My Daughter is a restaurant manager.
She has managed up scale restaurants all over the country and now resides in Napa CA.
She is in the process of looking for a new job and had been contacted by a restaurant owner in Paducah KY for a GM position.
My Daughter probably would never consider a move to a small town in KY except she knows of the owner from a TV Chef show and admires her.
She is also being "courted" for a GM position by a Hotel/restaurant owner in Menlo Park CA.

My Wife and I would love to see her get out of CA. We are excited that she at least is willing to come to Paducah for an interview. We like the idea of a Midwest environment and the fact that she might make enough money that she could actually buy a home and be surrounded by a more conservative population. It would also be much closer for us to go visit.

All that said, my Wife and I know NOTHING about Paducah or the people who live there.
I thought I would ask the brain trust here for any inside info on Paducha, good or bad.

Armored,

You have mail.

Best,

Jake

I have no specific knowledge of either place, just generalized observations. She won't make Menlo Park money in Paducah, but tax burden, real estate and overall cost of living is certain to be lower, enough to actually buy a home. Coming from Napa and its "Mediterranean" (cool and wet winters, hot summers with little or no rain) climate, the weather will take some getting used to.

Know nothing about Paducah but still would choose it over anything in CA.

That being said MP is generally okay. I think solid mid / upper mid. Sandwiched between Palo Alto and Atherton - both upscale. Good location for a foodie. Unless she can already afford to buy a house, it may be increasingly difficult to do so unless she’s extremely well paid and/or well invested.

Instead of considering the area, I would consider her 5 year plan and which job best contributes to it. I’d hazard a guess that both places would be acceptable to live in. But which is better aligned to life goals?

I’m sure several people could comment on specifics.

God's country World famous crappie fishing nearby at Ky Lake & Lake Barkley. River town and will have a distinctive southern small town flavor. Four seasons with extremes common. Good central location St Louis, Nashville, Evansville, Hopkinsville just a couple hours away. Cost of living will be comparatively low. I'm originally from central Ky but have fished and had friends in western Ky since forever.

Not sure about restaurant business but Ky towns have a reputation of rewarding well run local establishments. I'd sure give it a good look.

Menlo Park is smack right there in the tech corridor. Next door to Palo Alto-Stanford, lots of very upscale to wealthy homes/neighborhoods, real estate properties there are going to be about 10-15% more than what she's seeing in Napa. Napa is crazy relative to its size and surrounding communities, being a world-wide destination, there's a lot of second-home, investment property purchases which squeezes-out many locals. All the new construction and permits are only going to low-income/high-density housing, mainly focused on the vineyard workers.

Menlo Park, is fully developed, all the services you could want, unless she's got a partner to go in with, trying to buy property on a single-income is next to impossible. Even if she's working at a Michelin-star level restaurant, she'd be hard pressed to save enough to even consider a home mortgage. Paducah I know nothing about, I definitely know it would be a big change for her, Napa does have its rural-agriculture roots, which I very much appreciate however, the food service scene from CA/Napa Valley to KY will be a massive change. Which restaurant is she at currently?

Have lived in Menlo (years ago while going to college) and worked there as well (later, but still a long time ago). Sole Paducah experience was a week there for a class. Was absolutely amazed at what great shape the roads were in and how little traffic there was. Also noticed that folks were very polite.

You couldn’t get me back into Bay Area traffic for love or money. While I liked what I saw of Paducah, I don’t know enough about it to recommend it. I’d still investigate it before the Bay.

All that said, I think konata88 has the best advice. Only she knows what is most important to her.

I've been to Paducah 3 times while teaching with Bruce Gray. Hopefully Jones will see this thread and chime in...he lives there.

I never knew that Paducah had a foodie scene. What I do know:
1. They paid to have the National Quilt museum located there.
2. They have a nuclear power plant
3. There is apparently an awesome BBQ place very near the plant which is a "must go" place...I've never been.
4. When I was there, the only Starbucks in town was in the basement of the local hospital
5. We had to fly into St Louis and drive through 3 states to get there.

