14,034 people live in Highlands, where the median age is 39 and the average individual income is $64,676. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
Median Age
Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
Average individual Income
The Highlands is a cluster of neighborhoods strung along Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue, including Original Highlands, Cherokee Triangle, Tyler Park, Deer Park, Bonnycastle, Highlands-Douglass and Irish Hill, with no single official boundary. Most of it was developed between the 1880s and the 1930s, which is why Victorian houses, shotgun homes and multi-unit buildings share the same blocks. This guide covers where the market stands, what that housing stock means for a buyer, and the checks worth doing before you make an offer.
Name
From a ridge between the middle and south forks of Beargrass Creek
Main corridor
About 3 miles of shops and restaurants along Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue
Built out
Largely developed by the 1930s
Largest park
Cherokee Park, 409 acres, designed by Olmsted
This section covers what sits behind the listing photos: where prices and timing stand, what the housing stock looks like, and the local checks that matter in an area this old and this varied.
Measure | Through September 2026 | Compared with a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
Median sale price | About $370,000 | Up 11.1% |
Median days on market | 67 days | 47 days |
Sale-to-list price ratio | 100.3% | Up 2.0 points |
Homes sold above list price | 42.8% | Up 22.8 points |
Source: Redfin, Highlands housing market, data through September 2026. Figures combine every home type and reflect recent months, and Redfin's page counted only 7 homes sold in September 2026, so the Highlands numbers can swing from month to month. Ask us for a current read on a specific street or price range.
The median price rose 11.1% to about $370,000, yet the median home took 67 days to sell, 20 days longer than a year earlier. Among the homes that did sell, 42.8% went for more than list price. With so few sales in a month, one or two unusual homes can move these averages, so comparable sales on the specific street matter more than the headline figures. Our Highlands housing market analysis goes deeper, and our posts on making a winning offer and questions to ask before you offer are worth reading first.
In Original Highlands, large wood-frame and brick Victorian houses stand next to working-class shotgun houses, and most were built between about 1884 and 1895. The Original Highlands Neighborhood Association also notes historic and modern multi-family buildings in the neighborhood. Large-scale development elsewhere in the Highlands followed the streetcar extension of the 1890s, and the area was fully developed by the 1930s.
That age matters for buyers. If a home was built before 1978, federal law requires the seller to disclose known lead-based paint hazards, and many Highlands homes will fall in that group. Plan for a thorough inspection and read how the Louisville inspection process works. For more on the area's signature house type, see the history of shotgun houses in Louisville, and if you're considering a multi-unit building, read buying a duplex or multi-unit property in the Highlands.
Cherokee Triangle is a Louisville Metro local preservation district, where exterior alterations need a Certificate of Appropriateness. Our duplex post, citing Louisville Metro, also notes a Corridor Review Overlay District along Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue that requires guideline review for development proposals. Ask whether a specific property sits in either before you plan exterior work.
Many Highlands buildings are multi-family or have been converted. Check zoning and the number of legal units before you count on rental income, and note that Louisville Metro requires rental properties to be registered. Our duplex guide covers the details.
Beargrass Creek runs through Cherokee Park and borders Tyler Park. MSD offers a flood status lookup for any Jefferson County property. Get an insurance quote before closing, and read what homeowners insurance does and doesn't cover.
The Jefferson County Property Valuation Administration assesses property, and Kentucky requires every parcel to be reassessed at least once every four years. Read our guide to the 2026 Jefferson County reassessment, and ask us for a sample tax bill on any home.
Homes from the 1880s through the 1930s can have aging roofs, wiring, plumbing and foundations. A general inspection is the minimum, and a specialist may be worth hiring for anything the inspector flags. Budget for repairs before you write an offer.
Public school assignment depends on the address and the district's student assignment plan. Confirm it with Jefferson County Public Schools before you write an offer.
The name comes from a ridge between the middle and south forks of Beargrass Creek. Early German residents nicknamed the area "New Hamburg." The Louisville and Bardstown Turnpike, today's Bardstown Road, was planned as early as 1784, and the city bought it in 1901. A horse-drawn line reached Highland Avenue in 1871, and the 1890s streetcar extension drove large-scale residential development.
Original Highlands has its own record. The land was surveyed in 1774 for William Preston, and the "Briar Patch" plantation was established there in 1814. Susan Preston Christy began developing land in 1869, and Christy Avenue is named for her. The last streetcars ran on Derby Day in 1947. In the 1960s wealthier residents moved to the suburbs, the Highlands Commerce Guild formed in 1977, and a commercial revival began in the 1980s. By the early 1990s Bardstown Road was the city's main nightclub and upscale restaurant district. The Original Highlands Neighborhood Association was founded in 1975.
For more on parks across the city, see our guide to Louisville parks and the one Sunday a month Cherokee Triangle gives its park back.
Locals call the commercial strip Restaurant Row. Twig & Leaf, which Visit Louisville lists as a Highlands landmark, opened in 1962, and Bristol Bar & Grille on Bardstown Road opened in 1977. For more, read Havana recipes and an Ethiopian coffee ceremony a few doors apart on Bardstown Road, date night spots in the Highlands and the Urban Bourbon Trail.
The strip is turning over. According to our August 2026 post, Cipollini opened in March 2026 in the former LouVino space, Prado 264 opened at 1514 Bardstown Road in the former Mark's Feed Store after a soft opening in mid-July 2026, and Electric Ladyland announced its closure in June 2026 after 48 years. The same post covers the Mid City Mall redevelopment. Developer Branch Properties presented renderings in January 2026, demolition was targeted for late 2026, and the replacement, Mid City Market, was expected about 15 months after demolition begins. Those are targets, not confirmed dates. Read the full post and check current status with the city or developer.
Many buyers look at the Highlands alongside other close-in Louisville neighborhoods. These pages and posts help with the comparison.
Cherokee Triangle is a local preservation district. Read about its park Sundays.
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Homes in the Highlands vary so much by street, age and unit count that the right comparable sales are usually within a few blocks. Read our guide to selling a home in Louisville and when is the best time to sell.
The Highlands is a cluster of Louisville neighborhoods around Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue, including Original Highlands, Cherokee Triangle, Tyler Park, Deer Park, Bonnycastle, Highlands-Douglass, Irish Hill and Belknap. There is no single official boundary, so confirm the neighborhood for any address.
In the period through September 2026 the median sale price across all home types was about $370,000. Because the Highlands sees relatively few sales in a given month, that figure can swing, so comparable sales on the specific street matter more.
It is mixed. In the period through September 2026, the median home took 67 days to sell, up from 47 a year earlier, and 42.8% of homes sold above list price.
In Original Highlands, large wood-frame and brick Victorian houses sit alongside working-class shotgun houses, and most were built between about 1884 and 1895. The area also has historic and modern multi-family buildings.
Parts of it are. Cherokee Triangle is one of Louisville Metro's local preservation districts, where exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness. The Highlands also has National Register districts, which are separate from local design review. Confirm the status of any specific property before you plan exterior work.
Tell us your price range and timeline, and we'll point you to the streets and listings that fit.
502.593.3366 | 3827 Shelbyville Rd, Suite 201, Louisville, KY 40207
Highlands has 7,731 households, with an average household size of 1.77. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Here’s what the people living in Highlands do for work — and how long it takes them to get there. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. 14,034 people call Highlands home. The population density is 4,421.97 and the largest age group is Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
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