Source: Wikipedia
Louisville: home of the Louisville Slugger and the Kentucky Derby, and roughly 741,000 people! It’s the largest city in the state of Kentucky and is rich in culture and parklands. Louisville has some great neighborhoods including historic gems nearer the center, and more modern suburbs popular with families. As a whole, Louisville is a car dependent city according to Walk Score, ranked 41st out of the large cities in the country, with a Walk Score of only 40. Of course, some of its individual neighborhoods are better than others when it comes to ‘walkability’, as you’re about to find out…
Central Business District
Downtown Louisville is known as the Central Business District, and, being in the heart of the city it’s a very walkable neighborhood with a designated Walk Score of 86. If you’re one of the 4,100 or so people who live here you can walk to most places in the neighborhood including beautiful historic buildings, and modern skyscrapers. Waterfront Park is a popular riverside park with trails and grassy areas, and you could visit a museum each day of the week on Museum Row, including the Louisville Slugger Museum; home to the world’s largest bat! Considering all the great amenities – restaurants, bars, shops, entertainment, transport – that is here, the CBD is actually an affordable place to live, and crime levels are 9 percent lower than the Louisville average.
Old Louisville
As the name suggests, Old Louisville is one of the historic neighborhoods of the city and it’s full of beautifully preserved Victorian architecture. It was actually built as a suburb starting in the 1870s, thanks to the development of the streetcar system. Today it’s the second most walkable neighborhood in the city with a Walk Score of 84. You can walk to grocery stores, restaurants, and schools, and the University of Louisville is at the northern end of the community, while the Spalding University is at the southern, so there’s a fairly large student population here along with many young professionals. The crime index is 6 percent lower than the city average, and cost of living is about on par with the rest of Louisville.
Highlands
There’s a larger area of Louisville called The Highlands, but this popular neighborhood – sometimes called the Original Highlands to set it apart – is a historic district to the south east of downtown. Highlands has lots of grand Victorian architecture and is close to several parks including the large Cherokee Park. It’s a residential neighborhood, but just a short walk takes you to The Highlands where there are numerous nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and shops. Walk Score gives the Original Highlands a score of 83, and with an average cost of living and 23 percent lower crime rate than the Louisville as a whole, this is a great place to live.
Tyler Park
Centered around a park of the same name, this small neighborhood is about 3 miles outside of downtown and is home to about 2,500 people. The tree-lined residential streets make Tyler Park a popular place to live, while the shops and services of The Highlands are a walk or quick drive away. There’s one public and one private school here for students, and, being a desirable part of the city the cost of living is a little higher at 12.8 percent above the Louisville average. The good news is that crime is low – 60 percent lower than the city-wide average, and Tyler Park has a Walk Score of 82.
Cherokee Triangle
Named for the large and popular Cherokee Park, Cherokee Triangle is another of Louisville’s historic neighborhoods and it’s full of quite the mix of architecture, from Late Victorian through the 20th century. Cherokee Park is the main feature, on the eastern edge of the neighborhood, while the western edge comprises of busy Bardstown Road with its shops, nightclubs, and other services. This proximity makes Cherokee Triangle a very walkable neighborhood and so has a Walk Score of 80. Housing costs almost double the Louisville average so the cost of living is expensive here, but crime is 60 percent lower than the Louisville average so it’s a relatively safe place to live.
