Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have to agree on the customer service aspect, except for fine dining. Louisville has THE WORST customer service if you're dealing with ANYONE standing behind a counter. I can't tell you the hundreds of times I've walked up to a counter and the person working just stood there and stared at me without saying a word. I started making a game out of it by just staring back until they addressed me. I had forgotten about this until my last trip back and at the rental counter at the airport the lady just stared at me. No hello, can I help you?, nothing. I looked at my wife and said "welcome to Louisville, don't bother me at work".
Now as far as the food goes I think you're way off base. The only thing I truly miss about Louisville is the food scene. So many great options. I think you might be eating at applebee's or Texas roadhouse if that's been your experience.
The vehicle inspection thing is just to verify your vin # on the car matched the title eazy
Not true - if you're bringing a vehicle from out of state you not only are getting the VIN checked, but they also review turn signals, horn, flashers, and other basic functions (as well as testing the window tint % to make sure it's compliant). I believe this only applies to vehicles which have titles coming from outside of KY. If you buy a vehicle in the state, then you don't need a sheriff inspection.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
11,974 posts, read 25,495,228 times
Reputation: 12187
As far as roads go... freeways are mostly in very good condition. Local streets in the urban core are mostly in need of major upgrades. It's amazing how little has been done in decades on most streets, even repaving isn't done until road is nearly gravel quality. New Albany reverted 90% of downtown streets back to two way in a year, Jeffersonville rebuilt most of 10th St, Clarksville made the formerly desolate Eastern Blvd into a nice corridor. Louisville in comparison moves at a glacial pace.
I still like a lot of things about Louisville. Boosters claim it's the next Austin, Charlotte, or Portland, detractors think it's Dayton. In reality it's somewhere in between. At its core it's always been a mix of a mostly industrial port city but with an artsy / eclectic flare. I think the combination of affordability with the available amenities is very good. Cities with a lot more to do are also a lot more expensive. Cities with nothing to do are barely more affordable. For Gen Y and Z people loaded down with students loans and facing stagnant wages affordability is a huge deal. When you want more to do than is available here you are an easy day trip to a handful of bigger mid sized cities and a half day drive to Chicago. The local food scene is very good for this size metro and diverse, the large number of refugee settlements from all over the world will only improve on that.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
11,974 posts, read 25,495,228 times
Reputation: 12187
Quote:
Originally Posted by ServoMiff
Not true - if you're bringing a vehicle from out of state you not only are getting the VIN checked, but they also review turn signals, horn, flashers, and other basic functions (as well as testing the window tint % to make sure it's compliant). I believe this only applies to vehicles which have titles coming from outside of KY. If you buy a vehicle in the state, then you don't need a sheriff inspection.
When my wife moved from IN to KY she had to go to certain clerks offices with odd hours so a law enforcement person could look her car over. When I moved to IN some regular worker at the clerk's office did a quick look around. So KY is abnormally difficult in that regard.
Based on the number of barely road legal vehicles I see on the roads here maybe everyone should get a vehicle inspection! I've seen bumpers duct taped on more than a few times.
When my wife moved from IN to KY she had to go to certain clerks offices with odd hours so a law enforcement person could look her car over. When I moved to IN some regular worker at the clerk's office did a quick look around. So KY is abnormally difficult in that regard.
Based on the number of barely road legal vehicles I see on the roads here maybe everyone should get a vehicle inspection! I've seen bumpers duct taped on more than a few times.
1000% agree. It's a bit backward to assume that the out-of-state cars are the problem. I think it's primarily because there's a lot of fraudulent cars that come through KY (read up on what happens to all the flooded cars from hurricane flood damage in Houston/New Orleans etc. Many come through here.
However, many local cars are in terrible shape and probably need annual inspections. It's been a problem here since they quit the VET testing in 2005.
