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What are you looking for, other than employment and real estate. How much land? Cheapest housing values and property taxes? Close access to Louisville, or an hour away? No traffic, or can you tolerate some? Have kids in schools? Most people come on here looking for more detailed info, that's the only reason I'm asking.
The Louisville area tends to be more Hot, Hazy, and Humid in the summer due to its location in a valley. You will hear people use these words all the time from late May through September. It does get a little uncomfortable, but I think you will probably get used to it.
The Louisville area tends to be more Hot, Hazy, and Humid in the summer due to its location in a valley. You will hear people use these words all the time from late May through September. It does get a little uncomfortable, but I think you will probably get used to it.
It is getting that way earlier it seems every year, maybe we'll get lucky and lose winter all together!
The Louisville area tends to be more Hot, Hazy, and Humid in the summer due to its location in a valley. You will hear people use these words all the time from late May through September. It does get a little uncomfortable, but I think you will probably get used to it.
True. Louisville, on the average, tends to be 5-6 degrees warmer year-round than the most anywhere else within a 200-mile radius b/c of its location in a valley surrounded by knobs, still-heavy industrial clouds and the concrete of the inner-city (in the heart of the valley) trapping sunlight; all coalesce to create a greenhouse effect, of sorts.
True. Louisville, on the average, tends to be 5-6 degrees warmer year-round than the most anywhere else within a 200-mile radius b/c of its location in a valley surrounded by knobs, still-heavy industrial clouds and the concrete of the inner-city (in the heart of the valley) trapping sunlight; all coalesce to create a greenhouse effect, of sorts.
I am still trying to figure out how that dang-blasted zoo is about 5 degrees colder than everywhere else in the winter/early spring.
What are you looking for, other than employment and real estate. How much land? Cheapest housing values and property taxes? Close access to Louisville, or an hour away? No traffic, or can you tolerate some? Have kids in schools? Most people come on here looking for more detailed info, that's the only reason I'm asking.
We would be looking for a single home (preferably with close to an acre of land with it) - don't like living where houses are on top of each other. We would rent to be sure everything turns out ok rather than buy right away. Yes we can tolerate traffic. In the past we've had a commute of round trip of 2 hours to work, however, sure hope to not have a repeat of that.
No kids so no concern of schools. We do have 2 dogs. We both prefer a small town atmosphere with accessibility to shopping, work, etc. Sorry I should have provided this info when I first posted.
Let's look at some areas with small town atmosphere and all the criteria you've listed:
Jefferson County (Louisville and Jefferson Co. coexist as one municipality):
(a) Middletown
(b) Lyndon
(c) Jeffersontown
(d) Eastwood
(e) Smyrna Road area
(f) Fisherville (still rather rural and the most "Kentucky"-feeling town in JC, IMO.)
Jefferson Co., as you can imagine, will have stricter zoning regulations (as well as communities (a), (b) and (c), as they are functioning governmental entities of their own) than the surrounding counties, and property will naturally be a little more expensive. On the upside, suburban JC does not have outrageously high property taxes and are, in fact, lower rated than most of Kentucky in general. (That's when you go to buy a house someday.) Meanwhile, it will be easiest to rent in JC, b/c there are so many more options. Many (not most, but many) of JC's outer suburbs, such as the ones mentioned above, don't feel like "Generica" suburbia akin to Naperville, Rockville Centre, Irvine, Katy, etc., but rather feel like small towns themselves.
Oldham County: Shoot, pretty much anywhere in the county. Smithfield, La Grange, Crestwood, Pewee Valley, Buckner, and Westport are really, ultimately all rather close, since Oldham is very small geographically. Yet, you still have a lot of wide open rural spaces between the communities. Not a great deal of shopping in OC, though; you'll end up having to go to Louisville a lot, anyway.
Trimble, Henry, (East) Bullitt, Spencer, Shelby, Franklin, (North) Anderson, (North) Hardin: All of these are beautiful counties that might offer something you're looking for in terms of proximity to shopping and work and reasonably-priced property. With Franklin and Anderson, you have the advantage of also being very close to Lexington, although they're 35-40 minutes from Louisville's east end.
Let's look at some areas with small town atmosphere and all the criteria you've listed:
Jefferson County (Louisville and Jefferson Co. coexist as one municipality):
(a) Middletown
(b) Lyndon
(c) Jeffersontown
(d) Eastwood
(e) Smyrna Road area
(f) Fisherville (still rather rural and the most "Kentucky"-feeling town in JC, IMO.)
