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Old 07-14-2014, 08:18 AM
 
1,394 posts, read 2,229,440 times
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Hello everyone,

I am an american living and working in Argentina since 2008 and my wife is from here as well as my 2 year old son. We were both active members of a local church plant and met on the mission field. However, we are thinking about moving to the US next year sometime and shortly after, to the Louisville area.
My family is all from Kentucky as I am an 8th generation Kentuckian even though I was raised in Central Florida. Most of my family lives in, and around Owensboro although I have an aunt and 3 cousins living on the east side of Louisville.
My mom will be retiring in a year or two and relocating to Kentucky because she misses home and all of her sisters and brothers and my wife and I also wants to be closer to my mom and family as well. Having said that, we are interested in the Louisville area because it seems to be the area, or one of the areas that offers the most employment opportunities. I'm kind of a country boy, as I play the Fiddle, Banjo and Mandolin and I love Bluegrass and old time folk/string music. My wife, she's 100% argentine and loves sports and running, hiking, so I guess were a bit of an eclectic mix with such different backgrounds. The last time I brought her to Ky, she loved it, but some areas were a bit to rural for her ( I'd love to own a farm and about 50 acres ) but she needs some shopping and at least quick access to city life! My wife does have "excellent" English, however, she did struggle a bit with the Ky accent somewhat, especially when around my family but she's very adaptable. So needless to say, we want to find an area of Louisville that offers the closest compromise possible for both? It needs to have fairly decent access to employment ( although I'm aware you can get anywhere in Jefferson county and in the outlying areas in 30 minutes or less ) it also needs to be a safe, simple middle-class, not pricey neighborhood with low crime where we can raise our boy.
We initially were thinking about Lexington but always drawn back towards Louisville. My wife also, will need access to latinos and the latin community. How is the latin community in Louisville? I mean, is it mostly illegal migrants or are there some legalized latinos with some level of education that are living and working professionally in Louisville? Just trying to get a feel for the local community. We are both 100% fluent and bi-lingual so we are thinking about careers servicing the local latino community, especially if this "amnesty bill" passes it's going to thrust alot of latinos onto the local system who are going to need alot of help and services to get them up to speed.
We are also thinking about and considering medical and courtroom translation, which we've already seen has quite a few local job positions available in the L'ville area. Us dep't of Labor says it's a growing career field with an excellent future outlook.
Anyways I appreciate all of your advice, I personally have had my eye on Oldham County, Jeffersontown and also Fairdale on down I-64 even into northern Bullit county a bit. However, my wife said she'd disown me if I took her too far out in the country! My relatives live in a pricey part of Louisville that's way out of my league LOL. We like the idea of being close to the Jefferson Memorial Forest, Burnheim and different areas to go camping, fishing etc...
By the way, I know Kentucky and have been to Louisville many times and know my way around the Snyder and Watterson pretty well, some of the inner areas of Louisville I'd get lost in though. Also everyone says avoid the west side of downtown. Any advice, tips and general feedback is welcome!

Thank You!
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Old 07-14-2014, 10:56 AM
 
797 posts, read 2,326,795 times
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Acreage around Louisville will of course be a little more expensive than further out in the country, and more than 5-10 acres is a little hard to find within a closer distance to the city aspects your wife is looking for. You can, however, find some 1-2 acre plots in places that back up to nature and make them seem more private.

It sounds like the far SW side of town could be a good option for you. Prices are a little better than the east side since it's not as developed and isn't the "desirable" side of town. I'd suggest looking in the Valley Station area (east of Dixie Hwy and just north of I-265) or the area just south of 265 there around the Jefferson Forest. There are some nice looking places down that way and the area is hilly and forested. The trails in Jefferson Forest are great, and the area is also close to Iroquois Park which not only offers a great outdoor option, but also an amphitheater that shows free movies in the summer and has frequent concerts including the occasional bluegrass group. The west side of the Louisville Loop bicycle trail was also the first to be completed and is a nice option to ride along the river. This area would put you about 25-30 minutes from either downtown or most of the shopping areas in town and also close to the country and not too far from Bernheim.

Oldham County could also be a good option for you, though I feel there is more traffic coming into the city from that side of town and more backups related to it. It is also going to be seeing more change/development/subdivisions as time passes and you would be farther from the large public outdoor areas I mentioned above. The city has been developing a series of parks along Floyds Fork which looks nice, and is on the east end of Jefferson county so it would be somewhat close/driveable from rural Oldham county.

The third option which may or may not work for you would be to look in Indiana. Rural Floyd county or the area around Sellersburg fits your criteria perfectly, but may not work as much for your wife. It's still only about 15-30 minutes to downtown Louisville outside of rush hours depending how far out you go and you do have a cool urban type neighborhood closer in downtown New Albany, but it's farther from the bulk of higher end stuff on the east side of Louisville. The new east end bridge will change that for areas around Sellersburg and Charlestown though. There are a LOT of Latinos around Clarksville, but I don't know much about the community or how many have a high level of education. I'm guessing not many since Clarksville isn't an area that holds many 'young professional' types in general.

