10 Reasons I Wish I Grew Up Literally Anywhere BUT Lexington
We all get tired of our hometown at some point or another. We grow up and spread our wings to find new adventures. However, our hometowns can influence how we view the outside world. Here are 10 reasons why I wish I grew up literally anywhere but Lexington, Kentucky.
1. Meeting New People Is Limited
This one can be true for most towns, but for me, Lexington is big on this trend. If you don’t like the group you hung out with in your younger middle school years then you better ask your parents to move because odds are they will be the same group of people all the way through high school, and even college. These people will also be the same people in your subdivision until you break free of the town.
2. Once You Live Here, You Stay Here
It’s true. Once you live in Lexington all your life it’s hard to let it go, as it is with any hometown. It is easy to get comfortable in this town, Lexington has it all from horse farms and subdivisions to a variety of bars downtown. It is an ideal place to raise a family and to put down roots, but because of these amazing factors, it decreases the desire to break free of the bubble and explore elsewhere.
3. Blue Has To Be Your Favorite Color
Growing up in Lexington, you are a Wildcat fan. With the University of Kentucky located downtown, this fact is inevitable. There are pictures of you in blue before you even knew what a color was and you will be wearing blue every time there is a game.
4. Stay Inside On Game Day
In any other town when their sports team plays another team then it is just another day. But in Lexington, the downtown streets are filled with blue shirts and by the end of the night, something is on fire. Your momma has told you all of your life not to go downtown when the Wildcats are playing. By the time you reach high school and college all you want to do is go downtown on game day. When the Wildcats lose couches burn, when they win don’t go outside period.
5. Traffic
In Lexington learning to drive is a nightmare, the traffic is never ending at all times of the day. The speed limit does not exist and it is every person for themselves. If you happen to break free of the bubble and venture outside of Lexington then you will realize that no one else can drive outside of Lexington. What’s a turn signal again?
6. Red Does Not Exist
Wearing the color red is practically forbidden in Lexington. Red and blue are not to be worn together it is a rule right next to orange. Just like you can’t wear Tennessee orange in the southern part of Kentucky, wearing Louisville red in Lexington is treason.
7. Limited Swimming Spots
During the hot summer months, one thing you will not find in Lexington is a place to swim that is not a public pool. While the Kentucky River is right by Clays Ferry, you cannot swim in it due to pollution just as you cannot swim in any lakes in Lexington due to wildlife.
8. You Will Go To UK
While growing up in Lexington it can turn into an expectation that you will end up going to the University of Kentucky. It is close to home and is convenient for anyone in Lexington who is trying to decide what college to go to. While you may choose another college or University, it is almost guaranteed that UK will be listed in your top 5.
9. Lack Of Nature Centers
Granted, Lexington does have a few nature centers such as Raven Run, the Arboretum, and Jacobson Park. However, it can be hard to enjoy the peacefulness of nature while being surrounded by other people and families trying to do the same thing. The fact is that Lexington is too big of a town in order to get the full benefits of any park. Imagine going fishing with your dad while there is a soccer game right behind you. You’re probably not going to catch any fish.
10. Too Big To Know Everyone, Too Small To Disappear
Lexington is both a town and a city. It is small enough to keep in touch with the same people that you went to school with and know the business of others in the area, but it is also spread out enough that it can be hard to branch out and meet new groups of people.
