A reason to consider Danville is its reasonable cost-of-living, which is nearly 20% below the national average.  The median home price is $145,000, and this price will buy a very nice 2,500 square foot ranch style home or bi-level home with three bedrooms and two baths.  Smaller, but not tiny, homes on shady streets are for sale for less than $100,000.  In fact, $95,000 will purchase 1,500 square feet, 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths in a comfortable neighborhood.  Higher-end homes are also for sale; $250,000 will fetch a beautiful 3,000 square foot brick home with four bedrooms, 2 baths and mature trees.  $369,000 will buy a rather stunning Cape Cod-style home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a library and 5 to 10 acres in a country setting. 

Town homes are not plentiful, and at this writing, we were unable to find apartments for rent (this is a small town).   There are, though, seven manufactured/mobile home parks in Danville; none are age-restricted but in nearby Harrodsburg, Old Orchard Inn Mobile Home Park is for those 55 and above.  

Property owners receive two property tax bills, from one the sheriff and one from the school system.  The first taxes property at .418 per $100 assessed value, and the second taxes property at .679 per $100 assessed value, and property is assessed at 100% of market value.   The annual taxes on a $175,000 home would be $1,919.   For homeowners 65 and older or for those totally disabled, $29,400 of the assessed value of their property is exempt from state taxes.  State income tax rates are from 2% to 6%; the sales tax rate is 6%.   The state also allows a reduction of taxable income for 100% of long-term care insurance and health insurance premiums.  Call 502-564-4581 for details. 

Pretty Danville has a strong sense of community and provides a quality of life not found in all small towns.  Five neighborhoods and 120 restored historical houses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a variety of architectural styles, including Victorians and Colonials, dot Danville's active and charming downtown.  There are house museums, cute bed and breakfasts, and three-acre Constitution Square State Historic Site is the spot where Kentucky's constitution finally came to life in 1792.    The Square hums with craftsmen, historic demonstrations and strolling minstrels each September when Danville celebrates its prominent place in Kentucky's march to statehood.

The lovely Community Arts Center, home to a number of galleries and rotating regional exhibits, is an enjoyable place to spend an afternoon.   Elements Pottery and Crafts is a gallery that invites visitors to watch artists in action; it is housed in the Old Crow Inn, Kentucky's oldest stone manor home. Several internationally known painters and glass blowers also make their home in Danville.   

Danville, Kentucky, Continued.....