Relocation from Irvine to Louisville (Shelbyville, Hurstbourne: rental, insurance, condos)

[OC Gal]

I am a single woman (43) planning on moving from Irvine, California to Louisville in December. I am not sure what part of Louisville would be safest for a single woman to live. Also, what job sites are best for seeking employment in that area. How is your traffic for commuters?

Thanks so much for your assistance

[gemstone1]

Bring your coat....Dec and Jan are cold with some snow!
The East side of town is where all the growth is, and is generally considered "the" place to live. As for work, depends on what you do...lots of retail, some Office work in the East End as it's called...major office work downtown. Commute time is nothing compared to what you are used to.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

Bring your coat....Dec and Jan are cold with some snow!
The East side of town is where all the growth is, and is generally considered "the" place to live. As for work, depends on what you do...lots of retail, some Office work in the East End as it's called...major office work downtown. Commute time is nothing compared to what you are used to.

All the growth on the east side? I am not so sure about that. There is over 2 billion under construction or planned just in the Central Business District alone downtown. This includes a 62 story avant garde skyscraper, a new state of the art arena, and much much more, including thousands of high end condo units. Also, in town neighborhoods are doing very well with rehabs and even some new infill. Just because there isn't room for new subdivisions going up does not mean there is not tremendous growth downtown and surrounding historic areas like the Highlands, Old Louisville, Clifton, Crescent Hill, and St Matthews. If you like the amenities of a larger city without the hassle, try those areas.

If you want the same suburbia you can find anywhere in America, consider the east end of Louisville. It looks no different than any large suburb in California, the difference is there is less of it. Instead of 20 Olive Gardens within 300 square miles, there are 2. There is lots of traffic in the east end, especially on rush hour on Hurstbourne and Shelbyville Roads. In many ways, these roads are a microcosm of the vast, autocentric nation we live in and California is the creme de la creme of that mentality. The "East End" is a very generic term that locals use for an extremely vast swath of land that coveres hundreds of square miles, roughly the E and NE portions of Jefferson County and even Oldham County, which many will call the "Far East End." Louisville is a nice city, but can be a bit colloquial and stubborn, and even somewhat resistant to change sometimes. The city can seem "clicky" at times for a decent size metro area. At 1.3 million, Louisville is really not too much smaller than Sacramento. That said, it is a very nice city, with four equal seasons, with possibly longer Spring and Fall. People are super friendly, it is dirty cheap, and commute times are almost always under 30 minutes, even from the furthest suburbs to downtown. Traffic is light, but when you have such a compact city, why live in suburbia? Try one of the city's great urban areas, which are replete with a sursprising amount of culture-unique restaurants, antiques, boutiques, locally owned bookstores, coffee shops, and even upscale or ethnic eats. It has a nice small town/big city mix.

[OC Gal]

Thank you for your responses. I do like the idea of living in the downtown area, and saw an ad on Craigslist for a rental in The Henry Clay building, which looked wonderful! I like the modern, updated condos.

I have worked in the title insurance business for 20 years and would like to stay in that industry. I know there are title companies in Louisville and will look into those businesses prior to moving. Just wasn't sure if there was an on-line classified that Louisville businesses tended to advertise in, such as a local paper, etc.

I know this will be a culture shock for me, but I am welcoming the change and look forward to being in a city with such friendly people

[missymomof3]

Don't knock SW Jefferson county either. It is more "working class" but you can get more bang for your buck . You can also still get some land in some parts and the commute is still just fine. There are planty of nice new neighborhoods in this area too. Research 40258, 40272 and parts of 40216 and 40214.