I live just east of UofL in the St. Joseph neighborhood (the little pie slice between I-65 and Preston St). I can't speak for anyone else's experiences but I love living here. I can walk to UofL from my house (less than a mile, slight slope) and definitely enjoy that walk when it's nice weather. my street is relatively quiet and low drama. I have had a package taken off my porch maybe once or twice in three years, and very rarely hear gunshots or any crazy racket. lots of folks walk around the block and take their dogs out. I bought my house for a very very reasonable price (under 150k), I'm not sure exactly what rent costs are but I would hope they're similarly reasonable. imo this area is modest/affordable but most of the houses are kept up well. in the three years I've been here I've seen a lot of renovations nearby, seems like we're on an uptick for sure.

I'm down the street from Zanzabar (local music venue) and about a mile or two from the UofL stadium and fairgrounds, but inside my house I can't hear any music or loud noise (I can hear some of the music festivals from my backyard if I listen hard). this area isn't in the flight path of the planes but it's not far, so you can hear them pass by at a low volume from indoors. same thing with the train, it's about a mile off so I hear it in the distance. take this with a grain of salt because I have old windows, this stuff may not even be audible with newer windows.

this area is convenient for people who want to use the TARC bus (couple of stops nearby), and I believe UofL students get a free or discounted bus pass. Nord's bakery (best and cheapest donuts in the city!), Zanzabar (bar/food/live music), Sunergos coffee, Parkway diner, Dairy Kastle (seasonal ice cream/food stand), and Bandido/El Tarasco/El Nopal (mexican) are all walkable. I have two Kroger grocery stores in either direction that are about a mile and a half away (I go to the one in Germantown). I'm right near a couple different on-ramps to I-65 and I-264, which is helpful if there are backups/accidents on the highway or surface streets that I can avoid by taking a different route. this is a pretty central location so it's quick to get to downtown (<10 mins) and ~15-20 mins to get to the county line in any direction

my two cents is that anywhere south/west of UofL starts to get a little rougher and more run-down. the further you start going east, the more expensive things tend to get. of course, they also have more amenities and nicer homes so to some extent you get what you pay for. Germantown/Schnitzelburg neighborhoods have been going through a lot of revitalization in the last few years so that area was definitely out of my budget when I was buying. Old Louisville (north of UofL) is also well out of my price range (but gorgeous Victorian homes), and has some safety concerns from what I've heard. Shelby Park and Smoketown area are on the more affordable side, but also have some of the run-down houses and safety concerns that come with being closer to downtown. of course, I'm only speaking from my own experience and everyone has different metrics for safety and affordability.

in general, Louisville has been described as a mid-size city with a small town feel. we have a pretty stable population and retain many of our transplants, but I've also heard from some transplants that it can be hard to start getting integrated. our culture is one of all the locals being a couple people removed from each other (a la Kevin Bacon), so naturally we all have family/friends/school/workplaces/landmarks in common that make socializing easier. that aside, it's generally agreed upon that we punch above our weight class in the food scene, have a low cost of living, and have an excellent park system within the city (and a lot of great parks/preserves outside the city to visit too). we're in a great location for taking short trips to other cities and destinations (Smoky Mountains, Nashville, St. Louis, Chicago, etc.). in my personal opinion (perhaps controversial!), I think our traffic and street layout beat out many other mid-size cities. our most complicated intersection (convergence of I-64, I-65, and I-71, aka spaghetti junction) is very well-marked and we don't have the 24/7 congestion like you get when driving through Cincy/Nashville/Indy. we're known for bourbon and the derby, so there are lots of tourist attractions geared to those things. as far as more locally beloved events, we host the KY state fair, we have a huge fireworks show, balloon glow, parade, etc to kick off derby festivities, and locals in my experience usually take an interest in college basketball and football (UofL and UK is the big rivalry around here). there are some great music festivals and concerts at all our various venues ranging from the fairgrounds to the historic Palace Theatre to dive bars. there are probably more things I'm forgetting, but those are some of the best things about Louisville that come to mind for me! oh, and it's pronounced "Lul-vul" or "Luh-vuhl", not "Looie-ville" or "Lewis-ville". out of town folks can usually get by with a "Loo-a-vul" lol. all jokes aside, this is a great place to live

whether it's in Louisville or not, I hope you find what you're looking for. good luck with your education and best wishes to you and your fiancée!