old louisville (Lexington, Columbus: environment, relocating, apartment)

[tangnivri]

My wife and I are relocating to Louisville from North Carolina. we are intriguied by Old Louisville. Any thoughts on this area?

Thanks

[BuckeyeBroad]

I am wondering the same thing. Is it relatively safe and clean? Are there reasonably priced grocery stores in the area?

I will be working in a hospital, SNF or nursing home so am wondering how many healthcare facilities are located in the Old Louisville area.

Is Old Louisville a haven for university students -- with all the typical late-night rowdiness? If one rents an apartment/house in Old Louisville will all ones neighbors be students?

[emanresu]

This is a tough one. Old Louisville is for people who love Old Louisville. It is like living in a Charles Dickens novel, with Victorian Mansions, gas lit street lights, fountains, and courtyards. However, it is not "ideal". There is a certain element you have to be willing to tolerate. One mansion will be completely restored to it original beauty. The one next door will be a single family home, but in need of repair. One down the block might be a 7-plex being rented through section 8. It's not ideally safe, but I would call it a bad part of town. There are a bunch of UofL students who rent in the area. It's very close to downtown, has some excellent restaurants and fun bars in the area. It is not close to a "good" grocery store.

That said, I love Old Louisville, as I love most old urban areas. I think there is a lot of progress in the area, and in 10 years, I think it has the potential to be another Highlands/Clifton type of area. However, if you are not a "urban pioneer", and are interested in living in a restored Victorian in that type of environment, I would suggest the Cherokee Park area in the Highlands.

[nlschr0]

My sister lives there and loves it. However, other people express frustrations similar to those in this blog:

The Pauleys Went to Louisville (and now they're gone)

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by nlschr0

My sister lives there and loves it. However, other people express frustrations similar to those in this blog:

The Pauleys Went to Louisville (and now they're gone)

Hmm, I think the rant on that blog is particulary biased, but at least that person actually lived there. I mean, if you cannot meet people at places like the Rudd (which is a bar/theatre I hav elinked below), you most likely have some sort of social aptitude problem. So, I think this person would have had the same problem in Cincy, or Nashville, or Austin, or any midsized city that is not her home of Tampa. Also, her facts are wayyyy off. The crime in Old Louisville is NOTHING like inner city LA or Chicago! It is the city and yes, the crime is higher than white picket fence suburbia, but it is not a dangerous place to live. It is difficult to get accurate crime data on Old Louisville since it comprises parts of two zip codes. The Old Louisville part of those zips is very nice, but the other areas are not so nice, which "brings up" the crime averages by zip. Most of the crime in Old Louisville is petty car break ins, and some associated property crime. There is very little violent crime in the actual Old Louisville area, although the neighborhood is surrounded by sketchy areas to the east, and some outright dangerous areas west of seventh street in Park Hill (incidentally most of these people never cross the railroad tracks separating the neighborhood, as this is the de facto "barrier" between the neighborhoods)

Old Louisville is a very diverse area full of college students, gays, blacks, whites, and people of all other races and socioeconomic backrounds. It is a true urban neighborhood like you would find in a big city, and is somewhat "undiscovered" say as Bucktown was in Chicago 20 years ago. There is not too much great retail, but there are some wonderful local bars and restaurants. Among my favorite are:

Welcome to 610 Magnolia

Buck's Restaurant and Bar

Carly Rae's

Carly Rae's Menu on LouisvilleDiner.com

Kentucky Food and Music

Old Louisville Restaurants, Taverns and Watering Holes


Old Louisville Coffee house has excellent coffee and nice acoustic shows.

It is amazing a city the size of Louisville has so many viable urban areas: downtown, Old Louisville, Highlands, Crescent Hill, even St Matthews. Nearby smaller cities like Evansville, IN don't even have ONE urban neighborhood with as much life and culture as Old Louisville much less a place like the Highlands or Crescent Hill. Old Louisville is ranked among the most diverse and eclectic of the Louisville urban areas, but those who live there absolutely love it for its old Victorian charm, despite the fact it may have a few wrinkles so to speak.

With regards to no nice grocery being around, that is not really true either. Just south of Old Louisville is UofL's main campus, and on the other side of that is a new retail development with a new Kroger, Starbucks, and all the chain jazz you could want, all around 5 minutes from the heart of Old Louisville:

1400 s 3rd street louisville KY - Google Maps

This area is also close to UofL's new sports stadiums as well as Churchill Downs. Outside the restored Victorian mansions, here is one of my favorite developments in the area:

The Reynolds Lofts - Features (broken link)

[crystalblue]

whats up with all the huge cemetery's in Lou? i saw em on google maps...

[tomocox]

Dead people...... seriously, Louisville is an old town, and grave sites were cheap at one time, plus with the tremendous number of Catholic cemeteries (a la New Orleans) you get some beautiful monuments, etc.

[lookintomove01]

I'm thinking about relocating from Atlanta, GA to Louisville, KY, but after reading these blogs I'm a nervous. Crime in ATL is bad and part of the reason I want to leave. I have a 4 yr. old child and I would love a great public school to send him too. Any and all comments, good and bad are much appreciated. I considered Louisville as a place I could buy a house too. There is no middle class America anymore, especially in Atlanta, and I love ATL but I'd like a better, calmer place to raise my child. What say you Louisville?

[emanresu]

Every city has the element of crime. If you look at the statistics, the south and midwest is usually the worst, with ATL, NO, Memphis, Birmingham, Nashville, St. Louis, and Detroit leading the way. However, Louisville is, statistically, very safe. In fact, the closest city our size or larger that is safer is probably Austin, TX. Lexington is statistically safer, but it is much smaller. However, it is a wonderful town near Louisville and Cincy. You should check out Louisville and Lexington. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

[stx12499]

Well, you can believe facts or heresay, but I am here to provide facts. Louisville is one of the safest metro areas above 1 million in America, certainly top 10 for safety and much safer than any nearby city, with the possible exception of Lexington which is not comprable because it is so much smaller with a metro pop still well below 500k.


Louisville crime stats from the FBI

In 2005 there were 624.6 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
In 2006 there were 612.7 violent crimes per 100,000 residents

Competitor regional cities, number of violent crimes per 100,000 residents for 2006

Indianapolis - 960.0 per 100,000
Nashville - 1,526.5 per 100,000
St. Louis - 2,480.6 per 100,000
Cincinnati - 1,218.4 per 100,000
Columbus - 810.5 per 100,000
Memphis - 1,988.2 per 100,000
Atlanta - 1554 per 100,000

Find your city here, and more detailed tables. Remember you must examine rates and nut raw numbers since larger cities will naturally have more crimes, but possibly lower rates.


Table 4, Offenses Reported to Law Enforcement by State by City 100,000 and over in Population, Index