Reflections of louisville after recruitment visit (Frankfort, Bardstown: apartment, neighborhoods, live)

[Traveler87]

Originally Posted by stx12499

I've also lived in Cincy and I will tell you why: crime, sprawl, less growth, and too conservative. Cincy is a great city though! It has the infrastructure to be one of the nation's best, and the architecture in places like Over the Rhine is good enough to make an urbanite like myself weak in the knees. But overall, the city's racial tension, overt conservatism, (Hamilton was the only major US couty to vote Republican last election) and general lack of moxy and a new growth spirit make it less desirable (why is a place like OTR left to rot?). For what it is worth, I feel the same about Cleveland. Part of it is the poor economy in Ohio. Now, I prefer Cincy aesthetically to Nashville, but Nashville is a much more happening town, even though it is considerably smaller (still more in line with Louisville's size). Cincy does have pro sports and slightly better shooping options, but the urban saavy and hipness of Louisville far outweigh those factors IMO. Louisville is also cheaper and much more navigable, with friendlier folks on top of it all. Honestly, most people in either city don't think twice about the other unless it is for sporting events or using each other's airports (I'd say Ohio people use Louisville for its low fares as much as Louisville use CVG for its more direct flights and international fares).

Sorry, not bashing your comment here, but I really do not get a lot of what you just said... I also read some of your comments on Milwaukee, and they didn't make much sense either. Cincinnati is just as happening, if not more than Louisville as far as development dollars go. A lot more in happning not only on Cincinnati's riverfront then Louisville, but also downtown wise as well.

Cleveland too... has one of the nation's fastest growing downtown population rates, over 4 billion dollars are being spent downtown, not including the many other projects happening in the city. The Flats East Bank project in Cleveland alone is over half a billion, and that just broke ground a few weeks ago. And Cleveland's rapid transit is expanding even farther to the booming University Circle.

Ohio's unemployment rate is not much higher than Kentucky's, which is pretty bad for the whole nation. I just don't understand how President Bush can sit there and say this country's economy is doing well???? Did you guys see his presidential address the other night???

Also, I still consider Louisville a city of 260,000 people. Cincy could do the same thing that Louisville and Nashville did and become part of Hamilton County, and be one. It is an individual city, and as an individual city it is growing, something that Louisville had a hard time doing, as did Cincinnati and Milwaukee a few years ago. Both Cincy and Milwaukee both have growing populations again, and that is thanks to the developments. Also, I haven't heard any news on Louisville's new tallest or Nashville's new tallest. Have the plans went dead? Cincy's new tallest is going to get underway in October because site prep is finished.

I have a lot of friends from Louisville that live in Columbus, they are always telling me how great of a place it is to grow up, and they told me I need to head down there. That is what made me decide to go there. Many of them moved to Columbus for oppurtunities that they didn't have in Louisville.

So where should I visit next week in Louisville?

[Traveler87]

Also, the race tensions again? That is almost 8 years old now. The city has shed that image pretty good, and has hosted many national events to prove that.

And crime has dropped in Cincinnati, it is one of the fastest declining crime rates in the nation as far as a major city goes. As of May 2008, violent crime is down by almost 12% compared to the crime rate at that point last year. The homicide rate is also down by 25%.

Cincinnati, Ohio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What is the urban hippness of Louisville compared to Cincinnati, I am really interested. I would like to know of these areas before I get to the city.

Can't wait to get to Louisville though.

[mdawg]

As a former resident of cleveland, i feel bad you have to live there. Louisville is deffinately a better place to live then cleveland. cleveland is just, bland. Louisville has some character.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by Traveler87

Sorry, not bashing your comment here, but I really do not get a lot of what you just said... I also read some of your comments on Milwaukee, and they didn't make much sense either. Cincinnati is just as happening, if not more than Louisville as far as development dollars go. A lot more in happning not only on Cincinnati's riverfront then Louisville, but also downtown wise as well.

Cleveland too... has one of the nation's fastest growing downtown population rates, over 4 billion dollars are being spent downtown, not including the many other projects happening in the city. The Flats East Bank project in Cleveland alone is over half a billion, and that just broke ground a few weeks ago. And Cleveland's rapid transit is expanding even farther to the booming University Circle.

Ohio's unemployment rate is not much higher than Kentucky's, which is pretty bad for the whole nation. I just don't understand how President Bush can sit there and say this country's economy is doing well???? Did you guys see his presidential address the other night???

Also, I still consider Louisville a city of 260,000 people. Cincy could do the same thing that Louisville and Nashville did and become part of Hamilton County, and be one. It is an individual city, and as an individual city it is growing, something that Louisville had a hard time doing, as did Cincinnati and Milwaukee a few years ago. Both Cincy and Milwaukee both have growing populations again, and that is thanks to the developments. Also, I haven't heard any news on Louisville's new tallest or Nashville's new tallest. Have the plans went dead? Cincy's new tallest is going to get underway in October because site prep is finished.

I have a lot of friends from Louisville that live in Columbus, they are always telling me how great of a place it is to grow up, and they told me I need to head down there. That is what made me decide to go there. Many of them moved to Columbus for oppurtunities that they didn't have in Louisville.

So where should I visit next week in Louisville?

