Soul of the Community

The information in our study covers the Lexington-Fayette, Ky., Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In each community, the Soul of the Community Study identified factors that emotionally bond residents to where they live. Some of these community characteristics were rated highly by residents, and are therefore community strengths while others were rated lower, making them opportunities for improvement. This information can provide communities a roadmap for increasing residents’ emotional attachment to where they live, which the study found has a significant relationship to economic vitality.

In the Lexington area, social offerings (fun places to gather), openness (how welcoming a place is) and basic services (community infrastructure) are the most important factors in connecting residents to where they live.

Education (particularly colleges and universities) and aesthetics (particularly the natural setting) were perceived as community strengths.

Meanwhile, openness, basic services and social offerings were seen as needing improvement. In particular, while residents rated the Lexington area as significantly more open for families with young children - making them the group seen as most-welcomed - they see it as least welcoming to immigrants, an area where ratings significantly dropped in 2009. They also rate affordable housing lowest among the basic services. While residents rated nightlife significantly higher in 2009, they continue to see resident caring for each other as a relatively weak area.

Not surprisingly, ratings of the local economy dropped significantly in 2009, however the economy still was not an important factor in determining residents’ emotional connection to the area. Civic involvement (due primarily to an increase in voting for the Presidential election) was up significantly in 2009.

Residents who feel a strong emotional connection to their community are more likely to be older, long-term, retired and home-owning residents. Those least likely to feel emotionally attached are younger, mid-tenure, rural-dwelling and middle-educated residents.