Great Place - 12/22/2007

Lexington, KY is a great place to live. Downtown Lexington is a walkable community with many independent restaurants and a variety of arts and music. There are many apartments, townhomes, and loft condominiums all throughout the downtown area. Overall, Lexington housing is affordable and there are many things to do including sports, visual arts and music events. Great neighborhoods surround the central downtown area. At the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University there are a plethora of sports and music events. There are free music events at the UK Singletary Center for the Arts. Also there is the Lexington Horseman arena football team. Keeneland thoroughbred race track is one of the most beautiful tracks in America. If you go for a quick visit to the track you will be swept away with the excitement of the races. The Lexington area is surrounded by picturesque horse farms and rolling hills not to mention some of the best bourbon distilleries in the world. You will also discover a growing number of small wineries. Many of the distilleries and wineries are available for tours and host music fairs. There are four seasons in eastern Kentucky including fall and spring that seem to last forever. If you love shoveling snow then this place is not for you. The chilly but mild winters may get a couple of small snowfalls a year. As you venture out from Lexington there is outdoor recreation including the Daniel Boone National Forest. There are many other universities and colleges within a short drive of Lexington including Eastern Kentucky University, Northern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, Berea College, Centre College and many, many others within a days drive in Kentucky Louisville, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis are within a few hours drive. Our nation’s capital is only nine hours drive from Lexington. We found Lexington quite by accident a few years ago. Many of our travels in nomadic life brought us through Lexington. The more we visited here the more we loved this town. And now my wife and I have decided to raise our children here and call Lexington home. I have only touched on how Lexington, Kentucky is a great place; as soon as I quit writing I will think of hundreds of more things I should have mentioned. Oh ya! There is the Lexington Philharmonic and the Lexington Opera Society. See I told I would think of more.

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Lexington, KY - A Great Place to Live - 12/20/2007

Lexington, KY is a great place to live. Downtown Lexington is a walkable community with many independent restaurants and a variety of arts and music. There are many apartments, townhomes, and loft condominiums all throughout the downtown area. Overall, Lexington housing is affordable and there are many things to do including sports, visual arts and music events. Great neighborhoods surround the central downtown area. At the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University there are a plethora of sports and music events. There are free music events at the UK Singletary Center for the Arts. Also there is the Lexington Horseman arena football team. Keeneland thoroughbred race track is one of the most beautiful tracks in America. If you go for a quick visit to the track you will be swept away with the excitement of the races. The Lexington area is surrounded by picturesque horse farms and rolling hills not to mention some of the best bourbon distilleries in the world. You will also discover a growing number of small wineries. Many of the distilleries and wineries are available for tours and host music fairs. There are four seasons in eastern Kentucky including fall and spring that seem to last forever. If you love shoveling snow then this place is not for you. The chilly but mild winters may get a couple of small snowfalls a year. As you venture out from Lexington there is outdoor recreation including the Daniel Boone National Forest. There are many other universities and colleges within a short drive of Lexington including Eastern Kentucky University, Northern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, Berea College, Centre College and many, many others within a days drive in Kentucky Louisville, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis are within a few hours drive. Our nation’s capital is only nine hours drive from Lexington. We found Lexington quite by accident a few years ago. Many of our travels in nomadic life brought us through Lexington. The more we visited here the more we loved this town. And now my wife and I have decided to raise our children here and call Lexington home. I have only touched on how Lexington, Kentucky is a great place; as soon as I quit writing I will think of hundreds of more things I should have mentioned. Oh ya! There is the Lexington Philharmonic and the Lexington Opera Society. See I told I would think of more.

