Is Central Kentucky a Good Place to Raise a Family? Which Place(s) Do You Recommend?
Question by BlanketyBlank: Is central Kentucky a good place to raise a family? Which place(s) do you recommend?
I am referring to the Louisville and Lexington area (extending north to south from Owenton and Dry Ridge to Liberty and Mt. Vernon, and west to east from Fort Knox to Mt. Sterling and Irvine).
Best answer:
Answer by chandlerthemandler
Stay away from Lawrenceburg, Bullitt County, Shelbyville, Harrodsburg, Winchester, and Taylorsville. Full of rude, impolite rednecks, the school systems are horrible, and property taxes are an arm and a leg. Basically, these towns are scroungy and overpriced.
Dry Ridge: close to Cincinnati and Lexington, right off I-75. The main town in Grant County, one of the fastest-growing in the state. The only thing there that’s substantial is a Wal-Mart and outlet mall.
Owenton: very quiet community of 1,500 north of Frankfort, surrounded by lush rolling hills. Pretty nice place, but the only thing there is Dairy Queen. They do have cheap housing costs and property taxes.
Frankfort: state capital, with about 30,000 residents. The town does have a “ghetto” of sorts where drug activity and bar fights are common. However, the downtown historic district is gorgeous, and the city maintains a large system of beautiful parks. One of my recommended picks.
Danville: small, quaint, fairly wealthy town. About 35 mi. SW of Lexington, this has grown into a regional business center. It has two well-reputed school systems and three colleges, including world-renowned Centre College. Very park-like, surrounded by a whole host of historic sites and horse farms. My top recommended pick.
Woodford County: the two main towns are Versailles and Midway. This, basically, is the horse capital of the world, even though Lexington claims the title. Both towns are gorgeous and some of the oldest west of the Appalachians, and the county is home to recently reopened Woodford Reserve Distillery. A great community to live in…except property taxes DOUBLED in 2006. If not for that, I’d recommend Woodford Co.
Jessamine County: Nicholasville and Wilmore. They are kind of redneck towns, but are trying to lose that image and become more upscale suburban communties or Lexington. Property taxes are pretty high there, but there are countless beautiful homes and breathtaking views of horse farms.
Richmond: Home of Eastern Ky. University. Not a bad town, either, and close to Natural Bridge, Red River Gorge, and Cumberland Falls. This is basically the gateway to Eastern Ky.
Georgetown: Stay away; it’s a snooty town! It’s also home of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, home of the Camry and Avalon.
Oldham County: The richest per-capita income county in Ky., the average home price is around $ 250K-$ 300K. Many bankers, businessmen, attorneys, and physicians from Louisville move out there for cheaper property taxes (which are still pretty high.) The best school system in Kentucky, and home of yet more lush, rolling hills. Another recommended pick!
Bardstown: Much the same as Oldham County, except the schools aren’t as good.
Louisville: funky, eclectic, and gorgeous. One of the best, most historic, and well-kept park systems in the world! The people, however, are kind of snooty, though; they are pretentious and seem to have this misconception that they are better than outsiders. The crime rate is increasing all the time, also; the high rate of drug abuse, murder, robbery, and burglary is spreading from the west end eastward.
Lexington: If not for the University of Ky. and Transylvania University, there would be nothing there. Sure, there are some great restaurants and the city is nice and green, but that’s about it. The cost of living is comparable to its surrounding suburban and rural counties, though. Crime is not terrible, but the city does not maintain a very extensive park system for its size. I personally wouldn’t mind living here, though.
Now, I live in Lawrenceburg. It’s not the worst place in the world; it could be North Jersey (lol). Anyway, central Kentucky is what you make of it. The land is beautiful, and the cost of living is reasonable comparable to other parts of the country, particularly the coasts. I personally wouldn’t raise my kids here; I’d raise them in Texas for the sake of a warmer climate and better educational and job opportunities. Central Kentucky is neither good nor bad; it’s just a place. Be forewarned, though, in Kentucky, it’s not what you know, where you’re from, or what you do. It’s who you know; if you’re not already kin or otherwise close to a well-respected member of your particular community, you’ll have a hard time fitting in. I’ve lived in Kentucky all my life, have relatives throughout the state, and find it to be pretty unfriendly overall. The nicest people you’ll meet are transplants from out-of-state, such as Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, Indiana, Pennsylvania, etc.
Good luck with your decision. Perhaps you should come here, spend a week or two, visit some of the sites and attractions, get a feel for some towns meet some people, and draw your own conclusion whether or not you want to live here. Again, good luck!
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