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Kentucky is a very different place from California! I think you will love it but be ready for a culture shock.People are a lot friendlier and drive slower and will wave to you/let you cross the street or give you time to maneuver in the parking lot. Plenty of hi’s and bye’s with strangers and lots of door holding/genuine respect/manners (Sir, ma’am, please, thank you)Home values are much cheaper and there are plenty of places to buy a parcel of land for building a dream homeCoal mining is a big deal. In both the western and eastern parts of the state it supplies many hard working people with jobs to feed their loved ones. The miners are some of the nicest most down to earth people you’ll meet. Coal generates about 80% of the state’s electricity and coal is cheap so utility bills are quite low.Property, sales, and income taxes are much lower. Sales is a flat 6% and grocery items are generally exempt. Gas is a lot cheaper.The state is Republican. You will have to learn to get along with conservatives. A lot of Democrats who represent rural areas in the state government are social/cultural conservatives themselves. Abortion is very much frowned upon and gun laws are lax, so many people own them. Businesses deal with a much more predictable regulatory climate than in CA.Church is a very big deal for most folks. Your life won't be made miserable because you don't go, but church gives many people a tremendous moral foundation so don't be insulting and ridicule them. Live and let live (to an extent)Horse racing is huge! Especially thoroughbred. Churchill Downs is a world class venue but so is Keeneland. The state government prints speciality horse license plates.Automobile manufacturing is a large industry and has put a historically rural state on the global stage. Toyota makes cars in Georgetown, Ford makes trucks in Louisville, and General Motors (Chevrolet Corvette production and a great museum) is in Bowling Green.The Cincinnati suburbs of Florence, Erlanger, Hebron, Newport, Covington, etc. have taken off population growth wise and are filled with solid schools, high incomes, chain store shopping, as well as a very solid international airport. In addition, there is a huge Amazon shipping facility close by. The area feels culturally like Ohio but has Kentucky mailing addresses.Louisville is Democratic but generally more to the center than California Democratic cities. Humana and Papa John’s are both based there. UPS Airlines utilizes Louisville Airport for their cargo shipping hub and it is the world’s 7th busiest cargo airport. Louisville is a river city with easy access to Indiana (it is culturally like the Hoosier state) and has a solid arts/food scene. The University of Louisville is top notch, plus the Victorian architecture is gorgeous.Lexington is also Democratic and more centrist than California Democratic cities. Lexmark Printing is based there. The world class University of Kentucky educates the workforce of tomorrow. More ethnic diversity there than in other parts of the state.Grocery shopping is available at Meijer, Kroger, and Walmart. As well as many other local small stores.There is snow in the winter so be ready for it. Summers can be hot.The accent outside of the cities is very thick so be ready to understand it. It is very sweet sounding but watch some YouTube videos of rural Kentuckians and you will get it.Montgomery Gentry, Loretta Lynn, The Judds, Billy Ray Cyrus, Muhammad Ali, Damaris Phillips, Kenny Perry - all famous KentuckiansPaducah is a nice river town which is home of the quilt museumLots of hiking opportunities in the eastern part of the state with mountains, as well as Daniel Boone national forest. The state is home to a lot of limestone; be sure to visit both Mammoth Cave and Lost River Cave in Bowling Green to get a geological experience of your lifetime.It starts off flat and gets more hilly and mountainous going east. Just like Tennessee where I live.The food is very simple and traditional and old fashioned. Lots of Burgoo, shepherd’s pie, jellies, preserves, country ham, biscuits and gravy, grits, greens, beans, yams, jams, banana pudding, and Southern barbecue. If you want ethnic food then go to the big cities. (Indian, Thai, Japanese, etc.) You may find some small towns that find a way to throw in one or two Chinese/Mexican places.The bourbon is incredible. The Jim Beam Distillery is a breathtaking experience.Unbridled Spirit, a great work ethic, lots of beautiful bluegrass and greenery!