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just returned from Lexington with some sad thought - 10/12/2007

My wife and I recently visited the Lexington Metro area. We were "scouting" out the area for possible relocation next year. The weather was extremely hot and humid. I was surprised at the lack of friendliness by the locals. The majority of the people we crossed paths with were reserved. I really was expecting outgoing, in your face southern charm on all occasions, but left Lexington disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I did meet a small handful of people whom were very upbeat and genuinely kind. Downtown Lexington seems to shut down after 6pm. We visited two malls that closed at 6pm on the weekend. This was very upsetting to say the least. Where is everyone? Also, on more than one occasion, many of the downtown restaurants were closed for breakfast or opened late morning. It eventually became a chore to locate a decent place to grab a bagel or such. Speaking of restaurants, the quality of service was subpar across the board. The servers seemed stressed and overwhelmed. I didn't get the sense I was receiving personalized service. On the upside: the food was excellent. Outside of the thousands of fast food parlors and chain/franchise establishments in Lexington, the city does offer some very nice local eateries with tasty fare. If you like UK athletics and horses, Lexington, KY is for you-bar none. Basketball, football and thoroughbreds are in major supply all throughout bluegrass country. Downtown Lexington certainly has a lot of potential to be a great city. The city seems to have a decent amount of space available for growth. There seemed to be a number of vacant storefronts waiting to be occupied. Ok, now for all you non-smokers out there.....Lexington is full of smokers. Smokers everywhere!!! From what I read recently(2004), Lexington approved the ban of smoking in restaurants and some other indoor establishments. Regardless, Lexington has smokers, and plenty of 'em. Ah, if you like horses, Lexington is the capital. Horse farms and horses everywhere. I think there are more horses than people! I didn't see many dogs in Lexington, although I did see many dog grooming/dog spas and boarding kennels. Very interesting to say the least. The other thing that really disturbed me was the lack of helmet wearing citizens. Motorcyclists and bikers alike were sans helmets. If you're a neurosurgeon looking for work-come to Lexington, KY. Aside from the above comments I really appreciated some of the great features Lexington offers. The smoothest cleanest roadways I've ever seen and well marked too. Very low property taxes Low fuel prices, excellent police presence, a decent amount of parks, beautiful custom homes with lots of green space(very little cookie cutter style homes) and not many SUV's on the road. Well, visit for yourself, once again this is just my observation.

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none - 9/30/2007

small city feel in a larger city.

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stress level - 9/24/2007

Lexingto is a friendly city where people generally get along well

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OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES - 9/9/2007

Lexington is land-locked. there are no major rivers, lakes, or bodies of water anywhere near downtown, a couple of man-made little lakes surrounded by subdivisions. No bike paths accessible throughout the city, roads are dominated by cars and congested particularly in rush times. Not a lot of outdoor awareness given our mild climate most of the year.

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crime is very harsh - 7/15/2007

I love Sperling's reviews,but the crime in Lexington,KY can be extremely violent and harsh.Lots of rape and murders,bad race and drug problems.Noise pollution is really loud!Traffic is a nightmare.The main mall(Fayette mall)is basically for upper income(no pet store,arcade,or dollar store).The medical care is excellent,if you have the money/right insurance.The bus system is good.No mountains or lakes.No real bike/pedestrian paths.Rent is expensive.State is more interested in sports than anything else.State is a union buster.Jobs only come here if they no that there won't be any unions.Pay is low.

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Lexington - 7/12/2007

I lived in Lexington for four years while attending dental school. I was enthralled by the rolling hills and the horse farms surrounding the city. There are plenty of nice places to shop, and the people for the most part are friendly.

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A perfect City - 6/14/2007

Lexington is an amazing city with plenty of things too do!! It has a wonderful public school system and wonderful university and(Univ.of Kentucky&Transylvania University). People are very friendly and well educated. Cost of living is fairly resonable and no congestion on the interstates.Is a family city as well as a city for singles. Very clean city with a low crime rate. Has an amazing climate(four seasons). A city with a little country flare!!

