Louisville, KY

[geographyrocks]

Did you read this thread?

[doctorinmaking]

Did you read this thread?

 

Hi - Ya.

 

Thanks.

 

Just went through it. I found the thread to be scary!

 

I have second thoughts of going to Louisville in case accepted!

[geographyrocks]

The good news is that Louisville has made significant improvements over the past 6 months.  They have expanded bike routes and new electric buses. 

 

While I don't want to discourage you from attending (the business and medical schools are excellent!), the crime around campus has been getting worse. 

 

The neighborhoods east of campus are a lot safer than anything north, south, or west.  If you're looking for more of a subdivision feel (which would probably be best with 3 kids), you're looking at 30-45 minute commute.  I encourage you to look at the parking areas and rates as those can get really expensive.  And while some students used to live in Southern Indiana and commute because it's much cheaper (and less congested), the bridges are now under construction (and will be for a while) so that may not be as good of an idea as it once was. 

[doctorinmaking]

Thanks for the update geographyrocks.

 

I have applied to the business school and it is one of my top choices. So lets see how it goes. Will keep in mind your points!

 

Can you suggest some places to the East of campus where accommodation is not expensive ?

 

 

 

Cheers!

Edited January 14, 2015 by doctorinmaking

[geographyrocks]

That really depends on what type of place you're looking for, how far you're willing to commute, and of course, how much you're willing to pay. 

The Highlands (the area around Bardstown Rd 31E) are close to the University, but they are very expensive. 

Most of Germantown is inexpensive, but there is a lot of good block bad block going on in that neighborhood. 

Parkway Village (directly east of U of L) is mostly college students, reasonable rates, and you can find houses to rent instead of apartments. 

Audubon Park, Prestonia, and Camp Taylor are relatively close.  I have no idea if they have many rentals or how expensive they are. 

The east end in general (St. Matthews, Hikes Point, Jeffersontown) is pretty safe, but it can be congested and pricey.  Think thousands of soccer moms who all drive SUVs. 

 

Hope that helps!

[doctorinmaking]

Thanks for the info buddy.

 

I am OK to spend about 1/2 hr to commute (i prefer walking/biking) if the place is safe, reasonable (about 600-800 a month?) and most importantly be a part of a good school district! 

 

Not sure if I can get all the above "ingredients" in one location but I guess I can at least try.

 

Thanks again.

 

Cheers!

[forever_jung]

Hey! 

 

I was accepted to Louisville, and had a question for those that have lived in the area...I have a rare chronic illness and will need to find an excellent rheumatologist and hospital system in which to do infusions. Any suggestions of places/doctors I should check out, or people I should stay away from? 

 

Thanks so much!

[Yanaka]

This is a scary thread  Does someone have any update? Louisville is still classified as 6/100 most dangerous cities in the US, so I guess it hasn't gotten that better?  

[lumpengrad]

I currently live in Louisville--in Old Louisville, to be exact, which is the neighborhood directly north of campus, easily within walking or biking distance if you want to go that route. I've never attended U of L, but my husband and I live in Old Louisville because I'm serving with AmeriCorps, and you can find very affordable housing near the university. I have never had any safety issues in Old Louisville, and I appreciate its economic diversity, which is hard to come by these days. Because it is a historic district, there are many wealthy residents who maintain massive Victorian homes, as well as many low and middle income renters scattered throughout the neighborhood. I take the bus every day to and from work, and have never had any issues. If you want to live near campus, I would suggest living in Old Louisville, and if you want to take the bus to campus, I would suggest living on 4th street, which is one of the only two-way streets in the neighborhood, with buses heading to and from campus pretty regularly. Additionally, Central Park is in Old Louisville, which has a full playground, an open air-stage (for Shakespeare in the Park during the summer) and lots of space for walking dogs.

[hanndema]

I never had any problems in Old Louisville either, but I had multiple friends who were mugged or had their apartments broken into. If you live in Old Louisville, just be careful about walking home late at night, and also make sure your apartment has a main "security door" that locks. 

I would instead recommend looking at a place on Eastern Parkway. You can find full homes for rent and typically they are fairly affordable. The closer you get to the highland area, the nicer the rentals (but pricier!) The number 29 bus runs up and down Eastern and drops you off right at campus. Busses are free if you have a UofL student ID, though unfortunately most routes only come every 30/40 minutes, so you have to plan ahead. 

Also might be worth looking at Frankfort avenue. Cute area with lots of shops, cafes, and it's very safe! It's going to be a longer commute to campus though (15-20 min drive or 45+ min bus ride).

 

[FishNerd]

So I was curious what the thread for my hometown was like and I was quite surprised to see how terrifying a picture is painted about Louisville. As someone from Louisville I really don't think it is nearly as scary as it has been portrayed on this thread. I actually attended middle and high school directly across the street from the University of Louisville's main campus and was still in high school at the time some of the original posts were made in 2010. I never once heard about such terrible crimes occurring in the area at that time (which you think I would have since I was going to school in the area) or if I did and don't remember I am sure it was not a commonplace occurrence like it has been portrayed. I'm not going to say that some occasional crime doesn't occur on campus because I know it does (the apartment and car break ins do not surprise me) but I do not think this is occurring on a daily or even weekly basis. I think the violent crimes that were cited in the past are not something that occurs regularly like they were portrayed. Also thousands of students attend UofL so of course there is going to be crimes of theft reported since the number of people in the area is high and thieves usually seize that kind of opportunity of numbers. Many of my family and friends have attended UofL and they have never portrayed campus as terrifying in the way some of the older posts do. Now granted most of them did not live on or near campus so maybe the key is to be aware and cautious if you are there late at night and maybe live away from campus a little bit (though I think many previous posters comments about Old Louisville being fine for the most part is true). Yes, there are some places near campus that are not the best parts of Louisville but I really don't think the campus is as crime ridden as it has been portrayed on here.

I currently attend a school that is situated directly next to one of the worst parts of the town my school is in (not Louisville) and crimes do occur near campus regularly. However, all of the students are aware of this and take precautions to be safe if alone or at night. In my almost 3 years at my current school I have only ever heard of 2-3 incidents that occurred on campus that would directly influence the safety of the students and none of these incidents have turned violent. We have campus cops that are regularly patrolling to ensure student safety and I'm sure the same is done at UofL. Just because crime is nearby doesn't mean that the campus is unsafe.

I just wanted to reassure any future lurkers that Louisville (and UofL's campus) is not nearly as scary as it has been portrayed on here. Sure there is some crime as there would be in any sizable city, but just be aware where the safer parts of town are when you are looking for a place to live - and I really think this statement holds true for any city. Cities generally have higher crime rates because of the higher numbers of people so if you are living in a city be aware of this and use common sense to do things like lock your cars, lock up bikes, have a door to your house/apartment that has a deadbolt, be careful walking alone, and other things that you should do anywhere you live.

Please look at the positive posts in this thread because I agree with them that living in Louisville can be really great because it has been growing culturally as a city for quite a while now. There are a lot of fun things to do in Louisville and a lot of cool parts of town to check out (the Highlands and Frankfort avenue are a lot of fun). Also if you like the outdoors there are some awesome parks within the city and quite a few areas near Louisville that are great to go check out for a day trip (Red River Gorge, Mammoth Cave, Falls of the Ohio, and many more). If any future readers of this thread have any questions about living in Louisville please feel free to private message me.