and High Street, and within a ten minute drive of both downtown and Chevy Chase Shopping Center, both of which have eating and drinking establishments. Rent may be a bit higher here, however.
Good luck with your move. In general, the cost of living, rent in particular, is higher in Lexington than in Cincinnati, but the quality of life more than compensates, imho at least!
Sycamore has many 4 plexes, Irvine has several, fontaine, McDowell, ridgeway, fincastle all have a few. Great area. Very walkable and you van catch the trolley from Chevy Chase to go downtown for nightlife
Sycamore has many 4 plexes, Irvine has several, fontaine, McDowell, ridgeway, fincastle all have a few. Great area. Very walkable and you van catch the trolley from Chevy Chase to go downtown for nightlife
Thanks for your help lexingtongal.
Do people on the younger side (21-28) reside in the communities you mentioned? Or does it vary pretty randomly?
Not a huge deal. But, as stated in the OP, I'm looking to live around people close to my age.
It's mixed. Most of the four plexes seem to be occupied by people 20-30 ish though. And the area has spots that attract a younger crowd such as The Beer Trappe
Ashland Park is a residential neighborhood built around the approximately ten acres of Ashland, the Henry Clay estate, which is a historic home museum. The acreage surrounding the Ashland mansion is open to the public for walking, but the estate maintains some reasonable rules - dogs must be on leashes, etc. Housing in Ashland Park is varied in style and was constructed starting in the 1920s, when Clay family descendents sold off much of the original Ashland farm for development.
Nearby Chevy Chase consists of the shopping center, located along High Street and Euclid Avenue, and a somewhat newer residential area (1930s-40s), adjacent to Ashland Park (and also once part of the Henry Clay property), with houses which are also architecturally varied but more modest in size than are many of the houses in Ashland Park. Both areas include apartment buildings, but these apartments do not have swimming pools, workout rooms, party rooms, etc. which may be found in newer complexes. However, Woodland Park is close by (just a short block from the Chevy Chase shopping center) and includes a large pool, tennis courts, etc. There are also many older but well-kept apartment buildings along Cooper Drive and streets including and near to Romany Road, which also has shops and restaurants. These neighborhoods are very stable, generally quite safe, well-maintained, have lots of trees, good schools, shopping and churches nearby, and are extremely desirable for families, long-time residents, and young professionals who are just getting started.
I'd suggest you get a Lexington map to get a feel for location and street names. Google earth and similar sites may also be helpful. In general, it takes no more than fifteen minutes to get downtown from both Chevy Chase and Ashland Park, barring traffic incidents or terrible weather. Returning back during rush hour may take a bit longer, but there are a few short cuts which can be helpful for residents. The Chevy Chase shopping center remains a noted bottleneck during evening rush hour, however, and that's unlikely to change.
I'm a 24 year-old graduating college this upcoming year. Looks like I'll be stopping through Lexington for 2-3 years to work at a local TV station (for my first real job ). Grew up in Toledo, OH and went to school in Cincinnati. So, I've been slowly trickling south.
Looking for ideas/opinions for living locations. I understand Lexington isn't the mecca of nightlife and I'm comfortable with that. But, I'd also like to maintain a semblance of livelihood when I'm not at work. Living around people my age is what I'm looking for. Looking for anything under $650-ish, but ideally in the $500s. A spot near/close to a bar district of some sort would be cool. If that price point is hard to find, where are the hidden gems (older houses rehabbed into apartments) found? Sometimes, those are even better than brand new apartments. High ceilings, windows, airy spaces would be the cherry on top.
Overall, I'm looking to keep it pretty urban and active. Any suggestions or opinions are very appreciated. Maybe throw out a few spots that are good to meet new friends.
Oh yeah. Are there many young non-natives in the Lexington area in general? Cincinnati is notorious for being a very loyal, homegrown city so I know how that is already. As somebody from out-of-town, it seems easier to relate to people in similar situations at first.
And, if there's any NW Ohio natives or UC alumni on this forum who live in the area, give me a shout.
Thanks.
Yes, pretty good advice from the previous posters.
Quote:
Oh yeah. Are there many young non-natives in the Lexington area in general? Cincinnati is notorious for being a very loyal, homegrown city so I know how that is already. As somebody from out-of-town, it seems easier to relate to people in similar situations at first.
Lexington is really diverse - I have known more people while living in Lexington, who were from other states or other parts of the world than from Kentucky. I have neighbors from Michigan, New Jersey and
Mexico. At work, I have one associate who is from Pennsylvania, one from New York, One from Indiana,
one from Florida and one from Maryland. I work with the public, and I see people from Asia, South America, the UK, Germany, France, Russia on a pretty regular basis.
UK draws a lot of people all over the country and world to teach and as students.
My son has been class mates in Lexington with kids from England, Korea, Japan, China, Israel, India, Mexico....
-and that was before he started college.
So, yes Lexington is diverse in that area.
Thanks for all the replies. I've bookmarked this thread.
I may be driving down next week to get a lay of the land and I'll definitely take a look at some of these areas mentioned.
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). Grew up in Toledo, OH and went to school in Cincinnati. So, I've been slowly trickling south.
