Lexington, KY

The church in Lexington (Download Report as PDF)

The church in Lexington had its first Lord’s Table in April 2011. The current church life in Lexington focuses primarily on home meetings with community saints and a campus work at the University of Kentucky (UK). The community saints meet in two home meetings. The church in Lexington has a very diverse group of saints representing at least nine nations (Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Taiwan, China, USA, Canada, Korea, and Malaysia). Overall the church is 45% Asian, 39% Caucasian and 16% Black. The church owns 4 acres of land and hopes to build a meeting hall in the near future. With approximately 38 saints meeting regularly, the church has seen growth and seen many graduate and move away. Our Lord’s table consist of about 24 adults and 12 to 18 children.

The church welcomes all saints; We are looking for graduate and undergraduate students to come and join us in the church life and campus work. The church needs all ages from stable shepherding grandparents to young couples and college students. With several graduate students and four professors we feel the church if positioning the church for a team on the campus

With children of nearly all ages from 1 year old to seniors in high school, parents can be assured their children will have friends.

Contact: Craig Stacy: craigstacey92@gmail.com, Doug Johnson: itsdougj@gmail.com or Jason Liew: Christliew@gmail.com

Location, Climate, and Health

Lexington is located in the middle of the state of Kentucky, in the heart of the Bluegrass. It is known as the Horse Capital of the World, and is the second largest city in Kentucky. Driving times to several localities in the region are: Louisville, KY—1:30; Cincinnati, OH— 1:30; Fairborn, OH—2:30; Knoxville, TN—3:00; Columbus, OH—3:20.

Lexington is on the northern edge of the South for both cultural and climate, with hot, humid summers, and moderately cold winters with occasional mild periods. Springs are crisp and rainy with highs in the 60s; summers are humid with highs in the 80s, with about 23 days of 90+ each year; falls are pleasant with the temperatures tapering off from the 80s to the 50s; winter is mild though cold, hovering around 32°F, and an average of 13 inches of snow a year.

Lexington has several major healthcare systems, including the university’s UK Healthcare.

Demographics

Lexington has a population of about 320,000 people. It is the second largest city after Louisville, and because of its central location is a hub for the eastern and central portions of the state. The city ranks as 10th in the U.S. for college education rates, with 39% of the population having a college degree. The racial makeup of Lexington as of 2010 is 75.7% White, 14.5% Black, 6.9% Hispanic, 3.2% Asian, 1.21% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races.

Christians

Lexington has 230 churches and synagogues representing 38 denominations, and you will see many large church buildings clustered throughout the city. About 54% of the population considers themselves religious.

Economy/Employment

The city of Lexington has a stable economy with a variety of employers in manufacturing, technology, and entrepreneurial support.

Major employers and industries:

Present occupations and employers of the saints:

The cost of living in Lexington is very reasonable with median home values of $186,500. Lexington home values have gone up 5.0% over the past year and Zillow predicts they will rise 2.8% within the next year. The median price of homes currently listed in Lexington is $250,000 while the median price of homes that sold is $178,700. The median rent price in Lexington is $1,200. The state of Kentucky has an income tax rate of 5%. Lexington has a sales tax rate of 6%.

Transportation

Lexington has a small airport (Bluegrass Airport) providing about 13 nonstop flights and a total of 86 flights daily. Usually, the flights will take you to Chicago or Atlanta or Dallas first. The city of Lexington has a bus service (LexTran) with its hub downtown, and serving the campus and community college campuses.

The best way to get around is by car. There are two interstate highways passing by Lexington, the I-75 on the east side and the I-64 on the north. Lexington itself has two main arterial roads, the inner loop of New Circle Road which is a freeway for part of its circle around the city, and Man ’o War Blvd as the outer loop. The roads either circle downtown or radiate out from downtown like spokes on a wheel.

Interests

Lexington is best known for its horse industry but it also has many other cultural activities, including the arts and museums. See visitlex.com for more details.

Campuses

Lexington’s major university is the University of Kentucky, with a student population of 30,000+. It is the largest, growing, and flagship research university in the state of Kentucky, offering a broad array of degrees, with 12,000 staff and 2000 faculty; UK Health Care is also the #1 hospital in Kentucky.

Lexington also has Transylvania University, population 1000, a reputable private university located in downtown Lexington, affiliated with Disciples of Christ. It is the oldest university in Kentucky.

Bluegrass Community and Technical College has 9,527 students, and is the largest 2-year college in town, with credits transferable to UK. Sullivan University is a career university, with 2,900 students.

Smaller schools in the region include: Eastern Kentucky University—Richmond; Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary—Wilmore (Christian liberal arts college); Midway University (Campuses in Midway and Lexington—Disciples of Christ liberal arts college); Georgetown College—Georgetown (Baptist liberal arts college); Kentucky State University—Frankfort (Public historically black university); Berea College—Berea (Private liberal arts work college, no tuition); Centre College—Danville (Liberal arts college, loosely connected to Presbyterian church)

Schools

Kentucky has well-established public and private schools, but no charter schools yet. The children of the saints attend several schools around the city. The better schools are found near the campus and on the west and southwest quadrants of the city, which is where most of the saints live. If you want to homeschool, Kentucky only requires that you cover the basic subjects and hold 170 school days a year; there are a number of homeschool co-ops in the city.

The school district is Fayette County Public Schools. Most of the saints’ kids attend the schools in the Dunbar and Lafayette school districts. These include good communities to raise a family knowing that their children will receive a solid education. The southern and western parts of the city typically have a low crime rate and many family-centered neighborhoods. Many saints live in these areas.

We also need saints willing and burdened to live near the campus (the Lafayette and Henry Clay school districts). There are many good schools near the campus, although most home values will be higher.

Lexington Households.jpg

Church in Lexington Households

To see the school districts, school ratings, and public and private schools go to www.greatschools.org

Fayette County Public Schools: https://www.fcps.net/

Homeschool Information Packet for Kentucky: https://education.ky.gov/federal/fed/Pages/Home-School.aspx

Housing

Lexington Reports