Where are you planning on working and what is your price range on the house? Here are a few sample places in the 200-300k range you might want to look at in the mean time.

SW side area:
13901 Bearcamp Rd, Louisville, KY 40272 is For Sale - Zillow
280 Knob Creek Cir, Brooks, KY 40109 is For Sale - Zillow
2911 Windsor Forest Dr, Louisville, KY 40272 is For Sale - Zillow
397 Mount Eden Rd, Shepherdsville, KY 40165 is For Sale - Zillow

New Albany/Floyd:
4306 Haley Ct, Floyds Knobs, IN 47119 is For Sale - Zillow
915 Georgetown Lanesville Rd, Georgetown, IN 47122 is For Sale - Zillow
7322 Scottsville Rd, Floyds Knobs, IN 47119 is For Sale - Zillow
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Old 07-14-2014, 11:26 AM
 
1,394 posts, read 2,229,440 times
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Thanks for the great insight and response! I would say our price range would be in the $150,000 range. We are a small family ( just me and my wife and my 2 year old ) so we really don't need a very large house. Actually if we could find a 2 bedroom 1 bath home, that would be pretty nice. I'm having a hard time convincing my wife of the "west" side because we've heard about the crime reports of that area. Valley Station I know because coming in from Hwy-60 from Owensboro and coming down Muldraugh hill and crossing the Salt Fork, it's the first area of Louisville that one reaches. Plus, I used to go to "Sullivans Music out on Dixie Highway and that's not too far from Valley Station. I'd like the area but it would be too rural for her I'm afraid. Plus, I've heard that there's alot of meth-labs and drugs out in that area, although, I really like that area of SW Louisville, just because of the hills and it's more wooded, but, with my wife, it's gonna have to be a compromise LOL. Bless her heart....

Indiana? Aren't Indiana taxes higher? And isn't it more expensive over there? We'd like to stay in Jefferson, Oldham or Bullit if we can help it

To be honest, we're not sure about employment yet, other than the fact my wife has 2 college degrees and has worked as a school teacher and worked with under privledged kids in poor neighborhoods with learning disabilities. She may work as a teacher in the beginning but honestly, she's burned out with it and is interested in doing medical translation working in hospitals or medical clinics. The US dep't of labor and statistics says this is a career that is in demand and growing in the US. Not just spanish but for many foreign languages.
My background is sales and customer support and I'm currently working as the account manager for a software company here in Arg. We saw one house in Fairdale that looked nice, an older home but one that has been well cared for. However, it can't be a rural area because my wife will go nuts, somewhere on the edge of Louisville more than likely. How is crime and burglaries in the area? My wife and I have already had our home here burglarized once in Argentina so safety and low crime is a plus. Plus, one of the reasons were leaving is the growing violence and crime here, it's getting really bad. My wife liked the "Highlands" neighborhood of Louisville but I thought it was pricey and a little too close to downtown. However, argentine cities are very densely packed and they don't have alot of suburbs so she doesn't understand distances and such in the states, most argentines automatically think they have to live really close to the downtown area to have everything convenient.

Either way, wouldn't the SW side like Valley Station or Brooks in N Bullit still only be about 20 minutes drive from downtown Louisville right?

Last edited by EricOldTime; 07-14-2014 at 11:35 AM..
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Old 07-14-2014, 04:46 PM
 
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
11,974 posts, read 25,337,451 times
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Latino population is pretty spread out across the metro area. There are really no ethnic enclaves of Spanish speaking people.

Jefferson Co schools are one of those things... if you can get them in a good magnet school it doesn't matter what neighborhood you live in... provided you can transport them. Some local districts are fine, especially in the East End. But as stated the magnet (non district, you have to qualify to get in) public schools in JC are some of the top in KY.

I've been doing some home buying research myself and $150k is doable everywhere except maybe along US 42 around Prospect. You can get more room for your money south of I-64. In Lyndon where my apt is houses in that range are 2 maybe 3 bedrooms and built pre 1950. Go more towards Jtown, Fern Creek, Valley Station, etc and that buys a pretty nice house.

I'm a little perplexed on what area to specify. Sounds like you all need a suburban compromise lol? Generally I'd say Valley Station, Fern Creek, North Bullitt, Jtown, maybe Middletown or Lyndon would do fine. Oldham Co has a rural feel to it even though 60k people live there. Crestwood is really close to all the shopping on the Gene Snyder. I really like Shelbyville though it would be a far commute to downtown, it's only 15 miles to Hurstbourne.
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Old 07-14-2014, 10:43 PM
 
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To answer your questions, most of the west side crime is focused west of 9th St and north of Shively, though there are some decent pockets in that area and some rough pockets outside. The area around UofL and most of Old Louisville is just fine. I would have no problem living in Old Louisville again if I moved back into the city. If there are concerns about safety and you want a generalized blanket statement for the area, then any place that is east of I-65 and isn't in Okalona or Newburg is fine. As far as meth goes, it's all over the place. Mainly in certain areas of course, but it can spill over into nice areas as well.

Sales tax in Indiana is still 1% higher I think, but in general it is not more expensive than Louisville. If anything house prices are cheaper on this side of the river.

