Danville

Danville is an old town, and I don't just mean it was founded a long time ago. That's true of most of Kentucky. I visited the town website just to see what they have to say about themselves, and it's about the same as 99% of Kentucky, with historic sites all over that are meant to bring in tourists but hardly do. They're proud of things like being the site of Kentucky's first courthouse, which I can't really call an impressive feat.

It's not the history that I care about. That's too common. It's the fact that Danville has a lot of older homes and people have been living in the same places for a long time. People find a place and make it their home. This speaks to the quality of the housing, and the kind of people you find in Danville. They're loyal and work hard to make things better. Most of the homes are fairly well taken care of, as are the yards. I think this shows how nice the town is.

Once you find your nice home, you'll no doubt want to put your kids in school, and I believe there are 6 elementary schools and a couple middle schools and high schools that all get high ratings. If you're an adult looking to continue your education I'd suggest checking out Centre College, which is a well-regarded liberal arts school that's very nice while not being a truly exceptional option. It's not too expensive, but you'll still be able to get a good education.

There aren't a ton of bars in Danville, but I'm a fan of Mermaid's Bistro, which is a bit small but super friendly, and the Beer Engine is a great place to get a drink. You may not meet someone special every night, but you can certainly have a good time.

So you get a lot in this 'city of firsts.' Danville is clean, friendly and has a fair number of schools and restaurants to enjoy.

Danville is another historic part of Kentucky, though unlike Cynthiana, which I just wrote up a review of, Danville isn't quite as focused on their history to give them an identity. Danville is a bigger town, with quite a few times the population (a quick search says there's about 16,000 residents, which makes it a fair-sized smaller town in Kentucky). This larger population makes Danville much better for singles looking to meet someone that other small towns around here. It also makes it better for younger folks looking to find a job. It's not as good as Covington or Lexington for job opportunities, but it's still not half bad.

A few things I really like about Danville are the Twisted Sifter, a local bakery that is absolutely outstanding for baked goods. I've had homemade bread and their cupcakes on more than one occasion, and it's worth driving out of your way for! It you want a good cup of coffee to go along with your roll, check out the Hub Coffee House. It's not the best cup of coffee I've ever had, but it's a good local place, and I can tell you Danville residents do their best to support local businesses, which is a great thing to see. The last place I'd like to mention in terms of food is O'Charley's, which is a really good American-fare place with a decent selection and really good service.

For education, you have a couple options, which parents will be happy to know. There are a couple elementary schools, middle schools and a high school, though there are also a couple private schools in the area. I'm not so sure about the Montessori style of education, though I have friends with kids in the Danville Montessori school who swear by it. I don't want to actually give it a full thumbs up, but it's at least another option.

Finally, the basics. Danville is similar to many other towns around here, as it's safe, reasonably cheap, and a friendly place to live. I like it for the greater population, which gives you a few more options than other towns in Kentucky.