Georgetown

Most people know that Kentucky is the home of bourbon. We invented it. We perfected it. But Georgetown has a special relationship to bourbon. The town's founder, Elijah Craig, actually invented bourbon! This is a little detail, and it doesn't really define Georgetown, but it's one of the first things I ever learned about the town, so I think it's worth mentioning.

As a town, Georgetown is actually quite beautiful. There's a lot to see and do here. First, you're not far from Lexington, about ten miles, so you have plenty to see in Lexington if you run out of stuff to do at home. A lot of people commute from Georgetown to Lexington, but a fair number commute the other way as well. Over the years I've taken various freelance writing assignments in Georgetown, and the drive is no big deal, even during rush hour. If you can't find a job in Georgetown, most likely you will in Lexington, so don't worry to much about employment.

Georgetown is also open to local businesses, and the residents and town seems to do a good job supporting new opportunities.

The downtown area of Georgetown is easily the most attractive part of the town. It's very beautiful. Normally, when I talk to friends from far away about the picturesque beauty of Kentucky, I'm talking about the bluegrass and rolling hills. Nature itself. But downtown Georgetown is truly picturesque and is a tremendous feat as it's manmade. The Victorian style is lovely. You almost don't care about the shops and restaurants, but that would be a mistake, because there are quite a few businesses to take a look at.

For food, you can get great pizza from Fatkats, old-fashioned but excellent America cuisine from Galvin's, quality Mexican food from Mi Casita and unbelievable barbecue from Fat Boy's BBQ. There's even a Waffle House! I can't imagine you'll run out of dining options in Georgetown, and if you do you can make the short drive to Lexington for a lot more options.

Georgetown is also good for shopping. This is more unique in Kentucky. Outside of Lexington and towns closer to Cincinnati you don't get much shopping here, but Georgetown has a fair number of options, from consignment stores and sporting good stores to book stores and big department stores. So you can not only get a good bite to eat, but also have some fun shopping for the day.

There's a ton to do and see in Georgetown, and you have the great campus here as well, so there's education as well. If I had to give any one negative, it's that Georgetown is a bit more expensive than some other towns, and there's a little bit more crime, but nothing bad. It's generally fairly safe, but not perfect on that account.

Georgetown is constantly growing, with not only an ever-increasing population, but also an ever increasing amount of things to do, from restaurants and bars to gyms and jobs.

There's actually quite a bit to say about Georgetown, so I'll break it down into sections.

First, there are plenty of jobs in the area. The most obvious place you can get a job is the Toyota Manufacturing facility. This is a HUGE part of Georgetown, though it's technically in an annexed part of the town. Many residents are employed by the manufacturing plant, and I can't imagine Georgetown without it. I have cousins who lived in Detroit for a long time, and while Georgetown is nowhere near as big as Detroit I feel if the plant closed it would have a similar effect on the town. The current growth is due to Toyota, and with so many people getting their wages there it floods into the town, enabling more local businesses to thrive. And it's not just for giving locals jobs either. The Toyota plant also serves as a tourist attraction, and many jobs are created by the people who visit as well.

Now, the businesses outside of Toyota. There are plenty of restaurants in Georgetown, and this helps immensely with the quality of the town. The Asian Royal Buffet is pretty good, especially for a Chinese buffet (I generally assume buffets give lower quality food but you'd never guess that here), and for a delicious simple sandwich I suggest Fava's Restaurant. Nothing fancy in Fava's, but it's good.

This is a bit of a 'down home cooking' type of town though, and you can't have that without BBQ, and Fat Boy's BBQ is really good and totally worth a trip. Perfect blend of food and price. I highly recommend it.

Outside of restaurants there are still plenty of places to go in Georgetown. Maybe not a ton of bars, but there is Equus Run Vineyard if you want to get a little wine, and not too far away in Lexington (only about 10 miles) you have the Kentucky Horse Park and Museum. There are a lot of fun options in town to choose from.

If you're a parent you'll of course be interested in the schools, and Georgetown's schools aren't half bad. They continue a similar tradition to many other places in Kentucky of being welcoming and historic. There are a fair number of elementary schools and middle schools, though last time I checked there was just one high school. Of the elementary schools I'd say Garth is the best. It is listed on the National Historic Places list, and it's been around since 1925. A little history and culture to go along with schooling.

The only real downside to Georgetown is there's a bit more crime than many other Kentucky towns. I went to school in Chicago, so I know it's not exactly bad, but it's not as good as other towns and cities in Kentucky and that is a drawback for those looking for exceptional safety.

Still, with only a little downside Georgetown is one of the better towns around, with plenty of chances to get a job, start a business, start a family or just have a nice life. I've always really liked it here.