Deer Park

Deer Park is a neighborhood four miles southeast of downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Its boundaries are Bardstown Road, Newburg Road, Eastern Parkway, and Douglass Boulevard. Deer Park is considered a part of a larger area of Louisville called The Highlands. The neighborhood is modest and has more of a middle- and working-class population compared to the rest of the general Highlands area, which can be considered upper-middle class to upper-class. Most of Deer Park was developed from 1890 to the 1920s with a few portions not built until 1935. It was designed as a streetcar suburb, which is uncommon for the distance it is from downtown Louisville, it takes about 13 minutes to drive there. There are a little over 4,000 residents of Deer Park in Jefferson County of Kentucky. Before it was a subdivision it was an agricultural area. The residents have run campaigns to put the deer back in Deer Park, placing colorful deer sculptures at local businesses around the neighborhood. The residents love the neighborhood because it is a walkable community, and it has numerous local cafes and restaurants.

The area from Eastern Parkway to Speed Avenue and Fernwood to Bardstown Road is a National Register District. The neighborhood is mostly single-family dwellings and 80% residential. In the mid-1970s the city turned all the narrow east/west streets into one-way streets to help with traffic flow and parking for the houses along those streets. This area of Louisville is one of the most densely populated areas, it was built to be a streetcar suburb which leaves Ivanhoe Ct. to be a walking path for the houses on the street, so the only access to the houses is from the alleyways behind them. This is one of the 11 streetcar suburbs still left around Louisville. The oldest section of Deer Park is made up of shotgun houses and 2 ½ story Victorians, while craftsmen-style homes fill the streets on the edge of the neighborhood and few small ranch style homes can be found west of Norris Place. The median sale price of a home in this neighborhood is $352K. The houses are close together and only a few of them have large yards. Most streets have wide sidewalks, which makes the neighborhood great for walking.

Louisville Kentucky has a wide variety of attractions all over the city. Whether you enjoy college basketball, baseball history, bourbon, horse racing, or something else, there is something for you. The zoo is always a good time or stop by a distillery and take a tour. Louisville full of museums, from the Louisville slugger museum to the Kentucky Derby museum. Bardstown Rd, which borders the Deer Park neighborhood to the Northeast, has its own Farmers market that is open year-round on Saturdays. Bardstown Road is full of funky vintage clothing shops, candy shops, cafés, restaurants, and even a Doo Wop Shop that sells anything musical. The nearest grocery store is Kroger which is down the road from the neighborhood. Deer Park has two beautiful catholic churches that serve the area around the neighborhood. They both have private catholic schools for children k-8 and both are National Blue Ribbon winners.

The Deer Park Neighborhood Association has several events throughout the year that residents can attend and participate in. They host a community garage sale, Porchfest, and NeighborFest to name a few. They also hold community events like the Deer Park Neighborhood Tree Champions, which planted nearly 50 trees in the fall, and they have tricker-treating in the neighborhood, Christmas caroling, and streets that are lit up for the holidays. They do have a website that is dedicated to the neighborhood and hold events year-round. Sign up for the newsletter to never miss an event.

Deer Park is one of the most densely populated areas of Louisville, which means that there aren’t any parks directly in the neighborhood. The closest park is the Germantown Baseball fields. The park is located on the St. Xavier High School Campus, and it is equipped with 5 playing fields, a quality concession stand, a playground, a pavilion, and a mature tree canopy. In addition, there is another park just south of the neighborhood called Joe Creason Park which is the in the center of the neighborhood of Poplar Level. It is adjoining the Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve. The park includes the Louisville Tennis Center which boasts 11 day courts and seating for 400 spectators and a clubhouse. There is a 1.5-mile paved multi-use path, the Prather Cemetery, a playground, a picnic shelter, and a field suitable for soccer. The Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve is 41 acres of urban forest that offers over 2 miles of hiking trails and a diverse range of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers that are protected there. The accessibility of these parks should be able to meet the needs of outdoor activities for any family.

The elementary-age students of Deer Park would most likely go to Bloom Elementary; it is the closest elementary school to the neighborhood. Middle school students would go to Highland Middle, which is located in the Deer Park neighborhood. High School students would attend Atherton High. They are all part of the Jefferson County Public Schools. The high school has about 1400 students and has a 94% parent satisfaction rating. They have International Baccalaureate (IB) Program classes that are recognized by colleges to get a head start on credits. They offer students opportunities for career-centered hands-on learning. Deer Park has two private catholic schools that offer to learn for students k-8. They are attached to the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church and the St. Agnes Catholic Church. Both have been National Blue Ribbon winners.

There are several major employers in and around the Louisville area. The Kroger Company, Baptist Healthcare System, University of Louisville, GE appliances, and amazon just to name a few. Most of the residents in Deer Park are homeowners and the growth of the neighborhood has been stable for many years, so people tend to stay in the area. The cost of living in Louisville is 4% lower than the national average. There aren’t any new construction sites in Deer park, but you might come across homes that are being remodeled to keep these craftsmen and Victorian homes in beautiful shape. The streets are all lined with sidewalks and most homes have private alley access. There is plenty of street parking along with garages for most of the homes. This neighborhood is lovely for walking and has beautiful tree-lined streets. It gives wonderful small-town vibes in a densely populated neighborhood.

The Deer Park neighborhood is about 13 minutes from downtown Louisville and about 15 minutes from the Louisville International Airport. The residents only have to drive about 5 miles to get to Interstate 65, which will allow them to access Louisville and beyond. The traffic in the area is mild and most families report a 20-minute commute from their homes to work.

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Matt Ferguson