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Hey all... I currently live in Atlanta and I love it here BUT i want to leave. I grew up in a small town about 2 hours from here and I came to ATL to go to college. Now that im done with college I really want to explore other options because I always said that when I graduated from college I would get out of Georgia and now heres my chance. Ive been doing research on cities across the country and Louisville tops my list. My list is based on 4 main things: Black population, cost of living, crime, and climate. Louisville is about 36% black, the cost of living is below the national average, crime is above the national average but not off the charts, and the climate is seasonal with no extremes. I went down the list of other areas that I researched and heres what I found:
Milwaukee...too cold during winter
Seattle...too expensive(and cloudy)
DC...too expensive
Las Vegas...too hot during summer
Boston...too expensive
Portland...low black population(6.5%)
Denver...same as Portland
So, Louisville looks good on paper, but I must admit that when I think of first class cities across the US, Louisville isnt the first place that comes to mind... So why SHOULD I move to Louisville?
Honestly, I wouldn't make my choice based on an internet forum, but Louisville is not a perfect city. It has flaws. All do.
Why I would recommend Louisville:
Relatively low crime
The city is growing
Stable job market
Many parks
Big enough to not go bored
Small enough to not spend half your day in traffic
People tend to mind their own business
Affordable
Central location
Three main universities (UofL, Bellarmine, Spalding), one community college, a career college in Sullivan University (great for culinary arts)
A changing downtown (for the better)
Four seasons
Honestly, I wouldn't make my choice based on an internet forum, but Louisville is not a perfect city. It has flaws. All do.
Why I would recommend Louisville:
Relatively low crime
The city is growing
Stable job market
Many parks
Big enough to not go bored
Small enough to not spend half your day in traffic
People tend to mind their own business
Affordable
Central location
Three main universities (UofL, Bellarmine, Spalding), one community college, a career college in Sullivan University (great for culinary arts)
A changing downtown (for the better)
Four seasons
Im not making a decision based on this forum thats crazy. I just wanna know what people in Louisville brag about... What makes the city great, when you leave, what makes you wanna come back.... BRAG ABOUT YOUR CITY PEOPLE... If theres anything to brag about...
Honestly, I wouldn't make my choice based on an internet forum, but Louisville is not a perfect city. It has flaws. All do.
Why I would recommend Louisville:
Relatively low crime
The city is growing
Stable job market
Many parks
Big enough to not go bored
Small enough to not spend half your day in traffic
People tend to mind their own business
Affordable
Central location
Three main universities (UofL, Bellarmine, Spalding), one community college, a career college in Sullivan University (great for culinary arts)
A changing downtown (for the better)
Four seasons
very accurate...generally I guess the job market is stable, however, jobs may be limited or non-existant in specific fields....to the OP if you can be more specific about the qualities you are looking for in a city, what line of work you're in I could provide more assistance.
Im not making a decision based on this forum thats crazy. I just wanna know what people in Louisville brag about... What makes the city great, when you leave, what makes you wanna come back.... BRAG ABOUT YOUR CITY PEOPLE... If theres anything to brag about...
The thing that I would brag about is...that people don't brag about anything. The people are not generally flashy or boastful, but you will not be out of place if you are. As someone else mentioned, we tend to mind our own business. We love our city, and it has a lot to offer, but we don't build it up into something that it's not.
Some things you will like:
LAID BACK
No traffic
Pretty girls
Unpretentious and integrated nightlife (Plus 4AM closing time)
Being able to afford to do fun things
Quality of Life
Weather
What I love most about Louisville, though, is the fact that we are an underdog. When we travel and tell people we're from Kentucky, you can see the reaction on their faces. It's their loss. We know what's up. Cities like New York will never live up to the hype they create. We lay low.
The biggest concern that I have for your move (and I'm assuming you're black) is that the most fun neighborhoods like the Highlands and Crescent Hill are overwhelmingly white. I bring this up because you had mentioned wanting a significant black population, and these neighborhoods may look more like Portland or Denver.
[quote=VilleKid;15533327]The thing that I would brag about is...that people don't brag about anything. The people are not generally flashy or boastful, but you will not be out of place if you are. As someone else mentioned, we tend to mind our own business. We love our city, and it has a lot to offer, but we don't build it up into something that it's not.
Some things you will like:
LAID BACK
No traffic
Pretty girls
Unpretentious and integrated nightlife (Plus 4AM closing time)
Being able to afford to do fun things
Quality of Life
Weather
What I love most about Louisville, though, is the fact that we are an underdog. When we travel and tell people we're from Kentucky, you can see the reaction on their faces. It's their loss. We know what's up. Cities like New York will never live up to the hype they create. We lay low.
Quote:
The biggest concern that I have for your move (and I'm assuming you're black) is that the most fun neighborhoods like the Highlands and Crescent Hill are overwhelmingly white. I bring this up because you had mentioned wanting a significant black population, and these neighborhoods may look more like Portland or Denver
Im not really concerned if the residents of the cool neighborhoods are predominantly white... since arriving in ATL ive found some hole in the wall places that are located in some pretty sketchy neighborhoods, particularly black neighborhoods, and in a couple of these places the crowd is very mixed; mostly blacks, whites, and asians. It was refreshing to know that they liked these places and that they didnt let the neighborhood scare them off. The crowds are mostly late 20s-early 30s, grad school corporate america types. Its the same way in Buckhead, which is a mostly white affluent area, but i go up there all the time with my friends and we dont feel out of place at all.
