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Hi all! My husband and I and our young children are moving from California to...well we aren’t 100% sure yet. We really like the Nashville area and the Savannah area. We are middle twenties, not big on going out at night per say, and both grew up on the coast in California. We hated living in LA. My husband doesn’t like cities that are too “city like” such as LA. We live the outdoors, and want to adopt and have a big family. We are looking to buy a house wherever we go and start a business eventually. We are wanting to get out of California to buy because our quality of life here isn’t ideal and we work to live because everything is so expensive. We are both artsy type, photographers, and lean more on the easy going life. Probably our California nature! Anyways my question is, which city would be better for a family who didn’t like LA at all. Is Nashville too city like, is Savannah too boring? Which do or did you prefer! Any input would be very helpful. Thanks so much.
I'd ask you if you are both going to have to land jobs before moving? If not, I'd suggest having at least 6 months of expenses saved, in case securing a job is a struggle. The Nashville job market is strong, but how easily you land a job depends on the field, of course. Savannah would be more challenging to find a job.
Nashville is loaded with friendly, easy-going folks. However, it is a booming city, and is full of young and old folks "trying to hit it big" in the music industry, and to a lesser degree acting/modeling. It definitely can have an LA vibe in that respect--but it is nowhere near LA's size. LA metro has about 14 million people, while Nashville's metro "only" has just under 2 million--huge difference.
Savannah is much quieter and more laid back, but with much less job opportunity. It is growing, but nowhere near "booming level." It has a very lazy river, spiritual vibe, but also has a lot of poverty, for a city its size. Savannah is beautiful in areas though.
As for home prices, it's all about location, of course, but Nashville's real estate costs are rising fast. Savannah is most likely overall the cheaper option real-estate-wise, but you are likely to find a bargain in Nashville too, depending on what area or neighborhood you look in.
I'd ask you if you are both going to have to land jobs before moving? If not, I'd suggest having at least 6 months of expenses saved, in case securing a job is a struggle. The Nashville job market is strong, but how easily you land a job depends on the field, of course. Savannah would be more challenging to find a job.
Nashville is loaded with friendly, easy-going folks. However, it is a booming city, and is full of young and old folks "trying to hit it big" in the music industry, and to a lesser degree acting/modeling. It definitely can have an LA vibe in that respect--but it is nowhere near LA's size. LA metro has about 14 million people, while Nashville's metro "only" has just under 2 million--huge difference.
Savannah is much quieter and more laid back, but with much less job opportunity. It is growing, but nowhere near "booming level." It has a very lazy river, spiritual vibe, but also has a lot of poverty, for a city its size. Savannah is beautiful in areas though.
As for home prices, it's all about location, of course, but Nashville's real estate costs are rising fast. Savannah is most likely overall the cheaper option real-estate-wise, but you are likely to find a bargain in Nashville too, depending on what area or neighborhood you look in.
OP, the post above is a very good synopsis to what I would say. Both are nice areas. I personally would pick Nashville, because I prefer larger metros. But, like jjbradleynyc says, Nashville's housing prices are rising at a fast rate. But it has the better economy. I love the ocean and history and Savannah has a lot of both. It ranks as one of the top retirement areas in the nation, but I think families could love it too. But, I'd still pick Nashville if I was a young dad and husband (I'm 53). Just balance everything and see what works for you guys. If at all possible, take a week in each city and get a feel of things. Good luck wherever you guys end up.
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Nashville is, of course, a much larger metro with many more options in about every category. The landscape is mostly green rolling hills; it's pretty country. The South and West sides are generally the more affluent areas of town, but gentrification is moving in the opposite directions as well. The southside suburb of Franklin is one of my favorites in the South.
Savannah, like its neighbor Charleston, is more of a 'boutique city' in that the Historic District and its offerings are the main focus. Outside of that, Savannah is a fairly typical mid-tier Southern city in the Coastal Plain. The eastern suburbs reside in the tidal estuaries, with a lot of marshes, creeks and rivers all the way out to the barrier islands. Outside of the Historic District, my favorite suburbs are in the' island communities' ie Isle of Hope, Wilmington Island, etc.
Both are, IMO, really fun places in which to live or visit.
If you're coming from California and never spent much time in the South, I think Nashville would be a lot less culture shock for you and your family than Savannah. Savannah is in the Deep South.
Savannah is a relatively small metro. I think burn-out would be liable to set in not too long after moving there. For me, I think if I was going to live in that region of the Atlantic Coast, I'd go to Jacksonville.
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