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Overrated - 6/6/2007

Lexington is a very unique place, and many people love the "city", but after 4 years of living there, I have to say that i'm glad to be on the verge of getting out. Lexington is an absolutely wonderful college town, I couldn't have asked for a better one. However, if you're looking to move there, be sure that you like fighting horrendous traffic jams which have no pattern at all. By that I mean, you know there will be a rush hour from 4-6, but the traffic is very random, as there are many times when a simple commute during the middle of the day, around 11 AM or 1 PM will take you 3 times longer than it should. That is my main complaint about Lexington, the infrastructure of the road system makes no sense, as the city has really outgrown itself. There is really no room for expanding the roads or building a true expressway. Many times, a trip that is around 3 to 5 miles has taken me as long as 45 minutes to complete, and that is one way. Construction is always occuring, and during the holiday season, traffic is ten fold, as thousands come to Lexington from the surrounding counties and towns to do thier holiday shopping. You will love Lexington if you like dealing with the majority of the people that seem to have too much money and time that they do not know what to do with. There is an over abundance of restaurants and places to shop, as it seems many of the country club moms need something to do with their time while the fathers are at work and the kids are with the nanny. Everyone is pretty much the same, there is no real diversity, except on the college campus, and even then it's really not that diverse. However, if you fit into the soccer mom, conservative repulican church going crowd that has money to buy an overpriced house, and you like the typical things to do for entertainment, and drive your gas guzzling SUV while doing it, then Lexington will be an excellent choice if you should choose to live there. But as a young professional, new to the job market wanting to experience new things and meet diverse people, then Lexington is absolutely not for you. The job market for fresh graduates is miserable, and you won't really make enough money to live that comfortably at first, because in my opinion, even rent in Lexington is overpriced by the high demand created by the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University.

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thinking of moving - 5/19/2007

My husband and I are sick of Michigan and the metro-detroit area and have been looking at Lexington. Unfortunately, we haven't visited there in awhile and when we are looking at real estate online are unsure of what areas of the city we should stay away from. Any advice?

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Lexington - 5/8/2007

A great place for horse lovers

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THE BEST PLACE THAT I HAVE LIVED. - 11/17/2006

I am now living in far eastern ky in Pikeville, Ky area and i miss the Lexington area. Much more to do and the ecomony is much better in Lexington. I planning to move back real soon.

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How is single life in Lexington? - 10/18/2006

I'm thinking of moving to Lexington and am in my 40's. I do clerical work so I think getting a job will be OK but wondering if there are alot of single people or is it mostly good for families. Thanks.

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17 years here - 10/10/2006

Whether or not you like Lexington depends a lot on who you are and what you are looking for in a city. I think Lexington is a nice, affordable place to live and (what is constantly advertised) a nice place to raise a family. The economy does boast a low unemployment rate but there should be a * by that stat. There really seems to be a lack of high paying jobs. The high earners in Lexington seem to be from the health care sector, self-employed professionals and Phd's from UK. If you fit into that category then this is a great place to earn a living b/c the cost of living is fairly low and it comes with easy commutes. If you are out of school looking for a nice job, there really isn't much. All of the other jobs are low paying, crappy retail jobs. Lexmark and Toyota are the two real corporate players in the area and both have scaled back their operations considerably. Most people looking to build careers either stick around and flood a small, saturated job market or take off to a bigger city (probably the smart thing to do). The city parks are pretty lame. I have seen much better. The outdoors scene is lame unless you get 45 minutes or so out of the city and go to the Red River Gorge or to a lake. KY has some nice lakes and the Gorge is nice too. I wish we had more in our own backyard. There are no bodies of water in the city limits that are nice and open to the public. We seem to pay a lot in city taxes but get relatively little in return in this category. The seasons are fairly moderate. It does get hot and humid in the summer but it's not nearly as bad as the rest of the South. Spring and Fall are incredible and the area stays very green from the rainfall. The people are not too bad. Most are friendly but there are always some that are not no matter where you go. I don't think Lexington is all that diverse, maybe diverse compared to a small Eastern KY town (a lot move here in search of a better life & a lot of gays in search of a more liberal environment). Lexington is mostly white, some 80-85%. Housing is still affordable. Things I wish for: 1) smart growth - stop building out and rebuild the existing properties - like downtown area. 2) job creation - attracting new employers and jobs does not have to threaten what you have and does not promote more sprawl. This category never seems to be addressed and never seems to be a concern. Fact is, Lexington is losing a lot of bright and competent people. 3) more th

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Nice place - 6/19/2006

Lexington is nice

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A nice small city with alot of potential - 6/15/2006

