The Pros and Cons of Living in Kentucky

When you think of Kentucky, you might conjure up images of fried chicken, bourbon, and horse racing. While you will find no shortage of those things in the Bluegrass State, it has so much more to offer. Kentucky is a beautiful, friendly state with unique natural wonders, an underrated food scene, and a rich history. 

If you’re an urbanite, “the Golden Triangle” offers employment and educational opportunities, and entertainment and nightlife. The Golden Triangle is comprised of the three largest metropolitan areas in the state: Louisville, Lexington, and the northern Kentucky towns located across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Smaller towns and rural areas are aplenty, so if you are searching for someplace to live a slow and quiet life, you will find many options in Kentucky. 

However, Kentucky isn’t for everyone, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with some cons of living in the Bluegrass State, such as subpar public transportation and the potential for rural isolation. Study about the good and the bad in Kentucky so you can make the best and most informed decision for you and your family.

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Pros

1. It’s affordable. 

When considering a move to a new place, your first thought is probably “Can I afford to live there?” Luckily, Kentucky’s low cost of living and relatively inexpensive housing market make it an affordable place to put down roots.  In the first half of 2024, Kentucky’s median sale price for homes was $268,100, which is significantly below the national average of $495,100. The average monthly cost for a rental is $999, making it the fifth cheapest state in the country to rent a place to live.  

Other everyday necessities like groceries, utilities, health services, transportation, and education are also quite cheap compared to other states. Kentucky’s cost of living is 11.4% lower than the average in the U.S. 

Adding to the appeal, Kentucky has low property tax rates at 0.89%. Compare that to nearby Illinois or Ohio, which are 2.29% and 1.57%, respectively.

2. Top notch natural beauty. 

Outdoor lovers rejoice because Kentucky boasts breathtaking and unique natural beauty but still flies under the radar and isn’t as jam-packed with tourists as places like Colorado or Arizona. 

In the west, you’ll find Mammoth Cave National Park, home to the longest cave system in the world and lakes galore. 

The central part of the state is full of rolling hills and beautiful farmland. Old Frankfort Pike is a scenic byway lined with historic limestone fences and gorgeous Thoroughbred farms. 

As you head east, you’ll enter Daniel Boone National Forest, home to the beautiful Red River Gorge at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Red River Gorge is home to world-class rock climbing and hiking and has hundreds of natural arches and lush forests.

You also must visit Cumberland Falls, which is known as “the Niagra of the South.” 

City dwellers in Louisville have a park system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York City’s Central Park, so they can immerse themselves in nature without even leaving city limits. 

3. A blossoming food scene. 

Don’t sleep on Kentucky when it comes to food. Louisville, in particular, is a food lover’s dream, and it even attracted Bravo’s Emmy-nominated show, Top Chef, to film a season there in 2018. From Louisville to Lexington and everywhere in between, you will find a diverse offering of culinary delights that include traditional southern cuisine, Korean barbecue, Latin fusion, and pretty much anything you could think of. 

Chefs in the state have accumulated 50 nominations and two wins for the prestigious James Beard Awards, including Ed Lee, Ouita Michel, Anthony Lamas, Kathy Cary, Paco Garcia, Jonathan Lundy, Jim Gerhardt, Lawrence Weeks, and Dallas McGarity. 

4. Rich history.

Kentucky became the 15th state in 1792, making it the first U.S. state west of the Appalachian Mountains. History buffs will love the number of historic properties and Civil War sites throughout the state. Visit the Perryville Battlefield, Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace, the Henry Clay Estate, or My Old Kentucky Home State Park to get transported back in time and learn about Kentucky’s beginnings.

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5. It’s centrally located. 

Kentucky is a day’s drive from two-thirds of the population in the U.S., making it an ideal hub for the distribution of goods. United Parcel Service (UPS) has its worldwide air hub at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport. Amazon just built a $1.5 billion air hub in northern Kentucky, citing its central location as a factor in transporting more packages faster. Northern Kentucky is also home to the DHL Americas hub.

Other large corporations who are either headquartered or have major hubs or offices in Kentucky include Humana, Yum! Brands, Brown-Forman, Texas Roadhouse, GE Appliances, Kroger, and Ford Motor Co. 

Having these companies in Kentucky also means ample employment opportunities for its residents.

6. Southern hospitality.

For the most part, people are friendly and welcoming. They’ll be glad to tell you their favorite restaurant, where to find the best bourbon, and how to read a horse racing form. While it’s certainly not perfect, Kentucky has charm and charity, and you don’t have to go far to find a neighbor who would happily invite you inside for a home-cooked meal.

7. Plenty for sports fans. 

Folks in the Bluegrass State are devoted and passionate about either the University of Louisville Cardinals or the University of Kentucky Wildcats. That southern hospitality we just discussed gets put on hold whenever the Cards and the Cats play, and games can get heated. It doesn’t hurt that both teams are historically top tier at many sports, but basketball reigns supreme, and it shows in both schools’ hoops facilities. The Cards play at the modern, river-front KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, and the Cats call the historic Rupp Arena in Lexington home. 

