Boise vs Louisville vs Spokane (living, state, largest, comparison)

[Port Pitt Ash]

I'm looking at taking a scouting trip to Boise, Louisville, and Spokane, but I might only be able to fit in two.

What are a few pros & cons of each place?

What can you get in one city that you won't get in the others?

Interests:

1. Geeky stuff to do.

2. Size & Feel.

Is there a big difference between a 600k-700k metro vs. just over 1.3 million? Or are we talking just more of the same stuff in the bigger Louisville?

3. Dating & Making Friends.

I'd specifically be interested in interracial dating & how well people mix in general.

How do the people generally think of their city? Happy? Down on the city even though it's nice? Realist?

4. Nightlife.

What style (bar/club/other) would you consider each? Music scene?

Louisville looks fun. I figure Boise is probably a little less by comparison & then Spokane. Which is okay assuming there's enough to keep busy. Don't need endless options.

5. Quality of Food.

Are there any signature dishes for each of the cities?

6. Most politically balanced or neutral.

Less is more as far as I'm concerned, but if I can't avoid that then a mix of opinions would be nice.

7. Day to Day Life.

Are any of them or all of them vastly difference once you're living there verses just visiting?

Pretty sure my Spokane info is outdated (Leave it to Beaver with meth zombies?)

I do like Boise. Problem is CA folks seem to like it a lot too so I figure the decent prices won't last too much longer.

Skipped a Louisville scouting trip in favor of another ill-fated trip to Richmond. I figure they are comparable size-wise. From what I'm told the impression I get is Columbus, OH with a bit of the south thrown in the mix.

Concerns:

Boise: Affordability won't hold.

Spokane: Druggies stealing my stuff. The Seattle plague spreading across the whole state.

And if both would end up being too boring actually living there.

Louisville: Don't really care for the horses. I figure that's not a problem, but I saw they adopted the slogan Keep Louisville Weird, which gives me pause. Local is okay, but if they are trying to head for Portland's style of liberal then that's a hard NO for me. Is this the case?

Thanks!

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Port Pitt Ash

I'm looking at taking a scouting trip to Boise, Louisville, and Spokane, but I might only be able to fit in two.

What are a few pros & cons of each place?

What can you get in one city that you won't get in the others?

Interests:

1. Geeky stuff to do.

2. Size & Feel.

Is there a big difference between a 600k-700k metro vs. just over 1.3 million? Or are we talking just more of the same stuff in the bigger Louisville?

3. Dating & Making Friends.

I'd specifically be interested in interracial dating & how well people mix in general.

How do the people generally think of their city? Happy? Down on the city even though it's nice? Realist?

4. Nightlife.

What style (bar/club/other) would you consider each? Music scene?

Louisville looks fun. I figure Boise is probably a little less by comparison & then Spokane. Which is okay assuming there's enough to keep busy. Don't need endless options.

5. Quality of Food.

Are there any signature dishes for each of the cities?

6. Most politically balanced or neutral.

Less is more as far as I'm concerned, but if I can't avoid that then a mix of opinions would be nice.

7. Day to Day Life.

Are any of them or all of them vastly difference once you're living there verses just visiting?

Pretty sure my Spokane info is outdated (Leave it to Beaver with meth zombies?)

I do like Boise. Problem is CA folks seem to like it a lot too so I figure the decent prices won't last too much longer.

Skipped a Louisville scouting trip in favor of another ill-fated trip to Richmond. I figure they are comparable size-wise. From what I'm told the impression I get is Columbus, OH with a bit of the south thrown in the mix.

Concerns:

Boise: Affordability won't hold.

Spokane: Druggies stealing my stuff. The Seattle plague spreading across the whole state.

And if both would end up being too boring actually living there.

Louisville: Don't really care for the horses. I figure that's not a problem, but I saw they adopted the slogan Keep Louisville Weird, which gives me pause. Local is okay, but if they are trying to head for Portland's style of liberal then that's a hard NO for me. Is this the case?

Thanks!

Louisville is substantially bigger and looks and feels it. Just more of everything. I really think it's time you check Louisville. I personally thought Spokane was lame and very druggie.

I really loved Boise, but it is really more comparable to Lexington, KY, not Louisville.

https://www.jetsetter.com/magazine/h...es-in-america/

This is a latest hot city list. Notice Boise and Louisville there.

