Finding Home in the Holler: The Odle’s Family Journey to Eastern Kentucky

From Skepticism to Belonging

When Ashley and her husband Shayne first told friends and family they were considering moving to Eastern Kentucky, the reactions were mixed and many of them weren’t encouraging. “Before we moved, I’m not going to lie,” Ashley recalled, “there were people who were like, ‘Oh, they don’t like outsiders there. You’re always going to be an outsider.’”

Ashley and Shayne, undeterred by doubts from friends and family, soon learned the warnings couldn’t have been further from the truth. Instead,the family has made deep connections, found supportive neighbors and a sense of place they never expected. Their journey, full of serendipity and discovery, reveals how much reality can differ from the misconceptions.

Searching for a Fresh Start

Ashley and Shayne had spent most of their lives in Southwest Michigan. Shayne, a military veteran, was transitioning to remote work and together they wanted to be intentional about where they built their future. “We sat down and said, we’re going to do it differently. We’re going to pick where we want to go,” Ashley explained.

They scoured Zillow listings across the country, prioritizing acreage, self-sufficiency and community. Again and again, the Appalachian region surfaced as their ideal. Pike County, Kentucky, in particular, caught Ashley’s attention. She immersed herself in research, poring over statistics, history and local details. Then, almost serendipitously, she discovered MakeMyMove’s relocation offer for Eastern Kentucky. “It just seemed so fortuitous,” she said. “I thought, this seems too good to be true but what’s it going to hurt to try?”

That decision turned a distant dream into a reality. Within weeks, the family was packing up and leaving behind their life in Michigan and heading for the mountains.

Trusting Their Gut

When they first put an offer on a home in Pike County, Ashley and Shayne hadn’t yet set foot there. The house fell through after inspections but Ashley wasn’t ready to give up. Finally, pressed by the school calendar and their desire to settle before the school year really go underway, they made another offer this time trusting their gut and the guidance of their realtor, who sent videos and photos of the property.

When they arrived, they were instantly greeted by their new neighbors. “We moved into the best holler,” Ashley said. “We bought a house from a family who grew up here and everybody in our holler is related. They could have made us feel like outsiders. But the day we pulled in with our U-Haul, they were all standing out in the road ready to meet us, make sure our water was turned on and ask if we needed help with anything.”

Debunking Misconceptions

The warnings Ashley heard before moving couldn’t have been more different from her reality. “By and large, this community has been so welcoming across the board,” she said. “Whether I’m in Pikeville, which is a college town, or in our little community called Coon Creek people have embraced us.”

Even during challenging times, the family has felt supported. After flooding in the area cut off their road and left them without power and water, neighbors showed up with cases of water, food and even treats for the kids. “There was never a time that we felt alone,” Ashley recalled. “When you’re moving across the country, you kind of mentally prepare for that isolation and it has been the complete opposite experience.”

The stereotype that Appalachian communities are closed off fell away in real time as Ashley’s family experienced generosity at every turn. They learned that a simple willingness to engage, to shake hands, to chat with a stranger in line at the gas station, was all it took to make fast friends.

Learn More About Why Eastern Kentucky Has Been Named One of America's Most Welcoming Communities

Schools, Seasons and Culture Shifts

Adjusting to life in Kentucky has come with its learning curves. The school calendar started earlier than in Michigan, and the culture of school pride was more pronounced. “It seems like every day you pull in to drop the kids off and half the kids are in school-themed clothes. There’s such a sense of pride,” Ashley noted.

Weather, too, required a shift in mindset. In Michigan, snow was a nuisance but never a reason to cancel plans. In the mountains, icy roads could be deadly. “Some of these mountain roads are very narrow and steep, so if you slip off, there’s no recovery like back home where you might just need to get towed out of a ditch,” Ashley explained. “Rather than fight it, people here just give in to it. It feels good, actually, it’s a more natural lifestyle to slow down when the roads are unsafe.” The mountains, she noted, create their own weather patterns. A storm can rage on one side of the ridge while her family’s home sits in quiet calm.

Building a Homestead

Beyond cultural adjustments, Ashley’s family dove headfirst into turning their 17-acre property into a thriving homestead. At first glance, the land seemed unremarkable, just a dense wall of trees. But as they cut paths, cleared brush and explored, breathtaking features emerged: 20-foot rock bluffs, caves, campsites and sweeping mountain views. “Growing up in Michigan, where it’s flat, I can’t even express the sense of awe and wonder when you look out from a mountain peak and see a valley and mountains in the distance. And then you think, I live here. This is home.”

Over the past few months, they’ve added goats, chickens and ducks, planted orchards of apple, peach, and nut trees and cultivated gardens that already supply most of their vegetables. “Since April, I haven’t had to buy veggies,” Ashley said proudly.

Their dream is to one day open parts of their land for camping and hunting, but for now they’re content turning it into a sanctuary for their family and future generations. “We are putting the kind of love into this land that is meant to last generations,” Ashley reflected.

Community Connections and Guidance

Much of their successful transition, Ashley credits to MakeMyMove and to their local program manager, Latasha. “Latasha gave us so much useful advice. She told us not to call our neighborhood Raccoon but Coon Creek. She gave us lists of things to do, inspectors to call, even coupons for local businesses. And she literally walked us around Pikeville, showing us where the DMV was, where to eat and where to go to the movies. She was amazing.”

That local support eased the overwhelming logistics of relocating to a rural community, from setting up internet service to finding trusted contractors. For Ashley and her family, those personal touches, recommendations, introductions, even a reminder to adopt the local language - made all the difference in feeling at home quickly.

A Childhood Found in Storybooks

For Ashley’s children, the move has been transformative and their home serves as both playground and classroom. The kids help clear brush, build fences and tend to animals. They camp out in teepees and forage mushrooms, returning with treasures their mother once spent hours driving across Michigan to find. They nap in tents hidden in the woods. At night, the mountains light up with fireflies. “It looks unreal,” Ashley said. “There are magical moments that happen around here all the time and I can’t believe they get to live it.”

Finding Belonging

The move has given Ashley and her family more than land or lifestyle, it has given them a sense of belonging. “These days we feel better surrounded by the mountains. It feels like home now,” Ashley said. “Sometimes you aren’t born where your personality fits the area. But when you find the place that feels like home, it’s different. It just feels whole.”

Belonging, for Ashley, is both physical and emotional. The mountains are their shelter, literally hugging them in a chaotic world and the neighbors have become extended family.

More Than a Move

What started as an experiment, a leap of faith backed by online research and a relocation incentive, has become a lifelong home while the misconceptions about outsiders, poverty and isolation dissolved in the warmth of neighbors and the beauty of the land. Today, Ashley and Shayne can’t imagine leaving.

For anyone considering a move to Eastern Kentucky, Ashley’s advice is simple: don’t let fear or outdated stereotypes hold you back. “If you make any effort to shake hands and introduce yourself, you’re going to have 20 best friends in a month.” The community they are building is as strong as the ridges that now surround her family’s forever home.