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Lexington mayor discusses city's high 'best places' ranking

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022. She also served on the city council for 16 years.
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Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022. She also served on the city council for 16 years.

The city of Lexington ranks highly in U.S. News and World Report’s annual “best places” report. Lexington was judged the 15th best place to live and 16th best place to retire. Mayor Linda Gorton cited several reasons for the city’s high rankings.

“We have low taxes. We have great healthcare facilities here. We have a a good-sized university here. We're highly educated city, and I think all those things play into it.”

Gorton says while Lexington has a population of about 325-thousand, it’s a friendly city with a low crime rate. She also praised the approximately 3,000 people who work for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government whose mission is to serve people.

“While we have the good quality of life, the parks, the trails, all those things we build, we keep focusing on picking up the garbage, paving the streets, improving traffic, where we can. All the things that are standard.”

Gorton also credited the city’s longstanding purchase of development rights program for preserving farmland.

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John McGary is a Lexington native and Navy veteran with three decades of radio, television and newspaper experience.
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