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We currently live in Connecticut and because of the high cost of living here consider relocating. At this point, because of the job opportunities and family situation, we have 2 cities to choose from, Austin vs Louiville, KY. If someone could make a comparison between the 2 places from their personal experience, it would be greatly appreciated. We have 2 young children, so school system, cultural diversity, climate, housing market would be some of the things that are important to us.
I don't know Louisville very well, but I know Austin quite a bit. I'm a Realtor here and have helped several people relocate to Austin. There are some very good school systems here, mostly in the suburbs, though some highly rated schools are within Austin ISD. Some great districts are Leander ISD, Round Rock ISD, Eanes ISD (more expensive area- average 300s for 3/2, 1500-2000sf), Lake Travis ISD (somewhat more expensive), Dripping Springs ISD. All of the suburbs are within about 30-45 minutes drive (in traffic) to downtown Austin. Climate- hot summers from end of May thru Sept/Oct (90s & 100s), beautiful spring and fall, winters are from Nov/Dec thru mid-March (lows-40s, highs-50s), housing market is very good here as opposed to the rest of the country. It's slowing down a bit because of the time of year and from the craziness last year of everyone relocating here because of it's affordability, but it didn't crash like most other markets. Austin is a very active city- lots of outdoor activities both for kids and adults, live music every night, theatre, arts, and yes, it's culturally diverse. Hope this helps Good luck with your decision!
Louisville, surprisingly, is VERY much like Austin. In fact, they are nearly identical in size, culture and vibe with two key differences:
1) Louisville is not viewed nationally as trendy or cool (even though many urbanites here view it that way), thus the job/population growth hasn't hit here like Austin (although it is growing steadily thank you)
2) Our flagship college is not nearly as good academically and is much smaller, so less young people get exposed to a very cool city.
Did you know Louisville and Austin have the same slogan? I am not sure who copied who, but here you go:
I think those slogans sum up how alike the two cities are. Few people know this, however.
Austin is growing much faster, but as of 2000 the metro areas were very similar in size.
Let me make another analogy. Louisville is sort of like buying a retro T shirt from a local indie thrift shop. Austin is sort of like buying the same looking T-shirt from Urban Outfitters for 50% more. This is not to say that Austin is not an independent type city, because it clearly struck me that way, but it seemed to also be attracting this class of urban yuppie that one normally finds in much larger cities--DC and Chicago are two.
What makes Louisville so unique is its strong urban fabric for a city its size, similar in ways to Austin. Here, upscale dining, arts, and alternative lifestyles are very prominent in the urban areas, but they are surrounded by a ring of conservative suburbs, much like in Austin.
To give you a small idea of the over 1 BILLION in construction currently about to start downtown, here of some of the larger projects. In addition, thousands more condo units are being added. Downtown has a ways to go, but it will be unrecognizable in 10 years:
A 62 story avant garde skyscraper drawing international attention for its architecture:
All of this is in addition to major initiatives the city has already completed, and many smaller projects under construction and ongoing, including things like us landing a new Fortune 1000 pharmaceutical company, Pharmerica, which will be the 6th such locally based operation on the list. Of course, this is only a cursury listing, but hope it helps.
Louisville is still in KY. So it is friendly, cheap, and carefree. There are rednecks all over, especially outside the immediate downtown and surrounding hoods. After living with the hassle of Chicago for years, I am just fine with that. Rednecks are friendly
We currently live in Connecticut and because of the high cost of living here consider relocating. At this point, because of the job opportunities and family situation, we have 2 cities to choose from, Austin vs Louiville, KY. If someone could make a comparison between the 2 places from their personal experience, it would be greatly appreciated. We have 2 young children, so school system, cultural diversity, climate, housing market would be some of the things that are important to us.
Well having lived in Louisville for nearly eight years and now Austin for nearly four years I can tell you that in my opinion the two cities are worlds apart in culture and feel and definately price.