Louisville has two professional soccer teams: Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville. Their professional baseball team, the Louisville Bats, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. A short walk down the street from where the Bats play is the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, where you can even grab a full-sized personalized baseball bat. 

Of course, we can’t forget horse racing. Louisville is home to the Kentucky Derby, known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports.” Louisville was also the lifelong home of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. He is buried in Louisville’s Cave Hill Cemetery which has a museum in his honor.

Cons

1. It’s largely car dependent. 

Public transportation options in Kentucky are severely lacking. While the larger cities have bus systems, smaller towns and rural communities must rely on personal vehicles for their daily travels. Even in the larger cities, the bus systems aren’t accessible to everyone. They may lack coverage to the more suburban parts on the outskirts of the cities or run more infrequently than buses in bigger cities. For example, Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky but has a Walk Score of 34 and a Transit Score of 27, meaning most errands require a car. 

Louisville is the only city with a passing Walk Score, Bike Score, and Transit Score, though its only public transportation option is the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) bus. However, TARC is in a financial crisis due to a 20% loss in its operating budget, so it had to reduce the frequency of routes in June 2024.

There is no rail system that connects Kentucky cities to each other, so you’ll have to hop on the interstate to get from one town to another.

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2. Lacks diversity. 

Kentucky is 86.7% white, so it may not be your cup of tea if cultural diversity is important to you. However, the diversity has improved in the cities. Louisville is 65.4% white and has a rapidly growing Cuban community.

3. Weather can be unpredictable.

Kentuckians will deeply experience all four seasons, and while that can be a positive thing, it also comes with some negatives. Tornadoes and damaging winds are to be expected in the spring and summer months. Over one thousand tornadoes touched the ground in Kentucky or nearby southern Indiana in the first half of 2024. Devastating floods have destroyed communities and taken lives, with 13 counties declared federal disaster areas after floods in 2022. 

Winters hover around a chilly 23 degrees on average and the state is susceptible to blizzards and ice storms. Summers are hot and oppressively humid. The average summer temperature is 87 degrees, with a suffocating 70.3% relative humidity.

4. Nearly last in education. 

Kentucky ranks 44th in education in the U.S. While you can find some excellent K-12 public and private schools in the Golden Triangle, options for quality education dwindle in the more rural areas. A lot of this has to do with funding. As of 2022, there was a per-pupil funding gap of nearly $4,000 between the wealthiest and poorest school districts in the state.

Only 26.5% of the population over the age of 25 has a bachelor’s degree or higher, even though there are high-quality colleges and universities, including the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Bellarmine University, Centre College, and Western Kentucky University, to name only a few.

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5. Allergies.

Pack your antihistamines if you get seasonal allergies and plan on moving to Kentucky. Louisville and its surrounding areas are consistently ranked one of the worst places to live with seasonal allergies by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). In the spring and summer months, pollen counts in the area are consistently medium-high. 

6. Lacks entertainment options.

Unless you plan on moving to one of the major cities, you won’t have many options for entertainment or nightlife. Bustling neighborhoods in Louisville, such as Nulu and the Highlands, might scratch your itch for live music, crowded sidewalks, and closing down the bars at 4 AM, but the rest of the state can be pretty quiet and uneventful. If major entertainment acts stop in Kentucky, it’ll be Louisville, Lexington, or across the river in Cincinnati, which means a long drive and likely spending money on lodging. 

There are 10 dry counties in Kentucky, meaning they prohibit the sale of alcohol within their borders. These counties are in rural areas, so if you choose to live in or near a city or mid-sized town, these alcohol laws won’t apply to you. 

7. Infrastructure suffers. 

Kentucky has a C- when it comes to infrastructure, which includes roads, bridges, sewer systems, aviation, and more. Investing in improving infrastructure is critical to the success of a state, and while efforts are underway to improve it in Kentucky, it is still subpar in many places. Kentucky’s roads were given a D due to their condition and congestion patterns. About 8% of the bridges in Kentucky are classified as structurally deficient, while 22% are considered functionally obsolete. 

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Conclusion

Making the decision to relocate is not one to make lightly, so weighing the pros and cons is critical. 

Whether you’re looking for exciting city life, suburbs to raise a family, or a little R&R in the countryside, Kentucky has something to offer everyone.It’s an affordable, friendly place with beautiful scenery, picturesque bourbon distilleries, and historical sites. If the low cost of living is enough for you to pack your bags and head to the Bluegrass State, first consider what lifestyle factors are important to you, like access to quality schools or entertainment options. This will help you decide if you want to choose an urban environment like Louisville or Lexington. If you’re a single person or a retiree looking for a peaceful respite to call home, a smaller community like Bardstown or Berea might be for you. 

No matter what you decide, the folks in the Bluegrass State will welcome you. We’ll raise a bourbon glass to that!