01 · the cities
Louisville
Louisville is bourbon, the Derby, Muhammad Ali, and the Hot Brown sandwich (an open-faced turkey-and-cheese situation invented at the Brown Hotel). Derby week is a citywide event where people dress like they're at a wedding for a horse. The Highlands neighborhood has the best dive bars, the Urban Bourbon Trail downtown takes a full weekend. Pronounce it 'Loo-uh-vul' and you'll fit in.
full dispatch→Huntsville
Huntsville is Rocket City, with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the Saturn V rocket on display at the Space and Rocket Center, and a tech and engineering economy that punches way above the city's size. Cummings Research Park is the second-largest research park in the U.S. The Tennessee River and Monte Sano State Park give it a quiet outdoor side. Affordable and surprisingly smart.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,368/mo
$1,374/mo
Median home price
Median home price
$282k
$316k
$33k more than Louisville
State income tax
State income tax
4.5%
5.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,590/mo
$6,543/mo
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
181 days
177 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
1 days
13 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
15 days
6 days
days below 20°F per year
Huntsville has 12 more days above 95°F each year than Louisville. Louisville drops below 20°F on 9 more days per year than Huntsville.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
54 / 100
58 / 100
4.0 pts ahead of Louisville
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
22 routes
9 routes
13 fewer direct routes than Louisville
Metro size
Metro size
1.4M metro
527k metro
Louisville has 2.9x more events per month than Huntsville.
the verdict
5
Louisville
categories won
2
Huntsville
categories won
Louisville leads on money and wins overall.
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