Austin to me is more of a yuppie college town, sort of generic really, almost a carbon copy of any city that wants to cater to yuppies. And definately more expensive than Louisville. Not a whole lot to do that doesn't require a drive out of town. The schools are nice and do offer lots of extra curricular activities, my kids take orchestra, mariachi, jewelry making, fishing class etc etc. They don't normally come in from school until close to 7pm so they are never bored. In Louisville not so much, there is very little in the way of extracurricular activities at school and they are still bussing kids which I disagree with, for eight years I lived downtown and for eight years my kids went to school way out yonder somewhere. And overall I think Austin schools are better.
Although I left Louisville to come to Austin I would have to say, that when it comes to raising young children Louisville-pronounced Luhvul by the locals-beats Austin hands down. Although they are both good cities to raise a family in.
Louisville definately has it's own vibe going on, definately unique, it's a laid back, friendly, country town, that thinks it's a big city But there is always something to do if you want to do more than listen to music and drink down on sixth street (As that's the local pastime in Austin)
Louisville has a six flags over Kentucky-Austin has I35 which you can drive out of town in either direction to go find something enjoyable to do.
Louisville has a very beautiful waterfront park, which is family oriented, that caters to all types of venues throughout the year, from concerts, art shows, Derby day activities, thunder over Louisville and the whole city gets in on the celebration, businesses even get in on the festivities I once got my nails done at eleven pm and a derby dinner on the corner right by my house in the West End (where Muhammad Ali grew up) cause everything was open twentyfour seven for derby.
And unlike Austin's south by southwest which is the only comparable celebration, there is something for everyone to enjoy from the oldest to the youngest.
As well as a thriving tourist industry that keeps activities happening at the convention center (which is why they came up with fourth street live, to give the tourists something to do in a downtown that used to promptly shut down at 6pm)
Louisville has a very nice zoo, Austin has I35
There's also the Slugger museum and Slugger field where the bats play
There's Caesar's riverboat casino right across the bridge in Southern Indiana (that puppy is gorgeous!)
There's the horse races at church hill downs
There's usually always something of interest going on at the fairgrounds
And right across the river in Indiana there are also water front parks, exercise parks, feed the duck parks, falls of the Ohio etc etc
Housing in Louisville is very affordable both in and around the city, the housing right outside of Austin in places like Manor and Del Valle seem to have the best value for your money, but then that puts your kids in school districts that in my opinion are not on par with Austin independent school district.
Louisville has four seasons, winters can be quite cold and icy, but with very little snow.
Summers are mild not too hot or humid.
Austin, in my opinion doesn't really have four seasons, maybe just three, and they are hot, warm and rainy, it doesn't really get too cold in the winter here, definately not like up north.
But when I say hot, I mean when I first got here, I thought they had built the city right over top of hell...I didn't know it could get that hot on earth until I moved here but I got used to it.
umbrellas to protect yourself in the summer, lots of sunscreen and plenty of cold water as well as planning your outtings so that you don't spend too long outdoors in the heat before going into some air conditioning and you'll be fine by your second summer here.
Austin is beautiful as is Louisville, but in my opinion Austin wins the prize on that one. Austin is pretty laid back, you can definately do your own thing here and no one will bother you. And if you have the money to pay for it, there are lots of activities for the kids to participate in so they won't notice that there is no zoo or amusement park here. There is a summer camp for every conceivable activity imaginable that kids can participate in.
acting camp, horse back riding camp, singing camp, sports camp, art camp, ymca camp, swimming camp...you name it, there's a camp for it.
When it comes to dining out, although both cities leave something to be desired, I have to give the prize to Louisville, if you go to the highlands, you can find many good and unique places to eat as well trendy little shops and what not to browse in.
Austin's version of Louisville's Highlands would be SoCo and by comparison the pickings are much slimmer.
Also having lived in both cities for some time, I have to say that Louisville has more overall blight than Austin, but not so much as to make the city unlivable...but in all honesty be careful of certain neighborhoods that are known for being problematic. All things being relative it really just depends on what you are looking for.
