ANOTHER advice on relocating to the area thread! Yay! (Louisville: real estate, apartment)

[Jp_26]

My fiance and I live in Gainesville, Florida and have hated it desperately for about five years now, so we're looking to relocate. I went to culinary school in Boston, made a bunch of friends, had a great time, and consider it my all-time favorite American city. My fiance was born and raised in Louisville and spends most of her evenings emphatically describing to me how great Bardstown Road, Thunder over Louisville, My Morning Jacket, and Bourbon Balls are (I agree wholeheartedly with at least the latter). We're at an impasse. I want to move to Boston, she wants to move to Louisville. We've done a lot of arguing. I've never been to Louisville, and I don't think I'd get the chance to visit before a move. I'm originally from Detroit and I've been to Indianapolis, Chicago, and Saint Louis, so I can make a ballpark assumption on how the city looks/operates to an extent, right? Is Louisville light years beyond those places as my fiance seems to think? Is the difference in CoL between Boston and Louisville enough to make a move to Louisville the more prudent choice? Are there any comparisons at all between the two cities?

A few words about ourselves:

1. I'm a disgruntled chef, and I'm casually taking college courses online until I can figure out what else to do with my life.
2. My fiance graduated with a degree in fine art a few years ago, couldn't find work, and is pursuing a second degree in secondary math education. I know! She's so multifaceted!
3. We have a 20-month old son toddling about, and he is the most important thing in the world to us. We don't plan on having any more kids.
4. We both have a mid-20's aging hipster thing going on, if that matters at all.

Thanks a million in advance for any kind of insight that might help uncloud our confounded heads.

[Informer]

Greetings,

I'm originally from Detroit and I've been to Indianapolis, Chicago, and Saint Louis, so I can make a ballpark assumption on how the city looks/operates to an extent, right? Bad assumption.

Out of above mentioned cities - which would you say you liked the best?

IMO I would never move to anywhere without first visiting to see for yourself.

You may ask me more specifics if you like about the City of Louisville. BTW I'm a transplant, been living here

for 4 years now.

[Crazee Cat Lady]

I think Louisville is one of the Great American Cities myself (but I may be biased - I was born and raised there for the most part) - it has received plenty of accolades in recent years for being a great city to live. It has fabulous parks,
Low cost of living, Great neighborhoods, lots of culture, a great art scene happening plus you are so centrally located
that you are with a days drive of like 70 percent of the US. I bet you guys would love the Highlands!



I hear Boston is a Great city also, I can not compare the two - I have never lived in Boston.
I have been to Detroit, Indy, Chicago and St. Louis, but not Boston.
Louisville is my favorite of the above mentioned cities that you named (but like I said I can't speak about Boston, I
just don't know)
Rent for awhile, instead of buying your home, if you don't like it within a couple of years or how ever long, then move
to Boston or where ever...It doesn't have to be a forever thing, you can always moved again (but I lay odds that you won't want to ~ but hey, everyone is different ~ it might not be your cup of tea.

[Jp_26]

Thanks for the replies! Informer, of the above listed cities, I'd say it's pretty hard to beat Chicago, since my personal affections side with the bigger cities. I like the attitude in Saint Louis, but the crime rate and state of the public schools cross it off the list. I love the grit and spirit of Detroit, but getting around without a car there is impossible (also, poor schools and crime). I didn't enjoy my time in Indy at all, but that may have had more to do with my company than the city itself.

[Informer]

Originally Posted by Jp_26

Thanks for the replies! Informer, of the above listed cities, I'd say it's pretty hard to beat Chicago, since my personal affections side with the bigger cities. I like the attitude in Saint Louis, but the crime rate and state of the public schools cross it off the list. I love the grit and spirit of Detroit, but getting around without a car there is impossible (also, poor schools and crime). I didn't enjoy my time in Indy at all, but that may have had more to do with my company than the city itself.

Greetings,

IMO Louisville is similar to Indianapolis, IN with Louisville lacking pro sports. I'd also say that Indianapolis might have the edge in job opportunities due to its larger size.

The commute to Louisville from Indianapolis would be around 2 hrs.

One thing you may want to consider is that Louisville has a 2.2% city income tax in addition to state income tax. This fact is not widely publicized.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Jp_26

Thanks for the replies! Informer, of the above listed cities, I'd say it's pretty hard to beat Chicago, since my personal affections side with the bigger cities. I like the attitude in Saint Louis, but the crime rate and state of the public schools cross it off the list. I love the grit and spirit of Detroit, but getting around without a car there is impossible (also, poor schools and crime). I didn't enjoy my time in Indy at all, but that may have had more to do with my company than the city itself.

Do Louisville. It is the up and comer out of all those. You guys fit the attitude, looks and culture of the Highlands to a T. Sure, it is substantially smaller than Boston and there will be, for lack of a better word, some "ignorant rednecks" that irk you (on occasion), but Louisville really has everything you need and you really can utilize the entire city, suburbs included. For the arts and culture, it beats the snot out of both Indy and Detroit. Indy to me is just so culturally bland and boring. If it means anything, my experience is alot of Indy's true hipsters, the non corporate true hipsters, have started to move into Louisville and open businesses. Just ask the folks at Please and Thank you, a hipster coffee shop in Nulu, why they moved from Indy.
Louisville IMO is much better than STL; Louisville still has the grit in some regards, yet it is much more cleaned up with less crime.

That said, Louisville cannot hold a candle culturally, from a density standpoint, or with regards to pro sports, transit, shopping, or lots of other facets with regards to Boston and Chicago. It is just so much smaller. On the contrary, Louisville is so much cheaper and easier to get around than those cities that with the money you save, you will be able to travel to them alot. And it is a heck of lot warmer and the arts and restaurant scene is much more accesible and just as good as say Boston, just on a MUCH smaller scale. Louisville has a "little Vietnam," little Mexico, and some other emerging ethnic enclaves, but you will miss the Little Italy and Chinatowns of the larger metros. Its always a give and take.

I can tell you there are lots of chefs in Louisville and such a great foodie culture that you can tap into.

Some websites to orient you:

New2Lou
Consuming Louisville* *
LouisvilleHotBytes.com
Home | Louisville's Alt-Weekly | LEO Weekly
Stats about all US cities - real estate, relocation info, crime, house prices, cost of living, races, home value estimator, recent sales, income, photos, schools, maps, weather, neighborhoods, and more
Broken Sidewalk - Covering Louisville Neighborhoods
Insider Louisville » Made You Look

[Crazee Cat Lady]

Is the difference in CoL between Boston and Louisville enough to make a move to Louisville the more prudent choice?

Gigantic Leaps and bounds different. You might be totally shocked to find out how cheaply you can buy
a gorgeous home.

Are you wanting to rent or buy? House, condo, Apartment or Townhome? Do you have pets?
Do you need to be near U of L or another school? Do you need to be on a busline, or walking distance
to anyplace in particular?

[jp1251]

Having grown up in Louisville my whole life and just moved to Chicago two years ago, I can tell you that CoL in the Ville is way cheaper. And it is much easier to get to anywhere in the city.

[Jp_26]

Thanks, everyone. It's great to get some outside insider opinion. When we move up there, I'm sure we'll spend half our rent budget checking out the food scene. What are can't miss spots? Dives? Haute cuisine? Holes in the wall?

[Msradell]

Just look around this website: Louisville Restaurants Forum • View forum - Louisville Restaurants Forum and you will be able to quickly get an idea about the dining scene. Everyone on the forums is very well informed and there are many reviews available online. It's certainly a great place to start investigating the restaurants available in Louisville.