If you’re not from the area and have heard of Lexington, chances are it’s for one of two reasons: 1. The Horses 2. The Kentucky Wildcats.

While it's possible to avoid the horse culture in Lexington, it's impossible to avoid the city’s insanity for the Wildcats (at least in-season). Few communities come together and rally around a team (or anything) quite like Lexington rallies around hoops. Being a part of this community is something that residents take great pride in, and often claim is the crown jewel of their city. The large hospital and jobs that come with the massive public university certainly don’t hurt either.

Do not be deceived by Kentucky’s claim of being a southern state. If you’re living in Lexington, expect the weather to be a brutal mix of both southern and midwestern inhospitality. The local parks and nearby outdoor hotspots such as Red River Gorge and Mammoth Cave are certainly a plus, but residents often complain about the fact that there are very few days weather-wise to enjoy them. Snowier and more frigid winter days than most southern cities quickly transition into hotter and more humid summer days than most midwest cities.


The Wildcats

LookyLOO Review of Lexington

While Lexington has weather like the Midwest it feels more southern than Midwestern in “vibe” and “heat”. By heat, we mean the sense that the city is in the early stages of growth as we’ve seen with other Southeastern cities like Nashville or Atlanta. The city is quiet for a population of 300k but the school and downtown commercial district are enough to keep most people occupied with a smallish but growing arts and music scene and plenty of restaurants and bars. It certainly is a city that feels like a big town and for many, that’s just the right vibe. 

If you want to see what's happening in Lexington, check out the [**calendar of events.**](https://www.topsinlex.com/calendar.php).


Lifestyle 

Horses, agriculture and bourbon are major industries in Lexington. In fact the city has the greatest concentration of thoroughbred horse farms in the world. In addition to horse raising, breeding and training Lexington is also a major tourist attraction for those who want to come and watch the horses race. Lexington and the Fayette County area are the leading producers of burley tobacco in the country. The rich soil also works for growing corn, soybeans and other crops. In addition to the classic industries Lexington is known for there is also manufacturing happening via Toyota and small and large tech ventures, including the city’s largest employer, Lexmark International. While there’s plenty to do for work here we also expect growth to come from wfh refugees looking for the quality of life without the price tag of bigger cities. 


Worklife

Lexington is part of the [**Fayette County Public School District**](https://www.fcps.net/). It receives an [**"A-" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/fayette-county-public-schools-ky/) with high "A's" for College Prep and Diversity. 

Fayette [**enrollment policy**](public school enrollment policy dictates that students are assigned to the school based on their residential address, meaning they will attend the zoned school for their home location; to enroll, parents must provide necessary documentation and register their child at the corresponding school within the district, with the primary requirement being that a child must be 5 years old by August 1st to enroll in kindergarten) dictates that students are assigned to the school based on their residential address, meaning they will attend the zoned school for their home location; to enroll, parents must provide the necessary documentation and register their child at the corresponding school within the district, with the primary requirement being that a child must be 5 years old by August 1st to enroll in kindergarten.

A few of the highest-performing high schools in the district include:

-[**Lafayette High School**](https://lafayette.fcps.net/) is the #2 rated public high school in the entire state. It receives an [**"A" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/lafayette-high-school-lexington-ky/) and gets the highest grades for Academics and Teachers. 

-[**Paul Laurence Dunbar**](https://pld.fcps.net/) is another star in the district. It receives an [**"A" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/paul-laurence-dunbar-high-school-lexington-ky/) with the highest grades for Academics, Diversity, and College Prep. The Math, Science, and Technology Center is a magnet program housed within the school. 

Schools

As more and more people transition to permanent remote work, Lexington has become popular due to its mix of great homes and close proximity to city amenities. With a new world class 100% fiber-optic network running throughout the city, Lexington is making strides to transition its identity from a small, midwest/southern college town into a city of the future. 


A Remote Haven

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**phorgewerk**
Living in Lexington
10mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

You can absolutely live comfortably on 100k/yr in Lexington, the people in this thread saying its "lower middle class" are bizarre. The only way it would suck is if you are trying to find a place downtown and already have a mountain of debt. Listings do tend to get snapped up quickly though which does suck if you are trying to make up your mind about a property.