Thank you STX12499 and Luvlee for your comments and comparisons.
I guess the most important factors in our decision making process are cost of living, excellent public schools, cultural diversity. With all those differences and similarities, what was the deciding factor for you, guys, to choose one city over another? And did you consider any other city at all? Both me and my husband have jobs that we can pretty much take with us anywhere in the country ( accountant and health care). So, we are flexible and very open to suggestions. Any advise would be appreciated.
Thank you STX12499 and Luvlee for your comments and comparisons.
I guess the most important factors in our decision making process are cost of living, excellent public schools, cultural diversity. With all those differences and similarities, what was the deciding factor for you, guys, to choose one city over another? And did you consider any other city at all? Both me and my husband have jobs that we can pretty much take with us anywhere in the country ( accountant and health care). So, we are flexible and very open to suggestions. Any advise would be appreciated.
When it comes to cost of living Louisville is going to be a lot more affordable, as far as food and rent go, but then you have to take all things into consideration, the public schools are not too bad, but they aren't all that wonderful either, they're pretty much just so so.
You mentioned diversity being important. Louisville has it's own character and feel for sure, but it's not so diverse. For the most part you have black people and white people with a few hispanics, asians and others sprinkled in for good measure here and there.
When I moved there in 1996 from Pittsburgh PA, it was culture shock for sure, the place moves a lot slower and if you coming from a larger city with lots of amenities and things to do, it will take a while to adjust to the slower country pace (they don't think they are country...but they are!)
Renting in Louisville can be a lot less expensive, but the apartments tend to be older, not as nice as they are in Austin and there are not as many amenities in every neighborhood.
Another little piece of information about Louisville, from the moment I got there until the moment I left, I was freezing cold, never was warm a day I lived there...and I was born and raised in Pittsburgh PA.
But here's the thing, the houses are not very well insulated it's not so far north that the winter is like Pittsburgh...which is colder than a witches tittie, but it's not so far south that they don't need to insulate properly either. So as a result my heating bill was normally over five hundred dollars a month, which to me is outrageous and I'm sure half of which went right outside through the uninsulated walls...and I was still cold!
Thank you STX12499 and Luvlee for your comments and comparisons.
I guess the most important factors in our decision making process are cost of living, excellent public schools, cultural diversity. With all those differences and similarities, what was the deciding factor for you, guys, to choose one city over another? And did you consider any other city at all? Both me and my husband have jobs that we can pretty much take with us anywhere in the country ( accountant and health care). So, we are flexible and very open to suggestions. Any advise would be appreciated.
Had to make two posts cause it was so long!!!
When I moved to Austin from Louisville in 2004 I almost turned around and went back ...I had researched online and read all the hype about how great sixth street was and when I got there...My reaction was "is this all?"
Plus it was the rainy season-which actually means it was winter. Luckily for me my uncle talked some sense into me told me to give the place a chance, it wasn't the city it was the weather I didn't like...so I took his advise and gave Austin a chance and I'm glad I did.
There is life beyond sixth street!! the city is sort of diverse, there are blacks, whites, hispanics and others and for the most part we all live next to eachother with no problems.
And this place is huge, I can remember three months after I got here I would just sit outside of the building where I worked at lunch time and watch all the pickups go by. Everything was just so big and wide and spread out and everybody drove a pickup. I would sit there on the little bench in the sun with my little jacket on all zipped up to my chin (cause I was still cold from all them years I spent in Louisville with no heat) feeling like a little fish in a great big pond. Everything was so wide open and sprawled out, rather than jammed packed as tightly as possible into one space. Even the schools are sprawled out on actual campuses, which I think is kinda nice.
Austin is full of great neighborhoods and good people. There are amenities such as grocery stores, Walmart, Target, Libraries, parks, etc etc through out the city, in fact the way the neighborhoods are planned unless you work downtown you really don't have to go there very often at all.
Walking is an adventure, cause everything is so spread out...so if you have to do a lot of it, within a month of getting here you'll be in much better physical condition.
