Louisville vs St. Louis (living, cost, state, better)
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Just got back from a trip to both cities last week. IMO it goes...
Climate: Same, not going to nitpick over their fairly similar climates
Outdoor activities: Same, both seemed to utilize their rivers/riverfronts and both have fairly close proximity to some hilly terrain
Economy: Louisville, but it didn't seem like it was substantially ahead of St Louis in terms of growth
Architecture: St Louis
Amenities: St Louis
Sports: St Louis. U of L, the derby and Louisville's soccer team aren't enough to overcome St Louis' pro teams.
Crime: Louisville
Suburbs: St Louis
My preference would be St Louis. Not mentioned, but I love Louisville's close proximity to many of the different bourbon distilleries. Both cities had a lot to do and left a favorable impression on me.
I would agree with bartonro on every category save Economy, which I would also give to St. Louis. All three of Missouri's Fortune 500 companies are headquartered there, and it's my impression that it's bigger than Louisville's. I suspect both are growing at a similar pace.
I'd also second them on the Bourbon distilleries. That was the thing I enjoyed most about my visits to Louisville a few years back.
I would, however, put Bardstown Road over the Central West End as a dining/entertainment district. The CWE's not bad, but it didn't strike me as being as lively as Bardstown Road. (Actually, I've long thought St. Louis a relatively quiet city as far as nightlife is concerned — even my hometown of Kansas City, which still has the wide-open Pendergast years imprinted in its cultural DNA, outdoes it.)
OTOH, I do pity Louisville grocery shoppers, whose supermarket choices are Kroger or nothing. I swear it's the biggest city I've ever been in where there's only one supermarket chain competing for business. I wonder why that's the case?
Economy: St Louis larger STEM base and a lot more job openings. Larger Economy with 7 f500 companies giving more options to build a career.
Architecture: St. Louis More areas with great architecture.
Amenities: St. Louis. Not a good comparison. St Louis however Louisville has a lot going on.
Sports: St Louis. St. Louis is a great sports town with the Cardinals being one of the most successful franchise in MLB. Louisville doesn't compare.
Crime: I will say Louisville. I feel safer there even though many people complain about crime. St. Louis has 2 out of three strikes. Statistically the city ranks as one of the most dangerous cities. The state is in the top five most dangerous. Msa is just as safe as Louisville. I think the larger city limits helps Louisville along with many other cities.
Suburbs: St Louis. Doesn't compare.
I don't think this is a good comparison due to size. I love Louisville but I think it would do better in a comparison with Memphis, Rochester or Birmingham.
"I swear it's the biggest city I've ever been in where there's only one supermarket chain competing for business. I wonder why that's the case?"....Last I remember, Meijer was in business there with at least 3 huge stores.
I would agree with bartonro on every category save Economy, which I would also give to St. Louis. All three of Missouri's Fortune 500 companies are headquartered there, and it's my impression that it's bigger than Louisville's. I suspect both are growing at a similar pace.
I'd also second them on the Bourbon distilleries. That was the thing I enjoyed most about my visits to Louisville a few years back.
I would, however, put Bardstown Road over the Central West End as a dining/entertainment district. The CWE's not bad, but it didn't strike me as being as lively as Bardstown Road. (Actually, I've long thought St. Louis a relatively quiet city as far as nightlife is concerned — even my hometown of Kansas City, which still has the wide-open Pendergast years imprinted in its cultural DNA, outdoes it.)
OTOH, I do pity Louisville grocery shoppers, whose supermarket choices are Kroger or nothing. I swear it's the biggest city I've ever been in where there's only one supermarket chain competing for business. I wonder why that's the case?
Louisville has Meijer, which is a large grocer in the Great Lakes region. I thought I saw Walmart grocery stores too?
Louisville has Meijer, which is a large grocer in the Great Lakes region. I thought I saw Walmart grocery stores too?
Edit...beaten above
Google is our friend lol, sounds like someone needs to brush up on their Louisville facts over their assumptions. In addition to Meijer, Publix has broken ground on 2 locations in the Louisville area with more coming. Also both Walmart and Target have a substantial grocery presence in the city, though neither of them give a grocery experience and selection like they have at Meijer. Gordon Food service also has a few retail locations as well.