Valley Station and Fairdale are right on I-265. With average traffic, those areas are going to put you about 25-30 minutes from the heart of downtown. If those are too rural for your wife though, I don't see how you're going to make most of Oldham or Bullitt county work. It sounds like you've pretty much conceded your desire to live outside the city and should be looking for something more suburban feeling. I was just out in the Fisherville area today at the Homerama. It's only about 3 miles east of the outer belt (about 15 minutes east of the malls), but even that area already feels very rural with narrow winding roads, rolling hills, and not much nearby besides the Parklands along Floyds Fork (which looks great by the way).

If you are set on buying right now I would mainly suggest looking in the J-town area. We have friends that live there now. The lots are going to be smaller, but it's safe, has decent schools nearby, everything handy that you need on a daily basis is close, and it's only 20-25 minutes to downtown. Less than that to the Highlands, malls, etc. There is also an ample supply of decent housing in your price range there. If you wanted to reconsider Indiana, I would say look at New Albany. It has a great downtown with a lot of local shops and restaurants, has some nice outdoor space along the river, and is only about 10-15 minutes from downtown Louisville. The schools are also decent and you will know for sure which schools your son will be in whereas there is a little more uncertainty with the Louisville school district.

Here are a couple more places in New Albany. They are all in safe areas. I actually really like the first one myself. It's a quiet street with some privacy from the wooded hill behind the house, but is also right around the corner from the Floyd Hospital, Home Depot, Kroger, Target and several other places along State St. and only about 5 minutes from downtown NA.

2104 Fawcett Hill Rd, New Albany, IN 47150 is For Sale - Zillow

2201 Mclean Ave, New Albany, IN 47150 is For Sale - Zillow

430 Woodrow Ave, New Albany, IN 47150 is For Sale - Zillow

1213 Westwood Ln, New Albany, IN 47150 is For Sale - Zillow

All that said, have you considered renting for 9-12 months to get a better feel for the area before buying? It would stink to buy a place, find out you don't really like it, and then be stuck there.
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Old 07-14-2014, 11:26 PM
 
1,394 posts, read 2,229,440 times
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Thanks for the insight. My dads family is all from Indiana, Bloomington and Martinsville, however my moms side si all from western Ky going back many many generations. I showed my wife some of the listings you sent in the links. I loved them, but they were a bit to rural for her LOL.

Looks like its the burbs of Louisville for me! Hahhah!

I am not really familiar with New Albany although I know its the hometown of the hot Bluegrass fiddler Michael Cleveland! We prefer to stay on the south side of the river. I really like Bullit county but my wife thinks it will be too far from Louisville. I need to get her up there so she can see how rally easy it is to get around in Louisville and how close even Bullit Co really is lol!
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Old 07-16-2014, 06:40 AM
 
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We saw some listings down in Iriquois Park and also Okolona, are those some ok areas?
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Old 07-16-2014, 12:28 PM
 
Location: Audubon Park/ Highlands area
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I was raised in South Louisville - Iroquois, Valley Station and Fairdale areas and I would not raise my children there however, some of my family lives there and are OK with it I guess. The school ratings are LOW and teen drug use is outrageous now. Heavier drugs are most problematic.
Oldham Co is outstanding w award winning schools!! Highlands is very nice but higher housing costs, however Germantown and areas along Eastern Pkwy are nice, safe and affordable. I'm partial to that area though.

Good luck!
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Old 07-16-2014, 02:05 PM
 
1,394 posts, read 2,229,440 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Angie Birkhead View Post
I was raised in South Louisville - Iroquois, Valley Station and Fairdale areas and I would not raise my children there however, some of my family lives there and are OK with it I guess. The school ratings are LOW and teen drug use is outrageous now. Heavier drugs are most problematic.
Oldham Co is outstanding w award winning schools!! Highlands is very nice but higher housing costs, however Germantown and areas along Eastern Pkwy are nice, safe and affordable. I'm partial to that area though.

Good luck!
Angie thanks for the heads up. I noticed listings in the 90K to 100K down in that area around Iroquois Park so I was curious. But, you know, the way you've described unfortunately is a description of alot of places in america today.
Although In some respects I think it's more the scenic part of Louisville with the park and also the Jefferson Memorial Forest nearby. I also like Oldham and Bullit counties but my wife thinks it's too far out for her..

I mentioned in the other thread my wife and I's criteria since were a small family:

*From about 90K to 150K thereabouts
*2 bedrooms
*1 or 2 baths ( really doesn't matter )
*Would like to have a fairly good sized lot with lot's of trees, sidewalks too if possible
*Low Crime and Burglary rate
*Access to downtown and jobs but also to rural areas as well
*Good schools or access to private schools ( jury's out on that one, we may home school my son

Last edited by EricOldTime; 07-16-2014 at 02:14 PM..
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Old 07-16-2014, 06:05 PM
 
Location: Audubon Park/ Highlands area
14 posts, read 30,394 times
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Take a look in those areas. They are both close to Cherokee Park and Riverfront Park. Mins from downtown and no highways involved.
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