Love Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 (edited) . Edited November 19, 2015 by Love Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I'm not familiar with those specific areas, looking at the map both towns are considered eastern Kentucky. In general jobs are not easy to come by in that part of the state and there is a lot of poverty. It is hilly and it is likely if you live on the hills, roads probably won't be cleared in the winter. You would be near fabulous hiking and I believe some some nice state parks. Grayson would be less rural than Crocket. Crocket is where Rod & Staff is published. Kentucky can be hot and humid I don't think the bugs are bad (I guess that is relative). I've only seen a couple snakes and I hike a lot. There is a growing bear population in eastern Kentucky but I don't think they are problematic yet. People are very friendly here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I'm in western KY....tornadoes hit this way too, but I'm not sure they make it to eastern KY. I've heard real rural areas of eastern KY have a big drug problem, and poverty but I'm not sure which area. I know there are church groups here that go to eastern KY for mission trips. It is fairly easy as far as homeschooling rules go :). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) . Edited November 19, 2015 by Love Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenC Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 It's a high poverty area and decent jobs can be hard to find. Educational opportunities are limited. Eastern Ky also has a serious drug problem. I think mainly prescription drug abuse and meth labs. The area is beautiful and great for hiking. I don't think poisonous snakes are that much of a problem. https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/state_profile_-_kentucky.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 My main problem with Ky is their lack of smoking laws. I hate stepping into a store and being assaulted by a heavy layer of cigarette smoke. It is like stepping back in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Kentucky is beautiful and has an interesting history and rich culture. But then my family is from the Lake Cumberland area. I don't know about jobs and things like that but it is beautiful there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I never thought of KY as a snake state. There's snakes, but usually not the scary kind. It probably depends on where you live. We jut moved away from KY (not Eastern) and I considered it too cold for me. Sure, there's heat in the summer and it has humidity, but it snows a lot in the winter too and stays cold for months. I guess it's all about perspective! We had more ticks in PA because of the land. In KY, a lot of the land is rolling hills and farms which tend to have fewer ticks (or snakes) than where we were in PA which had woods and forests. I used to live near Grayson and would recommend it over Crockett. Grayson is near Ashland, and Ashland has everything a city needs and there's a community college there and Huntington, with a bigger college, across the river, or Morehead up the road the other direction. Grayson is near several good state parks and right on the highway. Carter Caves is nearby and it's a really nice park. Because of it's location, it would have a much more robust economy than Crockett. I had family near Crockett and that is in the middle of nowhere!! It was nice for a week in the summer as a kid- kind of like an interesting trip back in time- but it's a far different life, or was, than I've ever lived before. We're talking cities with no stoplights, one stop sign, and one family owns all the little stores of which there might be 3 total. If that's what you want, then you'll be happy. Crockett is far from any major roads- I'm guessing 30-60 minutes from any highway. It's actually farther in the boonies than where my relatives lived. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 My uncle lives in that part...lots of poverty, very few non-minimum wage jobs available. Snakes - he deals with them all the time. He put in a water garden for my aunt and spent a lot of time relocating the non-poisonous ones from the "pond", and shooting the water moccasins. I think the frogs attracted them or something. At any rate, he eventually gave up on that and filled it with sand. The winter is shorter which is a plus if you come from a place with bad winters. The humidity in the summer is very, very high. He doesn't have near the tick issue that some states have. Good gravy, I can't believe the sheer horde of ticks we encounter back in May in Virginia! We took nine of one student, three off another, five off another, and two off the other boy and that was from a VERY short walk. BLECH! Convinced me that I'm not ever moving to that part of VA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 My family is from South and Eastern KY. I would say the snake thing is a bit exaggerated. There are poisonous snakes most areas in this country I've lived but I've never heard of them being a big problem there! You can get water mocassins and cottonmouths and copperheads in many areas. You learn to avoid them, but in 32 years I've never seen one outside a zoo, and I used to meander through creeks and ravines as a kid every day. Bugs like everywhere in the south and midwest get awful in the summer but aren't the dangerous/painful sort. Mosquitos, some ticks, gnats, ants, flies... There will likely be bobcats (small and fear humans), black bears (relatively peaceful and fear humans), and maybe cougars. If you're worried about that check the DNR or news and you'll see they're really NOT a big deal. It's very very beautiful. If you like farming or hiking, it's a great place. What would be a big deal for me is the rampant poverty. There is a definite lack of resources, jobs, and things that might make your life easier in the long run. Don't expect to be climbing salary ladders over that way. Educational opportunities are few. Charleston WV isn't *too* far off, but it will be a drive for any big services like health specialists. The poverty comes along with drug usage, crime, hunger, and a clanish feeling that is hard to explain. These are my people, I love them...but my grandma clawed her way out to give us more chances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 My main problem with Ky is their lack of smoking laws. I hate stepping into a store and being assaulted by a heavy layer of cigarette smoke. It is like stepping back in time. I think that really depends on where you are. Most of the bigger towns have anti-smoking laws now. Lexington has had them for a decade and Lousiville has had them quite awhile too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 If you like farming or hiking, it's a great place. What would be a big deal for me is the rampant poverty. There is a definite lack of resources, jobs, and things that might make your life easier in the long run. Don't expect to be climbing salary ladders over that way. Educational opportunities are few. Charleston WV isn't *too* far off, but it will be a drive for any big services like health specialists. The poverty comes along with drug usage, crime, hunger, and a clanish feeling that is hard to explain. These are my people, I love them...but my grandma clawed her way out to give us more chances. I really agree with this part. I know parts of eastern Kentucky are trying to revitalize and make more opportunities for people. I would make sure you visit before accepting a job and see if the areas you are considering are growing or improving. I know people who absolutely love eastern Kentucky but I think part of it is that they have deep roots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cave canem Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Grayson and Crockett are different worlds. Grayson itself is strip malls and fast food and is part of a greater metro area. Crockett is Rod and Staff,a few mennonite businesses adjoined to residences and a post office with one parking space. I think a permanent cloud of cigarette smoke hangs over that post office. I drive through Grayson on my way to Crockett, where I spend real time. I am always amazed at how children can play all day and evening in the woods and creek and come out free of mosquito bites. We haven't seen any ticks there either. The locals are not concerned about Lyme disease, but the area is thick with deer. We have seen snakes. i don't have the impression that they are a problem. I don't know what sort of work your husband does. If he is a professional, he could work in West Liberty--the town that Crockett would be part of if it hadn't escaped incorporation by the appeal of Rod and Staff that changing its mailing address would be too disruptive for business--or a further-away town. In the opposite direction, toward Paintsville, Crockett is about 35 minutes from a big highway. The clannishness is real, but there are newcomers--for example foreign-born professionals--working in the towns. I imagine that they form their own social networks. Job-holders in education are highly respected. I know homeschoolers there, but homeschooling does not seem to be common. PM me if I can answer any questions. I don't live in Crockett. I am just a regular visitor. Lee in New England 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zydruna Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Allergies! If you don't have seasonal allergies now, you will likely develop them soon after coming to this area. I don't know a single person who does not suffer from seasonal allergies to some degree, and several people I know never had them until they moved here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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