Let’s face it, most neighborhoods feel like exactly what they are….a field stripped of all the trees, subdivided in a way that maximizes the number of lots, then sold to builders who build pretty similar looking houses.

Nothing wrong with that.

Often most neighborhoods are chosen by buyers based on location. What makes a location desirable might be a park, a school, shopping, proximity to their work, a road making for an easy commute.

If you are somebody who wants a neighborhood with a special vibe, here are a few that come to mind:

1. Chilesburg-Sure, having Hamburg, Jacobson Park and the Interstate so close are nice. Buuuuut the layout of the streets, the neighborhood walking trail and several ponds are what makes this feel so special.
2. Hartland-While nothing is super close to this part of the Tates Creek area, the beauty is that nothing is far away. Getting to Hamburg, The Summit, Fayette Mall, Downtown and UK are all pretty easy, which is one of my favorite things about the neighborhoods in this whole area. Hartland has such a special vibe that it could offer nothing more than the neighborhood feel and I would still want to live there. What makes it so special? The layout of the streets. It is one of the few neighborhoods in Lexington that doesn’t feel like it was designed to maximize the number of lots. Roads have gentle curves, all of the cul-de-sacs have landscaped medians. Even the entire main road has a landscaped median. All the tall trees that have grown over the past 40 or so years add to the ambiance as well.
3. Willow Oak-This is one of my favorite neighborhoods in it’s price range. You sort of get it all here. Southend shopping, Shillito Park, great school district PLUS a little stone bridge surrounded by greenspace as the only way in and out. All the streets are lined with gigantic pin oaks.
4. Chevy Chase & Ashland Park-You didn’t think I had forgotten about these two I hope. They are the most desirable and recognized neighborhoods in all of Lexington. They put the “Ohhhh” in their 40502 zip code. What creates the vibe? Well, you know its the trees, especially a street named Catalpa known for it’s leaves that turn a bright yellow in the fall.You know it’s for the variety of classic and beautifully maintained homes. But what really does it is the design of the neighborhood…..well, more so for Ashland Park. It was designed by some dudes who did a lot of well know landscape architecture projects across the country. They were the sons of the landscape architect credited for designing Central Park in New York City. I could google their names right now, insert it in this paragraph and impress you with the perception that I know everything. Just to be humble, I won’t.

There are others, but these are the ones that tend to come to mind the most.