Is Southern Indiana like Northern Kentucky? (Louisville, Covington: hotel, houses, neighborhoods)

[Slash83]

I visited the area today (during the morning) and Southern Indiana felt like No. KY in Cincinnati. Would you say they are alike? In Clarksville we saw near Veterans Parkway (I think) lots of shopping, etc. and there was a lot of stuff in Louisville on the Outloop. I did not like St. Matthews, that area was very weird..I don't know..it was just odd...too far out of the city perhaps?

[JefferyT]

Southern Indiana is maybe not as built-up as Northern Kentucky and is more its own place. If you cross over from Cincy you;ll be right in fairly built up older towns. Across the river from Louisiville is not too much, except Jeffersonville, which is not as congested or densely developed, though its a fairly old town (had a nice spot on the river, though).

The largest city across the river, New Albany, for example, is sort of its own city though its part of the metro area, and it sits off to one side, somewhat away from downtown Louisville.

[jstn]

I too am interested in knowing a little more about southern Indiana. Are these towns you mention, (New Albany, Jeffersonville, Clarksville) nice? Do they have any character? Are they good communities?

I am originally from Cincy and IMO, NKY is not very nice, at least Covington and Newport. There is some great architecture and new development, but putting new buildings in the center of town hardly makes an area less sketchy. To me the older areas away from the river are still much, much nicer.

[johnsonkk]

Yes.

[JefferyT]

I too am interested in knowing a little more about southern Indiana. Are these towns you mention, (New Albany, Jeffersonville, Clarksville) nice? Do they have any character? Are they good communities?

None of these look like Newport or Covington, with the row houses or closely packed buisness streets. There isn't an area like "The Point" in Covington either, nor is there a "Main Strasse".

New Albany and Jeffersonville have more of a presence, with a Main Street and older neighborhoods. Jeff has a big shipyard on the river, which is sort of cool, and it has the closest connection with the river as there are a few blocks of older houses facing the river, with marinas across the street and down the bank. Sort of neat. Otherwise the town seems to be blocks of tree lined streets with a lot of bungalows.

New Albany is the largest of the three, and has a nice mansion row, a downtown (but with lots of parking lots) plus Silver Hills shingle style houses on a hill overlooking the the town. Otherwise a late 19th century industrial town with lots of frame one story cottages for the factory workers from that era. The town is disconnnected from the river by a big levee, and is seperated from Clarskville and Jeffersonville by some bottomlands & Silver Creek and isnt across the Ohio from downtown Louisville, being maybe two miles to the west, on the other side of the falls.

Clarksville is the most non-descript. Though it looks like its right across the river, the built-up areas really start back from the river a bit, with the area on the river fairly wooded and sort of river-rat, but there's been modern hotel and restaurant development in ercent years.

Clarksville has no real downtown, being the most suburban of the three.

The one with the least character is Clarksville, as it is actually away from the river a bit, and doesn't have a real downtown.

They are all seem to be working class type areas, though you get more middle class stuff out in the suburbs, and in New Albanys case there is Silver Hills overlooking the city. They dont seem to be really that run-down, maybe.

From my impression none of these places is really run-down. Id say Jeff is the more redneck of the three?

Be interested to hear other Lousivillians opinions. I didnt talk much about the suburban areas beyond, but there isnt much to say, except for Floyds Knobs and Skyline Drive.

[bw87a]

Yeah, I kind of see Southern Indiana as three river-lined cities. You can even consider suburban Southern Indiana as the areas outside or very close to the beltway. Kind of like a mini mini Louisville, huh? ;-)
I guess it compares to Northern Kentucky in that aspect. Northern Kentucky has a few historic river-lined cities followed by a huge beltway with lots of suburban growth. Northern Kentucky is just much much larger than Southern Indiana. Northern Kentucky is also considered one of the high growth areas in the Cincinnati Metro, while I only see Southern Indiana as a low to moderate growth area in the Louisville Metro. So, yes, I can see a comparison.

[jtt40202]

No. Northern Kentucky has more character, charm and a progressive population. Where Northern Kentucky is the states fastest growing region, Southern Indiana historically has been moderate to slow.

[Vision-Quest]

Yeah Southern Indiana is like Northern Kentucky in some areas. Clarksville, Jeffersonville, and New Albany arent that attractive and is very simular to Covington, Newport area other than the downtown. Southern Indiana has a better rural and small town setting than Northern Kentucky by far. Indiana has towns like Madison and Columbus, (if thats considered Southern Indiana.) But they also have towns like North Vernon and Seymour which are very ugly and heavilly traffic congested.

[Vision-Quest]

Oh yeah i forgot. If you ever go to the Madison area take a look at the hilltop section off of SR 62 and then go to downtown and study it. Then go across the river on US 421 and look at Milton's downtown, its much smaller, but it is very ugly. It has some old historic buildings just like Madison, but trash litters the street. Then go to hilltop Milton and you will find that less attractive aswell. (The only thing Milton has that Madison doesnt is a Dairy Queen.)

That rough comparison could be a good example of rural Southern Indiana to rural Northern Kentucky.