Relo to Louisville, worried, HELP!

[frankmaraschino]

Originally Posted by victoriafarrar

My husband has been transferred to Louisville and we move in May. Currently we live in a town with 1 elem. school and 1 middle/high school combo. My husband works away from home and is only home on weekends. Is there anywhere that we can live for between 125 and 150K that I will feel safe home alone, or are all of these price range areas in bad parts of town? I also looked at the Valus in at Commerce Park as a place to stay when I come to house hunt. Is that an OK area for me alone? I know this sounds silly but I am just a little concerned.

In general, resale is better east of I-65. For that price, Oldham County might be your best or only option. It's still fairly rural, so if you live in a small town you'll probably feel at home. Do not buy a home in PRP or anywhere in the South End. Trust me. Plenty of very nice people live there. But resale is not dependable and you will drive for a million eternities to get to any of the amenities in town: the mall, the good grocery stores, etc. which are mostly along the Shelbyville-Hurstborne corridor (i.e., completely on the other side of town). A smaller home in Middletown is worth more than a bigger house in PRP. Location location location.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by frankmaraschino

In general, resale is better east of I-65. For that price, Oldham County might be your best or only option. It's still fairly rural, so if you live in a small town you'll probably feel at home. Do not buy a home in PRP or anywhere in the South End. Trust me. Plenty of very nice people live there. But resale is not dependable and you will drive for a million eternities to get to any of the amenities in town: the mall, the good grocery stores, etc. which are mostly along the Shelbyville-Hurstborne corridor (i.e., completely on the other side of town). A smaller home in Middletown is worth more than a bigger house in PRP. Location location location.

That is not true. For one, we have plenty of grocery stores.Not everyone wants a Whole foods or Cosco. Two, it takes a whopping 20 minutes to get the your prized East end or to the Jefferson Mall. Third resale values are just fine and I know of people having a hard time selling their houses in the EAST end as well. Keep your biases to yourself.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by missymomof3

That is not true. For one, we have plenty of grocery stores.Not everyone wants a Whole foods or Cosco. Two, it takes a whopping 20 minutes to get the your prized East end or to the Jefferson Mall. Third resale values are just fine and I know of people having a hard time selling their houses in the EAST end as well. Keep your biases to yourself.

One thing I have noticed about those from the South End since moving here...they vehemently defend their hood even though it is constantly bashed. Those in the South End have an overwhelming pride for their neighborhoods, be it Shively, PRP, Valley Station, Beechmont, Fairdale, or the many other areas of S and SW county. This area also has a DISTINCTIVELY more "genteel" southern feel whereas much of the urban neighborhoods and east side feel more Midwestern. Also, there is not much in migration to the South End; most families were born and raised there and remain in the area. There are virtually no transplants in the area because the transplants generally live in the East suburbs or surrounding eastern counties like Shelby or Oldham.

The South End is NOT a bad area at all. Its nice and the people are friendly, but the constant drawback is the lack of the most basic big box retail amenities. Also, the shopping options at Jefferson Mall are inadequate considering it serves a retail trade area of over a half a million people. I also think the South End is over looked by national retailers since many people are homeowners and have more disposable income than can be measured by the census. Additionally, retailers look at credit card transactions to deteremine the viability of an area. The fact is, many in SW county and virtually all of West Louisville buys things with cash...therefore, the true buying power of the area cannot be assessed by looking at credit card transactions alone.


From what I have seen, the resale on homes in good south end areas is no more difficult than some stagnant east end areas that have homes sit on teh market for several months in this national buying downswing (which gladly hasnt affected Louisville nearly as much as the rest of the Midwest).

[tomocox]

Originally Posted by stx12499

One thing I have noticed about those from the South End since moving here...they vehemently defend their hood even though it is constantly bashed. Those in the South End have an overwhelming pride for their neighborhoods, be it Shively, PRP, Valley Station, Beechmont, Fairdale, or the many other areas of S and SW county. This area also has a DISTINCTIVELY more "genteel" southern feel whereas much of the urban neighborhoods and east side feel more Midwestern. Also, there is not much in migration to the South End; most families were born and raised there and remain in the area. There are virtually no transplants in the area because the transplants generally live in the East suburbs or surrounding eastern counties like Shelby or Oldham.

