Relocating from Texas (Louisville, Frankfort, Elizabethtown: apartment, to rent, condo)

[BillyJackLives]

My wife and I are relocating and would like any info we could get. As far as answering the questions, here goes:

-Where you are working
We won't be working when we arrive, but I have been in Foodservice Management for 20+ years and am also a Certified Dietary Manager, so I will be looking for a job as a CDM in an retirement community or assisted living community. I have also been a Chef and Foodservice Director, so I could do that also. My wife has a Master's in French Language & Literature, but will be looking for a job as an editor, technical writer, or something in that area.

-How much you are willing to spend on housing
We want to rent for a year and make sure we really like the city before buying. We would like to spend up to $900/month on rent.

-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate
It would be good if the commute was 30 minutes, or less.

-If you have kids: Private school or public school?
No kids.

-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight?
Small town feeling, safe area, restaurants/businesses nearby, proximity to mass transit/bus line.

-Community amenities important to you
Fitness center, walking trails or sidewalks, no bugs/roaches

-Pie or cake?
Cupcakes

Right now we live in Texas, where we relocated 5 years ago for my job--the company was dissolved last July. We bought a house in the middle of nowhere because we had to sell a house in Ohio, buy a house in Texas, and move, in 4 weeks. We should have rented. Where we live now, the closest grocery store is 11 miles away, and although we have an amazing view out back , (we bought on a greenbelt, so the only thing behind us is cows, bulls, and coyotes), we have had to fight wolf spiders, rats, snakes, and every giant bug you can imagine. We hate Texas and would appreciate any info we could get on Louisville.

Thanks for your time!

[lou_slugger]

hello and welcome to our city...one good thing is the bug situation is not comparable to those in TX at least from my experience and I'm in a somewhat swampy area....as far as neighborhoods w nearby restaurants, I would say the Highlands or East end/hurstbourne ln areas though IMO they don't have a small town feel. They both are on/near bus lines. In both these areas there are plenty nearby restaurants, movies, and grocery, also several other stores i.e. book stores, drug stores...I'm pretty certain you can find a nice clean apartment in your price range in both these areas, but not sure about renting a house. You didn't specify a preference (apt vs house #of bedrooms?). Don't know about a fitness center in the Highlands but plenty of places to walk and sidewalks!! Cherokee Park is nearby and they have awesome trails. These are both pretty safe areas.. I live in the south end and have never felt unsafe there either. Okolona is another area that's near shopping, etc...choice of restaurants is more limited there though...the usuals Applebees, Ocharleys, red lobster. They just opened a new Cheddars over there ..possible employment opportunity. There are some subdivisions over there that offer small town feel IMO. Busline nearby and possible to find house or condo in your range. My b/f is also in food service...Google 'levys restaurants' and search their site for positions in KY. They handle the food/bevg at Churchill downs and a couple other places around town. Also try Centerplate. I will try to answer any questions you have. The city IMO is generally safe overall. People for the most part will speak even when they don't know you. I love having four seasons, even though it seems like this heatwave will never end. We have a new arena opening very soon (Centerplate handling food services there). Good luck!!

[sweetpickle]

This is a great place for you working in the retirement community industry as many of the corporate headquarters as based here in Louisville and we certainly have plenty! As far as mass transit...we have a busline but in general compared to many, Louisville's mass transit is non-exisistent. Louisville is more like a big town anyway rather than a city so the small town feel will be easy to find in any of our desirable areas with close proximity to restaurants and shops - I would name the Highlands area, Clifton Hts, St Matthews maybe even La Grange (very small town feel). Welcome! I hope you find what you are looking for...

[meintennessee]

I would say come here to Elizabethtown. Small town feeling, lots of shopping, still close to Louisville for all the city amenities. It may be a bit too much of a drive for you though, I am one that really enjoys the drive. Bugs you will get everywhere....but still being a Texan at heart (lived there 20 years) I can say they won't be quite as big...lol!

[Queen Louis]

I wonder if you could expand on your term "small town feel". It may be hard to feel like you're in a small town and also be close to fitness centers, grocery stores, restaurants, and mass transit.

