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(My first post of many becuase my husband is going to be relocating and we're not sure where yet!)
I've been reading many of the posts- lots of great info, thanks!
I’m just looking for some more information on Lexington.
We’re in our late 20s, are about to start a family, would end up living in Lexington for at least two years if that’s where his job takes us. We’re originally from NY State, have lived in the suburbs of Atlanta for the past 5 years. We are active; young puppy, love playing IM sports, love trying new restaurants, enjoy sporting events and love traveling. So here are my questions:
1)Will Lexington work for us?
2)What are the best areas of town to live in? He will be working at the university.
3)Is it a walkable town? Bikeable town? Golfcart town?
Thanks for any info you’ve got
Last edited by AtlantaAlly; 09-17-2012 at 01:12 PM..
Reason: HTML conversion error
Not exactly a golfcart town, but walking and biking are certainly more than possible.
There is much to see and do in scenic, historic Kentucky, with Lexington well-located for travel within the commonwealth. There are mountains, lakes, caves, cities, historic villages, outstanding state parks, one of the largest areas of natural arches in the world (the mountainous Red River Gorge/Natural Bridge area, in the Daniel Boone National Forest), historic homes, pioneer forts, museums of various kinds, including some very interesting, rather quirky small museums with a single focus in some of the smaller towns close to Lexington, spectacular thoroughbred horse farms, the Kentucky River Palisades, outstanding traditional arts and crafts just down the road in Berea, great music of all descriptions, and more. There are festivals of various kinds in kentucky towns each weekend in the fall.
Winters can be gray and chilly and dampish, rather than snowy, though we do get sticking snow. Sometimes it sticks around for quite a while, in fact, though recent winters have been mild and gorgeous spring has arrived early. We get good fall color most years, especially in the mountains. Summers? Hot and humid, but mostly clear days. This year's drought made summer hard to bear in most places, but it's raining regularly again and Kentucky is green and cool as I write this.
Pleasant Lexington neighborhoods convenient to UK include Ashland Park, Chevy Chase, Southland-Twin Oaks, and parts of Lansdowne. What is your budget, and what sort of house do you prefer? Southland is a good, convenient neighborhood for younger folks, and most of the backyards are roomy and fenced. Houses are modest but well-kept, usually two to four bedroom ranches and Cape Cods, and shopping, schools, churches, and parks are in walking/biking distance. It's a couple of miles from UK. Very desirable Ashland Park and Chevy Chase share some of these characteristics, are considerably closer to UK, but houses are a bit larger, a few decades older, and are considerably more costly. There are lots of mature trees in all of these areas.
As for sports, just wear Wildcat blue and learn to say, "How 'bout them Cats??", and you'll do fine. Getting actual basketball tickets can be tough - and pricy - but Wildcat fans are plentiful, regardless. Football tickets are readily available, as are tickets to other sporting venues. There are also many opportunities for participatory sports.
There are a large number and a wide variety of good restaurants in and around Lexington, so you'd have no problems there.
Why not come up and check out Lexington before deciding on a move? It sounds as if it might work well for you, but there's nothing like seeing it for yourselves.
2)What are the best areas of town to live in? He will be working at the university.
Lots of great neighborhoods that are accessible to UK. We live in the Stonewall/Monticello neighborhood
and really like it. CraigCreek also gave some great neighborhood information.
3)Is it a walkable town? Bikeable town? Golfcart town?
Most people drive cars. (you could commute on bus easily if your destination is UK>)
We have fitness, walking trails all around the area...and we are near some serious hiking if that is
your preference (just outside the city.)Natural Bridge, Red River Gorge, Raven Run, Daniel Boone National
Forest.
What kind of budget do you have for rent or buying. If you may only be here for 2 years, I would rent. Knowing will help narrow down locations that would work for you.
Not really bikeable like you see in large towns where bikes and cars share the road. Some streets have bike lanes, but most drivers in Lexington view a bike as something that needs to be on the sidewalk and not as a vehicle. I was in D.C. last summer and noticed bikes on the road and it seemed they were treated just like a vehicle. Not here. Assume that was the question you were asking and not about recreational bike riding?
Only the area around campus and Hollywood/Chevy Chase/Ashland Park are really walkable. Most of Lexington developed after people owning cars were common, so it is really only the oldest parts of town where you can walk to most of the places you need to go since they were built when walking was the only option (or horse I guess?). Southland Drive may be one of the few exceptions. There are a lot of businesses within walking distance of neighborhoods, but even that is laid out for people in cars with lots of parking lots and few sidewalks......not at all like the "Walkable" neighborhoods in larger towns where you see several small businesses all lined up along a side walk with only on street parking.
I think to most Lexington folks, "Walkable" and "Bikeable" are terms inferred as asking about recreation and not transportation.......you will be driving more than you will be doing either in Lexington.
Our desired rent would be <1500. We have a dog, so we're probably going to need to be in a house that allows pets rather than an apartment, which will really limit us. I'm just wondering which direction from campus (UK) should we look?
The rental market is super tight and few landlords are willing to accept a dog. I'd start with anything in 40502 or 40503 zip codes and then work your way out from campus until you find a house that will allow pets. If your dog is larger, you will have less options. I have recently tried to help two families with a large dog and NOBODY is interested.
Look in the Southland area (40503). There are a number of houses which are rentals, on nice residential streets, and many of them will have good-sized fenced back yards. A house I once owned now falls into that category and the renters have a dog (I am now longer the owner, am not the landlord, and it's not currently for rent).
Craigslist Lexington has some homes that accept pets. Shillito Park Apt and The Mansion allow pets, The Mansion has a pet park and Shillito is right next a large park. Both are in nice neighborhoods.
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