I grew up there..Born in Buffalo, moved as a kid to Louisville, moved back to Buffalo, probably moving back down south in a year or two ( not Louisville though ).
Louisville as a city is growing rapidly. Downtown is OK, not great. Buildings are very nice ( much nicer than Buffalo ), but there isn't much to do as far as shopping, etc. ( not very differnt from Buffalo ).
The weather during the summer SUCKS..I mean SUCKS BALLS. Louisville is located in the Ohio valley, so all the dirt/smog gets stuck over the metro area, therefore the air is HORRIBLE and HUMID. 90 degrees and enough humidity to cut with a knife..YUCK...
Winters are just about as cold as Buffalo, but very little snow.
Race relations are a mixed bag. The burbs has a much higher integration rate than a city like Buffalo but there are MANY places not to go if you are white or black. There are some hardcore gang bangers in a few parts of the metro area ( Raceland mall area, downtown, west Louisville, Bashford mall area ), and out Dixie Highway from the Louisville area to Fort Know is RED NECK HEAVEN!!! YEHAAAAAAA
The job market is decent. IMHO better than the Buffalo area ( of course ), but not as booming as NC, SC, Atlanta, Denver, Las Vegas, etc.
Jefferson County Public Schools are pretty good...Private schools are EXCELLENT - Trinity, St. X for the boys and Assumption + Sacred Heart for the gals.
Sports are H O R R I B L E unless you like college basketball. UofL vs UofK is always fun. County folk like the Cats and city folk like the birds. Football isn't a big deal and hockey?? AHHAHAHAHA Forget it....
Cost of living: Housing is VERY expensive compared to the Buffalo area. A decent $75,000.00 home in say Cheektowaga would go for double that in Louisville. Newer homes average $175-$200 grand.
Taxes are lower.
Metro government..None of this BS that is in Erie county.
Police force is VERY active in pulling people over, unlike say Buffalo city proper ( picture say Kenmore police EVERYWHERE ).
Jeffersontown and Fern Creek would be two middle class areas I would look into ( I grew up in Fern Creek ).
St. Matthews and surround area is BOOMING, but houses are $250k easy...
Derby time is fun. HUGE airshow, ballon race, steamboat races, parade, and of course the Derby itself....FUN TIME.
Like I said, my family will probably be moving in a few years, but NOT to Louisville...It's not that its a bad place, but it is VERY VERY boring. No Canada, no NFL, no NHL, no winter sports ( ok, a little skiing in Indiana, but nothing compared to here ).
If you need to know anything else please let me know..