Is Louisville considered the South? (Russellville, Russell: schools, beaches, friendly)

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by stx12499

I completely disagree. Louisville is an infinitely more hip city than the Ham, and has nothing of the same old south, good old boy feel that has stagnated Birmingham. Also, Louisville does not have nearly the black population or crime. Louisville is also a decent clip larger in metro area. The southern city most similar to Louisville is clearly Memphis. Still, Louisville has lots in common with larger Midwest river cities, especially Saint Louis and Cincinnati. The east end of Louisville is nearly identical to the north suburbs of Indianapolis, where I have lived.

What you know about The Ham? lol!

Still pretty cool.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by ComingfromAL

What you know about The Ham? lol!

Still pretty cool.

If Birmingham would merge, it would actually become more like Louisville, but it has too much of a declining inner city population where people are all about living outside the city. I think its school district is around 27k students now and almost exclusively poor inner city african americam. Louisville was going this route until merger. Also, Bham does not have the urban vitality of Louisville's walkable hoods, and its downtown is a bit behind Louisville's, altough improving nicely. I stayed in a rented condo in the City Federal for several months while working there so I know the city well. The locals were too obsessed with moving east, to Vestavia, Hoover, and beyond 459. Still, the city had a unique vibe, soul, and a sense of southern history, which I dig, but it is probably 20 years behind louisville with regards to being progressive and urban.

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by stx12499

If Birmingham would merge, it would actually become more like Louisville, but it has too much of a declining inner city population where people are all about living outside the city. I think its school district is around 27k students now and almost exclusively poor inner city african americam. Louisville was going this route until merger. Also, Bham does not have the urban vitality of Louisville's walkable hoods, and its downtown is a bit behind Louisville's, altough improving nicely. I stayed in a rented condo in the City Federal for several months while working there so I know the city well. The locals were too obsessed with moving east, to Vestavia, Hoover, and beyond 459. Still, the city had a unique vibe, soul, and a sense of southern history, which I dig, but it is probably 20 years behind louisville with regards to being progressive and urban.

Birmingham has INCREDIBLE potential it is just that our city officials...don't even get me started. City Federal is a pretty good building. Downtown is indeed on its way.

I LOVE my city and if there are any parts of Louisville that are reflective of my city (or vice versa), then Louisville is alright with me.

[Kalvin08]

As a lifelong Louisville native I must say that The Ville is definitely more North than South. Its actually considered the "Gateway to the North" and that makes perfect sense. I've been all over the South, lived in FL for 3 years and have grandparents in ATL who I visit on the regular and it is pretty easy to see that there is almost NOTHING about Louisville that matches up. Here's some things about the South --- People are friendly, Christianity is the dominant religion, it has Spanish moss, swamps, palm trees, warm beaches, coconuts, pecans, red clay(see GA, AL), and warm weather persists about 9 months out of the year(sometimes even more. When I lived in Jax it got cold for like 3 weeks and that was it...). Louisville, although populated with many pro-Confederate wannabes, does not really have any of the aforementioned. Alot of people here are arrogant and classless. Sorry if that offends someone but I call it how it is. KY was actually a Union(Northern) state in the Civil War although it had slavery and did not take part in combat. Those of you talking about the Mason-Dixon Line, all that really is is a line that divides Pennsylvania from Delaware. And aside from all that, its really hard to classify a city as Southern that gets snow flurries and single-digit temperatures every year. It's actually coming a blizzard right now as im typing this lol. But anyway, believe what u want I guess, and those of you that say its the South, have fun pretending. ...

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by Kalvin08

As a lifelong Louisville native I must say that The Ville is definitely more North than South. Its actually considered the "Gateway to the North" and that makes perfect sense. I've been all over the South, lived in FL for 3 years and have grandparents in ATL who I visit on the regular and it is pretty easy to see that there is almost NOTHING about Louisville that matches up. Here's some things about the South --- People are friendly, Christianity is the dominant religion, it has Spanish moss, swamps, palm trees, warm beaches, coconuts, pecans, red clay(see GA, AL), and warm weather persists about 9 months out of the year(sometimes even more. When I lived in Jax it got cold for like 3 weeks and that was it...). Louisville, although populated with many pro-Confederate wannabes, does not really have any of the aforementioned. Alot of people here are arrogant and classless. Sorry if that offends someone but I call it how it is. KY was actually a Union(Northern) state in the Civil War although it had slavery and did not take part in combat. Those of you talking about the Mason-Dixon Line, all that really is is a line that divides Pennsylvania from Delaware. And aside from all that, its really hard to classify a city as Southern that gets snow flurries and single-digit temperatures every year. It's actually coming a blizzard right now as im typing this lol. But anyway, believe what u want I guess, and those of you that say its the South, have fun pretending. ...