Jefferson Co., as you can imagine, will have stricter zoning regulations (as well as communities (a), (b) and (c), as they are functioning governmental entities of their own) than the surrounding counties, and property will naturally be a little more expensive. On the upside, suburban JC does not have outrageously high property taxes and are, in fact, lower rated than most of Kentucky in general. (That's when you go to buy a house someday.) Meanwhile, it will be easiest to rent in JC, b/c there are so many more options. Many (not most, but many) of JC's outer suburbs, such as the ones mentioned above, don't feel like "Generica" suburbia akin to Naperville, Rockville Centre, Irvine, Katy, etc., but rather feel like small towns themselves.
Oldham County: Shoot, pretty much anywhere in the county. Smithfield, La Grange, Crestwood, Pewee Valley, Buckner, and Westport are really, ultimately all rather close, since Oldham is very small geographically. Yet, you still have a lot of wide open rural spaces between the communities. Not a great deal of shopping in OC, though; you'll end up having to go to Louisville a lot, anyway.
Trimble, Henry, (East) Bullitt, Spencer, Shelby, Franklin, (North) Anderson, (North) Hardin: All of these are beautiful counties that might offer something you're looking for in terms of proximity to shopping and work and reasonably-priced property. With Franklin and Anderson, you have the advantage of also being very close to Lexington, although they're 35-40 minutes from Louisville's east end.
Just giving you somewhere to start...
Thanks so much for all the great info. Am copying this to look at on the web as well as when we get down there next week. Really appreciate this!!
In addition to what I've posted, just know the following:
Bullitt County has a terrible reputation for open and opinionated racists. Not just people who think that interracial relationships are taboo, but flat out racists. I know two people that have endured verbal abuse by, let's face it, uber-rednecks in Shepherdsville. Shep., Lebanon Junction, and north and west Bullitt in general are where you want to stay away from. East Bullitt, such as Mt. Washington, is much nicer, cleaner and feels more like normal civilization. (I'm actually being polite in this whole B.C. analysis.) But, even with B.C., they're very pro-residential and -industrial growth, but strictly limit commercial development within the county, meaning that you have to go to Louisville for even a Walmart, Target, or Meijer.
Spencer County is rather "snooty," as is Shelby Co., and for what I don't know. They don't really have a reason to be, b/c they're still very Kentucky "hillbillyish." But, I do see the appeal. Taylorsville, in Spencer Co., is very small and there's not much there, but Taylorsville Lake and a cute downtown area are pretty nice. Shelbyville, in Shelby Co., has enough shopping so that you don't have to go to Louisville and it has a decent arts and crafts scene for its size; the town is pretty dirty, however, IMO.
Trimble and Henry are beautiful, but very secluded. You'll always have to leave the county to even go grocery shopping. (Bedford and Eminence may have small local retailers, but they ususally tend to be more expensive than the likes of Walmart, Kroger and Save-A-Lot.)
North Hardin is pretty cool. Okay, so Radcliff is dumpy and trashy, but the areas b/t Radcliff and E'town, such as along KY 313, US 31W approaching Elizabethtown, and KY 251 are great places for nice houses, open spaces, and close proximity to urban amenities and work (10 min. to E'town or less, 35 min. to Louisville.) Elizabethtown is a (generally) well-planned city of 25,000, but it feels like a city of 50,000, and you won't have to ever shop in Louisville unless you just want to. Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe's, an indoor mall, Barnes & Noble...it's all there.
I hope it's not all confusing and scattered for you, I just typed this as it all came to me. I've lived in this state too long, so I know something about it.
Oh, and for future reference, as schools go when you have kids someday, only consider eastern Jefferson (or Jefferson selective or magnet) and Oldham Counties for the best of public and private. Hardin County and Elizabethtown have decent, but not outstanding, school systems of their own. Otherwise, pick your Kentucky schools wisely; we don't do schools very well here.
In addition to what I've posted, just know the following:
Spencer County is rather "snooty," as is Shelby Co., and for what I don't know. They don't really have a reason to be, b/c they're still very Kentucky "hillbillyish." But, I do see the appeal. Taylorsville, in Spencer Co., is very small and there's not much there, but Taylorsville Lake and a cute downtown area are pretty nice. Shelbyville, in Shelby Co., has enough shopping so that you don't have to go to Louisville and it has a decent arts and crafts scene for its size; the town is pretty dirty, however, IMO.
Followed by this:
Oh, and for future reference, as schools go when you have kids someday, only consider eastern Jefferson (or Jefferson selective or magnet) and Oldham Counties for the best of public and private. Hardin County and Elizabethtown have decent, but not outstanding, school systems of their own. Otherwise, pick your Kentucky schools wisely; we don't do schools very well here.
You put down Spencer County as "snooty" then promote eastern Jefferson County and Oldham County? Kind of a contradiction don't you think?
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