Source: Flickr user Glorious
If you’re a regular of the Movoto Real Estate blog, you know by now that we kind of have a thing for numbers. We like to take subjective matters (i.e., I think where I live is the best in the state) and with a bit of research and numbers crunching, turn them into objective ones.
So far we’ve done such number crunching to prove which cities are the best in various states, and recently, we took it one step further, looking at the best neighborhoods in St. Louis. Today, we’re checking out the neighborhoods in another favorite Louis: Louisville, Kentucky.
Which neighborhood won the race for the best in Derby City? According to the numbers, our winner was Rock Creek Lexington Road– but it wasn’t without some fierce competition. Here are the 10 best neighborhoods in Louisville:
1. Rock Creek Lexington Road
2. Cherokee Seneca
3. Bowman
4. Cherokee Triangle
5. Hikes Point (tie)
5. Tyler Park (tie)
7. Bonnycastle (tie)
7. Highlands-Douglass (tie)
9. Poplar Level
10. Gardiner Lane
What’s so great about Rock Creek Lexington Road? What’s with all the Cherokees? What’s with all the ties? Don’t worry, we’ll answer all of your questions, plus take a closer look at just what makes each of these neighborhoods so special, in the following paragraphs. Giddeup!
How We Did It
Just like in our other Big Deal Lists, we needed certain measurable criteria to come up with these top 10 neighborhoods. We used the following seven:
- Restaurants, coffee shops, and bars per capita
- Total number of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars
- Cost of living
- Crime rate (normalized per 100,000 residents)
- High school diploma attainment rate
- Median household income
- Median home value
We started with a list of 64 Louisville neighborhoods and ranked each from one to 64 in each criteria, based on the data, with one being the best possible score. We chose to use both the total number of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars, and the restaurants, coffee shops, and bars per capita, because while it is important to have a large number of options per individual, we also didn’t want to punish neighborhoods with larger populations.
Once we rated each neighborhood, we averaged the criteria together and gave each an overall score. The lower this number was, the higher the area ranked. To check out the rankings of all the Louisville neighborhoods, gallop on down to the bottom of the post.
But first, let’s take a closer look at each of our top 10 neighborhoods, starting with the winner of our race, Rock Creek Lexington Road.
1. Rock Creek Lexington Road
The No. 1 neighborhood on our list is the Rock Creek Lexington Road area. Not only is this neighborhood one of the safest in Louisville, with a crime rate 60 percent below the city’s crime rate, but it is also one of the most affluent. Residents in Rock Creek make an $104,252 per household. Speaking of households, the median home values of $304,143 in this neighborhood are an impressive 121 percent higher than the rest of Louisville.
It doesn’t end there. Rock Creek Lexington Road residents have a high school degree attainment rate of 96 percent, making them the neighborhood with the fourth highest degree attainment rate.
2. Cherokee Seneca
Our No. 2 neighborhood is Cherokee Seneca. This area of rolling hills, gardens, and mansions dotted throughout, ties with Rock Creek and several other ‘hoods for a lack of crime—just 2,167 crimes per 100,000 people—but is the clear winner when it comes to the race to graduate. Cherokee Seneca has the highest high school diploma attainment rate—a perfect 100 percent.
Cherokee Seneca has an even higher median household income than Rock Creek, with the median household earning over $110,000, and some of the highest home values on our list—almost $408,000. Residents here are also faring well when it comes to amenities per capita, with 78 bars, restaurants, and coffee shops within walking distance for their small population of just 758.
3. Bowman
The third neighborhood on our list, Bowman, scored well in almost all of the criteria, but they shined when it came to safety (again, 60 percent lower than the rest of Louisville), and their high school diploma attainment rate of 96 percent.
What really makes this area unique though, is the airport after which it was named: the Bowman Field Airport. This beautiful, historic building on Taylorsville Road is like taking a step back in time. And when you’re ready to rejoin the present, what better way than by dining on some of the best French food in Louisville at Bistro Le Relais? It is just next door to the airport, and of course, to the lucky residents of Bowman.
4. Cherokee Triangle
Winning the No. 4 spot in this race for best neighborhood is Cherokee Triangle. Just like Cherokee Seneca, this neighborhood was named for the nearby 409-acre Cherokee Park—fun fact, designed by the same man who designed New York’s Central Park.
