1. Louisville has big city amenities with a small town feel. 

You can get almost anywhere in the metro Louisville area in 30 minutes or less.  Very nice.  Still, there is a lot to do in Louisville.  We're more than "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports."  Louisville might be world famous for being the home of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby but it has many other things to offer. Louisville has a long history of supporting the arts, which includes the Louisville Orchestra, Louisville Ballet , Kentucky Opera ,  Kentucky Center for the Arts,  and  Actor's Theatre, which hosts Humana's Festival of New American Plays  and Kentucky Watercolor Society's national Aqueous show.   Louisville is home to the #1 fine arts show in the country, St. James Court Art Fair, a 3-day juried fine arts and crafts show set in Old Louisville's Victorian neighborhood.   Like touring museums?  Visit The Speed Museum, Frazier International History Museum, Louisville Slugger Museum, Louisville Science Center, Muhammad Ali Museum, and others. Galleries are throughout Louisville.  One of the newest additions to the art scene is Mellwood Art and Entertainment Center which has numerous artists' studios, retail shops and restaurants.   It is included on the Frankfort Avenue Trolley Hop on the last Friday of each month.   You can tour downtown galleries on  Louisville Galleries First Fridays trolley tour on the first Friday of each  month. For family entertainment, visit Fourth Street Live, a  multi-million dollar dining and entertainment district or stroll the Waterfront Park, which is beginning its phase III, including a bridge walkway across the Ohio River to Indiana.  Ride the Belle of Louisville or visit the Louisville Zoo, with its 4 acre Gorilla Forest .   Louisville also hosts the Kentucky State Fair  in August and we're known to have one of the best in the country for fun and entertainment. If you like getting physical, visit one of our many parks in our world-class Metro Parks system.  Louisville has an Extreme Sports park within walking of the Waterfront Park.   In all, there are 123 parks in our Metro Parks system, and another 19 parks managed by other agencies.   We have a 6,000+ acre Jefferson Memorial Forest with hands-on programs and events.  And, we're not finished yet.  There is a planned expansion, City of Parks, adding thousands of acres of park and green space, including a 100 mile Louisville Loop, tying neighborhoods and parks together. Join the Louisville Bicycle Club,  take an afternoon trip with the Vesparados (one of Louisville's Scooter Clubs) or play one of our many Public Golf Courses.  Take a look at the Greater Louisville Sports Commission's website to see what's happening in sports in Louisville. There is plenty to do in Louisville and this is by far an incomplete list.  To view a more extensive, but still incomplete list of things to do, visit our Louisville Links page or go to the Louisville Visitors Bureau. Of course, you can always learn more about "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports"  and its two-week festival including Thunder Over Louisville, by visiting the  Derby Museum and the Kentucky Derby Festival websites. (Did we mention basketball??  If you love basketball, Kentucky is the place for you!  Check out Hoops and University of Louisville's sports.)

2. Louisville has a diverse population and its neighborhoods reflect that fact. 

Within Metro Louisville you will find anything from urban city life to America's largest Victorian neighborhood to suburban pool, park and golf course communities.  There is an eclectic arts district, self-supported incorporated cities with strong historical zoning, and others with a strong emphasis on youth sports, and more!  No one says it better than the people who live there--here are a few neighborhood links: Anchorage Butchertown Cherokee Triangle  Clifton/Brownsboro Rd.  Copperfield  Germantown Jeffersontown The Highlands Portland Shively St. Matthews Lake Forest Springhurst Owl Creek Valley Station-Pleasure Ridge  Old Louisville  Okolona  Fern Creek  Prospect Saratoga Woods  Middletown

3. Louisville has a wonderful variety of schools, both public and private.

4. Louisville is just a great place to live.  Recent rankings:

Ranked #3 "Safest Cities for Families with Small Children" in 2010.  Go here to read about Underwriters Laboratories' study performed by Sperling's Best Places. Ranked #1 "Most Livable City"  by U.S. Conference of Mayors in June 2008.  People who have lived here know this to be true! Ranked #1 Louisville Pure Tap water "Best of the Best--National Taste Test Champion"  by the American Waterworks Association!  We Louisvillians take this for granted until we go on vacation! Ranked in the top 10 safest Cities in America by Crime in Metropolitan America Report by C Q Press. Ranked in the top 100 places for young people to live by the America's Promise Alliance, 2008 and 2007. Ranked in the top 100 Best Cities for Jobs in 2008 by Forbes.com Ranked 5th in its Top Ten Underrated Cities by Sherman's Travel stating you should put it on your "must-see" travel plans.

General Metro Louisville Facts:

Louisville is located along the Ohio River in North-Central Kentucky and covers approximately 386 sq. miles.  Founded in 1778 by George Rogers Clark and was named after King Louis XVI of France. 12th President of the U.S, Zachary Taylor, grew up in Louisville and is buried in the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. Churchill Downs has been the home of the Kentucky Derby (held the first Saturday in May) since 1875.  The Kentucky Derby Festival is kicked off 2 weeks before the race with Thunder Over Louisville, one of the largest aerial and fireworks displays in the world. Louisville's Metro Parks system was designed by the same man who designed New York City's Central Park--Frederick Law Olmsted. Louisville is Kentucky's largest city and the 16th largest city in the nation with an approximate population of 700,000+.  The Greater Louisville area has an approximate population of 1,000,000. In 2003, Louisville and Jefferson County governments merged into one large governing body. Metro Louisville's government consists of a Mayor and Council with representation from 26 districts.   To visit Metro Louisville's website, go to LouisvilleKY.gov. You can take a ride on the Belle of Louisville.  Built in 1914, it is the oldest operating Mississippi-style steamboat in existence today.  The Steamboat Race is an event during the Kentucky Derby Festival where The Belle of Louisville takes on Cincinnati's Delta Queen for the right of owning the Antlers! Please visit our Louisville Links page for Government, Law Enforcement and Utilities information.

Planning a Move? Let us help make your move as stress free as possible.  Give us a call. Or email us. Marty and Judy Mudd The Mudd Team RE/MAX Associates of Louisville Direct Office: (502) 251-1114    Mobile: (502) 550-1826 Email: info@TheMuddTeam.com