A riverfront city with a thriving arts scene and a historic downtown
Paducah is most notable for its Lower Town district, which, thanks to an artist relocation program, became a creative hotspot in the early 2000s. "There is still an artist community there with coffee shops, galleries open to the public and artists living and working still in the neighborhood," says Nicholas Hutchison, director of planning for the City of Paducah. At the nexus of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers, the Historic Downtown District puts culinary arts and theater at the forefront.
The city's population is roughly 26,700, and the employment rate aligns with the national average. Baptist Health and Mercy Health, two nearby hospitals, are the city's top employers. The Paducah & Louisville Railway and multiple barge companies are headquartered in the city.
Downtown Paducah is a historic and cultural area in Paducah.
Baptist Health Paducah is conveniently located to residents of Clayshire.
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Early 20th-century houses and newer construction
With a median price of $210,000, homes in Paducah are relatively affordable compared to the rest of the country. The national median home price is around $400,000. The city’s urban streets are lined with early-19th- and late-20th-century foursquares and Colonial Revivals priced from $200,000 to $400,000. Bungalows and shotgun-style homes are priced from $20,000 to $250,000 in the suburbs north and south of downtown. New Traditionals and contemporaries are priced from $250,000 to $1 million in the newer suburbs to the west. Downtown's late 19th-century warehouse buildings have been converted to condos priced from $160,000 to $400,000. Homebuyers should be aware that various parts of the city are at risk of flooding from the Ohio River and its tributaries.
Carson Park bungalows show off the owners' personalities.
Colonial Revival styles houses dot the landscape of Fairfield.
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Unique downtown dining and big-box retail shopping
The historic downtown provides a walkable place to explore the rich, time-honored culinary scene along the Ohio River. Founded by Prussian immigrants, Kirchhoff's is a bakery and deli that started serving riverboat travelers in 1873. Just down the street, Barrel & Bond specializes in bourbon, Kentucky's most iconic export, and charcuterie boards. Based out of an 1880s brick building, the restaurant is furnished with barrels and leather upholstered couches. Chef Sara Bradley, of Bravo's Top Chef fame, owns and operates Freight House, a sophisticated farm-to-table restaurant with a laid-back atmosphere.
People flock to the city's northwest corner to shop at the dozens of retailers in and around Kentucky Oaks Mall. The Paducah City Center has big-box grocery stores on the city's southeast end.
Kirchhoff's Bakery and Deli is located at 118 Market House Square in Downtown Paducah.
Fairfield is in close proximity to a Kroger for all of your grocery needs.
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Highly rated school districts
McCracken County Public Schools and Paducah Public Schools operate in Paducah. The former draws more students from the suburbs, while the latter draws more from within the city. Both assign students to a school based on where they live. Paducah Public Schools has a B-plus Niche rating and a 77% graduation rate, while McCracken County Public Schools has an A Niche rating and a 92% graduation rate. Kentucky's average graduation rate is 86%. The reading proficiencies in both school districts are above the national average.
Concord Elementary enrolls over 600 students every year in Paducah.
McCracken County High School enrolls almost 2,000 students every year in Paducah.
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Entertainment and festivals downtown and in Lower Town
Lower Town has galleries and performance centers where locals witness their city's creative spirit. "Lower Town Arts and Music Festival is a community favorite," Hutchison says. "They have live music and public art, with artists set up on the street to sell their pieces. It's just a really good vibe —the food vendors are always great, music is always good, but it's neighborhood-based, so it's a little more intimate, fun and eclectic."
Downtown Paducah has several performance centers, including The Carson Center, which attracts Broadway shows. There's also Market House Theatre, which hosts ghost tours each fall, murder mystery dinners and musicals performed by local thespians. The annual festivities are not limited to visual arts. The riverfront hosts the annual Barbeque on the River festival, where tens of thousands of people come for three days of live music and 80,000 pounds of smoked meat.
BBQ on the River has a live music stage for visitors to enjoy.
BBQ on The River at Schultz Park in Paducah every year during the Summer.
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Public greenspaces within walking distance of residents
Paducah's most prominent greenspace is Bob Noble Park, which has a lake with fishing piers, a swimming pool, a skate park and tennis courts. The Greenway Trail is a 5-mile path that extends Noble Park adventures into Stuart Nelson Park, where all ages enjoy the disc golf course, ball fields and playground. Raymond C. Schultz Park is home to the 340-foot Paducah Transient Boat Dock, where folks can fuel up their boats or make reservations to leave them overnight. The city also has private and public golf courses.
Clayshire residents can fish at the Bob Noble Park lake which is stocked annually.
Woodlawn locals can get out and be active at Paxton Park Golf Course.
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Getting around Paducah
"Paducah is a driver's city, but the downtown, especially, is extremely walkable," says Liz Hammonds, director of marketing and communications for the Paducah Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We are seeing more and more bikers in the city because everything is so close together."
The city has a downtown trolley and a public transit bus system. Nashville International Airport is 140 miles southwest of the city via Interstate 24.
Crime
The city’s violent crime rate is below the national average, while the property crime rate is above the national average. Both rates have declined in the past decade.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
