Living in southwestern Kentucky

[no guns here]

Posted in the Hunting in Kentucky forum without luck.  Thought I'd post it here and see if I get a response.

It seems I may be moving there for a civilian job next month.  I'm familiar with the area around Lexington but not too familiar with the area around Fort Campbell.  We've driven through the area and liked what we saw from the road.  What else can you guys tell me?  Of course I'll be looking for a farm to rent or buy.  Cost of living?  Good areas?  Bad towns?


NGH

[Conan The Librarian]

I'm not intimately familiar with it, but I do go through there several times a year. The towns near Fort Campbell can be pretty sprawling, but it's easy to get away from that. Typical military city: roads to nowhere, inexplicable traffic jams at odd times, lots of concrete, etc. I avoid all that.

Good hunting and fishing (especially fishing) because you're right near some great reservoirs and rivers and forests. Tennessee is not far away, and it's a pretty part of that state, also with good hunting and fishing. I tend to avoid Illinois whenever possible, but the big trap shooting competition in is there. Lots of transition from farm land to forest to city so you'll have a lot of options to pick from. The Mammoth Cave area is really nice. Nice people generally. Not a bad place for an outdoorsman. This winter got a decent amount of snow, but it doesn't stay too long, so you have a nice long fall and spring. Typical southern US in summer: Hot and humid mid-June thru Mid-September.

[Pat/Rick]

I was stationed at Ft Campbell and really liked it there. Deer in the area as well as small game. Alot of fishing at land between the lakes area. It has been along time since i was there (72-74).At the time it seemed like Hopkinsville,KY was more developed than Clarksville,Tenn. Have always wanted to go back and have a look around. Good luck on your new venture.

[no guns here]

Yeah... would be nice if the company would make a firm offer.  Don't have it firmed up yet but the local boss wants me, just have to wait for the HR folks to make a decision and an offer.  Got a couple of other possibilities so KY isn't firm even if they make an offer.  I think I'll be offered a position here in San Antonio so it would be a coin flip though I would rather live in KY than south Texas.


NGH

[Conan The Librarian]

NGH: 

Whatever you end up doing, good luck! I'm glad you asked about KY rather than San Antone. I really don't like the San Antonio area. There are a lot of parts of Texas that I do like, but San Antonio really stands out as a place I personally dislike. Mostly it's issues with hunting and fishing and weather. Maybe the locals have figured it out, but it seems to me that all the cool stuff is a significant drive away. Day trips to the gulf are possible, however, and the fishing is mighty good in Laguna Madre. You don't need a big boat either.

[no guns here]

There are a lot of parts of Texas that I do like, but San Antonio really stands out as a place I personally dislike. Mostly it's issues with hunting and fishing and weather. Maybe the locals have figured it out, but it seems to me that all the cool stuff is a significant drive away.

You nailed it brother...

San Antonio is one of the arm pits of Texas.  I've yet to find a redeeming quality here.  Well... I guess there is one.  Housing is fairly cheap, IF you want to live in a subdivision in cookie cutter houses.  If you want land, it is nearly unaffordable.  Where we keep our horses, near Somerset.  They are asking 10-15k per acre for completely undeveloped land, not level, no good grass, just scrub land that isn't useful for much.


NGH

[powderman]

NGH. I live in KY but not close to where you were talking about, I'm fairly close to Ft Knox. Last fall we went to the LBL and loved it. Beautiful country with lots of water.  Supposed to be great fishing there. POWDERMAN. 

[Conan The Librarian]

NGH:

There are a couple of further complications with San Antonio:
1) If you move there you will have to change your handle because there are lots of guns there.

2) I may be thinking of a different part of Texas, but be sure to learn about home foundations. I have friends in that part of the country and they had to be careful not to buy a house with a crumbling foundation. The issue is that it's dry most of the time and the clay soil dries out. Then it expands during rains and it slowly crumbles the foundation to gravel. Some houses have a permanent irrigation hose around the perimiter to keep the clay consistently moist. Again, it may not affect San Antonio, but it is a factor in some of Texas, so beware. (Oklahoma near Tulsa too.)

Corpus Christi is pretty nice, especially if you like fishing.

[Sourdough]

NGH:  I am from the Nashville area, not all that far away.  Ft Campbell sits on the border part in Kentucky and part in Tennessee.  I meet a lot of troops that transfer up here from Ft Campbell.  Most live in or around Clarksville Tennessee.  One reason is Kentucky has an Income Tax, Tennessee does not.  Clarksville Tennessee is the nearest city, and Clarksville has grown in recent years.  It is a good place to live according to the people I talk to.  Have yet to talk to someone that did not like it there.

Have tried to convince the wife to take a job on Ft Campbell so we could move back down there.  Rog

[no guns here]

Conan,

) If you move there you will have to change your handle because there are lots of guns there.

2) I may be thinking of a different part of Texas, but be sure to learn about home foundations. I have friends in that part of the country and they had to be careful not to buy a house with a crumbling foundation. The issue is that it's dry most of the time and the clay soil dries out. Then it expands during rains and it slowly crumbles the foundation to gravel. Some houses have a permanent irrigation hose around the perimiter to keep the clay consistently moist. Again, it may not affect San Antonio, but it is a factor in some of Texas, so beware. (Oklahoma near Tulsa too.)

Funny you should mention that... I live in San Antonio now.  Haven't heard about the foundation troubles around here but then again I haven't paid any attention to stuff like that here.  I only planned on staying one year and leaving upon retirement.  I grew up in near Tulsa and I remember the bad drought in the early 80's that cracked our foundation and my parents being happy that they could claim the repairs on their taxes due to a "state of emergency" or something like that.

We definitely DON'T want to stay here.  We may have to stay for a year to get my oldest son through graduation next year.  I almost hope I don't get offered a job here...


Sourdough,

I'm familiar with the area around Ft Campbell as far as driving through it.  Never stopped and looked around though.  Interesting on the state income tax.  I didn't know that either state didn't tax income.  That could sway the vote as far as a place to live but I won't live in the city if we do move there.  Too much affordable property there.

Tell ya' what... I'll get a job on Fort Campbell and then trade with you folks and I'll go to Alaska and you can move south.  It'll tick my wife off but I'm up for it.


Just waiting for an offer now,

NGH

[schutzen]

FTCKY/SWKY/NWTN

The whole area is nice and has considerable opportunities for hunting & fishing. I live 2 hours NW of Ft. Campbell and was stationed their in the mid 70's. 

KY- Has income tax (6%), but only 6% sales tax
TN- No income tax, but 8% sales tax and I believe Clarksville has a 1% local sales tax.  TN also has a tax stamp on ammunition.

Cost of housing- It is probably slightly higher in Clarksville, but anywhere close to Post is going to be high compared to the outlying areas.  It really depends on your job and how much you are willing to commute or how much you can afford to drive.  Post is easily accessed via I-24 from the Kentucky Lake/Lake Barclay area or from Nashville in the south.  One plus to the south is the new local hospital is on the south side of Clarksville just off I-24.

Hunting is good on Post and in the Land Between the Lakes National Forest.  Hunting is also good on private lands, but you will have to develop access to them.  KY also has several large game preserves within driving distance of Post.

If you have children, you need to check out the local schools.  The last information I had is about 15 years old, but then the area just west of Post in TN had better schools (Stewart County). 

There are many variables to look at, but if you like living in semi-rural areas you will like FTCKY.  The Greater Clarksville Area is now 100,000 and Hopkinsville is roughly 35,000.