Which Side of the Border? (Louisville, Greenville: for sale, real estate, apartment)

[cobolt]

I've been lurking on this forum quite a while. I am somewhat familiar w/ the L-ville area, having visited friends there a few summers ago. I fell in love w/ the area, but was offered a decent paying position in the Seattle/Tacoma area, where I currently am. However, I am pretty tired of the congestion, high cost of living and the grind here. I'm ready to set down some roots (buy a house) and I just can't justify it here. I grew up in Illinois so I am familiar w/ the weather patterns and all that. In fact, I have been itching to get back to that area of the country, so it was just a matter of time. I will be taking an exploratory trip in the fall to L-ville and surrounding areas to plan for my relocation. Of course, I would like to have a job set up as well instead of moving in the blind.

So here is the question: from an economic standpoint (by that I mean cost-effective, cost of living) does one live on the KY side or the IN side? I assume of course that all the social and cultural stuff happens in L-ville so we need not discuss that. Also is one better off shopping for the essentials (food etc ) on the KY side or the IN side?

Thanks
Cobolt

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by cobolt

I've been lurking on this forum quite a while. I am somewhat familiar w/ the L-ville area, having visited friends there a few summers ago. I fell in love w/ the area, but was offered a decent paying position in the Seattle/Tacoma area, where I currently am. However, I am pretty tired of the congestion, high cost of living and the grind here. I'm ready to set down some roots (buy a house) and I just can't justify it here. I grew up in Illinois so I am familiar w/ the weather patterns and all that. In fact, I have been itching to get back to that area of the country, so it was just a matter of time. I will be taking an exploratory trip in the fall to L-ville and surrounding areas to plan for my relocation. Of course, I would like to have a job set up as well instead of moving in the blind.

So here is the question: from an economic standpoint (by that I mean cost-effective, cost of living) does one live on the KY side or the IN side? I assume of course that all the social and cultural stuff happens in L-ville so we need not discuss that. Also is one better off shopping for the essentials (food etc ) on the KY side or the IN side?

Thanks
Cobolt

Indiana suburbs have more of their own, distinct small town feel. Of course they are just as much a part of Louisville metro as someone living in the KY suburbs. In general, the IN side is much cheaper, and you can get a newer, cheaper house with more land closer to downtown. The bridge traffic into the city is not too horrible except at rush hour on I-65. It can get a little hairy, but nothing like Seattle.

That said, perhaps the hidden gem of the entire metro is Floyds Knobs, IN. It is beautiful, scenic country only 15 minutes from the cultural attractions of a mid major city. Look at the US 150 corridor off I-64 in Floyd County, IN, which has various degree of low density sprawl to Greenville, IN. Nearby in Clarksville, which is 10 minutes, you have all your major chain shopping and big box stores (Target, Best Buy, Walmart, Old Navy, small mall)...unless you are into higher end places. The bridge on I-64 from New Albany is rarely if ever congested, and the rush coming in from the west is almost never congested. Its a good location if you will work downtown. A fast growing area little known to many people in Louisville is the Charlestown Road corridor north of I-265 in Indiana. This area is seeing massive growth and basic shopping and retail amenities along with a multiplex theatre. It is very family oriented, and very distinctively Midwestern compared to Louisville's south suburban areas. If you give me your price range, I can give you some subdivion names that struck me as nice when I have toured the area.

Many Lousivillians do not consider Indiana a part of Louisville, and few cross the bridge for any reason unless they have a job in Clark County (pretty low incidence). Of course there are the border jokes, and ironically people in S. Indiana are bigger UofL fans than IU fans it seems.

I of course promote Lousiville's urban areas, and I invite you to at least examine some of them with an open mind. You may find an area you like. If not, there is always the suburbs, and yes, the Indiana side is cheaper and less congested.

[hollyo44]

Hello. Stx; Thanks for your very useful insights-I, too, am trolling for information as my husband applies for a job in Louisville. We are currently in St. Paul, MN, but have lived in Atlanta (4 years) and North Carolina (for two), so moving further south sounds great. We are from this area but it seems colder, unfriendlier and more costly than we remember! Mainly, affordable real estate and good schools are on our list, and we would like to avoid the new subdivisions if possible. I will take your useful posting on the more urban neighborhoods and start the online research. Thank you for the info on the cross-border question. I was wondering about that option and you answered my question.

