Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Indy is no more than 2 hours from Louisville. Depending on where you are in KY, it's closer than Nashville.
Indy is.....boring. Besided the Colts, Pacers, Saks, and Nordstrom, there is little to no reason for someone from Louisville to go to Indy. Louisville IMO has substantially better nightlife, arts, culture, and dining. It is just a more interesting city to me, and I have lived in Indy for a couple years, so I speak from experience.
Downtown Indy to downtown Louisville is really only an hour and forty mins, anbout 10 mins further than Cincinnati from Louisville.
Also, downtown Louisville to downtown Chicago is less than 300 miles. If one drives 80 its easily a 4 to four and a half hour trip. Mapquest puts it at four hours and 47 mins, and mapquest alwayssss overestimates. If you can't deal with Chicago traffic, its because you are not a native who knows your way around it
Nashville and Cincinnati are bigger than Louisville and have more amenities, but not substantially so. The fact is, they are nice diversions, but all three are midsized cities. Why not escape to a truly big city if you are looking to do the city thing? A little known fact in KY is that Louisville is a bigger city than Nashville, but its metro area is about 300,000 smaller now, which is a big, but not huge difference in the scheme of things.
If I had to choose between Cincy and Nashville, I would take Cincy every day of the week. It is a good clip larger and killing Nasville in walkability, urban neighborhoods, and historic culture.
2008 MSA estimates
Cincinnati 2.15 million
Nashville 1.55 million
Louisville 1.25 million
Indy is.....boring. Besided the Colts, Pacers, Saks, and Nordstrom, there is little to no reason for someone from Louisville to go to Indy. Louisville IMO has substantially better nightlife, arts, culture, and dining. It is just a more interesting city to me, and I have lived in Indy for a couple years, so I speak from experience.
Downtown Indy to downtown Louisville is really only an hour and forty mins, anbout 10 mins further than Cincinnati from Louisville.
Also, downtown Louisville to downtown Chicago is less than 300 miles. If one drives 80 its easily a 4 to four and a half hour trip. Mapquest puts it at four hours and 47 mins, and mapquest alwayssss overestimates. If you can't deal with Chicago traffic, its because you are not a native who knows your way around it
Whatever. You've tried the whole Indy is boring, Louisville is better diatribe on the Indy board and got killed for it. That wasn't the point. The point is that Indy offers things to do (maybe not enough for an "urban hipster" like you), and is actually closer to some parts of Kentucky than Nashville or Cincy.
Indy, Louisville, Nashville and Cincy obviously offer some things individually that you can't get in the other cities.
Oh, and if folks in KY want to see a "real city," as you call it, why not just take advantage of a fare special and take a two-hour plane ride to NYC? Chicago doesn't compare.
Whatever. You've tried the whole Indy is boring, Louisville is better diatribe on the Indy board and got killed for it. That wasn't the point. The point is that Indy offers things to do (maybe not enough for an "urban hipster" like you), and is actually closer to some parts of Kentucky than Nashville or Cincy.
Indy, Louisville, Nashville and Cincy obviously offer some things individually that you can't get in the other cities.
Oh, and if folks in KY want to see a "real city," as you call it, why not just take advantage of a fare special and take a two-hour plane ride to NYC? Chicago doesn't compare.
Chicago is every bit as "real" of a city as NYC, just on a smaller scale. Chicago and NYC cannot be matched in the US in terms of urbanity and culture.
As for Indy, yawn....there is a reason no one from this board brought it up until someone from exurban Indy did. And yes, Louisville kills Indy in urban hipster culture, historic walkable neighborhoods, art, and restaurants IMO. I do agree with your statement that each Ohio/Tennesee Valley city provides at least one large and unique attraction that you cannot find in the other. Glad you like Indy though...
As for Indy, yawn....there is a reason no one from this board brought it up until someone from exurban Indy did. And yes, Louisville kills Indy in urban hipster culture, historic walkable neighborhoods, art, and restaurants IMO.
But in case you didn't notice, this isn't about Indy vs. Louisville. All I was doing was pointing out that there's another option besides Cincy or Nashville that's an easy day trip from much of KY (a poster indicated that Cincy and Nashville were the closest major cities), and in doing so I pointed out some of the things that can be done here besides the Colts, Pacers and Nordstrom. In a classless fashion, you decided to make it a Indy bash thread. Then again, you're good at that (re: Little Rock). I'm sure the good folks of Louisville, Nashville and Cincinnati also enjoy hearing from you that they don't reside in "real" cities.
I'm not bashing Louisville or any other city in touting Indy as a place to visit. As a mod, I would think you'd set the bar a little higher around here. Take care.
I like both Cincinnati and Nashville. A lot. But I chose Cincinnati.