If you’re making the move to the nation’s capital, here are 20 general things to know before moving to Washington DC:Washington, D.C. is best known as the home of American politics, but there is so much more to the nation’s capital than what happens on the Hill or in the White House.Students, families, singles looking for true love, young urbanites, military personnel, and longtime residents who have seen this city go through decades of change call D.C. home. So what do you need to know before you make your move? More than you think. This is one complicated town.1. It’s the District.Anyone who lives here knows that everything within the boundaries of Washington, D.C. is often times referred to as the District. This is because when people talk about D.C. they may also be talking about areas that crossover into the two adjacent states.2. D.C. is a region.The DMV has nothing to do with getting your car registered when you live in the D.C.-metro area. You will hear radio DJs talk about events in the DMV, which refers to the District, Maryland and Virginia. Learn this and your search for the Motor Vehicle Authority will be so much less confusing. (But if you do need to register your car, check out the DC-DMV.)20 Things to Know Before Moving to Washington D.C. - SpareFoot Moving Guides3. Forget what you think you know about street grids.D.C. is a city of quadrants. The City is within the Beltway (I-495), but it’s sectioned off into four pieces. The Capital building is the center point. Street addresses can get very confusing, so make sure you pay attention to the SE, NE, SW and NW in the street address! One thing to note is that the quadrants are not the same sizes, so your address may switch quicker than you expected.4. Politics isn’t the only business here.Although Washington, D.C. is best known for its politics, there are other industries in the city and the metro-area. Hilton Worldwide has their headquarters just outside of the District in Virginia. Several tech and healthcare companies are set up inside and out of the District as well. If you want to live here, but you aren’t in politics, you just have to dig a little. There are non-political jobs.5. It’s below the Mason-Dixon line.Technically D.C. is in the South, but you would never know that based on the politics of this town. The Virginia side is much more “southern” than the Maryland side of town. In the District, these two sides merge and blend as different political parties come to power from one year to another. Sweet tea availability is spotty, you just have to learn where to look.6. It is a city of transients.D.C. is full of politicians, consultants, embassies, lobbyists, and military personnel who are constantly moving around the country and across the globe. The housing and rental market can shift when the president of one party moves out, while the president from the opposing party moves in. Military members are reassigned, and consultants come and go. This is a transient city, and because it is, it’s actually easy to meet people since everyone is new!7. Not all of the schools are horrible.Like many cities, D.C. gets a bad rep when it comes to schools. The misnomer is that if you want your kids to get a great education, but you don’t want to pay for private school, you have to move to the suburbs. While suburban schools can be great, there are a few neighborhoods with wonderful elementary schools and middle schools worth investigating, such as Cathedral Heights, Kent, Wesley Heights, Chevy Chase DC and Grover Park.8. Republicans and Democrats actually get along off the Hill.It’s true. Just because they might not agree across the aisle, doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of Republicans who are friends with Democrats. It’s kind of hard to avoid either party. The city isn’t THAT big! Some major feather ruffling is expected when there is a big change in the Oval Office.9. You can find affordable housing, even downtown.Washington, D.C. is an expensive city to live in. There is no denying that fact, but there are places, even downtown, that can be affordable. If you are craving city life, you don’t have to move to the suburbs anymore. You just need to find the right real estate agent to get you the place you want in town. Right now Petworth, 16th Street Heights and even Anacostia are hot spots to look.10. Traffic is really that bad!Traffic is miserable. The metro is well utilized, but can also go down from time to time. If you drive during rush hour, try to find alternative means of transportation, like walking, biking, taking the MARC train, metro or anything else but driving. Even during off hours the traffic can build up for no reason. Congestion is here to stay, so deal with it.11. Move to the right of the Metro escalator.Speaking of the Metro– it’s a simple request, but one new comers and tourists just can’t seem to grasp. If you are in a country that drives on the right hand side of the road, stand on the right side of the escalator so those who need to run for their train can rush past you on the left. Simple, right?12. We have an amazing “new” food scene.Don’t get us wrong, D.C. has always had some great food, but it has typically been centered around meat and potatoes, or stuffy French food. In the past decade D.C. has seen revitalization, bringing young chefs who are taking local ingredients and doing amazing things with them. Union Market is the perfect place to sample several different bites. Oh, and did we mention how happy we are that D.C. finally got into their coffee and you can get a great brew outside of the walls of Starbucks now?13. Not all of the museums are free.D.C. is the