Has Louisville changed? (Crittenden, Lynch: fences, airports, safety)

[wmac62]

I regretably transferred here in 2004. I will concede it is getting better but still a far cry from Nashville. I think the new arena will surely help, howver it still has a long way to go. I think it is caught somewhere between a Northern City and Southern City. I wish they would clean the place up, again better but not finished

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by oldhousejunkie

Guess, I stepped into that one. But I hate cars, so if I can't walk to where I want to go, I don't bother. We walked up Main Street (or maybe it was Broadway), and nothing was open...that is what few shops were there. We ate in a basement pizza parlor and were discouraged from exploring further because we got the feeling there wasn't anything to explore. I think that was the problem.

My hotel was right by the outdoor pavillion. I got to stand on the catwalk and watch Vertical Horizon perform. That was the highlight of the trip.

My friend who was attending the conference sprung her car and we drove around a bit. I remember visiting one of the historic neighborhoods, but then we drove to Cincinnati because we were bored.

This same friend is the one urging me to take a second look. She swears that the place has changed.

I am concerned by two things: one, that there is a small town feel. I generally am afraid of larger cities with a small town feel. It's an indication of small town=small minds. Add in the comments regarding the city leaders being stuck in the 1950s...yeah, that doesn't bode well.

Additionally, I couldn't find any housing on Craig's List that piqued my interest. There were very few apartments in either historic homes or buildings. Is there somewhere else I should check for listings?

I'll check out some of the links, but the only positive thing I've heard thus far...My Morning Jacket is from Louisville. Love that band!

You are wanting to think of Louisville as a small, depressed, run down old river town, but it is far from it. I don't need to convince you. Actually explore the city this time. The city has changed alot in 6 years, but more than anything, you had no idea where you were going because you can't even name street names. You wanted to Louisville to be a small, depressed town, so that is all you found.

Search my posts for ideas. This time, search for a progressive, artsy, well cultured and sophisticated mid sized city with cheap living, easy traffic where you can utilize the entire metro (this includes Indiana), and very friendly people. Lousiville is waaay more liberal and open minded than Cincinnati and has just as much history, only on a slightly smaller scale. Cincinnati has a historic housing stock to drool over, but then again, so does Louisville, albeit with much different architecture in parts. There are tons of historic rentals inside I-264 all over.

[joanie55]

How anyone perceives Louisville or any other city for that matter is a matter of perspective and that encompasses a person's experience - where they are from, where they have lived, etc. I would NEVER consider Louisville sophisticated, but that is because I have lived in cities far MORE sophisticated. Take offense if you want, I just consider it a fact. Most people who live here are from here or other parts of Kentucky, or from states like Iowa, Indiana, Tenn. etc. In other words midwestern or southern states, which some DO contain cities of sophistication, but in general, not too much. And I say this as a midwesterner by the way, born and raised in St. Louis, not LA or NYC. The major problem with people in Louisville is that they really DO NOT like outsiders, as one poster said, "People in Louisville are very friendly.....if you are willing to be one of us." Well, that is not exactly being very open to outsiders now is it? Not exactly embracing the cultures, attitudes or individuals from other parts of the country or the world. Just my opinion

[sweetpickle]

Joanie55 - very good points. I've only been in Louisville for 5 years but my family and I are leaving for a number of different reasons but mainly because the area is too conservative as a whole and doesn't support our approach to life. The cultural and recreational options for a more modern, progressive family who values education and a good-life ambiance are limited. This is also a reflection of the limitations of the surrounding areas.

[joanie55]

Originally Posted by sweetpickle

Joanie55 - very good points. I've only been in Louisville for 5 years but my family and I are leaving for a number of different reasons but mainly because the area is too conservative as a whole and doesn't support our approach to life. The cultural and recreational options for a more modern, progressive family who values education and a good-life ambiance are limited. This is also a reflection of the limitations of the surrounding areas.

I hear you loud and clear! Just wondering where you are thinking of going? I'm going back to Florida but with alot of trepidation - due to the REALLY awful economy there and the few and low-paying jobs. Besides loving the weather and the tropical landscape, I like the melting pot environment and the live and let live attitude of people there. Good luck to you!

[sweetpickle]

Joanie55 - after much research and exploratory trips we've finally decided on Portland, Oregon. For us, I believe it will be a fantastic fit! We like the different seasons but enjoy more temperate summers and winters but would like the opportunity to ski in the winter as well. We love the multitude of options both urban and outdoorsy in the Portland area as well as short road trip surrounding areas. The coast as well as mt hood is available to explore. For a larger city Seattle is close and for longer 4 day weekends San Francisco and beautiful bay is available! We can't wait! Good luck to you!

[joanie55]

Originally Posted by sweetpickle

Joanie55 - after much research and exploratory trips we've finally decided on Portland, Oregon. For us, I believe it will be a fantastic fit! We like the different seasons but enjoy more temperate summers and winters but would like the opportunity to ski in the winter as well. We love the multitude of options both urban and outdoorsy in the Portland area as well as short road trip surrounding areas. The coast as well as mt hood is available to explore. For a larger city Seattle is close and for longer 4 day weekends San Francisco and beautiful bay is available! We can't wait! Good luck to you!

Sounds great! I have never been to Portland but it was always a place I WANTED to go to, but never got there. Seattle is great, loved it. Sounds like you have made a great choice - ENJOY!

[GraniteStater]

I completely agree with some of the other posters. Louisville feels like an overgrown city with an unbelievably small town kind of vibe and atmosphere. Downtown is definitely making some strides with regard to vibrancy. The Highlands is an awesome area. Many locals have lived here for many generations so community and neighborhood involvement are much above average compared to more transient cities.
The biggest hurdle this metro has to overcome is that of education. I don't even know where to begin with regard to this one, but I have never seen so many undereducated and uneducated people in my life for being a good sized "city." Other issues the metro faces are actually common systemic problems endemic to more rural areas of the country as well.

[joanie55]

could not agree more!

[Visvaldis]

I agree with Graniteslater about the education.
One poster put it well about the big city with a small town feel usually means small minds. That's quite applicable.
One thing Louisville could certainly use in many areas is a cosmetic makeover. Fix up some of the dumpy spots on city streets! Clean up. Plant trees. Install fences in front of large eyesores, such as Kentucky Kingdom on Crittenden Drive - it looks like an abandoned industrial site. Many streets would look much better (and be safer) with sidewalks for pedestrians.