Louisville (Westminster, Boulder, Broomfield: housing, colleges, diversity)

[johnbain]

Hello everyone. Louisville was ranked number 3 on the "Best Places to live in the US for 2007" I am wishing to talk to some people that have actually lived there or now live there. Please post your opinions. If possible I would also like to talk to anyone via phone that is now living there. On my dime of course.

[Katiana]

I live there now. I have actually lived in Louisville for 25 yrs. I have posted quite a bit about it on this forum, which you could probably find by doing a search for "Louisville". Also, if you ask some specific questions, I would be happy to answer them. You could do it via DM or on this forum. I will not be available until evening today. There are some other Louisvillians on this forum as well.

[rockymtngator]

I moved my wife and son to Louisville (pronounced Lewis-ville) back in March from Nashville. We both lived most of our lives in Florida.

First and foremost, this forum has been fantastic for us. We used it for research starting a year an a half ago when we decided to put our attention on a move to our "dream town" wherever that was supposed to be.

So as to give you a perspective of where I've lived, I was born in Michigan, lived most of my young adult - adult life in Florida (Orlando/Winter Park) and 7 years in Nashville. While I enjoyed living in Nashville, I do NOT like what Orlando has turned into. We lived in a small community outside of Orlando called Winter Park where I would classify it as a very charming, neighborly, inviting BUT very expensive town. We wanted to find a similar town to Winter Park when we moved. We THOUGHT that it would be Boulder, but if you search around the forum, you'll find opinions about Boulder both positive and negative.

Louisville was a great find for us because I believe that it warrants having such a high rating and it has lived up to my expectations. I am also familiar with the #4 on the CNN Money "Best Places List" - Lake Mary, FL and that town is FAR from a great town in my opinion.

Here is what I think (as objectively as possible) about Louisville, from my short tenure here:

1. There is a great sense of pride about Louisville. People here, genuinely love this town. I have made some good friends who have lived here most of their lives and would never leave. I find people here, very approachable and friendly.

2. The town has a "Mayberry" feel to it. One thing I couldn't believe is that, in the summer time, EVERY Friday there is a town fair. "Moon jumps", rock climbing walls for the kids, booths with small businesses selling food, products and services. Live bands. It was amazing to me that this was all for free as I have lived in places where events like that were once every three months or so. They have a great parades, BTW, now there is a skating rink in downtown you can go to that is set up.

3. Great access to many things. If you live near downtown, you can literally walk or ride your bike on the best trails, grab a bite to eat and relax in the park and have a full day without ever getting in your car. Something I never experienced anywhere else I have lived.


4. Many people like you here. One thing I noticed is that many people (I'm sure it has to do with the publicity from Money Magazine - I believe Kiplinger's also rated Louisville as a "Best" city) have moved here for a better life. Our good friends here are not originally from here, WV, Canada, Virginia, Wisconsin, South Carolina, New York all wanting to move here (either Boulder or Louisville). I find that because they WANT to move here (as opposed to HAVE TO move - for say a job), they all want the same thing, which adds to the dynamic of Louisville.

5. Access to Boulder (10 mins) and Denver (30 mins). I am a HUGE sports fan so I can go see a Rockies, Broncos, Avalanche, Nuggets game or Buffaloes in Boulder.

6. Real Estate is holding it's own. Brace yourselves, we paid OVER asking price for our house in this economy. While the rest of the country is going through downward spirals in their housing markets, you'll be surprised how little is for sale here in town. Also, when it does go on the market (and as long as it's priced fairly) it doesn't last long.

What I don't like:

1. If you don't live near downtown, you feel disconnected. Fortunately for us, we live close to downtown. I find that farther out from the "center" you live, the more disconnected you are from "Louisville" and the closer you are to the strip malls and fast food joints. This was pointed out by some friends who want to move in, advice is to live closer to downtown - merely my opinion.

2. This might fly in the face of what I just posted, but our downtown isn't as charming as some might think it is. As an FYI, Louisville was an old coal mining town back in the 1800's. So some of the "charm" really stems from old coal miners shacks and businesses that catered to them. If you visit some really amazing towns like Monterey, CA, Camden, ME, and even Winter Park, FL Louisville can't hold a flame to them.

3. A railroad runs through the town. I'm torn to put this into this post, but for some it is a BIG deal. I love the sound of a distant train, however for some people really dislike it. There are some houses that literally are right next to the tracks, the trains blow their whistles at all hours of the night - be aware of that when you buy a home.

I wanted to jot my quick opinion about my new hometown for you, and be objective as possible. The bottom line to me is that this is fantastic town, my wife and I can't imagine ever leaving, I would absolutely whole-heartedly do it all over again.

[livecontent]

rockymtngator wrote:

"3. A railroad runs through the town. I'm torn to put this into this post, but for some it is a BIG deal. I love the sound of a distant train, however for some people really dislike it. There are some houses that literally are right next to the tracks, the trains blow their whistles at all hours of the night - be aware of that when you buy a home."

You are in for some good news because the expansion of the commuter rail will be along the rail corridors.

Along that railroad track, just to the east of Old Town Louisville will be a commuter rail station of the Northwest Rail Corridor under the Fastracks expansion of mass transit This make the area more valuable and spure further development. See FasTracks Home

So, if you are smart buy a home without walking distance of this station now and see a great price appreciation.
Livecontent

[Katiana]

I am supposed to be the great Louisville booster on this forum, so this may come as a surprise to some. One of Louisville's negative points is that there is not a lot of diversity here. Most everyone is white, middle class. The schools are good but there is a lot of pressure on kids to excel, do music, sports, the whole enchilada. I agree with everything else that has been said. The train does not bother me, but I live fairly far from it.

[Micktooth]

It was recently announced that Conoco Phillips will be opening a multimillion dollar world class research and training facility in Louisville. As a resident of the area I have to say that we are very excited and would like to welcome our new neighbors!

[Katiana]

I second that!

[gameroom]

How big is Louisville?

[suzco]

Originally Posted by gameroom

How big is Louisville?

18,400 people or so.

[Katiana]

This new facility will be built on the old Storage Technology site. In the days following the announcement, some more details have come out. It will be a training facility. So most of the workers there will be transient. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.