+1

[pinciotti.rocky]

This is a ongoing battle here lol, I have lived in Louisville for two years now but grew up in the midwest (Columbus, OH. Indianapolis, IN) I move around alot because of work, I would say to me midwestern people say Louisville feels south to were southern people say it feels midwesteren. Fact: Kentucky is a southern state, it sits in the upland regin of the southern US, however IN, OH, IL states that borrder KY to the north are midwestern states. So saying that Louisville is a midwestern city would be like saying Tijuana is in the United States. Just the same as Tijuana has that Mexican American border town vibe, Louisville has the Southern Midwestern border town vibe, but all in all it its a sothern city... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky

Kentucky was a Dual Government state during the Civil War, It had both many Confederate and Union armed forces, KY was undecided up until the end were it did declair itself Union...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentuck...ican_Civil_War

[booxtwo]

Nope............no "ongoing battle." Get over the Civil War divides! Tijuana? Really?

Pure and simple, LouKy is Northern / Midwestern. There is No Southern about it. Hillbilly YES, but no Southern.

[Shakeesha]

Originally Posted by pinciotti.rocky

This is a ongoing battle here lol, I have lived in Louisville for two years now but grew up in the midwest (Columbus, OH. Indianapolis, IN) I move around alot because of work, I would say to me midwestern people say Louisville feels south to were southern people say it feels midwesteren. Fact: Kentucky is a southern state, it sits in the upland regin of the southern US, however IN, OH, IL states that borrder KY to the north are midwestern states. So saying that Louisville is a midwestern city would be like saying Tijuana is in the United States. Just the same as Tijuana has that Mexican American border town vibe, Louisville has the Southern Midwestern border town vibe, but all in all it its a sothern city... Kentucky - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kentucky was a Dual Government state during the Civil War, It had both many Confederate and Union armed forces, KY was undecided up until the end were it did declair itself Union...
Kentucky in the American Civil War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tijuana analogy was inaccurate, although I kind of understand your point. Being a Nashville native and spending a considerable amount of time with family in Cincinnati, Louisville on first impressions definitely felt more like the Midwest than the South. The accents were definitely not what you would hear in Nashville fairly neutral (but not nasally), and the people were very reserved and family oriented, very common traits of the Midwest. The look of the city was industrial/rust belt although the riverfront area was very nice, and definitely has potential. As others have said before, Kentucky is a southern state, however, Louisville and Northern Kentucky, especially, resembles very little of the rest of the state.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by Shakeesha

The Tijuana analogy was inaccurate, although I kind of understand your point. Being a Nashville native and spending a considerable amount of time with family in Cincinnati, Louisville on first impressions definitely felt more like the Midwest than the South. The accents were definitely not what you would hear in Nashville fairly neutral (but not nasally), and the people were very reserved and family oriented, very common traits of the Midwest. The look of the city was industrial/rust belt although the riverfront area was very nice, and definitely has potential. As others have said before, Kentucky is a southern state, however, Louisville and Northern Kentucky, especially, resembles very little of the rest of the state.

Agreed.

[Natural510]

Visiting here now, and it does remind me of Cincinnati in that Northern/Southern dichotomy which is not quite resolved, however there is a more Bohemian vibe to certain parts of the city you don't find in Cincy. It's also funny I stopped at a gas station in an isolated area off I-71, halfway between Cincy & Louisville where the people had the prototypical KY drawl (of which we're accustomed in many parts of SW Ohio), yet an hour further down the freeway, I haven't heard it yet. I get the feeling Louisville is an oasis of sorts to liberal/eclectic types in what is otherwise a conservative, evangelical state.