inquiries about neighborhoods in lexington

[laelialudisia]

i am getting ready to move to lexington to attend professional school at UK, and i was wondering if anyone could give me suggestions on good neighborhoods in the area. i am going to be purchasing a condo/townhouse in lexington, and i would like to have some ideas of areas to get familiar with on my house hunting trips.

also, since i am not familiar with the area, can anyone tell me any neat/unique restaurants, shopping areas, etc. that i can check out? thanks.

[The Real]

Check out South Hill Station (Walk to UK, Walk to Downtown). My favorite restaurants in Lexington are Joe Bologna's ("Joe B's") which is on Maxwell in your future neighborhood of South Hill Station and Atomic Cafe which is near Transy at 3rd and Limestone. Have a pint at McCarthy's or the Rosebud. God, I miss Lexington.

[jjb1983]

Yeah, I agree that South Hill is probably your best bet for a condo near UK. You can walk to campus and it's a growing revitalized area. But you might also be interested in the Hamburg area. It really depends on where you want to live and what is important to you. I like to walk to campus, so I live close, near South Hill, but if you like a lot of shopping, don't mind traffic, then you'd probably like Hamburg.

Also, if your professional school is in the Med Center, that might be a bit much for a walk from South Hill.

[Ian604]

Yeah, I agree that South Hill is probably your best bet for a condo near UK. You can walk to campus and it's a growing revitalized area. But you might also be interested in the Hamburg area. It really depends on where you want to live and what is important to you. I like to walk to campus, so I live close, near South Hill, but if you like a lot of shopping, don't mind traffic, then you'd probably like Hamburg.

Also, if your professional school is in the Med Center, that might be a bit much for a walk from South Hill.

[seicer]

I would try the South Hill neighbourhood. There are new rowhouses and townhouses being constructed just south of downtown. If that isn't your fancy, there are new condos being constructed as CenterCourt. Phase I still has a few openings; Phase II has plenty available.

Across the street from CenterCourt is South Hill Station - condos for purchase.

In downtown, there is Main+Rose, 500's on the Main, and Park Plaza Apartments.

[ezcheese]

wow, it seems like houth hill is the "it" neighborhood, kind of like greensboro's south side. she'll be going to the dental school. (i'm her boyfriend). i know she would like to walk to school if she could, but it's not a deal breaker.

we're going to be driving up to lexington on friday morning and leaving on sunday. that doesn't give us a lot of time to look around, but i think we will be meeting up with a realtor to look around. we will definitely check out south hill.

btw, she said she saw a wild oats grocery store. we shopped at wild oats in massachusetts and liked it. what are the other natural/organic grocery store options in lexington?

[jjb1983]

wow, it seems like houth hill is the "it" neighborhood, kind of like greensboro's south side. she'll be going to the dental school. (i'm her boyfriend). i know she would like to walk to school if she could, but it's not a deal breaker.

we're going to be driving up to lexington on friday morning and leaving on sunday. that doesn't give us a lot of time to look around, but i think we will be meeting up with a realtor to look around. we will definitely check out south hill.

btw, she said she saw a wild oats grocery store. we shopped at wild oats in massachusetts and liked it. what are the other natural/organic grocery store options in lexington?

[Ian604]

Yeah, South Hill is definitely an option. It's probably the best you are going to find around UK. You don't want to buy anything too close to the hospital, on the other side of Limestone, because you never know what they are going to buy and build on top of. And I believe they are building a new Dental School on top of Rose Street (at the intersection with Huguelet Ave.) now that it has been closed down. Therefore, I wouldn't consider a walk to be that bad from South Hill, but again, there are some transit options.

And yes, there is a Wild Oats store out at Lexington Green, near the mall, but for all the good it does in offering the great foods, it really is a pain in the rear to get to. You will soon find out that you will hate Nicholasville Rd... which I think most people figure out the first time they try to get to Fayette Mall. Fortunately, there are some closer options. We have a very organized and vibrant Farmer's Market which meets (within walking distance from So. Hill) at S. Broadway and Maxwell and on Saturdays along Vine Street. However, right now, due to the season, they have moved into the atrium of Victorian Square, which is across Triangle Park from Rupp Arena.

Go here for more info: Lexington Farmer's Market

Also we have a Co-op located on Southland Dr. They have a snack bar of sorts downtown in the library as well so you can get some lunch. Here is the page for it: Good Foods Co-op

Hope this helps, and your realtor will be able to help you find more options in So. Hill than I can offer here, there is just so much going on, I don't know who's got what for sale and what the price is anymore, but I do wish you all the best of luck and hope you find Lexington well.

**EDIT Here is a map of the LexTran bus routes. So. Hill is located where you see the word 'SAMARITAN' and you can ride the UK Downtown Express to the Medical Center.

[ezcheese]

thanks for all the recommendations! we'll be sure to check out all the options you've presented.