The South End is NOT a bad area at all. Its nice and the people are friendly, but the constant drawback is the lack of the most basic big box retail amenities. Also, the shopping options at Jefferson Mall are inadequate considering it serves a retail trade area of over a half a million people. I also think the South End is over looked by national retailers since many people are homeowners and have more disposable income than can be measured by the census. Additionally, retailers look at credit card transactions to deteremine the viability of an area. The fact is, many in SW county and virtually all of West Louisville buys things with cash...therefore, the true buying power of the area cannot be assessed by looking at credit card transactions alone.


From what I have seen, the resale on homes in good south end areas is no more difficult than some stagnant east end areas that have homes sit on teh market for several months in this national buying downswing (which gladly hasnt affected Louisville nearly as much as the rest of the Midwest).

STX, that is one of the best responses from anyone I have ever seen on this blog-site. You are "r-eye-t"-on!

[censusdata]

Dixie Highway does have a Meijers, several Krogers, and 2 Wal Mart Super Centers, and a few nicer chain restaurants like Steak-n-Shake, Fazoli's, Applebee's, etc

The main difference btw the South End and the East End is education levels, not neccessarily income. Valley Station has a median household income of $42,290, which is comparable to many East End suburban cities like Lyndon ($42,975) and St Matthews ($42,219). It percent college educated is much lower, but the area still has wealth.

Template:Louisville neighborhoods - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[frankmaraschino]

I worked in PRP, Fairdale, Valley Station, Shively, etc. Getting from SW to Hurstbourne/Shelbyville takes longer than 20 minutes. At least by car it does.

The Jefferson Mall sucks. Sorry. It does.

It's true, southwest residents are very prickly about their neighborhoods and tend to think they are looked down on or ignored by the rest of Louisville. Maybe that's true, maybe it isn't. Like I said, there are a lot of great people who live in the southwest. It's just somewhere you might want to think twice about moving to, in my opinion.

Take a visit. If you think it's somewhere you'd be happy living and somewhere you think buyers would be interested in living when you're ready to leave, buy a house.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by stx12499

One thing I have noticed about those from the South End since moving here...they vehemently defend their hood even though it is constantly bashed. Those in the South End have an overwhelming pride for their neighborhoods, be it Shively, PRP, Valley Station, Beechmont, Fairdale, or the many other areas of S and SW county. This area also has a DISTINCTIVELY more "genteel" southern feel whereas much of the urban neighborhoods and east side feel more Midwestern. Also, there is not much in migration to the South End; most families were born and raised there and remain in the area. There are virtually no transplants in the area because the transplants generally live in the East suburbs or surrounding eastern counties like Shelby or Oldham.

The South End is NOT a bad area at all. Its nice and the people are friendly, but the constant drawback is the lack of the most basic big box retail amenities. Also, the shopping options at Jefferson Mall are inadequate considering it serves a retail trade area of over a half a million people. I also think the South End is over looked by national retailers since many people are homeowners and have more disposable income than can be measured by the census. Additionally, retailers look at credit card transactions to deteremine the viability of an area. The fact is, many in SW county and virtually all of West Louisville buys things with cash...therefore, the true buying power of the area cannot be assessed by looking at credit card transactions alone.


From what I have seen, the resale on homes in good south end areas is no more difficult than some stagnant east end areas that have homes sit on teh market for several months in this national buying downswing (which gladly hasnt affected Louisville nearly as much as the rest of the Midwest).

Thank you STX.

[Dowdy_Pants]

Boy, people sure are sensitive about their hoods in the Ville!

I'm relatively new to the area, and I brought with me a completely unbiased view of the city. I drove everywhere, including the much maligned West End (didn't know better!). I can honestly say that the South West end really has a "rundown" and neglected feel to it. Just didn't do a thing for me. There were a few neighborhoods that were charming, but overall....I thought it sucked.

A lot of the East End is very nice, and probably more like what people from other states moving here are used to. If they come from an urban/progressive area...you say Highlands/Crescent Hill area. If they like the country, then Oldham County is your spot. Suburbs? Somewhere like Anchorage.

Not sure where Southwest end fits into the mix... honestly.

