Some suburbs near Louisville named among the best places to live in the US. See the list

Matthew Glowicki, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read

Bardstown, Kentucky, and Sellersburg, Indiana are among the top 500 suburbs near big cities nationwide, according to a new analysis by financial technology company SmartAsset.

While no Louisville area cities cracked the top 10 list, five towns close to Louisville and Lexington made the top 100:

  • Sellersburg, Indiana (19)

  • Harrodsburg, Kentucky (28)

  • Bardstown, Kentucky (30)

  • Georgetown, Kentucky (31)

  • Lawrenceburg, Kentucky (93)

Bardstown, about 40 miles south of Louisville, has long been known as a major bourbon production hub, boasting 11 distilleries and a charming historic downtown square. It's home to nearly 13,600 people, up from 11,700 in 2010, according to U.S. Census estimates.

Sellersburg, in Clark County, Indiana, has seen large population growth, jumping from around 6,100 people in 2010 to 9,300 in 2020, U.S. Census data show. About a 10 minute drive north from Louisville, the town is home to Ivy Tech Community College and the in-development Silver Creek Logistics Center warehouse park.

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Other spots around Louisville to make the list include: Frankfort (153), Jeffersontown (160), Elizabethtown (235), Radcliff (264), Nicholasville (275), Scottsburg, Indiana (367), and Mount Sterling (416).

The study ranked cities by examining three areas: employment, affordability and “livability.”

SmartAsset's analysis examined 13 data points for nearly 500 suburbs within a 15- to 60-minute drive of a city with a population of 250,000 or more.

It was a strong showing for the Midwest, as all of the top ten suburbs were all located near Indianapolis, Cincinnati or Columbus.

Two Cincinnati-area towns made the top 10, including Fort Wright and Erlanger in Kentucky. The Indianapolis area was well represented in the top 10, with Brownsburg, Noblesville, Fishers and Greenwood.

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SmartAsset assessed “livability” by looking at high school graduation rate, crime rate and density of dining and entertainment venues.

Its “affordability” score examined housing costs and home values relative to income, property tax rates and annual cost of living estimates.

The “jobs” score took into account median household income, five- and 10-year income growth, 10-year employment growth, job diversity and the unemployment rate.

Business reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at mglowicki@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4000 or on Twitter @mattglo.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville area communities make 2022 list of top suburbs in US