Considering a move to Louisville-some help please (Lexington, Frankfort: condo, new home)

[tal1412]

My wife and I will be retiring within the next couple of years. We both work for the postal service. I am 54 and she is 53. We currently reside in a close in suburb of Chicago (Forest Park, IL). We like our current home and its location, which is only 10 miles from downtown Chicago. Our current home is brand new and on a small city lot, 25’ wide by 125’ deep. We do not like the Chicago winters, so we are considering a move to a warmer climate. We have done numerous on line searches and based upon things our likes and dislikes, four cities keep popping up as possible place for us to move to: Austin TX; Louisville KY; Lexington KY and Chattanooga TN.

Here’s what we’re looking for:
HOUSING: Need a single family house. We like Craftsman, Arts& Crafts and bungalow styles. Need around 2000-2500 sq ft. We would prefer a newer house, a recently rehabbed house or one that is a wreck that we can demolish and built new. Must have large open, upscale kitchen. Energy efficient and low maintenance features are things we must have. Need 2 ½ car garage. A lot of approx 50’ x 125’ would be great. Would like to stay in the $300K to $350K price range. Would pay up to $400k for the right place in the right neighborhood.

NEIGHBORHOOD: We would prefer an established neighborhood with older homes, new homes and rehabbed homes with tree lined streets. Not interested in new subdivisions with no character. We like sitting on the front porch and saying hi to the neighbors as they walk by. Close to the central city would be nice, or even in the city in he right neighborhood. Having the big box stores like Home Depot, Target, etc nearby is also on the list. We like good quality healthy food and we eat at home most of the time. Whole Foods or equivalent is a must. We will be retired, so commute time is not a big issue. We have no kids, so schools are not important. Our current town’s motto is “Big city access, small town charm”. Hoping to duplicate that in our new home.

ABOUT US: We’re both liberal Democrats. Neither of us is religious. We like outdoor activities like hiking and biking. We also enjoy riding our HD motorcycle. Since we both workout almost every day, having a good quality health club (with a variety of classes) nearby is a must. We enjoy authentic ethnic food. Need a Mexican, Thai, and Italian restaurant nearby. Also enjoy great seafood. Love to eat at neighborhood “joints’ with good quality food. We would also like to be able to go to an upscale place to eat on special occasions. We like to travel, so being near a major airport is also important. Having a good quality medical facility within easy reach is also important.

We are planning a trip to Louisville in September or October to explore our options and to see if we “like” the city. We would really appreciate any feedback regarding neighborhoods/suburbs that we should explore. We will probably stay in a condo so that we can get more of a feel for the area. Any suggestions and/or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Tom

[censusdata]

I'll just give you a brief answer for both Louisville and Lexington.

In Lexington you should look at the Ashland/ Chevy Chase area - this is basically along Main Street from Walton Ave to Chinoe Road. This is Lex's best older upper middle class neighborhood and there are some nicer restaurants and shops along High Street and Euclid Ave.

In Louisville I'd recommend checking out anything along Frankfort Ave. Bardstown Rd is cool inside Douglass Ave, but it is more of a 20-something type of area.

[tomocox]

It's just a stretch for some of your amenities, but you just described Artisan Park in LaGrange for the style of home and neighborhood. There are some real buys in there now too.

[kingcopper]

they're describing St. Matthews in between Brownsboro Rd. & Westport near Holy Trinity School. Identical in age. 60-80 years of age on alot of the housing stock.

[Miniracer812]

I'd say hold your breath until you hit the TN line. KY is not a very progressive or forward thinking state. Louisville does have some restaurant diversity, but other than that, nothing worth moving here for.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by Miniracer812

I'd say hold your breath until you hit the TN line. KY is not a very progressive or forward thinking state. Louisville does have some restaurant diversity, but other than that, nothing worth moving here for.

I find it interesting that you consider Tennessee more "progressive". How are they so different?

[Miniracer812]

Originally Posted by missymomof3

I find it interesting that you consider Tennessee more "progressive". How are they so different?

I only base my comment on observation, not research, so take it with a grain of salt. The Louisville area is stagnant as far as business/economy/jobs/growth go. It's an old city stuck in its old city ways and will probably never differ from that. Nashville, for example, is expanding, new businesses have come in, and the are has been positively effected because of it.

[missymomof3]

June Unemployment Rate 10.8 Percent | TN.gov Newsroom

Workforce Kentucky, Home (http://www.workforcekentucky.ky.gov/article.asp?PAGEID=4&SUBID=&articleID=794 - broken link)


seems pretty similar to me

[Off Topic]

Originally Posted by Miniracer812

I'd say hold your breath until you hit the TN line. KY is not a very progressive or forward thinking state. Louisville does have some restaurant diversity, but other than that, nothing worth moving here for.

I might agree with you about Kentucky in general, but Louisville is an extremely progressive area, imo. And outside of a few major cities, I'll stack our restaurants up against any place in the country.

The problem as I see it is that our weather is just a small upgrade over what they want to get away from.

[spence425]

the winter weather is more than a small upgrade from chicago. i moved here from Michigan last November, and let me tell you, there is a drastic difference.

I was even here for the giant Ice Storm, and it seemed more like an average winter storm from up north (aside from all of the power outage).

but, the amount of snow, frequency of snow, duration of snow, average temperatures, and general climate is drastically different from Chicago.