The largest companies headquartered in Louisville are Humana, Yum Brands, Texas Roadhouse, and Brown Forman. Pound for pound given that Louisville is far smaller than St. Louis I'd say they are about even from a corporate standpoint. UPS world hub and Ford while not headquartered there, are also the equivalent of a two more fortune 500s in terms of economic and employment impact. I'd still give the edge to Louisville.
I would agree with bartonro on every category save Economy, which I would also give to St. Louis. All three of Missouri's Fortune 500 companies are headquartered there, and it's my impression that it's bigger than Louisville's. I suspect both are growing at a similar pace.
I'd also second them on the Bourbon distilleries. That was the thing I enjoyed most about my visits to Louisville a few years back.
I would, however, put Bardstown Road over the Central West End as a dining/entertainment district. The CWE's not bad, but it didn't strike me as being as lively as Bardstown Road. (Actually, I've long thought St. Louis a relatively quiet city as far as nightlife is concerned — even my hometown of Kansas City, which still has the wide-open Pendergast years imprinted in its cultural DNA, outdoes it.)
OTOH, I do pity Louisville grocery shoppers, whose supermarket choices are Kroger or nothing. I swear it's the biggest city I've ever been in where there's only one supermarket chain competing for business. I wonder why that's the case?
No, Louisville metro has Kroger, Meijer, and Publix now.
I would agree with bartonro on every category save Economy, which I would also give to St. Louis. All three of Missouri's Fortune 500 companies are headquartered there, and it's my impression that it's bigger than Louisville's. I suspect both are growing at a similar pace.
I'd also second them on the Bourbon distilleries. That was the thing I enjoyed most about my visits to Louisville a few years back.
I would, however, put Bardstown Road over the Central West End as a dining/entertainment district. The CWE's not bad, but it didn't strike me as being as lively as Bardstown Road. (Actually, I've long thought St. Louis a relatively quiet city as far as nightlife is concerned — even my hometown of Kansas City, which still has the wide-open Pendergast years imprinted in its cultural DNA, outdoes it.)
OTOH, I do pity Louisville grocery shoppers, whose supermarket choices are Kroger or nothing. I swear it's the biggest city I've ever been in where there's only one supermarket chain competing for business. I wonder why that's the case?
In addition to the grocery store statement. Missouri has more than 3 f500 companies. St Louis has more than that.
I didn't think nightlife was part of the criteria. As a Central West End resident, the area isn't a good assessment of nightlife in St Louis. 130 amliquor license is there because of nimbyism. Tower Grove, The Grove, Ballpark Village, The Loop, Grand Center, Washington Ave, Soulard all have a much better concentration of bars. I think Louisville's nightlife is way underrated! It may be better than St Louis. I don't know.
Louisville and St Louis has a pretty good cost of living to income ratio but St Louis has a lot more options for career building.
Last edited by mjtinmemphis; 06-29-2022 at 07:49 AM..
Climate: Very similiar climates in both cities. A tie.
Outdoor activites: I'll give the edge to St Louis given it is much larger and offers more in the region
Economy: St Louis has many more opportunities and a larger company base and much more job and economic diversity
Architecture: St Louis by far
Amenities: St Louis has many more things to do, due to its size
Sports: St Louis big time: St Louis has 3 pro teams: MLB, NHL, MLS. Louisville has the world famous Kentucky Derby, but no pro sports
Crime: Louisville wins here
Suburbs: St Louis definitely
This match-up is fun, but not really a close contest.
With St Louis metro coming in at 2.8 million, and Louisville around 1.3 million, the cities are almost apples to oranges.
St Louis will offer world class cultural institutions, is more cosmopolitan and is on a different tier than Louisville. Louisville is a nice region in some part of the area, and has a few good neighborhoods. But it feels smaller, crime is ticking up in some areas and it holds onto its parochial vibe in much of the area (suburbs).
St Louis wins by far in this match-up.
Last edited by jjbradleynyc; 06-29-2022 at 08:22 AM..
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