A car is a definate must have, as everything is so spread out, traffic can be a nightmare at times and this city has the worse drivers I have ever seen anywhere else and I have lived in four states.
As for cost of living, if you are planning to buy I would say if getting the most bang for your buck is a concern then opt for some of the outlying towns such as Pfluggerville, Manor, Del Valle etc. Where you can easily get three sometimes four bedrooms, at least two baths and a humonguous lot for 100k or less.
Buying in Austin is going to be a little more expensive for the same thing and the property taxes are very high. But the school district is very good.
If you are renting in Austin unlike in Louisville, it's a breeze to find a great apartment for a reasonable price, and by great I mean a complex with a pool, weightroom, cable and internet ready, with two/three bedrooms and 2baths...for about $800.00 a month give or take in most areas in the city.
Now if you really want a fancy apartment,in a swanky neighborhood you will probably pay closer to $1000.00
The amenities here, Having grown up in a city laid out by mountain goats, I can appreciate that everything I need is right in my neighborhood and easy to get to.
I love being able to pick up pecans and eat them when they fall off the tree.
I love that there is so much for my kids to do all year round and as they get older, (they are 11 and 14 now) it's important to keep them busy with activities they enjoy, that I don't have to chauffer them to and from if I don't have time.
I love that their middle school has so much to offer them in the way of extracurricular activities and at no cost to me...I even love how the counselors sit with them and ask them what classes they want and when...I think that as young people it gives them a sense of pride and independence to have some sayso over their own educational process.
They do have some extracurricular activities at the elementary level as well, when I got here in 2004 my kids were 7 and 9 and I was always running to school or all over the city to hear my daughter sing with the school choir.
Overall I would have to say I have stayed in Austin because of the diversity, laid back atmosphere, and cost of living which when compared to other places of comparable size and culture is really quite reasonable.
Austin has more of what I think my children need in a school district and extracurricular activities than Louisville does. The activities are available year round rather than just on special occasions and I think as they grow into teenagers that will go a long way in keeping them out of trouble.
I have two sets of kids, the older two are 21 and 23. the younger two are 11 and 14. And I can recall back in Louisville when my two oldest were in their early teens they would ask for permission to go hang out at the mall with their friends, which in my opinion is a prescription for trouble, just hanging out, no real destination or goal in mind.
But in Austin, that doesn't happen, my kids always have someplace to go and something to do...with so much to do afterschool and they get to pick their activities and then in summer there's the camps which they have gone to. There's the orchestra concerts, my daughter is a violist, my son plays keyboards and frequently travels to Dallas with his dad to play concerts.
Then there's football, sewing class, acting class, theatre arts and these are all on weekends and in the evenings after they get done with all the stuff they do after school until 7pm. And they still have time to just go swimming, pick pecans, walk around the neighborhood with their friends, go to birthday parties etc etc and they are happily doing what makes them happy and they are not getting into any trouble.
So for what it has to offer overall and especially for my children Austin is our home for now.
Sorry this post is so long, but there really is a lot to love about this place!
Thank you very much, Luvlee for your detailed response. I think both me and my husband are much more inclined to go to Austin than to Louiville now.Which area/school district do you live in? Do you like Austin more now than Pennsylvania where you grew up? Did you adjust to hot summers in Texas?
We currently live in Connecticut and because of the high cost of living here consider relocating. At this point, because of the job opportunities and family situation, we have 2 cities to choose from, Austin vs Louiville, KY. If someone could make a comparison between the 2 places from their personal experience, it would be greatly appreciated. We have 2 young children, so school system, cultural diversity, climate, housing market would be some of the things that are important to us.
I know both cities. The big thing you will need to check out is the availability of private schools. The public schools in the south are not what you are use to for your children. Austin is more progressive, and if the first job doesn't work out you will have more options to stay there without another move.
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Good luck with your decision!
But there is always something to do if you want to do more than listen to music and drink down on sixth street (As that's the local pastime in Austin)
but I got used to it. 
austin vs louiville