I recently hired a lady who moved here from Florida. Her hubby is stationed at Fort Knox, they live off Dixie Highway on the Southwest end. She knew nothing of the city. She had been all over the south end, and was disappointed to say the least "Are there like...THINGS to do in this city? Do you even have things like Sushi restaurants?" I introduced her to usual "cool" areas of town, and she was very happy. I think she's ready to move :-)

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by Dowdy_Pants

Boy, people sure are sensitive about their hoods in the Ville!

I'm relatively new to the area, and I brought with me a completely unbiased view of the city. I drove everywhere, including the much maligned West End (didn't know better!). I can honestly say that the South West end really has a "rundown" and neglected feel to it. Just didn't do a thing for me. There were a few neighborhoods that were charming, but overall....I thought it sucked.

A lot of the East End is very nice, and probably more like what people from other states moving here are used to. If they come from an urban/progressive area...you say Highlands/Crescent Hill area. If they like the country, then Oldham County is your spot. Suburbs? Somewhere like Anchorage.

Not sure where Southwest end fits into the mix... honestly.

I recently hired a lady who moved here from Florida. Her hubby is stationed at Fort Knox, they live off Dixie Highway on the Southwest end. She knew nothing of the city. She had been all over the south end, and was disappointed to say the least "Are there like...THINGS to do in this city? Do you even have things like Sushi restaurants?" I introduced her to usual "cool" areas of town, and she was very happy. I think she's ready to move :-)

Yes, we are. Those of us who are natives take where we are from very seriously. As far as people moving from out of town, even if a particular area doesn't have a certain style of restaurant, how hard is it to drive a bit farther to get it unless you eat out daily? If you want down home, like momma used to make good Southern cooking, then my part of town is where you will find it. If you want large varieties of food, then you have to drive elsewhere maybe 20-30 minutes to get it. Fast food you can get just about anywhere though the East end has chains we don't like Max and Erma's or whatever it is.
If you don't like an area then don't move there. Period. Just don't insult said areas, we do take it pretty dang personally.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by Dowdy_Pants

Boy, people sure are sensitive about their hoods in the Ville!

I'm relatively new to the area, and I brought with me a completely unbiased view of the city. I drove everywhere, including the much maligned West End (didn't know better!). I can honestly say that the South West end really has a "rundown" and neglected feel to it. Just didn't do a thing for me. There were a few neighborhoods that were charming, but overall....I thought it sucked.

A lot of the East End is very nice, and probably more like what people from other states moving here are used to. If they come from an urban/progressive area...you say Highlands/Crescent Hill area. If they like the country, then Oldham County is your spot. Suburbs? Somewhere like Anchorage.

Not sure where Southwest end fits into the mix... honestly.

I recently hired a lady who moved here from Florida. Her hubby is stationed at Fort Knox, they live off Dixie Highway on the Southwest end. She knew nothing of the city. She had been all over the south end, and was disappointed to say the least "Are there like...THINGS to do in this city? Do you even have things like Sushi restaurants?" I introduced her to usual "cool" areas of town, and she was very happy. I think she's ready to move :-)

That's great and all, but Metro Louisville has something like 8,000 MILES of roads! So just in the west/south side there are thousands of miles of roads and thousands of homes and neighborhoods you never saw. For me, that makes it hard to make blanket statements like that. That said, you are certainly entitled to your opinion.

EVERY city has areas like SW Louisville that are colored their own way. In Chicago, its the southside, which is looked down upon by northsiders and pegged as "ghetto" or blue collar, when many people are judging the whole area by the run down region around US Cellular Field where the Sox play. In Indy, it is also the southside that is looked down upon by northsiders. Indy is large enough that the two sides don't even mix. The unique thing about Louisivlle is it's the largest city I have ever seen that still has a couple central gathering places where literally everyone in the metro has been and mingles. One would be Mall St Matthews, another would be Hurstbourne, and another would probably be Fourth Street Live. This makes for a unique mixing of different "sides" of the city, and you don't see this in a lot of other cities I have lived in, two of which I mentioned.

I personally could never live somewhere where the nearest place to buy Diesel jeans or get some sushi was a 20 mile drive. But many people are fine and happy with that. As for your friend, I find it hard to believe she really believed there to be no sushi in Louisville. I mean did she ever even open a paper? There has to be at least 25-30 sushi places in the metro, and I can think of 3 new places that have opened in just the past couple months, with a fine new place to open soon in Westport Village I hear.