Young people: "We have nothing to do in Irvine". "It is boring here". "Too many local people won't work and live off of drug dealing and welfare." "As soon as I graduate I am leaving Irvine/Estill County and NEVER coming back." "I don't feel safe here." "Too many rednecks here". "You could get shot if you go up Barnes Mountain or Pea Ridge". "The people in Estill County will steal you blind". "I hate this place". "Estill Countians don't like you if you aren't kin to them or have family here." "Estill COunty's businessmen are crooked selling drugs and stolen property". "Bootleggers and drug dealers will kill you if you mess with them".
You have all heard the above comments from many of the youth in Estill County. There isn't enough local pride and a desire to confront and deal with the challenges that face our community.
There are Estill Countians who live in Madison County communities such as College Hill, Poosey Ridge or Doylesvile who would be just as close to their jobs if they lived at Sub Station, Pea Ridge, South Irvine or Rice Station.
Too many Estill natives lack community pride. Thus the brain drain sometimes drives away our best local people! After all,people feel safe in a clean neighborhood free of trash, junk cars, run down trailers etc..
Somehow it is more prestigous to live in Bluegrass towns.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
2010 census of Estill County will show a population LOSS
Prediction: You heard it from me first. But Estill County will lose people for the first time in 50 years. Population estimates show a loss while neighboring counties (other than Lee) will show an increase in population. So why is this happening?
Here is my theory:
1. Large elderly population.
2. Poor roads to neighboring towns make it harder to commute to work and limit the through traffic that would benefit Estill County's economic growth.
3. Certain powerful local businessmen and landowners aren't open to selling property to out of town chain businesses.
4. Estill County's image: Drug busts, the one or two annual murders per year, trash along roadsides and in the yards and some people are afraid to live amongst lower income people.
Look for a population decline in 2010. And 2020 unless we get the proper infrastructure to compete with other towns!
Estill County needs to become a growing community where we keep our best and brightest. If we had more new blood and less brain drain, our community would benefit is so many ways.
Here is my theory:
1. Large elderly population.
2. Poor roads to neighboring towns make it harder to commute to work and limit the through traffic that would benefit Estill County's economic growth.
3. Certain powerful local businessmen and landowners aren't open to selling property to out of town chain businesses.
4. Estill County's image: Drug busts, the one or two annual murders per year, trash along roadsides and in the yards and some people are afraid to live amongst lower income people.
Look for a population decline in 2010. And 2020 unless we get the proper infrastructure to compete with other towns!
Estill County needs to become a growing community where we keep our best and brightest. If we had more new blood and less brain drain, our community would benefit is so many ways.
Estill County has beautiful scenery!
Estill County is blessed with some picturesque landscape. People from other communities are amazed at how attractive our county is and yet we often don't take care of our properties! We leave junk in the yards. We build cheap out buildings that soon fall down. We leave old junk cars in the yard. Why? Why are we so ignorant as a community? Many of our local people don't travel to other communities and see how neat and tidy our community could be if we only took more pride in our landscape. Are you sick of roadside garbage and garbage in people's yards? Preserve our local landscape! Make our community a neat and clean place so others visiting here won't leave with a sour taste in their mouths!
Look at the junky yards in places like Old Fox, Doe Creek, Stacy Lane, Pea Ridge, Pryse etc.. Why? Why isn't there some way that property owners could be fined for such eyesores?
We have some nice places including Picnic Hill, Sandhill, Wisemantown, Blackburn Road, etc.. We need more attractive communities where peoples from other places feel welcome to live and raise a family in Estill County.
Look at the junky yards in places like Old Fox, Doe Creek, Stacy Lane, Pea Ridge, Pryse etc.. Why? Why isn't there some way that property owners could be fined for such eyesores?
We have some nice places including Picnic Hill, Sandhill, Wisemantown, Blackburn Road, etc.. We need more attractive communities where peoples from other places feel welcome to live and raise a family in Estill County.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
populations of Irvine and other central KY towns 1950 and 2000
In my hand I have a copy of an encyclopedia "The World Book" published by Field Enterprises Educational Corporators Merchandise Mart Plaza Chicago 54 IL C-1959 where I will post some 1950 census figures.
I also have a 2009 Rand McNally atlas where I will post current population figures.
Look how far Irvine has fallen behind other towns in KY. What a shame!!
Irvine: 1950-3259 present 2714
Lancaster 1950-2402 present 4207
Lawrenceburg 1950-2369 present 9403
Stanford 1950-1861 present 3452
London-1950-3426 present 7787
Hodgenville 1950-1695 present 2788
Flemingsburg 1950-1502 present 3104
And get this...Stanton (neighboring town) 635 in 1950 AD but now has 3109 people! Get this guys, Stanton has over SIX times the population it had 5 or 6 decades ago while Irvine has lost about 300 people! Why don't we care? Is anyone even willing to talk about this? It says we in Irvine are doing something wrong or not doing something right!
Do we the people of Estill County want to continue this course? Folks, we expect OTHER PEOPLE to come in here and bring thousands of jobs and IT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN! THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!!We need the INFRASTRUCTURE. The Mountain Parkway helped Stanton grow and we need better roads in Estill County. We need to complain more and do what it takes to see this happen.
Estill County needs bright leadership and local people who get out and about. Visit other counties and see the good stuff that goes on there. Look at the tourism Powell County gets from the gorge area while the mountains in eastern Estill County don't draw any tourists!
I also have a 2009 Rand McNally atlas where I will post current population figures.
Look how far Irvine has fallen behind other towns in KY. What a shame!!