land of museums, and many of them are free, but not all, which can be confusing. All of the Smithsonian museums are free. They may have special paid exhibits, but if you want to see the T-Rex every day for a year at the National Museum of Natural History, by all means go for it. The Spy Museum, Newseum and National Geographic Museum are just a sampling of the pay-to-play museums in town though.14. We have two football teams… sort of.The Washington Redskins are officially D.C.’s hometown team, but Baltimore is so close, don’t be surprised when you find a whole lot of Ravens fans in your neighborhood. College teams are also big in these parts, so survey your surroundings before you start booing a team in public spaces.15. We like to keep a low profile.The Washington Monument is the tallest structure in D.C., while the Capital is one of the tallest buildings. There was an old law that said that no building could be taller than the Capital. There has been a little wiggle room with this over the years, but still the end result has been the same. There are no skyscrapers in Washington, D.C. If you really miss them, just go west to Tysons Corner in Virginia.16. D.C. likes to stay fit.Hiking, biking, running, walking, rowing — we do it all. Year round you will find residents biking to and from work, and moms with babies in jogger strollers trying to drop those last few pregnancy pounds. Rowers pop out as soon as the weather warms up, and there are more than enough hiking trails in Rock Creek Park to keep the avid wander happy throughout the year. Just be careful! More than one person has gotten lost in this city park.17. Access to green spaces and more is within easy reach.Rock Creek Park, the National Mall, Garfield Park, the U.S. Botanic Garden, and Meridian Hill (pictured above) are just a few of the amazing green spaces inside of the District. Outside of D.C. you can easily get to the Shenandoah Mountains in Virginia, hang out on the Chesapeake Bay, or even up to the Poconos in Pennsylvania for some skiing.18. The license plates are not ironic.Many Washington, D.C. license plates read ”Taxation without Representation.” This is true. Washington, D.C. is not a state. They do not have a full voting member of Congress to represent them. Their representative can vote in committee, but not on the house floor. But we still have to pay income taxes! The district does get three electoral votes in the presidential race though.19. There are a LOT of college kids in town.American University, Georgetown, Howard and George Mason are just four of the universities in the DMV, and that doesn’t even count the smaller colleges, satellite campuses and state schools (University of Maryland is just inside the Beltway).20. Walking the Tidal Basin during Cherry Blossom Season IS worth it.The crowds are insane, but if you have the will, there is a way to see the Cherry Blossoms on the Tidal Basin and around the Washington Monument. Grab a cup of your favorite warm beverage, park your car north of the National Mall (we like the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center parking garage), and start walking—but don’t forget your Zyrtec.Source: 20 Things to Know Before Moving to Washington D.C. - SpareFoot Moving Guides

Great question, as I answered this question in detail over on my blog ATX Driving a while ago I’ll provide it for you. Here is my guide to driving in Austin and Texas in general for transplants from a transplant.Austin's Unique Driving HazardsI-35 upper and lower deck going through downtown.One of the most dangerous stretches of road in all of Texas is the Upper and Lower decks of Interstate 35 going through downtown Austin. When going North or South on Interstate 35 there are two levels (decks) between Airport Road and Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. The right is “designed” for through traffic and the left side is “designed” for local exits (the opposite of almost every exit in every other city). Predictably, what happens is drivers either passing straight through Austin or those unfamiliar driving to downtown realize this at the very last second. All this lane changing in a small stretch of the road causes frequent and severe accidents. Also on the lower decks, the on-ramps are very short with little room for error when merging, which also leads to accidents. Just check out the news for a week and you hear about a major accident, many of those are involving semi-trucks, serious injuries, and fatalities. So please folks, this is an area to put your phone down, turn down the music, and pay attention.SpeedDepending on where you’re coming from you might be overwhelmed or overjoyed by how fast the speed limits are on the highways, service roads, main thoroughfares, side streets, and even neighborhood roads. Let's not pretend you will always be going anywhere near the speed limit with Austin's traffic, but there's an adjustment from most cities outside of Texas. Remember to maintain your speed or risk getting run over.Frontage Roads & Service RoadsThese are one-way roads running alongside the highways that allow access to businesses and side streets. You see many locals easily detour off the highway when congestion or accidents occur, just to jump back on a 1/2 mile later. Service roads are one of the few benefits of Austin driving.Texas U-turns, Turnarounds, or Loop AroundsYou’ll also learn to love the Texas U-turns and how they work hand in hand with the service roads. Basic driver-ed tip: slow down before you reach the turn and accelerate through the turn.Snow or More Likely IceEvery two years, the city Ices over. If you’re from New England or Colorado