Safest Streets in Downtown Louisville (Newburg: for sale, apartment, lofts)

[staci71vw]

I am considering buying a house in downtown Louisville because I love the architecture, character and diversity there. However, there will be two females living there, and we want to feel safe enough to walk our dogs at night or early in the morning.

Can anyone tell me which streets are the safest, and which areas we should avoid as we conduct our house search? St. James Ct. and Belgravia Ct. are out because we need a backyard. I vaguely remember seeing a map someone had posted once, which showed the "border streets" that you don't necessarily want to buy outside of in downtown. Can anyone help me? Much appreciated!

[censusdata]

By downtown do you mean an older residential area? (St James Court is 2 miles from Downtown, I used to live there)

If so & you want a small backyard I'd higher recommend Original Highlands neighborhood. It is btw Broadway & Winter Ave & Barrett Ave & Baxter Ave. It is a nice mixture of larger 1890s era homes (mostly apartment houses now) and smaller shotgun houses - violent crime, even car break ins are rare. I lived there in 2004 and would defiantly move back if I wanted to live in an urban neighborhood

Home - Original Highlands, est. 1876
Original Highlands, Louisville - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[stx12499]

Please be more specific as to what you want and what neighborhood. Downtown has a strict definition. It is bounded by 9th street on the west, jackson on the east, and york and Broadway on the south. Most of the residentail in that area is lofts or condos without yards, and many of them are highrises. It is all a safe area. West of 9th street is generally undesirable, although people who make blanket generalizations about the west end haven't driven half its streets (ie southwestern parkway which looks no different than eastern parkway). Also, a historically poor African American community known as Smoketown is the main area to avoid east of 9th street and inside the I-264 loop. In general, it is bounded by Floyd on he West, Finzer/Broadway on the north, Hill street on the south, and Logan Street/railroad tracks on the east. Honestly, there is even some gentrification in this area too, and dont let anone tell you otherwise. The only other bad area to avoid in all of metro Louisville besides these two is the area marked "Newburg" on maps. Newburg road north of I-264 is beautiful and very upscale though.

[staci71vw]

I was hoping for Old Louisville--zip codes 40203 or 40208. But I want to make sure I'm in some of the "safer" areas within these zip codes. Want to buy a house, not an apartment or condo, and hope to find one that has a decent-sized yard and parking in the back. I had heard not to go west of 9th street, but I wasn't sure other than that...

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by staci71vw

I was hoping for Old Louisville--zip codes 40203 or 40208. But I want to make sure I'm in some of the "safer" areas within these zip codes. Want to buy a house, not an apartment or condo, and hope to find one that has a decent-sized yard and parking in the back. I had heard not to go west of 9th street, but I wasn't sure other than that...

In general, if buying, stay as close to St James court as possible. That is the heart of Old Louisville. Many homes in that area have wonderful fenced backyards with Victorian style fountains. In Old Louisville, the nicest areas surround Central Park. In short, the best area in that hood is marked by UofL campus on the south, 6th street on the west, and brook street on the east, and hill street on the north. There are some nice areas outside this district, and certainly areas like Ormbsy, 6th and oak, and Garmin Court are very nice and well kept streets. The main crime risk in these areas is car break ins, which despite what you may hear, is not that bad compared to big cities (I lived in the district when I first moved to Louisville). That said, the are bounded by 9th street on the west, broadway on the north, floyd on the east, and hill on the south, has a few more problems than the rest of Old Louisville. This area has been dubbed "Sobro" and has a bit more light industry and surface parking, along with a dated Kroger store. Still, there are some wonderful and historic gems located in this area, and even a few new condo developments like Central Park Lofts and Fifth Street Terraces. Also, with regards to the 40203 and 40208 zips, the crime appears high because most of those zips are bad areas completely outside Old Louisville, which brings the Old Louisville average down because Old Louisville snakes through part of those zips.

For you, in general, I adore the homes around 2nd and galubert and I think that area has great resale value, with plenty of options for sale. You should be able to find a restored Victorian mansion for under 100 dollars per square foot, which is a steal! However, if you find a beauty at 5th and St Catherine, which is outside the district I recommended, check it out at night. If you feel safe (and I think you will), then go for it!

[staci71vw]

This is really helpful! Thanks so much!