Irvine: 1950-3259 present 2714
Lancaster 1950-2402 present 4207
Lawrenceburg 1950-2369 present 9403
Stanford 1950-1861 present 3452
London-1950-3426 present 7787
Hodgenville 1950-1695 present 2788
Flemingsburg 1950-1502 present 3104
And get this...Stanton (neighboring town) 635 in 1950 AD but now has 3109 people! Get this guys, Stanton has over SIX times the population it had 5 or 6 decades ago while Irvine has lost about 300 people! Why don't we care? Is anyone even willing to talk about this? It says we in Irvine are doing something wrong or not doing something right!
Do we the people of Estill County want to continue this course? Folks, we expect OTHER PEOPLE to come in here and bring thousands of jobs and IT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN! THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!!We need the INFRASTRUCTURE. The Mountain Parkway helped Stanton grow and we need better roads in Estill County. We need to complain more and do what it takes to see this happen.
Estill County needs bright leadership and local people who get out and about. Visit other counties and see the good stuff that goes on there. Look at the tourism Powell County gets from the gorge area while the mountains in eastern Estill County don't draw any tourists!
Why doesn't Estill County, Irvine and Ravenna have population growth?
Estill County is relatively close to the Lexington-Bluegrass metropolitan area. So why no growth? Why doesn't more local people seek employment in neighboring counties? It doesn't matter if there is a shortage of good jobs here, why don't more people DRIVE A FEW MILES and find out the job opportunities in Madison, Clark, Fayette or Scott Counties?
Irvine-Ravenna should be bedroom towns for people who work in Richmond of Lexington yet like a slower pace of life with less restrictions and more space.
Why doesn't more people want to live in Estill County? And why do so many Estill Countians want to leave their community?
Let's clean up the county! Improve the infrastructure. Incarcerate the habitual criminals and stop the lock em up and turn em loose policy!
Create some good clean fun so our young people won't turn to drugs to relieve boredom and make extra cash.
I ask our local politicians and interested residents: Why are people leaving our community? Why doesn't anyone want to live in Irvine-Ravenna or rural Estill County? How can we attract better people into the community who will raise the local tax base and improve the local business community? How can we keep our best and brightest from moving to subdivisions in Richmond or Lexington?
Estill County is too close to the center of the state and shouldn't be seeing the stagnant growth and even decline. When will it stop? And why don't more local people care?
Irvine-Ravenna should be bedroom towns for people who work in Richmond of Lexington yet like a slower pace of life with less restrictions and more space.
Why doesn't more people want to live in Estill County? And why do so many Estill Countians want to leave their community?
Let's clean up the county! Improve the infrastructure. Incarcerate the habitual criminals and stop the lock em up and turn em loose policy!
Create some good clean fun so our young people won't turn to drugs to relieve boredom and make extra cash.
I ask our local politicians and interested residents: Why are people leaving our community? Why doesn't anyone want to live in Irvine-Ravenna or rural Estill County? How can we attract better people into the community who will raise the local tax base and improve the local business community? How can we keep our best and brightest from moving to subdivisions in Richmond or Lexington?
Estill County is too close to the center of the state and shouldn't be seeing the stagnant growth and even decline. When will it stop? And why don't more local people care?
Thursday, June 11, 2009
vacant buildings on Main Street
I am glad to see new businesses in the old Hardy Department store next to Dr. Patterson's office (old timers remember the buidling as the Riverview Hotel). Seems like several downtown buildings are vacant including the former location of Small CPA, Park's picture frames, Phillip Owen's office and building adjacent to the historical society.
How about a courthouse annex? Move some of the less important offices out of the courthouse.
How about a courthouse annex? Move some of the less important offices out of the courthouse.
Irvine KY needs a WAL-MART
The Richmond store is too crowded. Estill County has enough people to support a Wal-Mart. Breathitt County has a Wal-Mart. A Wal-Mart store would keep more local people from shopping in Richmond. Think of the jobs that would be created!
Some whine about local businesses being hurt. This is not true because PEOPLE ARE ALREADY GOING TO RICHMOND TO SHOP! The job increases would outnumber any lost businesses. I wished some landowner along KY 52 would try and lobby for a local Wal Mart store in Irvine KY. Some local merchants hurt themselves by charging too much for their merchandise and displaying poor social skills to their customers!
No, not one business in Estill County would close if a Wal Mart came into town. But look at the jobs that would be created! I wished some of the local people didn't take such a negative attitude towards growth! Growth is good. Less poverty would be nice.
Some whine about local businesses being hurt. This is not true because PEOPLE ARE ALREADY GOING TO RICHMOND TO SHOP! The job increases would outnumber any lost businesses. I wished some landowner along KY 52 would try and lobby for a local Wal Mart store in Irvine KY. Some local merchants hurt themselves by charging too much for their merchandise and displaying poor social skills to their customers!
No, not one business in Estill County would close if a Wal Mart came into town. But look at the jobs that would be created! I wished some of the local people didn't take such a negative attitude towards growth! Growth is good. Less poverty would be nice.
Glad to see the new fire department under construction
Glad to see the new fire department on Mack-Chestnut Street under construction. Red tape delayed this project way too long. Fire protection is vital to the community in so many ways. Also glad to see the training center located off of Whispering Woods. Our volunteers do so much to make Estill County safe! I just wished Winston had a little fire station like Hargett and Cobhill. The growing communities off of Trotting Ridge need better fire protection.
I look forward to the completion of the fire station.
I look forward to the completion of the fire station.
potholes in the West Irvine Plaza access road
Have you noticed the huge potholes in the access road from the West Irvine Plaza access road just off of the Richmond Road. Some huge holes are lurking below your automobile in front of Pizza Hut and Wendy's! I don't know who owns the access road, but if you take this stretch at a fast speed, your car's alignment could be damaged!
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