Cherokee Triangle is known for its historic, beautiful, and often large homes, scoring them some major points when it comes to a median home value of $273,494. This neighborhood also placed well for total restaurants, coffee shops, and bars in the area—270. Now that’s an awful lot to choose from, so let us help you out a bit. Five words: Z’s Oyster Bar and Steakhouse.
5. Hikes Point (tie)
Tying for No. 5 are Hikes Point and Tyler Park. Let’s start with Hikes Point. This neighborhood scored points for their higher household income of $54,301—that’s 26 percent higher than the rest of Louisville. They also did well when it came to the total number of amenities in the ‘hood—144 coffee shops, restaurants, and bars in all.
Hikes Point also has the lowest cost of living on our list—a score of 80, 20 points below the average of 100. A high median household income and low cost of living? What do residents in Hikes Point spend their money on then? I’m not sure, but I know what it should be: Pizza Place—this local hole in the wall has some of the best pizza in the area; plus, at night it turns into a full-on bar.
5. Tyler Park (tie)
The second No. 5 on our list is Tyler Park. With 198 restaurants, coffee shops, and bars, Tyler Park not only scored well on their total amenities, but with their population of just 2,530, they scored well on amenities per capita as well. Of course lots of options doesn’t always mean quality options, but it seems that Tyler Park has both. If you need proof, look no further than the unique Fish House/Café Beignet restaurant and get the potato pancakes. Nuff said.
Outside of food, this neighborhood in the Highlands scored well with a median home value of $238,434—that’s 73 percent higher than the rest of Louisville.
7. Bonnycastle (tie)
In our No. 7 spot, we have another tie: this time between Bonnycastle and Highlands Douglas. Aside from having the absolute most adorable name on our list, Bonnycastle is also one of the safest—again, tying with several of our other top 10 with a crime rate 60 percent below the city’s crime rate. The home values in Bonnycastle are also a good 66 percent higher than the rest of Louisville.
Which makes sense, when you think about it. After all, some of the nicest homes in Louisville are in Bonnycastle—the Spring Drive mansions, where one of the city’s most famous Derby parties, the Barnstable Brown Party, is held. Even if you don’t live in a mansion in Bonnycastle, chances are you’re in one of the area’s Victorian or Craftsman bungalows. Which is not too shabby at all.
7. Highlands-Douglass (tie)
Tying with Bonnycastle for No. 7 is Highlands-Douglass. Again, one of Louisville’s safest communities, Highlands-Douglass is a step above the rest with its high school diploma attainment rate of 96 percent, and a high median income of over $63,000.
Highlands-Douglass, aka just plain Douglass, is also in the Highlands area of Louisville, which basically just means it is nice. The homes are mostly Colonial, Tudor, English and Dutch Revival, and the whole area has that southern charm thing going for it in a big way.
9. Poplar Level
Not only is this neighborhood safe (again, with a crime rate 60 below the city’s crime rate), but Poplar Level is also affordable.
Perhaps that is because not a whole lot of this area is designated for residents. In fact, with the parklands like Joe Creason Park, two large cemeteries, and the Louisville Zoo, less than 20 percent of the area contains residential development. But for those lucky enough to live here, this place is a gem—and with a median household income of almost $72,000, it seems like Poplar Level residents can certainly afford it.
10. Gardiner Lane
Last but certainly not least is our No. 10 neighborhood, Gardiner Lane. Gardiner Lane, again, has a crime rate 60 percent below the city’s crime rate, but also scores well with their high school diploma attainment rate of 93 percent, and their median household income of nearly $72,000.
This area also has 45 coffee shops, bars, and restaurants within walking distance, giving it some major cred when it comes to amenities per capita. From Ethiopian places like Queen of Sheba to pizza joints like Café Lou Lou, Gardiner Lane has something for everyone.
Finishing Out Strong
There you have it, fine folks of Louisville: The best 10 neighborhoods in Derby City. Though the race was competitive, Rock Creek Lexington Road came out ahead. But as our ranking shows, any one of these top 10 is certainly worth betting on.
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