Moving to Cincy from the Indiana suburbs of Louisville, is it going to be more fun? (Cincinnati: renting)

[Justanotherwayfarer]

We have a house just across the river from Louisville in a town called Jeffersonville. The idea of growing a family here doesn't seem bad but at the same time I got a great job offer from Cincinnati. Before accepting, I'm just doing a bit of research on whether it would be worthwhile moving to Hamilton County or further north? We are looking for an area where it would be fun. We're big foodies and being close to an area like Bardstown Rd, Frankfort Ave, and Louisville downtown is fun to us, even though some people may find it lame. We're not overweight or anything, but somehow our idea of fun is to check out nice restaurants and Louisville has plenty.
Having said that, we do find Cincy more fun in many other ways that Louisville can never be: more "big city" shopping, pro sports teams, Jungle Jims, better airport, heck there's even a better zoo and an Ikea. I am convinced that it will be more fun than the Louisville metro area but I'd like to get some local info to know if we are making the right move or not.

[blickcd]

Consider the part of town that you will be working in and what route you would take for a daily commute. Our expressways get loaded up pretty well during rush hour and if you aren't used to dealing with that, a shorter commute might be better.

Jungle Jim's has two locations, so maybe somewhere in Clermont County (east) is a possibility.

[wrightflyer]

I agree it depends on where your commute would be. If you are working in northern portions of Hamilton County, for reference, let's say the I-75/I-275 junction in Sharonville, you could swing something between downtown and the interstate junction. I would also ask if the spouse plans to work and if so, where or what field they would be working in. ID'ing employment centers in that industry could also make a difference.

Housing is really tight (probably the same in Louisville's metro), with many homes going well over asking prices, and many with appraisal difference contingencies. Essentially, if the appraisal is lower than the asking price, any difference will be covered, to an extent, by the buyer with additional cash down. Perhaps consider renting for a year or two? Many of the fun foodie and independent restaurant places in Cincinnati itself focus on OTR, Northside, Pleasant Ridge, Hyde Park, Oakley and Mt. Adams. Downtown also has a decent scene, though with shows being closed for some time due to COVID, it may not seem as lively, especially weekday nights.

If you want to find a "fun" town near Cincinnati that has a small town center or downtown, I recommend Loveland, Milford and Montgomery. All vary price point wise and fit different budgets. The only downside is they may not be as central to commuting (Milford especially). On the Kentucky side, there are historical neighborhoods and gentrification in Covington (Mainstrasse), Newport and Bellevue and nice downtown areas in established suburbs such as Fort Thomas (Midway District) and Fort Mitchell.

[blickcd]

I agree with renting for a few years. See how the new job goes. Get to know the area better. Maybe get a better deal on a house.

[Weaubleau]

Yeah, I would say there is only one day a year where Louisville has more going on than Cincinnati, and Cincinnati has the heritage of a much older, more mature city as well.

[joyeaux]

Originally Posted by Weaubleau

Yeah, I would say there is only one day a year where Louisville has more going on than Cincinnati, and Cincinnati has the heritage of a much older, more mature city as well.

So would that one day be Halloween?

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Weaubleau

Yeah, I would say there is only one day a year where Louisville has more going on than Cincinnati, and Cincinnati has the heritage of a much older, more mature city as well.

Not true at all. That means all you know about Louisville is Derby.

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

Not true at all. That means all you know about Louisville is Derby.

Which is a huge party for all of 2:01:02 of action.

But in all seriousness, I'm sure Louisville offers decent amenities but Cincinnati will be the same, if not more in terms of options for activities and restaurants.