I understand the cost of living there is pretty affordable, but that raises the question of how that will be reflected in her compensation as a GM.

Menlo Park is a great foodie place and there is a lot of money in the area...which of course would be reflected in the cost of living there.

The question then comes down to how the local cost of living is reflected in her compensation . There is also the question of which job would be more helpful in attaining her life's goal

I live 20 miles from Paducah in the lakes area. I work in Paducah. The western part of Kentucky is a great place to live. People are friendly, no traffic issues, cost of living is reasonable. I would highly recommend the area, however I may be biased because I live here lol. If you have any specific questions, shoot me an email, I can help.

Also, the restaurant you’re referring to is great. We eat there several times a year. It is located on the South side of Paducah near the river front. That area is the old part of Paducah, very nostalgic.

Where to start? If your daughter has “California values”, she won’t like it here.

Paducah/McCracken County has a population around 70k with a day time population that swells to 2.5 times that. We have good schools and two trauma centers in town. We have more food joints and hotels that just about any city. The “celebrity chef” thing gave which restaurant it was away. I know them personally. They are good people. The husband is a prosecutor, and the wife owns/runs the restaurant. The clientele is upscale, food is pricy but good. (I really like the Brussel sprouts there). The place is always packed.

We are two hours from Nashville, St Louis, and Louisville.

We have the same crime as everywhere else but LE still does LE stuff, and victims are still treated like victims instead of ignored in many places. Biggest problems here is meth and fentanyl, and the theft and related crimes (particularly thefts) that it causes.

There are many places to live and commute where the tax rate is lower than living in McCracken.

Summer time weather from June to September is hot, humid, chance of showers in the afternoon. Winters are mild with 4-5 days of snow average.

Kentucky politics is deep red. For instance, we had a Soros funded mayor that got elected because she was a Harvard educated “home town girl”. Once she got into office, she went hard left and took on every cause that the left held near and dear. Next election, she got smoked. And I mean bad. Most folks vote (and have values) that are deep red. James Comer is our congressman if that tells you anything.

County politics are further right. Last election, a sitting commissioner (who was light red) got smoked by a deep red candidate. Because he had a “put no one in jail because it costs money” mantra. His opponent didn’t put a single sign out. He didn’t run a single campaign rally. Because his politics are do-the-right-thing and leave me alone. The winners name is Richard Abraham. He is an amazing guy.

This place does have its fleas, but it’s still a great place to live. People want to be left alone here. They don’t like to be told that they have to believe in this or that liberal cause.

From Central Ky as well, lots of friends in WKY from my days at UK. Paducah is a great town, but it's polar opposite of Menlo Park, urban vs small river town life. It also should be considered whats the business upside for her, is it best to come out of a small well known place or a metro wealthy business when it's time to move on, restaurants tend to have short lives, so whats her plan to move forward in the field and which will serve her better in the long run.

The bay area from a weather and things to do standpoint is great, lived in Foster City for a few years. If it wasn't for the lunatic policy of CA we'd probably still live in NorCal.

Paducah is a great river town, lots to do in the area especially if you like outdoors activities, the Lakes offer good fishing, recreation, people are friendly, probably won't see as much Pride displays in public. Gun laws are significantly better, cost of living is lower, then again pay generally is lower. The ratio of pay to COLA is a consideration.


On a side note Starnes BBQ is my favorite in Paducah, and we used to hang out at Spike Stacys Twinkling Star bar back in the day.

quote:

Originally posted by armored: that she might make enough money that she could actually buy a home

Living in Menlo Park, the odds are stacked against her ever buying a house in town, or outside the city. Not unless she is married to a highly paid tech guy or something. A cheap 780 sq ft house is $1.5 million, townhouses and condos are in the million dollar range. And as others have touched on, her politics could make a big difference in her happiness in a specific location. If she likes living under the thumb of Newsom and CA Democrats and their insane laws, insurance regs, and taxes, and doesn't mind sinking her money into rent, then Menlo Park it is.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:


Starnes BBQ

Had a pulled pork sandwich and chips for lunch Tuesday. You can still get a sandwich, chips and drink for $5.25.

