A Yank's View
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11/16/2007
Louisville is not really Southern in feel, but is a kind of combination of Midwestern/Southern influences. Fast food is big here (like the Midwest), and the people overall are pretty friendly and welcoming...there has been some good natured ribbing about my "eastern" accent, but that's all.
Commuting can be a real pain on certain freeways at particular times of the day, just like any other large metro area. 265 East can be kind of tricky, at least until you get past the 64 junction, then it is not too bad. 64 and 65 are the two worst freeways around here in terms of horrible traffic and I avoid these at any costs! Bardstown road can be pretty trafficky around rush hour, but I attribute this more to the badly timed traffic lights than the volume of traffic.
The Fern Creek area is on the south-east outskirts of the city, and is much more suburban than I would expect having a Louisville address. Fern Creek is nice because you are very close to the highways, and almost anything you are looking for (mainstream) is on one of the two major thoroughfares, Bardstown Road or Hurstbourne Parkway. This area is much better laid out than the "East End" as the East End is very congested and doesn't seem like it was as well planned out as Fern Creek.
The cost of living is pretty good here, too. You can buy a nice home here for MUCH, MUCH less than in many other metro areas, and there are tons of rental properties and apartment complexes for renters. We currently rent a 2200-square foot townhome for 997 per month which is just great, coming from NY state where we paid a fortune for a smaller place with fewer amenities.
If you have kids, the school district is pretty good. If your child is gifted/special needs, then be careful which school he or she goes to...some of the schools in the Fern Creek School District simply are not equipped to handle special needs, but there are a good many schools in this district, some of them with better academic ratings than the private schools, which are also plentiful.
Although I am not a foodie by any stretch of the imagination, there are some pretty good restaurants here. McAlister's Deli has good deli fare, and I just love Fiesta Mexicana, which has great meals for under $10.
Overall, we have been pretty happy living here. It is a definite culture change from Upstate NY, but it is a nice area when you get used to it. I would recommend looking into Fern Creek if you are relocating to this area.
The East End is
Jennifer | Louisville, KY