Thinking About Moving to Louisville, KY/Wondering What Louisville, KY has to offer (Bardstown: low income, best cities)

[Startrekfan]

I have lived in a small town all my life, and I have relocated to another small town. I am thinking about moving to Louisville, KY. The only thing that goes through my mind is, what does Louisville, KY have to offer? One of the places I have lived, and grew up being Gay was treated like it was a crime. The city sought out a way, to push out all those who were Gay because they were unwanted. I am just hoping Louisville, KY will be more accepting of those who are Gay.

My main problem will be is finding services for a Gay man who is on a very low income, and is use to an apartment that is not just a one room apartment. Which is just one room, and a bathroom. Since, I am a Gay man that is a large man, soon hoping to be smaller. I want to be able to go to a place, where I can meet other Gay men who don't mind how big I am, but what is on the inside my personality. I have had little experience with bars, so don't really know the proper behavior in a bar (geez I sound like a dork). All I do know is, you don't do anything to cause a scene. I have to be sure on what I am doing, because I have no place to go if this does not work out. I just want to make some descent friends, so that not always will my nights and weekends will not be so empty and lonely. I do not drive, so that is another thing I have to keep in mind. If anybody, can offer some suggestions to help me it would be very much appreciated.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Startrekfan

I have lived in a small town all my life, and I have relocated to another small town. I am thinking about moving to Louisville, KY. The only thing that goes through my mind is, what does Louisville, KY have to offer? One of the places I have lived, and grew up being Gay was treated like it was a crime. The city sought out a way, to push out all those who were Gay because they were unwanted. I am just hoping Louisville, KY will be more accepting of those who are Gay.

My main problem will be is finding services for a Gay man who is on a very low income, and is use to an apartment that is not just a one room apartment. Which is just one room, and a bathroom. Since, I am a Gay man that is a large man, soon hoping to be smaller. I want to be able to go to a place, where I can meet other Gay men who don't mind how big I am, but what is on the inside my personality. I have had little experience with bars, so don't really know the proper behavior in a bar (geez I sound like a dork). All I do know is, you don't do anything to cause a scene. I have to be sure on what I am doing, because I have no place to go if this does not work out. I just want to make some descent friends, so that not always will my nights and weekends will not be so empty and lonely. I do not drive, so that is another thing I have to keep in mind. If anybody, can offer some suggestions to help me it would be very much appreciated.

Louisville is one of the best cities in the SE for gay men. The city is even building a gay hotel and resort called "Vu" Louisville is a medium large city . enjoy

[JamesConrad]

Keep driving south to Key West. You won't be readily accepted in Louisville if you are obviously gay.

[UofLCardFan08]

I would suggest the Highlands area (Bardstown Road) if you're gay. They're one of the more 'gay friendly' parts of the city, and you can see this by the Gay Pride flags that are sometimes flown there.

[mjlo]

As a gay man from a major market who's spent a lot of time in Louisville it's gay scene was surprising. If you truly are thinking about living there, and not just looking to stir up an opinion fest, Louisville is a fine transition from a small town. It's got a growing gay population and the scene is ahead of the cities size, and it's only getting better. After all the largest gay bar in the country is downtown. People who would degrade it are A. perpetually negative and refuse to look at things objectively, or B. have never actually experienced L'ville for themselves. There are opinionated posters on the forum who suffer from both forms of this kind of ignorance in droves on C-D.

[qwertyasdf]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

Louisville is one of the best cities in the SE for gay men. The city is even building a gay hotel and resort called "Vu" Louisville is a medium large city . enjoy

A hotel for gay men? The very sound of it sounds exclusive and discriminatory. Is the city of Louisvillle paying for that hotel for gay men with taxpayer dollars? If so, are the majority of taxpayers cool with using tax dollars to pay for a hotel for gay men? If so, Louisville must be a pretty liberal place, in a San Francisco style of liberalism, because that is so over the top that it sounds like something that would happen only in San Francisco.

Most taxpayers in the Midwest and South would be outraged to the point of having a near breakdown if they found out their tax dollars were being used to pay for a hotel for gay men.