I've visited Lexington many times over the last 3 years and even lived there for 2 or 3 months at a time on 2 separate occassions. In my opinion it is a very nice small-sized city with alot to offer. But that would depend on what one was looking for in a city, particularly the size of Lexington. With a population of around 300,000 people, and the population density being very low in comparison to other cities its size, it hasn't suffered any of the big-city problems--at least not yet. Being a "college town", it seems to be quite culturally diverse. And the people are generally friendly and considerate. Far more so than what I've experienced in many other southern cities. Traffic tends to move pretty well and rush hour is really not all that bad. Modest gridlock if it even ever occurs. And road rage seems to be non-existent. Crime rates vary, depending on which side of town you're in, but, for the most part, is fairly low to moderate (of course, downtown in most any city of any size tends to have a higher crime rate). A good sized and obvious police presence gives a fair sense of security. Unemployment is extremely low (about 2% or less) and the area seems to be fairly recession-proof. Often one will see "Now Hiring" signs, especially during the summer months when the college students go home for the summer. One of the nicest things about Lexington, at least in my opinion, is the beautiful surrounding countryside and the seemingly endless number of horse farms. Granted, Lexington justly earned the title "The Horse Capitol of the World", but to fully comprehend why it earned that title one would have to see and experience it for themselves. And in the blink of an eye one can go from the city limits to suddenly being "in horse country". Unfortunately, there is one major downside to this area. Like all cities who want to prosper, growth is the key to achieving prosperity. Lexington has been in a major construction boom for some time now, with homes, shopping centers, and corporate buildings rising up from where horses used to graze in the meadows and pastures. It's a sad sight to see. And Lexington's proximity along I-75 will only encourage more growth. For now, Lexington still maintains alot of it's small city charm. But unfortunately this aspect will only be history in the near future.

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My home in lexington - 5/9/2006

Lexington has been my home for only 2 years. I love lexington. For the most part the people are very nice here. Crime is what I would call low as compared to a large city such as L.A. They even have a wonderful school for talented children called SCAPA. My husband and I have visited over 25 of the states here in the United States and I must say that even though there are a SMALL handful of states that are prettier. Lexington is green and quite lovely in Spring . Fall is colorful. Summer can geta little humid, fireflies, bbq's and fire works make summer. And winter is cold yet beautiful in its own way. The ONLY thing I would change about Lexington at this time is how fast it is being developed. Once it's gone it's gone. Dj

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Lexington Ky. Our home - 5/9/2006

Lexington has been my home for only 2 years. I love Lexington. For the most part the people here are very nice. Crime is what I would call low, as compared to a larger city such as L.A. They have a wonderful school for talented children here called SCAPA. My husband and I have visited over 25 of the states in the United States and I must say that even though there are a SMALL handful of states that are prettier. Lexington is still very beautiful. The horse Capital of the WORLD. Green and quite lovely in Spring with lots of song birds to wake you and a lot of flowers. Fall is colorful with brisk evenings. Summer can get a little humid but fireflies, bbqs and fire works make summer really nice. Winter is cold yet beautiful in its own way.The city has holiday stuff to enjoy. The ONLY thing I would change about Lexington at this time is how fast it is being DEVELOPED. Once it's gone it's gone. I grew up in Southern California.I miss the orange groves,avo.farms,birds and the families that raised there kids there generation after generation. Calif.is just one house after another now.To busy to stop and smell the roses.To focused on making a buck. I hope it doesnt happen here. Dj

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Lexington Ky. - 5/9/2006

Lexington has been my home for only 2 years. I love Lexington. For the most part the people are very nice here. Crime is what I would call low as compared to a large city such as L.A. They have a wonderful school for talented children called SCAPA. My husband and I have visited over 25 of the states here in the United States and I must say that even though there are a SMALL handful of states that are prettier. Lexington is green and quite lovely in Spring . Fall is colorful. Summer can get a little humid, fireflies, bbq and fire works make summer. And winter is cold yet beautiful in its own way. The ONLY thing I would change about Lexington at this time is how fast it is being developed. Once it's gone it's gone. Dj

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