1st Yr. Medical Resident Moving to Louisville (Frankfort, Bardstown: affordable apartments, rental)

[MoonlightFlight]

I'm new to this wonderful forum, and I would like to ask for your help. I'm reading your other Louisville threads as fast as I can.

My daughter will be starting her surgery residency at U of L in late June. She is doing a surgery prelim year here in SC right now. She has almost no time to do any research about Louisville, consequently it falls to Mom to find a place for her to live. This will be her first time living on her own.

Erika has no extra money for a downpayment on a house or condo, so she will have to start in an apartment until she can save enough for a downpayment. I think this might work out okay, as it will give her time to figure out where she might like to buy a home.

As we have little knowledge of the Louisville area, I would like to ask for advice about where you feel would be the best place to find an apartment. I am thinking around the Baxter/Bardstown Rd area, but don't know if this area would have anything affordable ($500-600) for her. The only criteria for Erika is not too far from Louisville Hospital, and for me a place where she would feel comfortable and safe.

If any of you know where other medical residents stay who can't yet afford a home, that would certainly help. Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[censusdata]

The Baxter Ave corridor (specif. the neighborhoods of Irish Hill, Phoenix Hill, & the Original Highlands). Butchertown is also very nice and safe, but it's a lot smaller so finding an apartment might be difficult. Clifton is just a bit further out and is a great area that also has affordable apartments.

2 years ago a very dangerous public housing unit was torn down just North of the Med School and is being converted into a mixed income area (w/ both apartments & single family homes) called Liberty Greens. It is quit safe now, but there really aren't any quiet neighborhood streets.

If she will be biking to class be aware that the Baxter Ave corridor is on a steep hill overlooking downtown.

Here is a brief photo tour of recommended areas:

Butchertown (just East of Downtown % North of Market Street)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/BtPicture_003.jpg (broken link)

Original Highlands (btw Baxter & Barrett )
http://static3.bareka.com/photos/medium/7404126.jpg (broken link)

Liberty Greens


http://static3.bareka.com/photos/medium/7528766.jpg (broken link)

Clifton (along Frankfort Ave west of Ewing Ave)
http://static3.bareka.com/photos/medium/7144214.jpg (broken link)

http://static4.bareka.com/photos/medium/9630063.jpg (broken link)

[MoonlightFlight]

Thank you, Censusdata! Those look like beautiful areas!

Erika has a car, so the hill is no problem, except when it snows. The med school is right by University Hospital and not too far from the VA, is that correct? Erika's already started her residency and will be working in the area hospitals. I know she would much rather a place like in your photos, than an apartment complex. I'll have to look into Clifton also. Thank you, again!

[censusdata]

Originally Posted by MoonlightFlight

Thank you, Censusdata! Those look like beautiful areas!

Erika has a car, so the hill is no problem, except when it snows. The med school is right by University Hospital and not too far from the VA, is that correct? Erika's already started her residency and will be working in the area hospitals. I know she would much rather a place like in your photos, than an apartment complex. I'll have to look into Clifton also. Thank you, again!

The VA Hosp is at Zorn Ave & I-71. If she will be going btw the VA Hosp & Med Campus you should probably focus more on the Clifton area. Clifton is the safest of the areas mentioned, Frankfort Ave is also a little quieter than Baxter Ave

[bigbluedevotion]

I'm in somewhat of a similar situation to your daughter. I will begin dental school at Louisville in July. The condo market in Louisville is affordable and seems to be a very good alternative to renting an apartment. I will be living in a new 2 BR 2 BA condo in Crescent Hill with mortgage, condo association fees, some utilities, and property taxes equaling about $700/month with 100% financing. I was in a similar situation and could not put a down payment on the condo.

Republic Bank has a special deal for medical and dental residents that would be worth checking into if the resident is interested in purchasing a home. I would also contact Laura Oatley at Century 21 (she is the recommended realtor for dental students, and I'm sure has a great relationship with the medical program as well). The fact is, if your daughter would like to purchase a home, she can do so without making a down payment and having monthly fees that are very comparable to rent.

Crescent Hill is a great area for medical/dental students and residents. I will have about an 8 minute drive to school every morning and won't have to worry about interstate traffic. There are restaurants, a Kroger, banks, movie rental stores, and various other conveniences all along lower Brownsboro Rd in Crescent Hill. Also, the Frankfort Ave. entertainment district is only about a mile away. It's a great location for anyone wanting to be convenient to downtown and the medical center. The area is peppered with medical/dental students and residents.

I know this was long, but I hope it helps!

[MoonlightFlight]

Thank you very much for the information, bigbluedevotion. Yours sounds like an ideal situation. I'll see if I can contact Laura Oatley. I appreciate your help.

[fountainpenpen]

Sorry to piggyback on this thread.
My daughter is also going to be a medical resident at U of L hospitals including the VA and Muhammed Ali area medical center.
Friends there suggests Bardstown,I assume they must mean the street area,no the town itself which is 75 miles away.

Also are these apartments any good as my daughter has not driven for a few years while she went to big city med school and internship:
Phoenix Place Apartments
Lofts of Broadway?
Crescent Centre
Weissinger-Gaulbert Apartments
The worthingtons'

[censusdata]

Originally Posted by fountainpenpen

Sorry to piggyback on this thread.
My daughter is also going to be a medical resident at U of L hospitals including the VA and Muhammed Ali area medical center.
Friends there suggests Bardstown,I assume they must mean the street area,no the town itself which is 75 miles away.

Also are these apartments any good as my daughter has not driven for a few years while she went to big city med school and internship:
Phoenix Place Apartments
Lofts of Broadway?
Crescent Centre
Weissinger-Gaulbert Apartments
The worthingtons'

If she won't be driving Bardstown Rd would be a little far away, plus that's up a steep hill overlooking downtown (not fun on a bike). Of the places you listed Crescent Centre & W Gaulbert seem the nicest, but they are over on 2nd Street which is a 10 minute walk from the Med Center.

I'd strongly recommend looking at Liberty Greens which is right across the street from the Med School. This is a completely new development that features a wide range of apartment/ home sizes and cost. You should also consider looking around the East Main/ Market Street corridor which has seen a HUGE amount of new construction lately. Butchertown is also a great neighborhood that is nearby and has a lot of nice apartment houses.

Here is a site w/ lots of Downtown housing listings: LDMD - Living Downtown - Louisville, KY

[Back2TX]

Wow... small world. My husband is just finishing up his surgery residency here in Louisville. We just helped a resident this past week find an apartment. (He lived with us for a month while he came here for an away rotation earlier this fall.) He matched here and will be starting his surgery residency this coming June as well.
He found an apartment near the VA hospital. It is an easy drive to any of the hopsitals and a few of the other surgery residents live in those apartments. The apartments are called River Oak Apts. These apartments are in a nice, safe part of town AND are very affordable.
If you have any questions, I would be happy to help. Feel free to send me a private message on here. I guess it's quite possible that your daughter met my husband when she interviewed here. I wish her the best of luck here! We have loved living here in Louisville... such a friendly and beautiful place to live. We are headed back to TX this summer.... all our family is back in TX and we miss them.

[censusdata]

Opinion of River Oak Apartments posted 4/14/2008: Worst mistake ever. Please learn from my mistakes!