First off, I am not the one who brought up Ohio cities in this thread. Louisville is a COMPLETELY different city, and it is growing faster than anywhere in Ohio besides Columbus any way you slice it--by city, MSA, or CSA. Cleveland is really struggling job wise, and Cincy is only doing ok because all the major headquarters there from P&G tp Kroger. Hamilton County voted Republican in the last election and people are MUCH more racially conscious in Cincy. Notice all the interracial couples when you come to Louisville, and drive thru the Highlands and Crescent Hill and see Obama signs in every yard. I am not knocking Cincy, it is just Louisville is a more vibrant city for young people right now. In the same way, Nashville is more vibrant than them all. Also, I doubt there are "alot of people" moving to Columbus for opportunites they didn't have in Louisville. For what it is worth, I know dozens of Ohioans, and see tons of Ohio plates on the road each day. In fact, Louisville has more domestic in migration from Cleveland than almost any city.

http://www.kentuckianaworks.org/PDFs...0Sept%2005.pdf


Louisville and Cincy basically trade residents, with Louisville gaining a few more. The one city in the region outshing them all economically is Indianapolis, but it does not make it the coolest or hippest by any means.

Finally, search my posts if you want to find the hip areas of Louisville. I offer good advice on urban areas and if you come with an open mind and not preconceived notions, you will be impressed. For sure check out Bardstown Road and Frankfort ave and all the streets that intersect them. Drive up Cherokee Road along its distance and Willow Avenue. Check out the heart of St Matthews around Lexington Road and its intersection with Breckenridge.


Check Barret Ave, fourth street, main street, market street, St James Court, and look at some suburbs like Glenview Avenue, and Norton Commons Boulevard. Check out US 42 around Seminary drive and eat at Mojitos or Havana Rumba Cuban. Drive to the south side and eat at Vietnam Kitchen and explore the Asian and African neighborhoods in the area around Ashland Avenue and Southland Avenue and Southside Drive in the Americana Apartments.

4 billion downtown is nothing....Louisville has that easily. Besides, how big is Clevealnds downtown? Louisville's is a strict area of one square mile and those figures are only in that area. Louiville has a 2 billion dollar medical center alone about to start construction downtown. The 60 story Museum Plaza will be taller than anything in Cincy and more internationally acclaimed. There is a new 350 million dollar arena under construction and loft projects too numerous to count. Want to see some of them?

Louisville Downtown Management District * Downtown Living Tour

Downtown Louisville has too many surface lots and really needs shopping, but these two projects will really help:

State TIF commission approves Center City district - Business First of Louisville:

Louisville has multiple high rise projects under proposal downtown comprising millions of square feet. You need to check out my development thread on this site

http://www.city-data.com/forum/louis...nt-sticky.html


or watch this site for a more detailed look:

Broken Sidewalk - Louisville From The Ground Up

I will believe the Banks in Cincy when I see it built all the way out, which could be more than 10 years out. Same with Queen City. Louisville has a project just as big that has been stalled. Phase one has two towers but the full build out would be around 10 towers:

RiverPark Louisville Kentucky, Lofts and Luxury Condos

[EclecticEars]

Look, I used to live in Louisville. Before I moved there in '04, I remarked on the (supposedly) amazing friendliness of Louisville residents. Living there was a whole different animal, though. I've been in Louisville over the last 24 hours and, just revisiting, I'm amazed again at how cold and unhappy many of the people in L'ville look and how impolite many act in comparison to even New York, Houston/Galveston, Ft. Worth/Arlington, or parts of Chicago or Atlanta. (Granted, I've only visited those metros, but this is just my personal experience.)

For the regulars on this forum, I won't reiterate my "love-like-hate" relationship with Louisville. All I will tell the OP is to enjoy Louisville parks and cultural amenities.

Hopefully you'll enjoy the city more than I did. It truly isn't a bad city, it just wasn't for me. By the way, my brother currently lives there and his reaction is basically, "Blech. Whatever."

STX is the best resource for insider Louisville. Be glad he's here.

[missymomof3]

I will admit that there are parts of Louisville where it feels a bit cold at times but even those places alsop have some very friendly folks if you just pay attention.

[schools]

Good luck to the OP-I think your wife will regret the move..per your background. Once your honeymoon time is over, I think you'll look at the move & say "What have we done?" Louisville is a place you need to be from originally to truly love it IMO

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by schools

Good luck to the OP-I think your wife will regret the move..per your background. Once your honeymoon time is over, I think you'll look at the move & say "What have we done?" Louisville is a place you need to be from originally to truly love it IMO

I agree 100%.

The only L'ville transplant I see on here singing its praises consistently is STX and censusdata (although he's already from KY anyway.) Everybody else, natives.

[louroclou]

Failure to inhabit a place is usually a failure to imagine it, to observe and embrace and make choices in it. When one enters into the Old Story of "Leaving the small town in the Midwest for the Big City" there is a willing embrace of the mythos of that big city - New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston. The émigré observes the habits and mores and adapts. He or she assumes there must be a sacrifice of one's old 'inferior ways.' Being annoyed by aspects of the new life in the new big city is seen as sign of one's shortcomings. One adapts, accepts, assuming being a New Yorker or a San Franciscan is a higher life form.

To move laterally or 'down' to a smaller place does not carry with it the same cultural assumptions. One looks for faults, failures, weaknesses in the new, 'lesser' place. To attempt truly to inhabit it is seen as folly, deception, dishonesty. Of course, there is as much self-deception in becoming a New Yorker as in becoming a Louisvillian, but people seldom see it that way.

The way I see it, the future is in small and real. The big banks, the big economies, the big grids are failing. Being in a small, real place like Louisville, with all its quirks and scars - and delights - is worth the effort to inhabit it.

[JefferyT]

^
Excellent post. A lesson for a lot of us, methinks.