Louisville Natives, Please help me!

[Larson]

Dear Louisvillians,
I am about fed up with where i am working and I am looking at getting a fresh start in your wonderful city. I have been to Louisville twice (camped twice at the KOA across the river actually) and I really loved the city. It has very nice people,parks, and a fun atmosphere. I am a civil engineer and I have noticed that there is alot of new construction near the riverfront (whats with that ultra modern skyscraper?) and that the corps of engineers also have a office downtown.

What I am really after is how you feel about the city? Is it as nice and welcoming as the citys websites make it feel? How about purchasing a home near one of the parks, hopefully in the highlands if its affordable.
Is there a lively bar and restuarant scene?

I grew up in Minnesota, went to school in North Dakota and have since been working on constrution projects in Colorado,Illinois,Texas,Wyoming,New Mexico, and Arkansas but for some reason i keep daydreaming about living in Louisville and riding my bike to work, then playing frisbee golf in the park!

Anyway thank you for you time, I will see you August 16th (my 27th birthday :) ) at the jacket concert.

[Love Dogg]

I have lived here nine years and I love it.  Louisville is a melting pot of people.  As Jim James once said, "It has the warmth and charm of the South, and the progressivism of the North."

Contrary to popular belief, I think it costs a lot to live here, but not too bad.  The bars and galleries are prominent in the Highlands and the Frankfort Avenue area, and more and more of the areas are becoming safer and cleaner and cooler.  I live in St. Matthews, and it's nice, but it's not all it's cracked up to be.  St. Matthews does have a nice little "local" bar scene, though.

Definitely worth checking out.

[Larson]

Thanks for the help, the job search begins!
How is the weather in Louisville? I am guessing hot and humid in the summer, wonderfull in spring and fall, and a little cold in the winter?

Also, can you fish and canoe on the Ohio river?

[Kory]

Hey Larson,
You're dead on about the weather, we often go straight from winter to summer though... it usually gets humid quick.
I work just across the river in Jeffersonville Indiana and live in Indiana now too. I spent my first 20 years in the city limits though.
I work at what was a civil engineering firm from Kentucky but has since been acquired by a Canadian company that does all kinds of things. Maybe you can hunt for a job with us (how cool would it be to get a person to come work for us through the MMJ boards!!)
seriously though, PM me if you want me to send along your resume or something.
Louisville is a wonderful city and I will be forever proud to call her home.

[Kory]

oh yea, I wouldn't fish and/or canoe in the Ohio... I work in the water resources field and that's one dirty waterbody. (plus, you may die in a canoe.)

[Larson]

Thanks for the info!
Is downtown a fun place to live? or should one try to get near the highlands area? I would like to be close to the parks but its also nice to be able to stumble home after a night of "socializing" ;)

So i understand the mighty Ohio river has been polluted huh? this is not good. Growing up I spent alot of time fishing and having fun in the Mississippi. I was hoping the Ohio would be the same. :(

Thanks for helping with my move!

[tower]

Having lived in quite a few places myself (CA, TX, MI) I think Louisville is a pretty good place to live.  I don't know that it's terribly progressive but I do think we're making progress in that area.  As a musician myself I feel like it's making strides away from cover bands and toward more original music.  We're starting to get a few of the bigger bands through here that used to skip Louisville regularly.  There's a lot to do and it's not too big to be unwieldy on a regular basis like bigger cities.  

The weather is ok, not great...depending on what you like to do outdoors it's so-so.  I love mt. biking and it's not great for that but there is some daytrips that put some good stuff in range.

Louisville has some great restaurants and flavor that goes with specific neighborhoods.  The Highlands is cool, expensive to live there though.  St. Matthews is handy but also expensive.  Germantown is coming along and downtown is becoming a destination for some cool stuff (not 4th Street Live though...yawn).