You can get stuff in the satellite towns for much cheaper though as other people have pointed out, it really just comes down to how much you value your commute time. Rush hour on Nicholasville road is some unhinged demolition derby shit.

You can absolutely live comfortably on 100k/yr in Lexington, the people in this thread saying its "lower middle class" are bizarre. The only way it would suck is if you are trying to find a place downtown and already have a mountain of debt. Listings do tend to get snapped up quickly though which does suck if you are trying to make up your mind about a property.

You can get stuff in the satellite towns for much cheaper though as other people have pointed out, it really just comes down to how much you value your commute time. Rush hour on Nicholasville road is some unhinged demolition derby shit.

Live Comfortably

Reviews of Lexington from Locals

**The Best Thing About Lexington?** - The Worshipped Wildcats

If you’re not from the area and have heard of Lexington, chances are it’s for one of two reasons: 1. The Horses  2. The Kentucky Wildcats. 

While it's possible to avoid the horse culture in Lexington it's not possible to avoid the city’s insanity for the Wildcats (at least in-season). Few communities come together and rally around a team (or anything) quite like Lexington rallies around hoops. Being a part of this community is something that residents take great pride in, and often claim is the crown jewel of their city. The large hospital and jobs that come with the massive public university certainly don’t hurt either.

**The Worst Thing About Lexington?** - The Un-Worshipped Weather

Do not be deceived by Kentucky’s claim of being a southern state. If you’re living in Lexington, expect the weather to be a brutal mix of both southern and midwestern inhospitality. The local parks and nearby outdoor hotspots such as Red River Gorge and Mammoth Cave are certainly a plus, but residents often complain about the fact that there are very few days weather-wise to enjoy them. Snowier and more frigid winter days than most southern cities quickly transition into hotter and more humid summer days than most midwest cities. 
	
**How You Living?**  College Town or Colonial?

For residents living outside The University area, large single family homes are the norm. Lexington is a sprawling city with a mix of relatively inexpensive colonial and contemporary homes. Farmhouses are also common as part of small to large plots of farmland, and its overall concentration of large and reasonably priced homes makes Lexington popular for families and recent retirees.

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** 

As more and more people transition to permanent remote work, Lexington has become popular due to its mix of great homes and close proximity to city amenities. With a new world class 100% fiber-optic network running throughout the city, Lexington is making strides to transition its identity from a small, midwest/southern college town into a city of the future. 


Historic Downtown is the first place to look if you’re a young professional and moving to Lexington. The city has worked hard to grow the commercial and arts scene downtown and so cultural, arts and nightlife are all densely packed here. The Opera House is here, for those looking to get some culture, along with Rupp Arena, where the Wildcats play so whether you’re feeling operatic or ready to cheer you’ll find it downtown. Finally the area has an interesting mix of apt/condo and homes to choose from for those who don’t want only the cookie cutter buildings to choose from.
- Historic Downtown
- Chevy Chase
- Kenwick


Young Professionals

Historic Downtown

Kenwick is a great choice for singles and couples who aren’t looking for hardcore downtown living and aren’t feeling the vibe of suburban lifestyle. The walkscore is excellent to pubs, restaurants, live music, coffee shops and fitness studios. It also has beautiful old Victorians and cute bungalows and a tight-knit community that enjoy neighborhood gatherings.
- Kenwick
- Liberty Heights


DINKs/SINKs

Kenwick

Don’t sleep on Lexington as a city to call home if you’re looking for a friendly community for LGBTQ+. The city had an openly gay major, Jim Gray, from 2011 to 2019, it hosts a yearly Pride event and it has one of the highest concentration of LGBT couples among U.S. cities of the same size. The city has a number of gay bars with a variety of drinking, dancing and drag show events throughout the year. It also has excellent Trans Support through the PCSO’s TransKentucky group and Transparent is a local group that helps parents of trans youth advocate for their children. 

The Downtown area likely has the highest concentration of LGBTQ+ people but the city isn’t known as having a particularly dense area for starting a search.
- Downtown


LGBTQ+

Downtown

Beaumont is a great place to start your search if you’re looking for a great neighborhood for families. It has an interesting blend of high-end homes and townhomes as well as a significant commercial district for shopping, eating and drinking. Finally it has great public schools and parks for educating and recreating the kiddos. 
- Beaumont
- Southland Corridor
- Chevy Chase/Ashland Park


Families

Beaumont

Lexington

**How is it to live in Lexington?**

Louisville is the biggest city, Frankfort is the capital, but Lexington is the heart.