I live in Northern Kentucky immediately across from Cincy. In fact, places in Ohio like Norwood, Kenwood, and even Montgomery are closer to my apartment than Florence, Union or Independence in Kentucky. Northern Kentucky is the best area of Kentucky b/c of the tremendous cultural influence from Cincy, and Cincy has a very distinct local culture that can't be found elsewhere. However, I would really like to move to the Ohio side of the river when my lease is up.
Cincinnati has done a magnificent job of making the Mehring Way area (Yeatman's Cove, Lytle Park, the National Steamboat Memorial) the city's river promenade. Very nice; it's altogether smaller but nicer than Louisville's Waterfront Park. (The only downside is that it's rather detached from the rest of downtown.) The working-class shotgun houses, Italianate and Victorian architecture, neighborhoods in Mount Adams, Mount Lookout, Hyde Park, older parts of Norwood, East Walnut Halls, Columbia-Tusculum... Not to mention character-filled old suburbs like Wyoming, Madeira, Montgomery, Mariemont, Milford, Mason. Great public schools, especially in eastern Hamilton and Warren Counties. A large consortium of diverse and well-accomplished universities: U.C., Xavier and Miami. Can Nashville (as well as Louisville and Lexington) really compete?
Now, Nashville does have Vanderbilt, which in and of itself is better than anything Cincy has to offer in terms of higher education. But, I don't think Tennessee State and MTSU are that (cough-cough) prestigious. I like the character of Cincy's downtown better, but I like the hustle and bustle of Nashville's downtown more; I mean, the 2nd-8th Avenue corridors are alive into the wee, wee hours of Friday night, and I'm not sure any place in Cincy can claim that. Downtown Nashville is remarkably clean, safe, full of music history, and easier to navigate than downtown Cincy. BUT, get 10-15 miles away from downtown Nashville and it becomes really country bumpkin, reminding me of...Kentucky!
If I do end up staying in the Ohio Valley, my first choice would be Cincinnati (the Ohio side) and second would be Nashville. There's much to like about both cities. I DO NOT intend to stay in Kentucky for the long term and the only reason I'm still living in KY now is because the rent's a little bit cheaper than over in Cincy proper.
I prefer none of the above. If you are going to make a day trip, especially from the Louisville area, Chicago is the place to be. Why drive 3 hours to Nashville when you can drive 4 and half and be in a REAL CITY Chicago? Now for someone in eastern KY, Cincinnati or Pittsburgh may be better options.
For those in WKY, STL may be a bit more accessible, but even for them, many can reach Chicago in 5-6 hours (or for that matter Atlanta).
I will take Louisville, STL, and Cincinnati anyday over Memphis and Nashville. You guys in southern KY can have those towns!
A post like that should be expected from somebody from Louisville. Why should I be surprised??
There is a reason why Nashville rates higher than Louisville in almost every positive rankings nationwide.....then again, we aren't a "Real City" so I don't know why they bother to include us with the cosmopolitan mecca that is Louisville.
A post like that should be expected from somebody from Louisville. Why should I be surprised??
There is a reason why Nashville rates higher than Louisville in almost every positive rankings nationwide.....then again, we aren't a "Real City" so I don't know why they bother to include us with the cosmopolitan mecca that is Louisville.
I seriously wonder what it is about Louisville; this is one reason I really don't like that city even though I spent 3 1/2 years of my collegial years there. Quite a few Louisvillians have a weird inferiority/superiority complex over "Nasty 'Nati" and Lexington; I'll admit, it even rubbed off on me a bit, but I'm glad I moved on!
I'll also admit that I like Lexington even less, but I do love Cincinnati. But that's actually not the point. It's that the average person I talk to from Lexington or Cincinnati doesn't hold Louisville in such a negative light. I wonder what gives.
I seriously wonder what it is about Louisville; this is one reason I really don't like that city even though I spent 3 1/2 years of my collegial years there. Quite a few Louisvillians have a weird inferiority/superiority complex over "Nasty 'Nati" and Lexington; I'll admit, it even rubbed off on me a bit, but I'm glad I moved on!
I'll also admit that I like Lexington even less, but I do love Cincinnati. But that's actually not the point. It's that the average person I talk to from Lexington or Cincinnati doesn't hold Louisville in such a negative light. I wonder what gives.
I think it depends on the person you talk to. But, I do sense on many occasions a dislike for Nashville from Louisville folks. I still haven't figured out why though. In any regard, I like Louisville and I think it's a great town.
Lexington, you just have to live there to appreciate it. It's like a massive suburb.
What makes one city better than the other? Every person thinks their city/town is better than the next. That goes all the way down to even the smallest towns. Hell, I think Murray is better than Mayfield. Is it really? Who knows. I obviously like Nashville better because I am closer to it. It also has professional sports teams. Louisville will never get that. BUT, Louisville has a Six Flags, so that gives it a leg up over Louisville. Pretty soon, this thread will get down to who has more malls and better hospitals. LOL
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