[seicer]

There is Good Foods on Southland but the quality and cleanliness isn't the best IMO. My last two trips have found loads of moldy bread and unclean shelves. Wild Oats is off Nicholasville Road near the Fayette Mall and offers excellent selection but can be a pain to get out of the shopping centre during rush hour.

There is also a natural foods store near the Pink Pigeon Parkway and Man 'o War Blvd. near the Aldi dealership.

[rnc]

I lived in the South Hill area when in college. You couldn't ask for more convience. Walk to campus, walk to downtown, walk to tons of different restaurants, stumble home from any number of cool bars... The only time I had to drive was to the grocery and soon it looks like that won't even be necessary. It isn't that far to the medical complex on foot, maybe 20 minutes walk. By bike it is nothing.

[ezcheese]

well, we have been in lexington since friday afternoon. we've driven around a lot and looked at a few condos. the one thing we've noticed as far as condos near downtown is that there are not really any moderately priced places. they're all pretty expensive.

we looked around in a couple of places farther out and haven't really found any places that really stood out to us. does anybody like any neighborhoods that are within the limits of new circle road that are cool? what about between new circle and man o war?

[jjb1983]

Within New Circle.... well I'm fond of the area around Lexington Catholic on Clays Mill Rd. Other than that, within New Circle I don't know if something is going to stand out. I'd say Richmond Rd, but that probably isn't something you'd consider moderately priced. Maybe check around Euclid/Tates Creek... Hollywood, Chevy Chase and the like.

[rnc]

I noticed when I was in Lexington a couple months ago that all of the development around South Hill was pretty "upscale". When I lived in the area, it was more of a mix. Inside of New Circle, maybe try the area around Turfland Mall on Harrodsburg Road. I'm not sure if there are any condos in that area, but there are numerous apartments and small homes. The Lane Allen side of Harrodsburg is typically cheaper than the Rosemont Garden side. Looking at the map, you'll know what I mean. It may be easier to find a nice, small house than a condo outside of the downtown/campus area in Lexington. Chevy Chase is nice, but probably some of the most expensive $/sqft real estate in Lexington.

[ezcheese]

what do you guys know about the neighborhood downtown that is bordered by broadway, 3rd street, laudon ave. and winchester road? it's a historic district and it has an active neighborhood association.

does anybody know any more about this area?

[georgeglass]

what do you guys know about the neighborhood downtown that is bordered by broadway, 3rd street, laudon ave. and winchester road? it's a historic district and it has an active neighborhood association.

does anybody know any more about this area?

[rnc]

what do you guys know about the neighborhood downtown that is bordered by broadway, 3rd street, laudon ave. and winchester road? it's a historic district and it has an active neighborhood association.

does anybody know any more about this area?

[Ian604]

I lived around that neighborhood for several years now. Generally speaking the further north (toward loudon) the higher rate of drugs/crime/etc. But it really depends street to street. My street Campsie Pl. Is a quaint little street with old homes and a few rentals, but two blocks north and on block east are total ghettos. I'd recommend taking a walk through the area in the daytime (you wont have any trouble in the day) in case you stumble onto some of the rougher streets, there are certainly some gems and really great neighborhoods with lots of character in the area.

[ezcheese]

there's one house for sale in the area (on silver maple way) that my girlfriend fell in love with but after looking at the mlkna website and checking crime in the area on the lexington police website i'm not sure i would feel good about her living there alone for her first year there.

[rnc]

there's one house for sale in the area (on silver maple way) that my girlfriend fell in love with but after looking at the mlkna website and checking crime in the area on the lexington police website i'm not sure i would feel good about her living there alone for her first year there.

[evoque]

If I were you, I'd rent first and get to know all the little quirks of downtown Lexington before jumping into the housing market. With all the development going on in Lexington, I wouldn't be surprised if the condo market softened once the buildings are completed and folks realize that the tenancy rates they're looking for aren't on par with what people are willing to pay. A short-term let should be reasonably easy to get.

We live in a fairly nice little townhouse downtown, and I believe one of our neighbors is looking to sell this summer. I don't know what she'd ask for her 2-bed, 2-bath end unit, but I dare say it will be right around $160K, if not more. If you're interested, I can put you two in touch.

[ezcheese]

Well, we have officially bought a place near St. Joseph hospital and we're loving it! I am in town for the rest of the week and then I'm heading home to Greensboro. But I'll be visiting several times over the coming year and then I'll be moving up officially next year.

I was wondering, what is the neighborhood called around St. Joseph hospital?

[seicer]

Where at? The neighborhood on the southwest quadrant of Harrodsburg Road and Mason Headley Road/Waller Avenue is Gardenside, the southeast I believe is the Bob-o-Link neighborhood (who is this person? There is a golf course near Lawrenceburg with the same name...), the northeast I'm unsure of, and the northwest is Picadome along Parkway Drive, and Addison near Addison Park. Let me know the next time you are up and I can show you around!