Fun things to do in Louisville for children? (Lexington, Frankfort: how much, buying a house)

[schools]

The schools here are behind in math (you can look up the info-was also reported in the Courier-Journal) compared to up North ( I've lived in NJ & Chicago area). If you live in Oldham County, the public schools are better than Jefferson. The kids get bused to avoid segregation in Jefferson County, so if you live there, add in the cost of private school. Some run about $12,000, the catholic schools are less. Look at ACT score from KY vs. the rest of the nation too. The system here is just not as good.

[rbryant]

Originally Posted by schools

I just think Louisville is not very culturally diverse & there are not many things to do right in your "backyard" so to say. I like being near a bigger city where you can go to a "china town" or "little Italy", differnet museums (besides just the science museum, louisville slugger, muhammed ali). There are a few privately owned restaurants that are Ok in Louisville, but mostly chain restaurants. Yes, kids, including my own, can "have fun " themselves w/tons of their own imaginative activities. My point is if you want to have your children grow up w/more culturally & educationally diverse people, Louisville is not the place. Especially when the main front page news is often about who is being recruited out of high school to play basketball or football for UK or U of L ( and I'm a huge sports fan-but enough already!!).

Unless you live in a MAJOR city such as Chicago, LA, New York etc, you won't find a huge base of diversity. Louisville is a fairly diverse community as it is, considering it's a mid major city. In regards to your comment about chain restaurants..sorry but that's a nationwide trend. You will see the same thing happening in Indianapolis, St Louis or Cincinnati.

[rbryant]

Originally Posted by schools

Sounds like all of the above posts have "settled" for what Louisville has to offer. Yes, it's pretty here (Oldham County), cost of living is good, not much traffic (because not much to do or you just don't feel like driving constantly to get there!), but beyond that....the Derby once a year & people out here reading & talking about recruits for football & basketball the rest of the year. How about that eyesore of a bridge between Indiana & Louisville that's taking decades to paint? Goes along w/the pace things get done out in Louisville! Lastly, the schools CANNOT compare w/northern schools. Kentucky schools prep their kids for Kentucky colleges. Good luck elsewhere.

Sorry, I could resist replying to this. Why do you reside here if the north is so great? In your opinion, are schools stink, we are not culturally diverse, the dining options are few. Then to top it off, folks that enjoy living in Louisville have "settled." This seems typical for people who come south for a job opportunity or lower cost of living...take advantage of the economic opportunity and complain about our "lackluster" lifestyle.

[schools]

Believe me, I am not here by choice. Just keep in mind, you get what you pay for down here....

[ic-epi]

Regarding 'schools' posts: There are actually some excellent public schools in KY (including several in Lexington and Louisville) -- check out the list of best public high schools on the web, ranked not by test score but by the proportion of kids who take AP classes (a measure of how well they challenge their kids). In terms of test scores, both cities also have schools that are ranked excellent.

I know for a fact that there are both good and bad public schools in the Chicago area (never lived near NJ but I suspect that is the case there -- as well as in any other metro area), so not sure how you come to the conclusion that 'all' the schools are better elsewhere compared to KY. Such huge generalizations are just that -- generalizations, usually based on misconceptions by persons with narrow experiences who are just not qualified to pass such judgement.

If the math scores of KY as a state are lower than other places you've lived, then maybe it would be more productive of you to focus on the excellent schools in KY that exist, rather than making negative statements about the state average by stating that the schools are terrible in general.

You might not be here by choice, 'school', but a place is really what you make of it. It's sad that you can't seem to find anything positive to make of your life here. Others should take statements from 'sour grapes' people like this with a grain of salt.

[lorismith]

Originally Posted by ic-epi

Regarding 'schools' posts:

I know for a fact that there are both good and bad public schools in the Chicago area (never lived near NJ but I suspect that is the case there -- as well as in any other metro area), so not sure how you come to the conclusion that 'all' the schools are better elsewhere compared to KY.

I do agree with ic-epi, there are both bad and good schools in every city. You just have to chose an area that has excellent scores! The overall state/county average may or may not be a misrepresentation of a particular school. I currently live in Charleston, SC area and that is certainly the case here and I grew up in NY which had great schools in my area!!