And it is still really good.

Another thing to consider is, what if she ends up not liking the restaurant? Being the sort of quality GM to work in Napa she'd have a lot more options in the bay area, up to and including going back to Napa, or Sonoma.

CA - you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!

If she's worried about missing out on the earthquake experience, there is at least as much risk in Paducah

The New Madrid Seismic Zone spans southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, western Kentucky, and southern Illinois. It’s the most active earthquake zone east of the Rocky Mountains.

Between 1811 and 1812, this zone experienced some of the largest quakes in history.

And although they originated in the Mississippi Valley, they rang church bells in Boston and shook New York City — over 1,000 miles away!

Even then-President James Madison and his wife Dolley reportedly felt shaking at the White House.

After one particularly large rupture in the fault, the mighty Mississippi River was forced to run backward for several hours, devastating acres of forest and creating 2 temporary waterfalls.

Compares with risks from the Hayward and San Andreas. So, a non-factor in the decision analysis, but specifically not escaping earthquake risks by coming this way.

quote:

It also should be considered whats the business upside for her, is it best to come out of a small well known place or a metro wealthy business when it's time to move on , restaurants tend to have short lives, so whats her plan to move forward in the field and which will serve her better in the long run.

This should be a huge consideration depending on where she sees herself going...career wise

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Menlo Park is smack right there in the tech corridor. Next door to Palo Alto-Stanford, lots of very upscale to wealthy homes/neighborhoods, real estate properties there are going to be about 10-15% more than what she's seeing in Napa. Napa is crazy relative to its size and surrounding communities, being a world-wide destination, there's a lot of second-home, investment property purchases which squeezes-out many locals. All the new construction and permits are only going to low-income/high-density housing, mainly focused on the vineyard workers.

Menlo Park, is fully developed, all the services you could want, unless she's got a partner to go in with, trying to buy property on a single-income is next to impossible. Even if she's working at a Michelin-star level restaurant, she'd be hard pressed to save enough to even consider a home mortgage. Paducah I know nothing about, I definitely know it would be a big change for her, Napa does have its rural-agriculture roots, which I very much appreciate however, the food service scene from CA/Napa Valley to KY will be a massive change. Which restaurant is she at currently?

The restaurant in Napa that she left was called AVOW. They closed to become a special event only business.

Thanks everyone for the info on the two different locations.
Now, I at least have some knowledge about the areas so IF she asks me for advice I can say more than "I don't know", She will make up her mind probably with out my input, that does not mean I will have nothing to say about it.

The Hotel/Restaurant in Menlo Park is having her come stay there this weekend to observe their practices. Menlo is offering her a 25% increase in pay from what she received in Napa.
My selfish interest has me pulling for Paducah only because it would give me an opportunity to move down there too, and get the fuck out of Chicago!
Both Job offers would offer her other opportunities for growth in the future.
I just heard that the Paducah owner is flying her there for an interview in a couple weeks.
My Wife and I might drive down there to see Her when shes there.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: armored,

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:

quote:

Originally posted by armored: that she might make enough money that she could actually buy a home

Living in Menlo Park, the odds are stacked against her ever buying a house in town, or outside the city. Not unless she is married to a highly paid tech guy or something. A cheap 780 sq ft house is $1.5 million, townhouses and condos are in the million dollar range.

This is a little misleading, because the area Menlo Park is in is basically one continuous fully developed urban area divided into a bunch of small incorporated cities butted up against each other.

Menlo Park is about 10 square miles and has about 30,000 people, but there are 3-4 million people living within 15 miles.

Menlo Park is on the higher end of the property values range in the area, but even the "lower" property value areas are very expensive compared to most of the rest of the country.

Maybe Paducah is "small town" compared to California, but we always went to Paducah to Xmas shop when I was a kid because they had the mall.