Area Guide

Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY

A hilltop university for the perfect view

Historic Walkable Museums

Western Kentucky University sits on a hill in beautiful Bowling Green. Founded in 1906, this public university features several top-ranking programs in engineering, business, journalism, and education. It also offers one of the nation's largest master's degree programs in folklore. The WKU Hilltoppers participate in NCAA Division I, with the football team playing at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. The basketball team plays at E.A. Diddle Arena and is considered one of the nation's best basketball programs. Sports fans will want to find apartments near University Drive and Old Morgantown Road to be close to the football stadium, the basketball arena, and Nick Denes Field, all of which are located between University Drive and the Avenue of Champions. To live near the variety of shops and restaurants near the university, College Street and State Street are ideal, especially closer to East Main Avenue. This is where you'll find everything from coffee houses and pubs to boutiques and jewelry stores to theaters.

Rent Trends

As of June 2026, the average apartment rent in Bowling Green, KY is $637 for a studio, $900 for one bedroom, $1,121 for two bedrooms, and $1,544 for three bedrooms. Apartment rent in Bowling Green has decreased by -0.4% in the past year.

  • Studio

  • 440 sq ft

    Average Sq Ft

  • $637/month

    Average Rent

  • 1 BR

  • 681 sq ft

    Average Sq Ft

  • $900/month

    Average Rent

  • 2 BR

  • 1,008 sq ft

    Average Sq Ft

  • $1,121/month

    Average Rent

  • 3 BR

  • 1,281 sq ft

    Average Sq Ft

  • $1,544/month

    Average Rent

Getting Around

Moderately Walkable

Walkability

60 / 100

Moderately Drivable

Drivability

60 / 100

Moderately Bikeable

Bikeability

60 / 100

Daily Essentials

Supermarket Within a 20 Minute Walk

Groceries

50 / 100

Fair Restaurant Variety Nearby

Restaurants

50 / 100

Fair Café Variety Nearby

Cafes

50 / 100

Fair Variety of Shops Nearby

Shopping

50 / 100

Local Vibe

Mostly Calm Atmosphere

Vibrancy

30 / 100

Limited Nightlife Variety Nearby

Nightlife

30 / 100

Not Noisy

Quiet Score

100 / 100

Schools

Rich Pond Elementary School

Public

Grades PK-5

993 Students

Plano Elementary School

Public

Grades PK-5

764 Students

Briarwood Elementary School

Public

Grades PK-5

682 Students

Potter Gray Elementary School

Public

Grades K-5

499 Students

W R Mcneill Elementary School

Public

Grades K-5

426 Students

Drakes Creek Middle School

Public

Grades 6-8

703 Students

South Warren Middle School

Public

Grades 6-8

815 Students

Bowling Green Junior High School

Public

Grades 6-8

1,027 Students

Bowling Green Junior High

Public

Grades 6-8

963 Students

Beacon Academy

Public

Grades 6-12

155 Students

Greenwood High School

Public

Grades 9-12

1,409 Students

South Warren High School

Public

Grades 9-12

1,474 Students

Bowling Green High School

Public

Grades 9-12

1,369 Students

Beacon Academy

Public

Grades 6-12

155 Students

Warren East High School

Public

Grades 9-12

930 Students

Points of Interest

Parks and Recreation

  • Baker Arboretum
  • Hardin Planetarium
  • Spero Kereiakes Park
  • Preston Miller Park
  • Russell Sims Aquatic Center

Top Apartments Near Western Kentucky University

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Methodology

† Our analysis of utilities, groceries, transportation, healthcare, home prices, and other goods and services is sourced from the Cost of Living Index, a respected benchmark published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) that provides a thorough overview of living expenses across different regions.

Rent data is provided by CoStar Group’s Market Trend reports. As the industry leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, CoStar conducts extensive research to produce and maintain a comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. We combine this data with public record to provide the most up-to-date rental information available.

Consumer goods, services, and home prices are sourced from the Cost of Living Index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). The data on this page is updated quarterly. It was last published in June 2026.

Demographic information comes from Neustar and combines detailed address data with U.S. Census and American Community Survey statistics to produce reliable local estimates.