Like Sweetpickle, I first thought of LaGrange in Oldham County. It's about 20-40 minutes to Louisville depending on what part of Louisville you're travelling to and what time of day it is. I grew up there and can say it's a great small town. Twenty years ago there wasn't much more than a family owned grocery, drugstore and gas station, but now it has all the conveniences you'd want. There are a few restaurants, a large grocery store, Walmart, a movie theater, etc. There are also great things like a farmer's market on the weekend. Their Main Street has an active train track running straight down it! It is so quaint and has lots of little shops to visit, and people to meet. There is something called Park and Tarc where you can drive your car to a lot and use mass transit to go downtown. They also have a great walking/running/biking path that runs for several miles through LaGrange...

If you don't want to be so far away from the city, there are a lot of other great neighborhoods. Areas like Clifton and Frankfort Avenue are much more like city living, but there are some great neighborhoods tucked away that are very close knit and make the city seem a lot more like a small town.

You'll find that no matter what area you decide on, you will find a great parks system throughout Louisville and Oldham County that will provide walking trails, tennis courts, etc. Oldham County, St. Matthews, Frankfort Ave, the Highlands, etc. are all safe areas with a lot of opportunity to become part of a community.

Another area with a small town feel is the Shelbyville area. It can be accessed off of I-64 and has probably even more of a "country feel" than LaGrange at this point. It is about a 30 minute drive to downtown, again depending on traffic, etc.

I would love if you would provide even more detail about what you're looking for so we can help you narrow down your search!

BTW, I have a lot of family in TX, so I've been there many times over the years. I love visiting during the winter, but the summer is pretty awful. It makes KY's hot weather feel like a cool breeze, lol.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by meintennessee

I would say come here to Elizabethtown. Small town feeling, lots of shopping, still close to Louisville for all the city amenities. It may be a bit too much of a drive for you though, I am one that really enjoys the drive. Bugs you will get everywhere....but still being a Texan at heart (lived there 20 years) I can say they won't be quite as big...lol!

While I think Elizabethtown and Hardin County in general is a good place to live, I would not do a commute to Louisville unless I absolutely had to (til recently I was in that position). I have no problem with the drive itself but the cost of gas may be murder depending on your budget. I'll be commuting from Vine Grove to Sheperdsville 4 days a week and that could very well use up a gallon of gas each day (my accord gets 24-28 mpg). Add another 25 miles to Downtown Louisville and you very well could be using 3-4 gallons a day.

Personally, I think highly of St. Matthews and Clifton. Oh yeah, on the bugs, my yard's biggest problem is grasshoppers. I never saw one in 19 years in Virginia. Also I read that KY will have a cicada appearance in 2011. I'm definitely not looking forward to that. One side of my family is from Texas (Texarkana and Dallas) and I can understand the bug issue.

[johnsonkk]

Welcome to the Bluegrass state. I'm making the assumption that you're geared up for Louisville vs. anywhere else since you posted in the Louisville area folder.

Having moved from Texas a couple years ago, you'll miss the scorpions but you'll really enjoy the lower utilities. Since Texas doesn't have state taxes, save some dough. Compared to rural Texas, the housing prices will be comparable. Once you visit, you can send us your questions on what places you've found interesting.

[evercleancleaningservices]

I'll be another to throw the Highlands out there. A lot of our clients live in the Highlands, and they love it there. Tons of things to do, lots of motion and activity around with people walking and biking and running, restaurants of every type, small and unique shops to visit, and not too far away from any type of shopping you desire.

I'll also throw out something on the other side of the river. How about Clarksville, IN. The Veterans Parkway has plenty of big box stores and restaurants, along with the Lewis & Clark Parkway. You've also got the LAC (Louisville Athletic Club) right there on Greentree Blvd to work out at. Smaller town feel than you'll get in Louisville, less crime, and just a couple of minutes from the 'Ville. Might be worth a look. I live here, moved here from Louisville a decade ago, and love it.