As far as roads go... freeways are mostly in very good condition. Local streets in the urban core are mostly in need of major upgrades. It's amazing how little has been done in decades on most streets, even repaving isn't done until road is nearly gravel quality. New Albany reverted 90% of downtown streets back to two way in a year, Jeffersonville rebuilt most of 10th St, Clarksville made the formerly desolate Eastern Blvd into a nice corridor. Louisville in comparison moves at a glacial pace.
I still like a lot of things about Louisville. Boosters claim it's the next Austin, Charlotte, or Portland, detractors think it's Dayton. In reality it's somewhere in between. At its core it's always been a mix of a mostly industrial port city but with an artsy / eclectic flare. I think the combination of affordability with the available amenities is very good. Cities with a lot more to do are also a lot more expensive. Cities with nothing to do are barely more affordable. For Gen Y and Z people loaded down with students loans and facing stagnant wages affordability is a huge deal. When you want more to do than is available here you are an easy day trip to a handful of bigger mid sized cities and a half day drive to Chicago. The local food scene is very good for this size metro and diverse, the large number of refugee settlements from all over the world will only improve on that.
This is probably a pretty fair assessment...for now. But the trend is much closer to Austin than it is to Dayton! Seeing Louisville compared to places like Rochester or even Birmingham is laughable. Dayton is one of the most pathetic cities of its size in America. Its leagues above these kind of places. But it isn't too far off base to think it could be in the start of what created places like Austin 30 years ago. I still agree lots has to change namely the state of KY, taxes, and in turn, high paying tech jobs will follow more. However Louisville seems to be taking the Charleston, SC approach. Build upon the history and unique urban culture and food and arts scene, attract folks here, and those same talented people will start their OWN companies. We have seen such a rapid rise in startups in the last 3 years due to this alone!
Thanks for the replies and input everyone. Clearly I was having one of my not-so-good louisville days when I made this account/post. I do stand by everything I said, although I totally understand others may have very different experiences.
To answer some questions, I'm in my late 20's and moved here from another midwest state.
I work in an office in Louisville, and all of my immediate co-workers are actually nice, cool people. Very few of them actually live in Louisville like me, most of them commute.
Someone asked about the unfriendly locals, well I really only interact with random strangers in customer service settings (me being the customer), or while out walking/driving. As another poster said, a lot of people in service positions just act totally bizarre, as if they've just then been placed in that situation and you're the first person they've ever seen. Either that or they're just irrationally stand-offish and rude. It's not like I'm looking for trouble either, I'm a quiet, unintimidating person and am always extra nice to people in those positions because I know what it can be like.
As for the sheriff inspection... During my first inspection attempt, I went into the clerks office and the sheriff simply said hes done doing them for the day. This was a little after noon, and conflicted with the hours I saw online, and I had even just been on the phone having them tell me to come on in.. So as I'm asking when I should return, for my own knowledge, his response was to stand up right in front of me and put his hands near his hips/holsters and just stare at me as if I was some sort of criminal he was about to pummel. This made everyone in the room and waiting area turn and look concerned. At that point I was too embarrassed and honestly intimidated to say anything else so I turned and left shocked. I know it's not really an accurate reflection of all of Louisville's law enforcement, but that was extremely disheartening to have happen shortly after moving.
In my post where I mentioned road designs, I probably should have said traffic light timing instead. There are several intersections I'm forced to frequent on my way to/from work where you will sit through several green lights unable to move because the intersections just get gridlocked.
Prior to moving to Louisville, I've often driven in larger cities like Chicago and even other countries. I've had more close call accidents in my one year in Louisville than the rest of my entire life.
If you don't drive defensively here, you will absolutely run out of luck because you can't count on others to drive safely or predictably. Before living here, traffic was never really a factor in deciding where I'd move, but I simply didn't know it could ever be THIS bad. It really wears on you day after day.
I was surprised to see that a lot of the replies are in line with or share my views and experiences. I was expecting much more push back and retaliation.
Obviously there are still good things and friendly people Louisville has to offer, but it's all relative to where you've been before. It does seem like it could be a good place for a young family, and maybe older adults. But for someone like me, I can't think of any reason to choose it over other similarly sized cities.
