N and NW areas of Nashville (East, Donelson, Madison) (Hendersonville: for sale, apartments)

[jchiocha]

My husband and I currently live in Chicago. Our condo is up for sale. Our plan is to move back to Nashville area (we are originally from Hendersonville). I am kind of familiar with the area and of course would love to live in Cherokee Park area of Sylvan Park area, but we are looking to have a much lower mortgage payment than what we have here in Chicago. That being said, we have narrowed our areas to East N'ville (I like this area more than my husband, he says it is dangerous), Donelson (I liked Bluefield neighborhood and that is about it), Possibly Madison (neither of us are real familiar with that area) and if we have to back to H'ville, although i hate the drive to Nashville!!!
Does anyone have any suggestions or information about Madison area, or other areas that maybe we don;t know about? We are looking to buy and we are not afraid to "fix-up" or add on to something. We have also just recently thrown around the idea of purchasing land somehwere and building.

[alleycat]

I don't know much about Madison, but there has been quite a few negative things said about it here on the forum. Apparently East Nashville is getting better, and Madison is getting worse. But, take what I say with a grain of salt; I don't live there.

Another option might be the Goodletteville area.

[NashVol]

I would go with the Donelson,Hermitage or Goodlettsville area. Madison does not have a good reputation. Check a sex offender index and see which part of Nashville has the highest number and/or percentage.

The East Nashville area is being gentrified with yuppies moving in there. You see a Mercedes in the driveway,but three or four blocks away might be the projects. For example, the Juvenile Court Judge of Davidson County lives in a very nice home approximately 1.5 miles from downtown. Her home is 2 blocks from the projects. If you like to be very close to downtown, like homes with "character", sidewalks and having to lock up your lawnmower every night, then East Nashville might be the place for you. Check out a prior thread in the Nashville forum that has a link to a Nashville Scene article on East Nashville v. West Nashville. It might give you all more of an insight on East Nashville.

Just some ideas, but....., if you can go as far as Donelson or Hermitage, I would check out White House, the Station Camp area between Gallatin & Hendersonville (technically, I think it is in Gallatin) and check to see if there is anything in Millersville (I have seen one nice neighborhood there). Also ,there is a new bypass from Gallatin that links it to the Vietnam Veterans Parkway. If you live close to that bypass in or around Gallatin, I think it might be possible to make it to Nashville quicker than say if you lived near the end of Indian Lake Road in Hendersonville.

[jchiocha]

Thanks Alleycat. Do you know or have you heard anything about the Donelson area? I am wondering if things will grow there with the new train line.

[Colton]

Hey! I would definitely not suggest Madison. It has been declining for years and is now a place you don't even want to drive through. Donelson isn't too bad and is growing but in my opinion is still not your best place to live. Hendersonville or Goodlettsville would be on the top of my list. As for commute times, Goodlettsville is about 10 minutes from Nashville and Hendersonville about 20. They are both great places to live although Hendersonville is a more affluent and faster growing area. Goodlettsville's schools aren't quite on the same standard as Hendersonville's if that is a concern. Either place though would be great.

[jchiocha]

Thanks everyone for the replies,, they are quite helpful. I guess Madison is not the way to go. I am a little confused though. I always associated Goodlettesville with Madison, what is the difference or borders or zip codes?? Do you know the names of any of the nicer neighborhoods in Donelson and/or Goodlettsville? I am begining to think we will strike Madison from the list.

[alleycat]

Madison is a little closer in towards Nashville. Think of Goodletteville as beginning on I-65 at Two Mile Parkway (to Rivergate Mall). That may not be quite where the city limits are but it's close enough. Or you can think of Goodlettesville as being west of I-65 and Madison being towards the east.

[Colton]

What price range and type of neighborhood would you be looking for?

[BuzzCam]

I live in the Donelson area and love it. The only drawback is the airport is nearby, but I am an Air Force Brat so the planes landing and taking off do not bother me.

The Bluefield neighborhood you mentioned is adjacent to one of the new commuter train stations. If you live in Bluefield, you can walk and catch the train to go downtown. Bluefield has spruced itself quite a bit in the past couple of years, not that it ever looked bad. My wife has friends in Bluefield and I have always been impressed with how good that neighborhood looks.

I haven't really seen a "bad area" of Donelson. There is a mix of incomes in the section of Donelson I live in, but everyone takes pride in their property and takes very good care of it. I live near the Sonic on Donelson Pike and Lakeland.

The houses are more expensive once you cross the railroad tracks on McGavock Pike traveling towards Opryland. I guess that means I am from the "wrong side of the tracks". Those houses are much bigger with larger yards.

One thing I love about Donelson is most of the houses have been here for 40 or 50 years, so it is very established. They don't build houses like these anymore, And, we have rather large trees in this area.

The crime rate is low. I think the only crime in our neighborhood is property being stolen out of yards. But even that is rare. I think the crime rate is low on our street because everyone owns dogs. I can always tell if someone is taking a midnight stroll down our street because all the dogs start barking. My dog, a basset hound seldom barks, she just tries to stare the stranger to death.

Donelson, being established like it is, does not have much new development until you travel out Lebanon Road towards Hermitage (away from downtown Nashville). There is a Target store and apartments in that area. Other stores in Hermitage include Publix, Kroger, Home Depot, Lowes, Super WalMart(and many more) Summit Medical Center and new subdivisions. And, all this is convenient to the Donelson area. Also, the Opryland area, which is a part of Donelson, has Opry Mills, which is a rather large mall. The only place I visit at Opry Mills is the Regal 21 Theatres. So, Donelson, while not having much new development going on, is surrounded by just about everything you need. And Donelson has a Kroger, Food Lion, several restaurants, Two Rivers Park and Gold Course, KMart and may other stores.

I hope this is of some help to you. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

Take care!
Buzz

[jchiocha]

Thanks Buzz, the information is very helpful and gives me insight as to where to start looking. Our price range will probably be around the 150-250 area. The bigger yards sound great to us, especially coming from Chicago where we don't even have a deck or a patio! Ha! We are definitely looking for a neighborhood where we can take the dog for a walk every day and not be afraid to do it. I nice grocery store nearby would be good to!