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I am also interested in the battle between these two cities. Instead of creating a whole new thread, I figured I would just bump this old one.
Which city do you prefer and why? What makes one better than the other? Consider all the basic things like weather, economy, urbanity, crime, food, etc.
Schools: tie
weather: Louisville by far
Business friendliness: tie
Cost of Living Louisville is more affordable in most metrics.
Both are great cities, and pretty much very similar except columbus has more suburbs, and thus a few more amenities.
day to day in your neighborhood in each city, they ultimately feel pretty similar, right down to their obsession with their local college team!
Schools - Well this is a complicated one to answer. I will say that I believe in general there are economies of scale to be realized with a county wide school system like Kentucky runs than the massive city/township based system that Ohio runs. I believe there are social as well as other intangible benefits also. Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) are better than Columbus City Schools but some Columbus suburban schools may be better than JCPS. I believe Louisville has a better parochial school system and so I will call it a tie like Peter1948 but in my mind Kentucky has the more efficient system.
Weather – Definitely Louisville.
Business Friendliness – This may be where Columbus excels. Columbus is a bit of an enigma in terms of growth but I believe they may have a unique government/institutional/ business partnership that facilitates the job growth we have been seeing. The building boom is pretty impressive also but the focus needs to be on creating districts around the downtown with unique character and not in erecting the same type of buildings in Franklinton and Grandview Yard as were erected in the Arena District.
Cost of Living – Definitely Louisville. Sometimes statistics don’t give the full story. Last time I checked the cost of building a home in Louisville and Columbus was pretty close however, the homes being built in Louisville had more exterior masonry which is more expensive and higher quality. I found parking to be cheaper in Louisville, taxes were lower, local restaurant prices are lower but Columbus has more variety, etc. There are some amazing bargains in Louisville but you have to shop around.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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Business environment is interesting because Columbus is doing very well but Ohio among the least business friendly states, which is why they keep losing brands like National Register, Chiquita, etc. Columbus overcomes that with state capital jobs and because brain powered businesses love being near large public universities. Ohio State's enrollment is 50k+ and it's nationally ranked around 50th(?), University of Louisville has 20k students and is ranked in the 120s, the city does also have the largest number of Univ of Kentucky alumni.
Weatherwise.... Louisville is about 7 degrees warmer each day but allergies are a big problem here. The core of the city sits at an elevation of 500 feet between two plateaus that are 900 feet above sea level, so pollution and pollen gets trapped in the valley.
Quality of public schools: Louisville
Weather: Louisville
Business friendliness of each city: Columbus
Cost of living (includes metro): Louisville
I like both cities. Strengths and weaknesses seem interchangeable. Columbus has a stronger economy and appears to be safer with more shopping/amenities while Louisville is more urban with a great parks system and better food options than some larger cities. I would choose Louisville because I am more familiar with the city, and have always had great experiences there.
I think the cost of living is pretty much the same in both cities the only difference I have noticed from living in Louisville and living in Ohio is that Kentucky car insurance is at least 30% higher
I think the cost of living is pretty much the same in both cities the only difference I have noticed from living in Louisville and living in Ohio is that Kentucky car insurance is at least 30% higher
Ohio has the cheapest car insurance or close to however.
And Louisville has so many wrecks for who knows why.
I am also interested in the battle between these two cities. Instead of creating a whole new thread, I figured I would just bump this old one.
Which city do you prefer and why? What makes one better than the other? Consider all the basic things like weather, economy, urbanity, crime, food, etc.
This is honestly almost a literal dead heat. I give Louisville the nod due to being warmer and less snow. Columbus has better chain retail, Louisville may have a heads up in unique boutiques.
Both cities are seeing rapid gentrification and have beautiful urban cores surrounded by unique, walkable areas and a very hip vibe all around.
I like Louisville as more festivals, especially big ones, and better overall foodie scene. Plus 4 am bars and bourbon does it.
Columbus overall has better schools and universities, but college sports wise they are about even at this point due to Louisville's dominance in basketball and baseball. Columbus has bigger suburbs with more jobs, and that is why its MSA appears much larger. City to city, downtown surroundings, they feel VERY similar.
This one is much closer than the polls show. Louisville has alot of "enemies" on CD from rust belt cities that are largely jealous of its recent success, so it will get voted down. Louisville is not totally considered a "brother" of southern cities so not many folks from Nashville, Charlotte, ATL, etc will come in here and vote for it.
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