What's So Great About Louisville, Anyway? Louisville was ranked the number one best small city in the U.S. by CNN Money magazine two years in a row, 2010 and 2011.

If you're just passing through, you might not understand right away what makes Louisville so special. You'll see a wide range of small and split level dwellings (not always the most popular designs) with mid-range ($250-350K) prices plus tiny old-fashioned cottages in 'old town' that go for hefty prices. If you're coming from another part of the country,you might not be particularly impressed, although you might notice that everything looks clean, there is a lot of fresh air, and you can see the mountains from almost any place in town.

However, when you look just a little deeper you will find the connected, vibrant community that is Louisville.

Louisville is a small city with a definite hometown feel. The schools are top-rated academically, but it is not just those numbers that are impressive. The community-involvement (parent-teacher groups, etc.) in the schools AND everything else is astounding- plus Louisville has very little traffic and almost no crime.

There is a charming, thriving downtown with a lot to offer, including The Art Underground (which offers dance, theater, film and visual arts classes for all ages), a wide variety of top-notch restaurants, a farmers' market, summer concerts, numerous art galleries, a beautiful library, and lots of quaint little shops. There's even a store that sells vintage candy!

Louisville is set back from the mountains just far enough to have stunning, sweeping views and just close enough that you can be IN the mountains within fifteen minutes.Another great feature is the bike path system that runs throughout Louisville. It connects runners, cyclists, and families with strollers to the great parks, single track, schools, recreation center, an arboretum, and the downtown areas. And how many cities have a dog park with a swimming pond just for dogs?

This amazing small town has a wonderful and supportive local small business community, which includes the Chamber of Commerce, the Louisville Business Network, and other organizations where people come together in support of one another.

On Friday nights in the summer Louisville hosts the Louisville Downtown Street Faire, which is packed with fun, music, and activities for all ages.

If you want something bigger, Louisville is a quick 10 minutes drive to Boulder and also a short commute to Denver. (I can get from my house to the Denver Zoo in 25 minutes.) Hence, you get all of the privileges of being near the University of Colorado on one side and the resources of the big city on the other.

So next time you drive by-slow down and take time to explore Louisville a bit deeper-and if you want to look at available homes for sale in Louisville, please visit my website: www.MaryEllenWood.com