Someone asked about moving to Louisville
I've lived here on and off for almost 40 years. I'll throw in my 10 cents...
(1) Call it LOUIS-ville and they'll know you're a stranger...
Remember two things: it's "lull-vull" in the Southwest county and they're not really a part of the city. Even though the entire county merged a couple of years ago. You did know you were moving to the 16th largest city in the US, didn't you?
Second, you will often hear people ask "Where did you go to school?" . They mean high school. Learn where the various high schools are and you'll get to know the old neighborhoods well.
(2) City Sites
The city is packed during the Kentucky Derby Festival, which include a huge fireworks display and a hot air balloon race. We've got a great AAA baseball park and we're the home of the Louisville Slugger.
Louisville has a long history in the alternative music scene. In the 80s we were this close to being a punk Seattle (before Seattle was even Seattle). mI can't tell you how vibrant the local music clubs are now cause I'm an old, old man, but we have a nice blues bar and the Dirty Soul Party.
(3) Eating Out
Lynn's is a disappointment to those of us who were regulars starting a decade ago, but ignore us. It's still cool and you now can make reservations. Try the North End Cafe, Diamonds, and Wick's Pizza. We do eat out a lot in Louisville.
If you like microbrews try Rich-O's, Brownings, and BBC.
(4) The Metro Area
By the way, Rich-Os is in New Albany, Indiana. There are three small towns just north of the Ohio River and are part of the Louisville Metro Area. New Albany, Clarksville, and Jeffersonville are all primarily single family homes with a mall or two. Some people from Louisville hate to admit it, but you can buy a place or rent much cheaper in Indiana. We rented a nice home in Jeffersonville for less than a smaller apartment would have cost in Louisville.
(5) Transportation
If you've lived in a large city with good public transportation then TARC is going to disappoint you. Everyone drives here and everything is designed for cars. Except the streets during heavy snows (over 5 inches). They the city shuts down. I'm only slightly kidding.
No matter where you live in the metro area you're about a 20-30 min drive from the opposite side. (Except during rush hour of course. Then it just depends on if there is a wreck in "Spaghetti Junction.") They're going to add a couple of bridges in 20 years, but I first heard that 25 years ago.
Oh, and when they refer to it as "Dixie Dieway"...they're not kidding.
(5) Politics
As far as politics...the city tends to skew conservative democrat. They hold the majority in the city council and they just reaffirmed the Fairness Ordinance. While also trying to shut down "adult businesses." You never quite know how politics is going to run here, but it will usually be called "pro family." We're no where near as politically conservative as it is up river in Cincinnati. The rest of the state is a bit more conservative than Louisville.
I could go on and and will if you like. Just drop me an email.
links will be added to this post as I find them. Consider it a work in progress