Thanks for the replies and input everyone. Clearly I was having one of my not-so-good louisville days when I made this account/post. I do stand by everything I said, although I totally understand others may have very different experiences.
To answer some questions, I'm in my late 20's and moved here from another midwest state.
I work in an office in Louisville, and all of my immediate co-workers are actually nice, cool people. Very few of them actually live in Louisville like me, most of them commute.
Someone asked about the unfriendly locals, well I really only interact with random strangers in customer service settings (me being the customer), or while out walking/driving. As another poster said, a lot of people in service positions just act totally bizarre, as if they've just then been placed in that situation and you're the first person they've ever seen. Either that or they're just irrationally stand-offish and rude. It's not like I'm looking for trouble either, I'm a quiet, unintimidating person and am always extra nice to people in those positions because I know what it can be like.
As for the sheriff inspection... During my first inspection attempt, I went into the clerks office and the sheriff simply said hes done doing them for the day. This was a little after noon, and conflicted with the hours I saw online, and I had even just been on the phone having them tell me to come on in.. So as I'm asking when I should return, for my own knowledge, his response was to stand up right in front of me and put his hands near his hips/holsters and just stare at me as if I was some sort of criminal he was about to pummel. This made everyone in the room and waiting area turn and look concerned. At that point I was too embarrassed and honestly intimidated to say anything else so I turned and left shocked. I know it's not really an accurate reflection of all of Louisville's law enforcement, but that was extremely disheartening to have happen shortly after moving.
In my post where I mentioned road designs, I probably should have said traffic light timing instead. There are several intersections I'm forced to frequent on my way to/from work where you will sit through several green lights unable to move because the intersections just get gridlocked.
Prior to moving to Louisville, I've often driven in larger cities like Chicago and even other countries. I've had more close call accidents in my one year in Louisville than the rest of my entire life.
If you don't drive defensively here, you will absolutely run out of luck because you can't count on others to drive safely or predictably. Before living here, traffic was never really a factor in deciding where I'd move, but I simply didn't know it could ever be THIS bad. It really wears on you day after day.
I was surprised to see that a lot of the replies are in line with or share my views and experiences. I was expecting much more push back and retaliation.
Obviously there are still good things and friendly people Louisville has to offer, but it's all relative to where you've been before. It does seem like it could be a good place for a young family, and maybe older adults. But for someone like me, I can't think of any reason to choose it over other similarly sized cities.
How long have you lived here? I strongly predict it will grow on you. Get on meetup.com, do volunteer work. Join an organization or club you like. GET INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS. I'd recommend living above a business or something in the Highlands so you can be around people. My guess is you live by a mall or off Hurstbourne in an isolated, suburban couplex with no amenities where you pull in, pull out, and there's no interaction. You got to move into the areas where people are looking for interaction.
Or maybe Jeffersonville on the river in some of the newer apartments. Get on dating websites and just go on dates, WHATEVER your flavor. Trust me it will grow on you. I have traveled all over the country and there really aren't many better similar sized cities. Lots of hype on similar sized cities like Raleigh, even Richmond, and they simply aren't as vibrant, walkable, foodie, artsy, the whole nine yards.
This is a NATIONAL TREND of people not interacting (iPhone generation hello!)...you cannot blame a MSA of 1.3 million for that unless you have literally met thousands of people...and you really cannot judge a place in less than a year or two of daily living. If you do all that and still don't like it, I'd suggest moving. But I'd keep an open mind first.
And despite what everyone here is saying about drivers (I hate to say I tend to agree), we still have an objective study tracking Louisville NUMBER TWO BEST DRIVERS!
And despite what everyone here is saying about drivers (I hate to say I tend to agree), we still have an objective study tracking Louisville NUMBER TWO BEST DRIVERS!
It's simply unfathomable how any "objective" study could come up with Louisville drivers being good at anything.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