[lovintexas]

From what I've heard, Minnesota Nice is a myth. Try Minnesota Ice.

Kentucky is less friendly than the South, but much friendlier than the north. Kentucky is a clearly midwestern state with transition points into the South. So, you won't experience a complete culture shock moving from St. Paul, but the weather and culture will still be quite different (warmer and more laid-back, respectively.) But it is still nothing like NC or GA, either.

Kentucky is basically it's own entity. And to answer your question, I'd live on the Kentucky side before the Indiana side. The cost of living really isn't that much more expensive in KY, and you're much closer to the "big city" shopping, arts, culture, and entertainment options this state offers.

[LauraBrueggman2]

my brother lives on the Indiana side and we live in Breckinridge county kentucky and it is much better here in every way. We have lower taxes and property prices and I think the schools are very good. Just type in "acreage and farms for sale in Kentucky" and you will get a lot of sites showing you just how economical it is to live here. People are nice too.

[Off Topic]

If you guys have lived in bigger cities like Seattle, St. Paul and Atlanta, I think you both will be happier on the Kentucky side of the river. Just my opinion.

Styx is right that few of us ever cross the bridge into Indiana unless we have good reason. Maybe to go to Caesar's, but frankly, I like Churchill Downs better.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by hollyo44

Hello. Stx; Thanks for your very useful insights-I, too, am trolling for information as my husband applies for a job in Louisville. We are currently in St. Paul, MN, but have lived in Atlanta (4 years) and North Carolina (for two), so moving further south sounds great. We are from this area but it seems colder, unfriendlier and more costly than we remember! Mainly, affordable real estate and good schools are on our list, and we would like to avoid the new subdivisions if possible. I will take your useful posting on the more urban neighborhoods and start the online research. Thank you for the info on the cross-border question. I was wondering about that option and you answered my question.

Holly, simply search my posts where I have described urban areas like the Highlands, Crsecent Hill, Clifton, downtown, and Old Louisville. If you are coming from bigger cities, these areas may be more to your liking. However, there are some real bargain buys in Indiana, even historic old homes in parts of New Albany and Jeffersonville that are only 10 minutes from downtown Louisville.

[cobolt]

stx,

I have lived in big cities (Seattle, I'm originally from Chicago) and yet before my move to the West coast, I lived in the smaller town type atmospheres in Texas and Florida.

I was originally looking into Missouri for relocation, but I didn't want to be anywhere near the big cities of St Louis or KC and Springfield etc. Anything outside of those areas had nice houses and neighborhoods but didn't offer the employment opportunities. I like and miss the big trees and woodsy feel of the midwest and I dont really think you start seeing that until you get further north from MO. Louisville also seems to offer better employment options while still offering different living choices.

That being said, I would envision that I would initially rent an apartment for the first 6 months to a year until I am settled employment wise and am familiar with the surrounding areas. As far as what I am looking for, I would like a neighborhood that is safe and that would have a nice choice of older homes with charm and big mature trees. I don't care for the newer subdivisions: they are way too sterile for me. I am not concerned with schools, as I do not have any children. As far as price range-I am not certain what the market is like there---I know out here it is ridiculous but I would like to think that I could purchase a decent starter house for no more than 175K. I saw many nice homes in MO that were in the 100-150k range. I realize I could be off base on the prices. I would like a bit of land---I don't want to be right on top of my neighbor like the cookie cutter places. This is not, however, a priority over an older home with the charm.

Keeping all this in mind, I would need recommendations for neighborhoods to seek out for temporary housing (rental property) and then promising areas to look at for homes. This would really help me focus for my trip. I am not opposed to living in or near the city limites. I figure when I get older and retire, I always have the option to move out to the country.

Thanks again.
cobolt

[cobolt]

I made a mistake on my above post. I did not mean to include Springfield MO in my list of big MO cities. What I meant was that as a smaller city, Springfield didn't seem to offer the employment opportunites although it certainly has a nice housing market.