tell me about louisville (Dayton, Albany: apartments, rent, houses)

[jxn3000]

i have never visited louisville, but have just been propositioned about a great career move there. will definitely visit the area before making a decision, but would like others opinions on the area. i am a 30-something gay male professional, who enjoys living in a diverse downtown/midtown area with shops, restaurants, and nightlife. prefer to live somewhere with a true "city" feel. although i have a car, i really want to live in a neighborhood where one can walk just about everywhere. i have heard highlands and old louisville may be worth further research. also, what other metro areas are close to louisville. thanks.

[Roguewave]

I grew up in the sleepy suburb of Louisville called New Albany over on the Indiana side of the river. My mother was a prof at U of L when I was a kid so I spent almost all of my time in the city.

As I got older and got a drivers license, I would leave school and head straight for Louisville for diversion with my friends.

I've moved around quite a lot since then and I can honestly say that I didn't really appreciate how cool the scene is in Louisville until I started traveling extensively. I've lived in Peru, Spain, Florida, and Panama among other places since then due to the fact that I work as crew on private yachts. I've also traveled to many other states and countries.

Well, I've hit my mid twenties and I never finished my B.A. due to the fact that I couldn't stay put for very long and I have been looking for places that I could go, where I can live that doesn't have a ridiculous cost of living. I've looked at NorCal, Oregon, Washington, and North Carolina, but I just can't get out of my head the fact that Louisville is such a viable option.

Why you might ask well:

1. Cost of living is very easy to bear, and rent won't leave you broke.

2. Louisville is a very artistic place, you have to see it to believe it.

3. There are lots of outdoor rec options although not quite as much grandeur as the North West, the rolling hills of kentucky and southern indiana have a bucolic beauty of there own. Rivers, lakes and hollows abound in the area. Red River Gorge is amazing (2 hours from downtown)

4. There is a languid, slightly seedy grace about a river town, it shows that Louisville has been connected to the rest of the world by the Ohio throughout its history. It seems to me the attitudes are a lot more open and worldly than its surrounding bergs.

5. The Victorian architecture is stunning.

6. The culinary scene is just amazing for a city of its size. You can't throw a stone without hitting a small operation, classy, inventive place to indulge yourself in all types of gastronomic delights. Keep Louisville Weird - Buy Local First

7. People are genuinely friendly, I was in shock after moving home for a year to save some cash and then moving to southern Florida to work. The contrast was stark to say the least. In Louisville if you say hi to a stranger on the street, they'll more then likely reply with a similar salutation, in southern florida you'll be lucky to have someone roll there eyes at you.

As far as the gay scene goes: I don't think you'll find it quite as open as say, SanFran, but its no secret that Mayor Jerry Abramson is gay. I worked with many openly gay guys and gals in the restaurant biz and nobody every really seemed put off. I think you'll find a certain "Lasse le bon temp rolle" attitude similar to New Orleans. It was a french founded city as well. I know there are some gay clubs and the like, and people in the bohemian east end mingle with everyone.

Hell, I am currently sailing around the world, but I miss all my friends and old haunts just talking about all of this. I think I've talked my self into moving back there.

In any case good luck to you.

[zach71]

Originally Posted by jxn3000

i have never visited louisville, but have just been propositioned about a great career move there. will definitely visit the area before making a decision, but would like others opinions on the area. i am a 30-something gay male professional, who enjoys living in a diverse downtown/midtown area with shops, restaurants, and nightlife. prefer to live somewhere with a true "city" feel. although i have a car, i really want to live in a neighborhood where one can walk just about everywhere. i have heard highlands and old louisville may be worth further research. also, what other metro areas are close to louisville. thanks.

I moved here in 1997 from Minneapolis (which probably has a much larger gay community) and I hated it for the first couple of years. However, much like any other place I suppose, it began to grow on me. Although I enjoy snow and outdoor sports involving winter, I found the climate (with the exception of all the rain) to be quite comfortable. Spring and fall here are beautiful, I was amazed at all the 70+ degree days in March and April, something you don't generally get in Minnesota.

If you are looking to live in an area with a lot of activity and you are young (30 is still very young) the Highlands is a great area to live. I lived right on Cherokee Park from 1999-2003, until I bought a house, and it was a fantastic apartment, only 475 a month back then! It's probably gone up quite a bit but still dirt cheap for the area. Louisville is very inexpensive when it comes to apartments, you can get a nice place here for well under 1,000 dollars, even now. Met a lot of nice young women there as well!

The Kentucky Derby Festival is something to look forward to, a lot of action, parties and of course, the Oaks and the Derby itself have to be experienced at least once.

There are some good links provided above but Louisville is pretty much like any other moderately large city, I think you'd find it to your liking. There's plenty of nightlife here, again, I am not all that familiar with the gay community but I'm sure there are quite a few bars that you would enjoy, there's really a lot to do here.

Good Luck,

Zach

[dutchiris]

I think you'd like Louisville. We have tons of great, independent and reasonably priced restaurants for dining, a great arts/theatre scene ( a really good gay theatre group called Pandora Productions) Louisville has the largest gathering of Victorian mansions in the US (besides Savanna GA). Old Louisville houses a large number of openly gay families. Cost of living is very reasonable.

[JefferyT]

but its no secret that Mayor Jerry Abramson is gay

What?!?

I'd like some second opinions on that.

@@@

I think you'll find a certain "Lasse le bon temp rolle" attitude similar to New Orleans. It was a french founded city as well.

Well, despite the name, the city was not founded by the French, but I can see that Laissez Bontempts Roulez spirit with Louisville. There really is that attitude.

[missymomof3]

[quote=JefferyT;2354667]What?!?

I'd like some second opinions on that.QUOTE]

I was wondering that myself. It is no secret that he is Jewish but I have never heard that he is gay.

[mama4mia]

I've never heard anything alluding to Jerry being gay.

[Off Topic]

Originally Posted by mama4mia

I've never heard anything alluding to Jerry being gay.

That used to be a big rumor years ago before he got married. You don't hear it so much now.

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by Off Topic

That used to be a big rumor years ago before he got married. You don't hear it so much now.

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Southern Living did a story on him not too long ago about his Jewish holiday traditions if I remember right. They showed his family in the pictures so unless his wife is ok with it, I doubt the man is gay!

[Crew Chief]

I retired from the military and settled in the Dayton, OH area. I deliver to Louisville several times a week and find myself wishing that we'd looked at Louisville before we decided on Dayton. Sigh...