you might be thinking "no big deal, I know how to drive in 6 inches of snow, what’s a little ice". Well respectfully, this city doesn’t deal well with ice and snow (I mean, it's almost always 90 degrees). The elevated roadways collect ice, in addition to any snow. Couple those factors with high-speed limits, bad traffic, aggressive city driving, and inexperienced cold weather drivers. So, you can understand the mass panic that ensues.Flooded Road WaysYou've "heard when it rains it pours", in Austin you'll hear "when it rains, turn around don't drown." The local authorities and media do a darn good job of letting folks know the dangers of flooded roads ways. They even created ATXfloods.com to check for closed roadways on your routes around town. So, please turn around don’t drown.BicyclistsMany areas in Austin are very cyclist friendly and if you haven’t lived in heavy cyclist town it can take getting used to. When you see bike lanes on the road either marked by green lanes or other logos, they do command the respect of a normal lane marking.North-South vs. East-WestAustin area is better designed for going North or South. When you need to go east or west you will find yourself on mostly city streets like Parmer, Anderson, Braker, Cesar Chavez, William Cannon, Koenig, etc. Check out this piece from Austin Statesman on history of this issue.Mopac? all I see is loop 1 and other name changing roads in AustinLoop 1 = Mopac“that sign and my GPS says Loop 1, but everyone said to take Mopac, Huh?” Loop 1 is the only real bypass for I-35 in Austin. It runs along the Missouri Pacific rail line which is where it gets the name Mopac.Texas Loop 360 = Capital of Texas HighwayUsed interchangeably at times, typically a street address shows as on Capital of Texas Highway. Another thing to remember is 360 connects to Mopac in two places about 11 miles apart.US 183 = Research BlvdOn most every other major highway in town the service roads are called service road or frontage road (North Mopac Service road for example), ….. bbbbuuutttt 183 which is called Research Blvd.Koenig lane turns into R.M. 2222Here is another major road going east-west that starting at I-35 in the East as Koenig turns into Allandale Rd. then briefly Northland Dr. before it goes under Mopac and turns into R.M. 2222.U.S. 290 Disappears in AustinU.S. 290 is the #1 highway when going between Houston and Austin. It technically runs along I-35 for 8 miles in Austin before heading into the Hill Country. The service road running alongside US 290 in Austin is Ben White Blvd for a stretch.Texas roadways abbreviationsF.M – Farm to MarketR.M. - Ranch to MarketCO – County roadGetting Your Car Street Legal in AustinThe rules of law in Travis County vs Williamson CountyAustin is a city that has a reputation for red lights being suggestions. Be forewarned as you leave city limits to the north that you should expect a much stricter enforcement of the rules of the road and law in general. I've spoken with multiple law enforcement officers of Williamson County who insist it not that they are strict, but thatAustin Police Department is less strict average. Still be wary as you enter the cities of Round Rock, Georgetown, Leander, or Hutto.State InspectionsTexas requires state safety inspections before registering your vehicle. Bring your car to any auto repair shop, dealership, oil change shop, or "Sticker" shop with your proof of insurance and have them inspect your car. The price is regulated by the state and should be about $20. You will receive one sticker for your windshield form your county tax assessor's office when registering your vehicle. Texas used to have two sticker system one for safety another for registration. The two sticker system was changed to one in 2015, so just smile and nod when someone feels the need to explain the change to you.Registering your vehicleAfter getting your state inspection the next step is to visit your local county tax assessor's office (pro tip: check in online). Bring your ID (out of state okay), proof of insurance, proof of ownership(title or out of state registration), and the certificate of safety inspections form the auto shop. They will give you your sticker along with your license plates.Learn more about the over 400 personalized vanity license plates available in TexasUpdated Driver's LicenseYou will need to update your driver's license at the Department of Public Safety(DPS). You can check in online at 2 area locations or when you get to the DPS. Their computers give you a rough estimate of how long it should be before your turn, with updates to your cell phone. You will need to register your vehicle first in Texas or sign an affidavit that you don't own a vehicle before getting your Texas Driver's License. If your driver's license has expired or you don't have one you will need to pass the written test, provide extra documents, and then schedule an on-road driver's test. Do not expect to do the driving test the same day as written. Lastly, don't confuse the DPS with the DMV (department of motor vehicles), as we have both in Texas.Tolls roads in AustinAustin area has a growing number of toll roads and express lanes with tolls. Even if you plan to avoid them, I'd recommend to set up a toll tag account to avoid the additional fees should you have to use them. You can get your Texas Toll Tag online or if you really want to, you can go to their office off Mopac just north of Parmer Lane. If you don't have a toll tax you will be billed in the mail from a photo of your license plate.If your new to Austin be sure to check out my article on how to say Austin roads like Manchaca, Koenig, and Mueller.