just returned from Lexington with some sad thought
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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.
Rick | Carlsbad, CA