Is Louisville a Good Place to Live?

The Derby City offers its citizens modern amenities alongside old world tradition, and with many people wondering if they should move to Louisville and asking, “is Louisville a good place to live,” we thought it was only necessary that we offer this guide.

So, if you are searching for more information on living in Louisville, keep reading to find out how expensive it is to live in Louisville, if people like living in Louisville and more about the city’s rich and vibrant history.

Louisville in a Snapshot

The following chart displays several Louisville statistics including historic population, current population, area, elevation and more. As of 2020, 633,045 people live in Louisville Kentucky.

The History of Louisville

Depopulated after the violent Beaver Wars of the 17^th century, Louisville was largely used as an intermittent hunting ground by factions of the Shawnee and Cherokee tribes. No permanent settlement was formed in the area until the latter stages of the American Revolutionary War.

Upon being charted in 1780, approximately 300 settlers traveled to Louisville within its first year. A large portion of Louisville’s attractiveness as a frontier town stemmed from its unique location on the Ohio River. Being situated at the Falls of the Ohio River provided Louisville with the ability to become a major trade and distribution center.

The city’s trade industry propelled Louisville throughout the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries. In early parts of the 20^th, Louisville was largely known as an important industrial city.

These days, Louisville supports a total population of just over 633,000 (2020 census), making it the largest city in Kentucky. Notable figures who have called Louisville home include Thomas Edison, Muhammad Ali, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lawrence, Bryson Tiller and American writer Hunter S. Thompson.

The city is also home to the Kentucky Derby and the birthplace of the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant and corporation.

Is Louisville a Safe Place to Live?

Overall, Kentucky is on par with the rest of the country in terms of crime and safety. The state ranked No. 18 in the Crime Index by USA.com, ranking lower than North Carolina, Texas and California, but higher than Vermont, Maine, Montana and more. Like any major city, there are areas of Louisville that are considered safer than others (keep reading below).

Taking these unsafe areas into account, Louisville can be a dangerous city. However, the consensus is rather conflicting. Several older reports appear to rank Louisville as the most dangerous city in the state of Kentucky, but newer reports, like this one from CrimeGrade.org, score the city as a B- in terms of overall safety.

Is it Expensive to Live in Louisville?

According to data from several sources including BestPlaces.net, Louisville’s cost of living is lower than the average cost of living of Kentucky and the United States. Within this report, the median home cost of the United States is $291,700, while the median home cost of Louisville is listed as $206,900.

The only area of expense where Louisville outpaces the nation average is in transportation. This ranking includes the cost of gasoline, motor vehicle insurance, registration expenses and other fees associated with mass transit. According to PayScale.com, Louisville’s transportation expenses are 3% higher than the national average.

What are the Pros and Cons of Living in Louisville?

Pros

As we already mentioned, one of the pros of living in Louisville is that the area’s overall cost of living is significantly lower than the national average. The area is also home to attractive education, industry and entertainment opportunities.

The highest-ranking universities in the area include the University of Louisville, Bellarmine University and Spalding University. The former of these three leads the pack in attendance with nearly 16,000 undergraduate students (fall 2020). Louisville University offers more than 200 degree programs. Business, management and marketing are the most popular majors the school offers.

The largest industries in the city of Louisville are healthcare, business services, e-commerce and food and beverage. Major employers located throughout the city are the United Parcel Service, Jefferson County Public Schools, North Healthcare, Ford Motor Co. and Humana Inc.

Attractions in the Louisville area include the Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville Slugger Museum, Conrad’s Castle, the 21c Museum, and the Kentucky Science Center. Louisville is also home to several professional sports teams such as the Louisville City FC, the Racing Louisville FC and the Louisville Bats.

Additional outdoor attractions in the Louisville area include the Louisville Waterfront Park, Cherokee Park and Iroquois Park. Farther away from downtown, visitors can find the Jefferson Memorial Forest, Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area and several other parks.

Cons

The most notorious con of living in Louisville is the city’s higher than average crime rate. While this statistic can be highly persuasive, it can also be somewhat misleading. Crime rates, in general, are subject to a city’s own reporting habits. These rates are also a composite of the most dangerous and least dangerous areas of a city. Therefore, some areas of Louisville have a larger than average crime rating, while other areas are quite safe and docile.

In addition to the city’s higher than average crime rate, the lack of walkable areas is another con of living in Louisville. The majority of Louisville citizens use a motor vehicle to commute throughout town. Seasonal snow and intermittent traffic can make traveling by car a frustrating means of transportation for moving through Louisville.

Do People Like Living in Louisville?

Generally, people like living in Louisville. However, like any large metropolitan city, there is a population who moved to the city for a better life and a population who is looking to leave the city in search of one. Most Louisville citizens cite the area’s convenient location, small town feel and overall friendly personality as reasons they enjoy living in Louisville.

Wrapping up: Is Louisville a Good Place to Live?

Looking to live near the Kentucky Derby and experience all Kentucky has to offer? If so, then Louisville may be the right place for you to call home. By living in Louisville, you will be able to capitalize on Kentucky’s low cost of living, but still also be constantly entertained by live in a big city.

The most popular reason individuals move to Louisville is to relocate for a new job in the health or business services industries. Other newly settled Louisville residents have moved to experience the city’s historic charm and personality.

Of course, any move requires research and a personal evaluation. If you do decide to make the move to Louisville or any other location on your wish list, take advantage of our moving tips. Then, once you move, stop in and visit us at your local Store Space Self Storage facility.

At Store Space, we strive to give you the best self-storage experience possible. For anyone in the Louisville area, that means we will do our utmost to make finding and renting a storage unit an easy process and ensure that our customers receive affordable rates for professional storage.

Use our storage location finder to find storage units in Louisville, KY.