People enjoy living in Southern Indiana for plenty of reasons: thriving, close-knit communities; parks, lakes, and green spaces; plenty of shopping and dining; and easy highway access to Louisville, just across the Ohio River.
At Premier Homes, we make it easy to take advantage of these perks. Communities such as Ellingsworth Commons and Hilton Farms in Jeffersonville offer convenient access to I-265 and the Louisville area. Knob Hill in Georgetown combines I-64 access with ample green space, while Kamer Crossing puts homeowners close to shopping, dining, and entertainment in New Albany.
However, there are a few things you may not know about living in Southern Indiana. Well, not until you’ve been here a while. For example, why everyone has a preferred bridge and why the word “thunder” doesn’t necessarily mean you should check the weather forecast. And why Southern Indiana may have a stronger claim to Kentucky Fried Chicken than you would expect.
Here are five things newcomers may not know about life in our corner of Indiana.
1: Louisville Eventually Stops Feeling Like It’s in Another State
Okay, technically Louisville is in the state of Kentucky. Practically? The grass in Louisville is just as green as it is in Southern Indiana.
In fact, Southern Indiana sits directly across the Ohio River from Louisville. According to the Louisville Tourism website, Southern Indiana is just one mile north of downtown Louisville, with residents regularly crossing the river for work, restaurants, concerts, sporting events, shopping, medical appointments, and entertainment.
Several bridges connect the two sides of the river, including the I-65 Abraham Lincoln and Kennedy bridges, the Sherman Minton Bridge, the Clark Memorial Bridge, and the Lewis and Clark Bridge.
“But don’t the bridges have tolls?”
Well, yes, 3 toll bridges connect Louisville to Clark and Floyd counties. But there are no toll booths, no coin buckets, and no stopping. RiverLink (an E-ZPass affiliate) handles tolling electronically. This means no waiting in line at a toll booth on your daily commute.
Spend enough time here, and you’ll hear some strong local opinions about these bridges that are even stronger than college basketball rivalries.
One thing we can all agree on is that many of our bridges offer spectacular views. And you don’t even need a car to cross the river. The Big Four Bridge, which connects Jeffersonville with Louisville Waterfront Park, is friendly to pedestrians and cyclists, with an average of about 1.5 million pedestrian and bicycle crossings each year.
So, yes, you can live in Indiana, walk to Kentucky for dinner, and walk home again.
2: Thunder Is Not a Weather Forecast Here
If a local tells you, “Thunder is coming soon,” you don’t have to open your weather app or grab an umbrella.
“Thunder” means something entirely different around here. We’re talking about Thunder Over Louisville, the massive air show and fireworks celebration that kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival. It’s one of the largest annual fireworks shows in North America, attended by an average of around half a million people.
While the event attracts many tourists, locals have special perks for enjoying the festivities. Viewing areas extend across the river into Jeffersonville and Clarksville so that locals can enjoy the show from their own neighborhoods.
Local Pro Tip: The Derby isn’t just a horse race. It’s how folks celebrate Spring in Louisville and in Southern Indiana: Thunder, multiple festivals, parades, and steamboats. And don’t forget the Derby parties!
3. Colonel Sanders Wasn’t From Kentucky
Apologies to our Kentucky neighbors across the river for bringing this up.
Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken and one of the most Kentucky-associated people in American popular culture, was actually born in Henryville, Indiana. We’ve even got a state road named Colonel Sanders Way in his honor!
So, the next time someone tells you how much Southern Indiana residents benefit by being so close to Louisville, feel free to point out that the benefits go both ways. (We just don’t advertise our most famous residents like a resume.) Our part of Indiana has produced plenty of other interesting people and stories, such as New Albany’s Fuzzy Zoeller, who won the Masters Tournament on his first appearance, and astronomer Edwin Hubble, who once taught at New Albany High School.
4: Your Weekend Walk Can Include 390-Million-Year-Old Fossils
Southern Indiana history goes back a long way — a really long way.
For example, at the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville, you can explore fossil beds dating back approximately 390 million years. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says they are among the largest exposed Devonian fossil beds in the world. They’re older than the dinosaurs!
The Falls is also where Lewis and Clark began and ended their Expedition. And our Ohio River Greenway connects Jeffersonville, Clarksville, and New Albany along more than seven miles of riverfront.
What does this mean for Southern Indiana residents? An ordinary Saturday may include a bike ride, a view of the Louisville skyline, 390-million-year-old fossils, and a site connected to one of America’s most famous expeditions.
Then you can get ice cream.
5. Eventually, You’ll Stop Trying to Decide Whether You Live in the Midwest or the South
Indiana is the Midwest, right? Well… sort of.
In Southern Indiana, we’re actually known as the place “where the Midwest meets the South.”
So don’t be surprised if you hear someone say “y’all” in Jeffersonville or New Albany. Local news stations have even explored our regional identity crisis, asking whether Louisville and the surrounding area belong culturally to the Midwest or the South.
Some of our esteemed locals describe this difference as the “y’all line,” which is a lighthearted way of describing the cultural transition, placing Jeffersonville, Clarksville, and New Albany on the Southern side of it.
Fall, in particular, reveals just how enthusiastically Southern Indiana embraces our rural side. Huber’s Orchard & Winery has become a local fall tradition for apple picking, pumpkins, wine, and family outings, while New Albany’s Harvest Homecoming has been drawing crowds for decades.
So are we Midwestern? Southern? Maybe the answer is simply: Southern Indiana.
After you’ve lived here a while, that explanation works just fine.
Discover the Perks of Living in Southern Indiana for Yourself
All snark aside, we’re rather fond of living in Southern Indiana. The benefits are obvious: convenient access to Louisville, welcoming communities, beautiful parks and outdoor recreation, and plenty of restaurants, shopping, and downtown hotspots to explore.
Other perks take a little longer to discover, like your first Thunder Over Louisville or your first walk across the Big Four Bridge. Eventually, after you’ve lived here a while, you’ll have your first strong opinion about which bridge you should have taken.
If you’re considering making Southern Indiana your new home, Premier Homes can help you explore new-home communities throughout Jeffersonville, New Albany, Georgetown, Sellersburg, and Charlestown.
Ready to learn more about the perks of living here? Contact Premier Homes to start exploring your new-home options in Southern Indiana.