I never heard of such a thing, a city paying for a hotel for gay men. I know it would never happen in Indianapolis.

[mjlo]

I don't think the city is paying for an exclusive place for gay men, I think someone in the private sector is building something to cater to a specific market for which i'm sure anyone is welcome to use if they so choose. Relax and take your blood pressure medication.

[qwertyasdf]

Originally Posted by mjlo

I don't think the city is paying for an exclusive place for gay men, I think someone in the private sector is building something to cater to a specific market for which i'm sure anyone is welcome to use if they so choose. Relax and take your blood pressure medication.

I was responding to what Peter1948 posted. He said the city is building a gay hotel and resort. If the city is building a gay hotel and resort, common sense tells me the taxpayers will pay for it. A taxpayer sponsored gay hotel along with a resort sounds so controversial that the vast majority of taxpayers won't go along with it.

Peter1948, can you please cite your source about the city paying for a gay hotel and resort? Thanks.

On a more personal note, mjlo. I'm just as relaxed as I can be and I've never been on any kind of blood pressure medication, not now, not ever in my life. But thanks loads for your concern, I was so touched and overcome with emotion that I was nearly moved to tears.

[mjlo]

It's was proposed by a businessman named George Stinson. Not sure what stage it's actually in.

The link from the Louisville Insider First-in: Louisville businessman George Stinson focusing on Broadway area, next big move in 30 years of downtown investments - Insider Louisville

So no, the city of Louisville has no involvement on financing a gay themed anything. Or anything else that is under the domain of private developers. You may now unbunch your panties.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by qwertyasdf

I was responding to what Peter1948 posted. He said the city is building a gay hotel and resort. If the city is building a gay hotel and resort, common sense tells me the taxpayers will pay for it. A taxpayer sponsored gay hotel along with a resort sounds so controversial that the vast majority of taxpayers won't go along with it.

Peter1948, can you please cite your source about the city paying for a gay hotel and resort? Thanks.

On a more personal note, mjlo. I'm just as relaxed as I can be and I've never been on any kind of blood pressure medication, not now, not ever in my life. But thanks loads for your concern, I was so touched and overcome with emotion that I was nearly moved to tears.

The city of Louisville is "building it", as in it will be a city amenity. The hotel is targeted towards gay men, but of course anyone can (and should) stay there. A private developer, a gay man named George Stinson who owns arguable the top gay club in the Midwest outside Chicago (Connection), is opening the complex and will have no help from the city.

It should open sometime in 2015. The main building is almost complete. It is in an interesting area, sort of like the near northeast side of Indy which is a slowly gentrifying area just like the Shelby Park/Smoketown area of Louisville.

'Think 21C, but bigger': George Stinson aims for national gay tourist destination in Vu Hotel, entertainment compound | Insider Louisville

NYC's 'The Out' hotel opens; Louisville plans their own gay hotel | Gadling.com


Louisville is a VERY VERY progressive city. I keep telling people this however no one believes it until they literally live there inside the 264 beltway. Even people who visit may stay in some of the outer areas for a weekend, see a few "rednecks," eat at Olive Garden, and think "this is about what I expected out of KY." Liberal? Not compared to San Fran or really anywhere in the east coast, but compared to peer cities such as Indianapolis? Well, then it is very liberal.

The reason Louisville hasn't experienced a major boom is too complex to go into here. However, much of it has to do with corrupt leadership historically both at the state and local level, a very inbred local power structure, and the historic inability to attract and retain highly educated human capital, thus the lack of rapid white collar job growth that you see in southern boomtowns.

However, this is all beginning to change. Louisville's soul, compact cityscape which is fairly well preserved in parts, cheap real estate, and being fairly liberal in a sea of conservatism from an hour south of Chicago all the way to north TN , West to STL , and east to WV. All Louisville needs is some help from the state of KY that will encourage the infrastructure to build the amenities that will attract more human capital and thus, job growth. I believe it is already starting to happen. For this reason I truly believe Louisville is the largest sleeping "giant" currently in the southeast. If the city plays its cards right, people will be talking about Louisville in 2050 like they talk about Atlanta today. But only time will tell what path the city chooses.