Lived here 26 years, came for UK and never left.

Pros:

Beautiful parks, farms, downtown. Gateway to eastern and southern Kentucky with all its natural beauty, lakes, rivers, and mountains.

Plenty of shopping. Good cultural events with events and parades, Opera House, Rupp Arena, Keeneland, Bourbon Trail. Tons of restaurants. Very kid-friendly, very teen-friendly, very college-age friendly, very friendly overall.

Highly educated population.

Good economy and good city and county leadership.

Two interstates that don't cut into the city.

You're no more than an hour from Louisville or Cincinnati or Red River Gorge, three to Indianapolis, Nashville or Gatlinburg, five to Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis or Atlanta, or eight to Charleston SC or Florida.

Cons:

As others have said, traffic. Infrastructure has not grown with the population, so plan for 30 minutes to get anywhere else outside your neighborhood. Lots of bypasses and shortcuts though, so you don't have to stay on New Circle or MOW during high traffic times. Lots of tourists and out of towners from smaller places. Real estate prices are reflective of quality of neighborhoods or school districts.

**What is it like to live in Lexington?**

Lexington, in my opinion, is just the right size (around 322,00) with low unemployment. We enjoy all four seasons, but for us, a heavy snowfall would be 6″ accumulation. Temperature fairly moderate in the winter, but can be hot and humid in July and August (85–90F). The countryside indeed boasts beautiful horse farms, and our race track, Keeneland, is one of the most, if not THE most beautiful in the country. There’s plenty of bourbon distilleries conducting tours within an hour’s drive to entertain guests who may come to visit you. Lexington has a live and let live vibe regarding minorities, LBGTQ and anyone else that might feel squeamish living in “the south”. We’ve had a gay mayor, and a woman mayor, and have just elected (Nov 2018) another woman mayor. Medical facilities are excellent with a university teaching hospital and two private hospitals. Rent varies, with “luxury” or high-end one bedroom renting for around $1000/month. A decent sized home can be had for about $200,000, both those estimates are just that. Shop around. The Lexington Center books concerts all year round, with some of the most desirable in the world: Justin Timberlake, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, etc, etc, etc. Our University of Kentucky men’s basketball team is, year after year, rated in the top 25, and most of the time, in the top 10. And the UK campus has had quite a building spree in the last 8 years, resulting in very modern dorms and upgraded student center. Our downtown offers more and more dining and “hang outs” every year, and an enclave called the Summit in the suburbs offers plenty of eateries.

**What is your review of Lexington, KY?**

I have lived in 3 cities of India, 1 of Europe, and 3 US cities. Among these, I would rate Lexington, KY as the best city I have ever lived. Let's see why?
1) It's not a small city, but surely not a huge city. This makes commuting quite easy.
2) The cost of living is relatively less, but quality of life is terrific.
3) The weather is not as nasty as the north-east, but the different seasons are differentiable.
4) There is plenty of things to do. You are history buff, go visit the Mary Todd Lincoln house, Hunt-Morgan house, several museums, etc. You want to try different cuisines, Lex offers it. You want to hit the bars, Lex has them all.
5) Regardless of your gender, orientation, religion, and race, Lexington will make you feel welcome. There is something for everyone.
6) Education is great, thanks to UK.
7) With UK being the centerpiece of Lexington, sports and recreation choices are in abundance. It's hard to stay away from basketball, if you are in Lexington.
8) Lexington is the horse capital of the world. You can hit Keeneland twice a year (March and October), and you will fall in love with it. Of course the Kentucky Horse Park is a few miles away from Lexington downtown.
9) And if you like some bourbon, along with some doze of history, look no further. All the popular distilleries producing fine bourbon are in vicinity of Lexington.
10) Finally, what makes Lexington a great place to live is the people of the city. If I was born and raised in Lexington, well such a point would have been attributed to my bias. However, I was a foreigner but always felt like home. Even strangers are super friendly in Lexington.

Lexington, Kentucky

Horse Capital Of The World

Looklyloo Score: 89