A Kentucky-made icon, Louisville is one of the most desirable destinations in the US. It’s not hard to hazard why: this bourbon capital is the proud home of the Kentucky Derby, and enjoys a famed place in baseball history as the birthplace of the Louisville Slugger. Stop by the Slugger Museum to learn all about it (or just gawk at the world’s largest baseball bat). Add great food and even better shopping, and the city’s success on TikTok (ranked #27) makes sense: people have a good time in Derby City, and they like to share it with the world.
The city seems keenly aware of this, and is working diligently to bolster its already class-leading convention center infrastructure, for which it ranks #6. Now, the Kentucky Expo Center is undergoing a $460+ million renovation, which will add 350,000 square feet of exhibit space – just about six football fields. It’s joined by the KFC Yum! Center, renovating to the tune of $100 million. That ranking may gallop closer towards the top.
While visitors relish the city’s gifts, Louisville is working to boost Livability (#133) for those who call it home. A new public bus network launches this summer after a community-led transformation, and residents are celebrating an expanded Waterfront Park, which debuted a kid-friendly PlayPort along the Ohio River. Downtown transformation is ongoing, and the city has emerged as a frontier in the battle against urban heat, investing considerably to improve its tree canopy and build climate resilience.