2018 GUIDE to the Bluegrass
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2018 GUIDE TO THE Bluegrass www.CommerceLexington.com LeWxinghtony , Kentucky? 2016# Ch1 amber Best M#ids2 ized City Citie#s W3ith High of the Year for New Grads Salaries & Low - Association of Chamber - OnlineDegrees.com Costs of Living of Commerce Executives - GoBankingRates.com Best# Lar6 ge Real B#est 8 U.S. De#stin1atio0 ns on Estate Market Destinations the Rise - WalletHub - Lonely Planet - Trip Advisor Learn more about Lexington, KY: Scan QR Code www.CommerceLexington.com with Mobile Device www.LocateInLexington.com for Free App Call (859) 254-4447 Contents 4 LIVING IN THE BLUEGRASS 6 EMPLOYMENT Commerce Lexington Inc. 330 East Main Street, Suite 100 EDUCATION & CHILD CARE Lexington, KY 40507 7 www.CommerceLexington.com www.LocateinLexington.com This edition of Guide to the Bluegrass is published by Commerce HIGHER EDUCATION Lexington Inc. All information was accurate at the time of print - 13 ing. Dates and times of any events listed can change, so be sure to contact the specific organization to verify an event or program. GETTING AROUND 2018 Commerce Lexington Inc. Chair of the Board 14 Karen Hill, Chief Operating Officer / Chief Nursing Officer Baptist Health Lexington Commerce Lexington Inc. President & CEO 16 ARTS & CULTURE Robert L. Quick, CCE Design/Editing: Mark E. Turner, Commerce Lexington Inc. Printing: Fayette Graphics, 68 S. Main St., Winchester, 40391; 17 HEALTH CARE Phone: (859) 231-6510; Web: www.fayettegraphics.com Additional Copies: Additional copies of this publication are available to pick up at 18 BUSINESS & INDUSTRY no charge at the Commerce Lexington Inc. offices (330 East Main Street, Suite 100, Lexington, KY 40507). A shipping cost is assessed for any copies being mailed. To order a copy, call 19 WHERE TO STAY (859) 254-4447. This publication highlights active business members of Commerce Lexington Inc. – the Greater Lexington (Ky.) Chamber of Commerce as of early 2018. New members who 20 SHOPPING & DINING joined after January 2018 may not be included in this piece. The most up-to-date list of members appears on-line at http://web.commercelexington.com/search . 21 WHAT TO SEE On The Cover: Lexington skyline photo by Bill Straus Photography. Download the CLX2Go Mobile App: 22 RECREATION To stay connected to your favorite Lexington businesses, up - coming events, and news right from your mobile device, download the Commerce Lexington mobile app through the iTunes App Store or Google Play, or scan the QR code below 23 SENIOR LIVING with your mobile device. 24 NEWCOMERS’ INFORMATION 2 | 2018 Guide to the Bluegrass o t o h P . c n I n o t g n i x e L e c r e m m o C Welcome to the Bluegrass! What makes Lexington, Kentucky, unique is its variety – the variety of its landscape, educational opportunities, health care choices, History family activities, arts and culture, businesses, and economy. Our Lexington is rich in tradition and history. Well-known explorer region is among the smartest, most affordable, job friendly, entre - Daniel Boone established nearby Boonesboro, one of the first set - preneurial, most inspiring, and innovative places in America. tlements in the state, in 1775. It helped pave the way for others to follow and settle an area known as McConnell Springs, Lexington’s A lot has been happening here over the last few years – from birthplace. The settlers later named the area after the site of the streetscape improvements to new and enhanced bike and walking opening battle of the Revolutionary War at Lexington, Massachu - trails to many hospital expansions to a rapidly-growing high-tech setts. Fayette County was named in honor of Marquis de Lafayette, sector. There’s a perception among many residents here that Lex - France’s largest supporter of the American Revolution in 1780. ington is on the move, and the city you are experiencing today is far different than that of even a decade ago. Once a part of Virginia, Lexington was granted 710 acres by the Virginia General Assembly in 1782. Ten years later, Virginia re - Whether you’re coming here to live, work, start a business, or play, leased Kentucky, and it assumed statehood, making Frankfort its you’ll find the Bluegrass full of charm and hospitality. It’s an ex - state capital. perience like none other, and you’ll find yourself wanting to come back again and again or perhaps you’ll just decide to stay. In 1812, Henry Clay, who is known as “The Great Compromiser,” built Ashland, a 400-acre estate. Lexington opened its first city school in 1834. When the 1890’s rolled around, tobacco replaced hemp as the major cash crop in the Bluegrass. By the early 