My sister has moved back and forth from atl to Lou and her biggest gripes are the nightlife and the shopping. Atl wins hands down. I would add professional sports to that list if you are a fan. Lou is a college sports town as you will learn quickly if you decide to relocate here. As far as the nightlife, I would say that Atl has more "upscale" spots IMO especially for young blacks. In Lou, there just aren't many "black clubs" where you don't see white tees, wife beaters, and sneakers. Not to say that these are not good places to party, but when you want something a little more relaxed for the 30+ crowd Lou doesnt offer much as far as black clubs like you would see in Atl, DC, B'more, etc... Overall, though I think the club scene is decent and as previously stated they are open til 4am (sometimes 6am during Derby season). Like a previous poster stated, the Highlands offers many options (night and day), just depends on what your flavor is. I dont know if I would label it the most fun neighborhood, depends on what your idea of fun is. I would say it is the most walkable of neighborhoods (grocery, restaurants, nightclubs, etc...). However, IMO it is congested and parking can be a headache at times. Like I said thats just my opinion but I have lived in the suburbs my whole life so I'm biased. Shopping may not even be a concern of yours but anything that you can't find in Lou you will likely find nearby Nashville, Indy, Cincy, St. Louis are short distances away plus outlet malls in all directions. Same with pro sports. The weather for me is great 4 seasons plus we have a rainy/t'storm period which personally I love. Traffic is doable, especially compared to Atl. Derby season is the most liveliest time of the year..it kicks off with Thunder over Lou (3rd Sat in April??) and goes through first weekend in May (Derby 1st Sat in May), includes the Oaks, Pegasus Parade, Steamboat Races, Chow Wagon, the Derby gala, the actual Derby race, too much to name and it just seems like everybody is in a great mood, the city is jumping, visitors from all over. IMO we have a pretty cool Reggae Festival Memorial Day weekend, theres a BBQ and Blues festival, college basketball/football season is bananas, particularly ULouisville (yay!!!) vs UKentucky people get psychotic around here ..lol Its like GA vs GA Tech x 1,000!!! The city is growing, the new arena is opening soon and we got plenty of bourbon!!!
Haven't lived here long and have NEVER lived in Atlanta, only visited but know people who DO live there. As has been mentioned, if you love major league sports, Atlanta wins. Weather, IMO, Atlanta wins simply because it's not as cold in the winter. Traffic, Louisville wins. Alot of the cities you compared are much larger than Louisville. Louisville is not a big city, it's a mid size city - depends on your preference in that area as well. Also, are you married with a family? Louisville is overwhelmingly a family city. Atlanta has those areas as well but also more opportunities for single life as well. Jobs? I know Atlanta is really hurting in that department but Louisville has not had a good job market even BEFORE the economy crashed and the pay is low here. If high-end shopping is important to you, Atlanta wins on that as well. They have no Saks, Nordstroms, Neiman, Bloomingdales - the highest end stores are Macy's and Dillards. But if you are black, the really good thing I believe about Louisville is that it is NOT a segregated city in that department. There may not be as many blacks in the Highlands and St. Matthews but that is probably because it's very expensive to live there. In the solid middle class communities, you will find blacks and whites living very comfortably among one another. Not sure that's true in Atlanta or not. You didn't say why you wanted to leave Atlanta and didn't give alot of specifics on what you are really looking for. I would NOT recommend this town for a middle aged single person. There are those who will disagree, but that just my opinion. Like I said, it's great for families. Also, if you go to church, it's a great way to meet people. Louisville is NOT the midwest, it is a SOUTHERN state, especially in that regard. So if that appeals to you, you will find that a plus. Good luck in whatever you decide. Moving to a new place is always a crapshoot - you never know a place until you actually live there, visiting tells you very little.
I grew up in Louisville and I've lived in several other places. Louisville isn't flashy. You have to make your own fun but the requisite tools are here. That's one of the qualities that's drawn me back over the years. It's very comfortable and it can be rowdy or sedate, it's your choice. If you like to hang out at cool back-water bars then there is plenty for you to explore here and I agree that it is a pretty well socially integrated city. As far as pro teams, yeah, we don't have any. We love our college teams. Cinci and Indy are just up the road if you need a pro fix.
I agree with everything that has been said so far. I think we'd need to know more about you to be able to make relevant suggestions, but from the information you've given, I think you could find your place in Louisville with no problems. I've lived in different areas of Louisville over the years, and there are pros and cons for each area. I personally love many things about Louisville, most of all is that it is unpretentious. People are real here- it is easy to establish genuine relationships with people without all the "I'm too cool" games. I love the huge parks system here, and the variety of local small businesses. I love that you can be in the heart of the city, and then travel to the country with just a short car ride!
Even though I live near the east end of Louisville now (suburbs), I still travel around the city to go to my favorite places. That's what's great about Louisville- it's a small enough city that you can explore all the areas pretty easily.
As far as the black population, I would agree with Joanie. There are certain areas that are mostly white, but it doesn't mean that minorities would not be welcome. The areas that I would think of right away would be the Highlands, Crescent Hill, St. Matthews, Oldham County- all predominantly white areas, but also very progressive, and very welcoming of all types of people.
The one HUGE plus for Louisville is the low traffic/ample parking. I can go downtown to the Waterfront Park and find parking pretty easily (and usually for free!) or find a meter or public parking lot if I drive out to Bardstown Road to have dinner or walk around. Compared to other cities, Louisville wins hands down.
I hope this helps!
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