Moving to Louisville from Argentina next year (Lexington, Valley Station: crimes, affordable house)

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by censusdata

If Eric wants affordable but urban I'd definitely steer him from the Churchill Downs area over the east of U of L area. Only a few miles away and still affordable but a much better area with a lot of near future upside. The Highlands is pricing out people and they are moving down Eastern Pky. I see no positive momentum for the Churchill Downs area other than U of L building new student housing. I hope Taylor Blvd improves now that the public slums are gone. I've heard that was a nice middle class area before they were built. What a terrible idea to herd thousands of your poorest citizens into a dense public apartment complex. Worst urban planning mistake this nation ever made. Public housing should have been thinly spread out over a wide area. I live next to a small public housing complex in Lyndon and I can't recall one problem ever. Those mega complexes have destroyed entire parts of cities. end /rant

Census, have you noticed more African and other immigrant shops near Taylor? I think that area can improve to not a "nice" area but at least as a decent lower middle class area, especially for immigrants.

[EricOldTime]

I'm happy to report!
My wife and I HAVE found one argentine living in Louisville. His name is "Edgardo Mansilla" and he's a professor I believe at the University Of Louisville. He was widowed in argentina, left with a few kids and came to Louisville in 1990. Ironically, and get this: He is friends with and connected to my wifes great Uncle in Buenos Aires, as her uncle is the pastors of the Church there where this man used to attend. Small world....

He runs an organization that helps refugess and immigrants coming to Louisville get on their feet, assimilate and leanr lang and job skills:

Our Staff - Americana Community Center | Americana Community Center

Kentucky: Kentucky Commission on Human Rights - Hall of Fame 2012

Maybe some of ya'll have heard about him or read about him in the area? He's fairly well known and connected it seems. I'll be reaching out to him via Facebook and LinkedIN and I've already reached out to a few other Louisville professionals that are latinos to connect and get some valuable information. This will help my wife to get an outsiders and latinos perspective on living in Kentucky and Louisville.

So my wife is happy, at least she now knows she's not going to be the ONLY one LOL! Bless her heart!

[Crazee Cat Lady]

That is great Eric!

[Crazee Cat Lady]

My Mom's home is off Southern Parkway, and it is nice, but she became ill in 2010, and I went to help her for a couple weeks, my son called me, and told me not to go out for my daily walks like I usually take, because he was looking online, and even though her little spot was okay(that part of Southern Parkway), the area all around it was filled with reported crime, sex offenders, etc. (I had really already sort of picked up on this, so I wasn't planning on daily walks anyway - I have tried to get her to move, but she grew up in that part of town, and she just refuses.)

[EricOldTime]

Originally Posted by Crazee Cat Lady

My Mom's home is off Southern Parkway, and it is nice, but she became ill in 2010, and I went to help her for a couple weeks, my son called me, and told me not to go out for my daily walks like I usually take, because he was looking online, and even though her little spot was okay(that part of Southern Parkway), the area all around it was filled with reported crime, sex offenders, etc. (I had really already sort of picked up on this, so I wasn't planning on daily walks anyway - I have tried to get her to move, but she grew up in that part of town, and she just refuses.)

So your saying its not really that safe of an area? If so, thats good to know..

[Crazee Cat Lady]

Well, I think parts of it are safe, but it is kind of surrounded by some unsafe areas.

[EricOldTime]

Originally Posted by Crazee Cat Lady

Well, I think parts of it are safe, but it is kind of surrounded by some unsafe areas.

Ok...how safe is unsafe? can you guys expound a bit? I mean where I live now is THE most unsafest place ever in my life ( Argentina ) I'm more used to "Mayberry" safe to be honest.

I don't care about mean folks yanking stuff out of my yard left un attended, I'm more concerned about burglaries and muggings type unsafe.

[censusdata]

Typically unsafe in Louisville means someone else got robbed, murdered, or had something stolen. Most people I know have never been victims of a random violent crime themselves. Overall crime in Louisville is stable to declining. But that doesn't mean there aren't neighborhoods the average person wouldn't want to buy a house in since you could potentially loose money when reselling.

I have lived in Jefferson Co on and off for 13 years (2002 to early 2003, 2004 to 2008, Late 2012 to now) and the only place I've dealt with even property crime is in Old Louisville, were it was a big problem. (2 bikes stolen, one was inside the house, another was chained but they used a chain cutter. Car windows broke twice, left car door unlocked and someone tried to steal my cd faceplate). But anywhere else I've lived or visited I haven't had a single problem

[EricOldTime]

Originally Posted by censusdata

Typically unsafe in Louisville means someone else got robbed, murdered, or had something stolen. Most people I know have never been victims of a random violent crime themselves. Overall crime in Louisville is stable to declining. But that doesn't mean there aren't neighborhoods the average person wouldn't want to buy a house in since you could potentially loose money when reselling.

I have lived in Jefferson Co on and off for 13 years (2002 to early 2003, 2004 to 2008, Late 2012 to now) and the only place I've dealt with even property crime is in Old Louisville, were it was a big problem. (2 bikes stolen, one was inside the house, another was chained but they used a chain cutter. Car windows broke twice, left car door unlocked and someone tried to steal my cd faceplate). But anywhere else I've lived or visited I haven't had a single problem

Thanks, that seems to be what I've been picking up.

Almost everyone we know here in Argentrina has had multiple experiences, many violent, some very violent, LOT'S and LOT's of theft....this place is bad and is one of the reasons why were heading home!

On the economic front, even so lot's of folks are telling me that if my wife and I want "more bang for the buck" we're going to have to cross the river or stay on the fringes of Jeff county further out from Louisville that housing and rent in the city is really just not that cheap compared to local wages. At least that's what the consensus seems to be.

[censusdata]

Re Crime... part of the problem was the street I lived on in Old Louisville (Hill St) which had a lot of foot traffic. Had I been .02 mile away and able to park on a quieter street I might have not had any problems. Car break ins are the main problem with urban neighborhoods, even high income ones.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you, trying to find an affordable house. The problem is it's always cheap for a reason lol. If the house and area were perfect it would be more than I want to pay. Part of it is that most of the houses you've asked about are in a certain area (Southern Pky) that is more hit or miss and close to not so great areas. Buying is different than renting, you have a financial stake in whether the area improves or declines. I wouldn't recommend dicey areas to anyone on this forum to buy in unless they specifically say they are urban homesteaders.

Another issue is home prices in the older areas east of I-65 have went through the roof, most have doubled or triple in value in the past decade. Germantown would have been a good option but the only affordable area now are mostly college students.

The best areas that are affordable (from west to east into IN) are: Valley Station, Auburndale, Brooks / Hillview, or in the cities of Shelbyville or LaGrange. Now and then a cheap house pops up in the East End. In Indiana eastern parts of Jeffersonville, northern parts of Clarksville or New Albany are good.