Thank you guys for all your posts!!

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by ic-epi

Regarding 'schools' posts: There are actually some excellent public schools in KY (including several in Lexington and Louisville) -- check out the list of best public high schools on the web, ranked not by test score but by the proportion of kids who take AP classes (a measure of how well they challenge their kids). In terms of test scores, both cities also have schools that are ranked excellent.

I know for a fact that there are both good and bad public schools in the Chicago area (never lived near NJ but I suspect that is the case there -- as well as in any other metro area), so not sure how you come to the conclusion that 'all' the schools are better elsewhere compared to KY. Such huge generalizations are just that -- generalizations, usually based on misconceptions by persons with narrow experiences who are just not qualified to pass such judgement.

If the math scores of KY as a state are lower than other places you've lived, then maybe it would be more productive of you to focus on the excellent schools in KY that exist, rather than making negative statements about the state average by stating that the schools are terrible in general.

You might not be here by choice, 'school', but a place is really what you make of it. It's sad that you can't seem to find anything positive to make of your life here. Others should take statements from 'sour grapes' people like this with a grain of salt.

I happened to attend one of the highest rated high schools in the country according to several rankings like Newsweek (#112)....all here within 2 minutes of our "decrepid" downtown Louisville. The south largely dominates the list as well, and the number one rated high school is in ALABAMA! Meanwhile, Chicago (the city) has one of the worst rated public school systems in the country. Some people's bias shines through, and no amount of statistical evidence to the contrary will sway them. In fact, there was only one high school in all of Chicagoland rated higher than my high school here in Louisville, and we all know these studies, like many studies, show a clear bias towards large metro regions. Please, Chicago is a fine, world class city. It has suburbs with amazing schools. I lived there, and love the city. However, I agree with you Ic-pei, no need to bash the education of others to try and sound superior. I never met ANYONE like that in Chicago!:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18757087/?sort=State&count=1257&search=&start=400&limit=100 &year=2007& (broken link)

[ic-epi]

Originally Posted by stx12499

I happened to attend one of the highest rated high schools in the country according to several rankings like Newsweek (#112)....all here within 2 minutes of our "decrepid" downtown Louisville. The south largely dominates the list as well, and the number one rated high school is in ALABAMA! Meanwhile, Chicago (the city) has one of the worst rated public school systems in the country. Some people's bias shines through, and no amount of statistical evidence to the contrary will sway them. In fact, there was only one high school in all of Chicagoland rated higher than my high school here in Louisville, and we all know these studies, like many studies, show a clear bias towards large metro regions. Please, Chicago is a fine, world class city. It has suburbs with amazing schools. I lived there, and love the city. However, I agree with you Ic-pei, no need to bash the education of others to try and sound superior. I never met ANYONE like that in Chicago!:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18757087/?sort=State&count=1257&search=&start=400&limit=100 &year=2007& (broken link)

stx - thanks for the link; this is the exact list I was referring to. Sort by state and take a look! By the way, the manner in which they calculated their results has to do with the proportion of students who take AP courses (a measure of the schools' ability to offer challenging courses not just to the smallest percent of their "best" students). Test scores are another way to measure this, but are often biased towards schools with highest socioeconomic status.

[schools]

I believe the original point I was trying to make was for anyone making a CHOICE to live here, you really need to look at the WHOLE package here. Believe me, I know all about making the most out of where you live. These comments are meant for those looking at everything, not the sugar coated stuff. BTW-my kids did not go to Downtown Chicago Public schools. They went to a great public school system in the suburbs. I don't see why you need to mmove to such a "great" school system here & pay for private school if it's so great.

[ic-epi]

Originally Posted by schools

BTW-my kids did not go to Downtown Chicago Public schools. They went to a great public school system in the suburbs.

That was my entire point, which you missed totally.

As to the "whole" package, I believe that's also the point we were trying to make. In any event this isn't your thread, so I'm done addressing this. The original poster seems to be a great person who understands what is going on, so I'm glad of that.