Louisville- bad areas? (Frankfort, Valley Station, Elizabethtown: apartment complexes, rental, condos)

[The Dissenter]

BRAC is sending my family to Ft. Knox next year. I am deciding whether to move with them. I gotta to stay in the city (personal thing). I searched apts in louisville and almost had a heart attack when i saw some of the prices (i live in DC). $400 a month cant be in an area that is safe or can it? What are areas of louisville i should stay away from? How long a drive is it from nashville (another city i'm thinking about) and ft. knox?

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

BRAC is sending my family to Ft. Knox next year. I am deciding whether to move with them. I gotta to stay in the city (personal thing). I searched apts in louisville and almost had a heart attack when i saw some of the prices (i live in DC). $400 a month cant be in an area that is safe or can it? What are areas of louisville i should stay away from? How long a drive is it from nashville (another city i'm thinking about) and ft. knox?

400 is probably a bit too low for a one bedroom. It is probably in need of repair or in a bad neighborhood. I would stay away from online apartment searches, as they tend to lead you to boring apartment complexes in suburban areas. As compared to DC, almost all of Louisville is safe. The general rule is that the west side of Louisville is where most the crime occurs. As a general rule, stay away from areas west of 9th street and north of algonquin parkway.

I would search local classifieds for apartments or condos for rent in the following zips: 40202, 40208, 40204, 40205, 40206, and 40207. A nice one bedroom in these areas will usually run between 550 and 900 on the high end (we are talking about a pretty luxurious condo type rental for 900). There are very few one bedroom apartments anywhere in the city for above 1200. However, a very high end two bedroom will rent for 1000 plus. Louisville is one of the mst affordable cities in the nation. Another method of finding a cool place in Louisville is simply exporing neighborhoods and calling for rent signs that people place in yards. It gets you a feel for prices and what it gets you in neighborhood A versus neighborhood B. Anywho, those zips I listed are the cooler areas and generally include downtown, the area just south of downtown (near UofL's campus) and several neighborhoods east of downtown. 40205 will provide you with the KY version of DC's Georgetown. That is probably a bit of a stretch, but 40204 and 40205 zips are very bohemian. Look for areas around Bardstown Rd and Frankfort Ave.

The drive from downtown Louisville to Ft. Knox is very easy, about 45 minutes. Louisville has several commuter suburbs within 15 minutes of Ft Knox as well. Nashville is very far from Ft Knox, probably around 2 and a half hours.

[traysea]

I go there on business to see a few of my clients and love the restaurants and old houses on Frankfort...
Good luck with your search.
T

[The Dissenter]

wow you've told me a lot stx12499. it seems like louisville will be a cheap getaway from dc. i would go back to my hometown (Hampton, VA) but sadly it has gotten expensive like dc. i don't need a fun complex jus a safe one.

[kimmieyky]

Nashville to Ft. Knox is about 3 hours. Not a very good commute. You cannot directly access I-65 from Knox, but must drive through radcliff to Hwy 313 to hit the interstate. Can be a 2 hour drive if no construction and traffic.

You say city - but must it be Louisville? Search out Elizabethtown - which is about 10 miles away, and has most of what Louisville has to offer, but without the drive time and extra traffic.

If you stick with Louisville, directly north on 31W will head you to the southend of Louisville. Many new developments going up there, but traffic is heavy. Drive time from Knox to the Highlands, Clifton, Franfort Ave area will be close to an hour and 30 minutes or so.

If you can tell me exactly what you are looking for in city life, I can help a little more. Also, check with Ft.Knox. I know for a fact they have relocation services available to military and civilian workers, and they can absolutely put you in touch with the best info.

Let me know what your criteria is - and I will search out some sites for you to consider.

KimmieyKY

[The Dissenter]

good transit system, diversity, close to good jobs. yes i would prefer a good sized city (50,000+) i could never get used to anything smaller.

[kimmieyky]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

good transit system, diversity, close to good jobs. yes i would prefer a good sized city (50,000+) i could never get used to anything smaller.

Just found this reply this morning! Sorry! Sounds as though Louisville would be the right place for you. Hope by now you are well into your search. Sorry it took me so long to respond!

Welcome, by the way!!
Kimmiey

[JefferyT]

I dont think there is any transit from Knox to Louisville.

Best bet for commuting is taking 31W (Dixie Hwy) to the Gene Synder, and then to I-65 into the city.

Or you could take Dixie, but it is stop and go traffic on a commercial strip.

If you want to live in suburbia there is a lot of nice suburban areas in Valley Station, the parts east of Dixie, or up toward Iroquois Park.

You can get suburbia in Radcliffe and Vine Grove, but that is too much of a "post town" environment. I know a lot of Knox people prefer to live in the suburban areas off of Dixie, and commute to Knox.

The closest nicer in-town area for you would be the Kenwood/Beechmont areas, around Iroquois Park, Third Street and Southern Parkway, up to the Watterson Expy. There are some nice old neighborhoods there, tree lined streets, older homes, as well as things built in the 50s & 60s, and a nice big park...Iroqouis Park. Its an interesting area as it is getting more culturaly diverse due to asians have been moving in.

After that I would look in Old Louisville, between UofL and downtown.

I am thinking the "hip" east end areas around Frankfort Avenue and Bardstown Road might be a bit of a hassle for a commute.

[kimmieyky]

Originally Posted by JefferyT

I dont think there is any transit from Knox to Louisville.

Best bet for commuting is taking 31W (Dixie Hwy) to the Gene Synder, and then to I-65 into the city.

Or you could take Dixie, but it is stop and go traffic on a commercial strip.

If you want to live in suburbia there is a lot of nice suburban areas in Valley Station, the parts east of Dixie, or up toward Iroquois Park.

You can get suburbia in Radcliffe and Vine Grove, but that is too much of a "post town" environment. I know a lot of Knox people prefer to live in the suburban areas off of Dixie, and commute to Knox.

The closest nicer in-town area for you would be the Kenwood/Beechmont areas, around Iroquois Park, Third Street and Southern Parkway, up to the Watterson Expy. There are some nice old neighborhoods there, tree lined streets, older homes, as well as things built in the 50s & 60s, and a nice big park...Iroqouis Park. Its an interesting area as it is getting more culturaly diverse due to asians have been moving in.

After that I would look in Old Louisville, between UofL and downtown.

I am thinking the "hip" east end areas around Frankfort Avenue and Bardstown Road might be a bit of a hassle for a commute.

Totally agree. And the area around Iroquois Park is fantastic. I don't know why I always forget about that area. The trees and homes and convenience are great.

And you are right about transit. There might be a tarc busline going that way 2x a day - I know there is an Oldham county express and a Bullitt county express - Not sure about the Fort Knox area.

[highliner]

Sorry Charlie, oops, I mean ALANBOY395, but there's no city bus service to the fort from Louisville. And, while TARC is pretty good for a southern transit system, be prepared for the shock that it will be, compared to the intensive transit system of DC. Still, its a fairly good system, and Radcliffe is not too far a drive from PRP or Valley Station.