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Nashville for me. I've been taking day trips to Richmond ever since I moved to Raleigh, but Nashville offers more and in a bigger area. Richmond would feel too small for me.
I've been to both cities multiple times, here are my thoughts:
nightlife: Nashville easily. Richmond has an underrated nightlife, but IMO Nashville wins this with all the live music and bars
culture: Nashville. I like the way music permeates the entire city, and the people in the city seem to have a lot of pride in Nashville
shopping: Tie. Both have very solid shopping, enough to satisfy my needs.
dining: Nashville by a smidge.
weather: Very slight edge to Nashville b/c I think it is slightly warmer w/ a little less snow, but IMO this is almost a tie. Both get all four seasons.
scenery: Tie, both are on rivers
outdoor activities: Richmond, access to both ocean and mountains pretty easily
crime rate: Richmond easily. Nashville has a pretty high crime rate
economy: Nashville: seems to be growing much more rapidly
people: Tie, this is pretty subjective
quality of life: Not sure, I haven't lived in either, although I think I would prefer Nashville I can't say for sure.
A couple other factor that OP didn't include are:
Built environment: Richmond, it has more historical buildings and is denser
Access to other cities: Richmond has easy access to DC (although traffic on I-95 is usually pretty bad).
Sports: I think this is different from nightlife and culture, and I give it to Nashville with two pro teams and Vanderbilt which is in the SEC. I'd love to be able to go to an NHL game right in the heart of the entertainment district.
Overall I prefer Nashville because of the entertainment options (music and sports) and culture in the city, as well as what I think is a healthier, economy and growing population. Richmond IMO is underrated though, and is a solid city with a favorable location where you can easily access nature and Washington, DC.
Lol, I love you Mutiny77. You are always the first to call me out on my bull&^*. I'm glad you get my sarcasm.
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