1900’s, Lexington became the world’s largest burley tobacco market. Historic Keeneland Race Course opened to huge crowds in 1936, while planes began taking off from nearby Blue Grass Airport in y h p 1942. a r g o t o h In 1974, the city of Lexington and Fayette County merged, creating P s Kentucky’s only urban county government until recently, when u a r t Louisville merged its city and county governments. S l l i B y b o t o h P www.CommerceLexington.com | 3 Living in the Bluegrass o t o h P . c n I n o t g n i x e L e c r e m m o To find a realtor or other relocation services, visit our on-line Business C Directory at http://web.commercelexington.com/Real-Estate-Construction The housing choices for a resident of Fayette County are as diverse (LBAR), the median home sales price in 2017 was $186,000, making as the people and the economy. From newer suburban neighbor - the region an attractive and affordable place to live, with quality hoods like Andover or Masterson Station to older, historical areas homes priced anywhere from the mid-90,000’s to up into the mil - such as Henry Clay and Chevy Chase, Lexington truly offers some - lions. thing for everyone. Residents can choose from downtown living, About 53.6-percent of people in Fayette County own their own farms, apartments and duplexes, million-dollar homes, and suburbia, home, while over 46-percent are renters. With thousands of college as well as the small-town atmosphere of communities like Midway, students descending on the area each fall, a plethora of options are Paris, Versailles or Winchester. available to renters, such as apartment complexes, townhouses, du - According to the Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors plexes, and even older homes near campus. t c e $312,334 $951 4.13% $62.33 p Cost for 2,400-square foot liv - Monthly rent for unfurnished Avg. mortgage rate with points. Average monthly gas bill. x E ing area new home with 3 bed - apartment with two bedrooms, o rooms, 2 baths, and 2-car two baths at approximately 950- t $71.66 $28.66 t garage on 60x120 lot. square feet (excluding all utili - a ties except water and sewer). Average monthly electric bill. Average monthly phone bill. h W Lexington’s Cost of Living Index (2017 Averages): CITY COMPOSITE GROCERY HOUSING UTILITIES TRANSPORT. HEALTH CARE MISC. GOODS Lexington, KY 96.0 91.7 92.5 89.7 94.5 98.9 102.4 Charleston, SC 104.0 101.2 96.9 118.8 94.8 104.1 109.1 Charlotte, NC 96.2 96.6 86.7 100.0 96.3 105.4 101.4 Atlanta, GA 99.0 105.6 94.4 85.8 101.0 107.9 102.1 Columbus, OH 89.7 99.2 76.9 78.2 96.9 92.4 97.5 Louisville, KY 92.3 89.7 79.7 94.7 103.3 93.6 99.9 Madison, WI 107.6 103.3 109.4 105.8 107.3 122.9 106.3 Nashville, TN 96.7 97.3 91.1 90.4 100.3 81.9 103.9 ABOUT THE INDEX: The ACCRA Cost of Living Index measures price levels for consumer goods and services in participating areas. The average for all par - ticipating places, both metropolitan and non-metropolitan, equals 100 (i.e. the national average equals 100). Each participant’s index is read as a percentage of the average for all places. The index does NOT measure inflation. The index reflects cost differences for a mid-management standard of living, and actual cost of living differences can change based on your residential location. Because the number of items priced is limited, it is not valid to treat percentage dif - ferences between areas as exact measures. The index does NOT take taxes into consideration. 4 | 2018 Guide to the Bluegrass Many of the national economic rankings recognizing Lexington-Fayette County are based on statistical information from the entire region (Metropolitan Statistical Area or MSA). While Lexington grabs many of the headlines, the impact of people Search Homes throughout the Bluegrass Region is substantial due to the close proximity of Fayette County to the surrounding communities. through the Lexington- Lexington’s closeness to cities like Winchester, Berea, Richmond, and Versailles allows for easy trips to and from those communities to enjoy shopping, arts and Bluegrass Association crafts fairs, festivals, golfing, and much more. The following is a sampling of key of Realtors (LBAR) at cities that are just a hop, skip, and a jump from Lexington. www.lbar.com Berea Paris Located 35 miles south of Lexington just off About 17 miles northeast of Lexington, I-75 where the Bluegrass meets the moun - Paris is the county seat of Bourbon County, tains in northern Madison County, Berea is which was one of the original nine counties known as the “Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of that comprised Kentucky when it became a Kentucky.” It is home to the Kentucky Artisan state in 1792.