Louisville is the most unique. Bourbon tourism has transformed the city with around 8 bourbon distleries downtown alone. But don't focus in downtown....Nulu, Clifton, Butchertown, Crescent Hill, Highlands....heck even New Albany and downtown Jeffersonville IN are rocking! You will be hard pressed to find a speakeasy in an offbeat neighborhood like Germantown in the other two towns. You won't find emerging neighborhoods like Shelby Park in the other two. Few cities Louisville's size shine like it does. It is really growing into the look, feel, and tourist destination that New Orleans started developing in the 1980s, just the northern version.

That's fitting since historically Louisville and NO were kings of the south pre WWII.

Folks from the rust belt really find Louisville appealing. It feels like a polished rust belt city, red brick and grit but very polished with growing millennials, museums, food trucks and festivals, and just an excellent culture with milder weather.

[Peter1948]

To answer your questions Louisville is liberal only by middle America standards. The core county did vote strongly blue however all suburbs lean slightly red. It's actually a liberal leaning city but it's more the tolerant type, not Antifa.

Louisville has LOTS of interracial dating. It seems to be as big of a thing there as anywhere I have traveled. Not sure why.

Louisville is a very gay city. There are three massive pride events, one drawing six figures. Louisville is very nearly 5% MSA LGBTQ. I think it is around 4.6% and I recall the 11th per capita for gay population in the MSA. We even have a gay hotel and bath house (Vu).

No one cares about horses in Louisville....only drinking, gambling, the festivals that occur almost every weekend.

Google Bourbon and Beyond, Louder, than Life, and Hometown Rising. Google Forecastle and Thunder over Louisville. These kind of epic events simply don't exist in Boise and Spokane. Louisville is a huge music city and has a nightly indie scene that varies by neighborhood. Kinda hipster but also not.

Plus, Louisville has added of advantage of being close to awesome cities. Cincinnati and Nashville are really doing great things nearby. And Indy and Chicago are a breeze of a trip. Also Louisville is only 3 hours to great mountains and now has 35 nonstop flights.

You can fly to Denver or Orlando or Vegas direct for nothing. We even have a direct flight to LAX now!

Louisville nightlife is great and diverse with multiple bar strips and one of the strongest food scenes in America. It is definitely top 20 there. The bar scene isn't as "jumping" as a Nashville or Austin but its the next rung down and still plenty to do...not totally overrun with tourists but it's getting there....still over 20 hotels being built and 4 more just announced in several far out exurbs like Bardstown, KY!

Nothing like the Speed and Ali, Slugger, and bourbon tourism out west. Nothing like Speed cinema or the top 3 art show in America. Nothing like the largest Victorian mansion district in the USA.

Louisville is a gem even if it isn't flashy. More people are finding out but for some reason it is hard to GET people here. Anyone who spends more than a week in the right areas usually falls in love.

Oh, did I mention we are finally getting an awesome indoor year round market/food hall?

http://ediblelouisville.ediblecommun...et-improvement
And this is in a gentrifying area not even considered a top urban hood (area called Shelby Park)

Also Louisville has 13 BILLION in construction in the last 4 years. Lots going on here but nothing too overwhelming like southern boomtowns. Pro Soccer team USL Loucity is back to back champions and is building a 300 M stadium district with hopes of MLS in 5 years. Then you have a strong push for NBA locally.

[Port Pitt Ash]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

I really think it's time you check Louisville. I personally thought Spokane was lame and very druggie.

I really loved Boise, but it is really more comparable to Lexington, KY, not Louisville.

Yeah, I shouldn't have let myself get talked out of it in favor of a re-check on Richmond as people here seemed to think I missed too much.

If I can swing Louisville I'd probably extend it a bit so I can swing by Mammoth Caves. I seem to remember that was a pretty good time & I'm sure there are more tours worth doing.

The city is in KY, which overall is a negative for most people so that's probably why it hasn't been growing like some of the other popular places.

The issue with Spokane is I had written it off, but then I realized my experience of it was likely outdated & so far everything people have been telling me about it seems to be as well.

But the two biggest things I keep hearing are:

1. Meth head central.
2. It's good for raising a family.

Don't know about you, but those two things don't go together in my head. So I figure something is not lining up. Be interesting to get some current info to see if I'll be able to read between the lines.

As for "up and coming" I'm pretty sure that just means realtors have discovered how much people like an area so it's time to screw that up by raising prices. lol.

Boise seems like a place that doesn't have a "moat" to prevent it from growing out of control & since it's in the west the prices seem to rise out of proportion and don't go back down.