Germantown Louisville has traditionally been known as a blue-collar neighborhood inhabited by generations of families that don’t move away. However, Germantown is currently growing due to the high local interest in living closer to the Highlands and Old Louisville. Germantown is often a less expensive option as far as cost of living is concerned, and many individuals have used that as an excuse to adopt Germantown as their home.
Germantown History
© 2009 Carol Hall
Germantown was originally settled by German immigrants in the mid 1800s. The German settlers built large Catholic churches and then settled around them in Louisville areas such as Germantown, Butchertown, and the Phoenix Hill neighborhood. By the Civil War, so many immigrants had moved to the area that they covered the neighborhood with shotgun houses. Today, Germantown is still covered in shotgun and camelback houses, and many descendants of its early settlers still call the neighborhood home.
Germantown Boundaries
© 2009 Carol Hall
Germantown’s boundaries are Barret Avenue in the north, Eastern Parkway in the east, and the South Fork of Beargrass Creek in the south and west.
Germantown Demographics
© 2009 Carol Hall
Germantown has a population of nearly 4,000. This is a Caucasian-dominant population with 93% of the residents listed as Caucasian, 4% as African American, less than 1% as Hispanic, and less than 2% as other. However, the demographics of Germantown are rapidly changing due to the neighborhood's recent popularity. Most of Germantown’s newest residents are college students and young couples.
Apartments and Real Estate
© 2009 Carol Hall
Germantown Picture Tour
© 2009 Carol Hall
Explore Germantown through pictures of some of its biggest attractions, restaurants, and stores.
Top Germantown Restaurants
© 2009 Carol Hall
Many restaurants in Germantown are dives with cheap and unremarkable food. But that's not true for all Germantown fare. These restaurants are not only some of the best in Germantown, but also some of the best in Louisville.
Germantown Nightlife
© 2009 Carol Hall
Because of its recent influx of new residents and the high local interest in the neighborhood, the number of bars in Germantown has been growing. Many Germantown bars cater primarily to the long-time residents of the neighborhood, but many also cater to the college and young professional crowds.
Germantown Attractions
Photo by Fred Sauceman for the Southern Foodways Alliance
- St. Therese Catholic Church--Located at 1010 Schiller Avenue, St. Therese is one of the original Catholic churches built by Germantown’s settlers. It’s gorgeous architecture and placement on the National Register of Historic Places makes it one of Germantown’s most prized attractions.
- Schnitzelburg World Dainty Championship--Dainty is an old German game that is played with a stick. A player uses a handheld stick to force another stick jump off of the ground, and then hits the airborne stick like a baseball with the stick in their hand. The person who hits their stick the farthest wins. Each July, the Schnitzelburg World Dainty Championship is held in front of Hauck’s Market in Germantown.