FL to TN (Franklin, Hendersonville, Brentwood: for sale, apartment complexes, lease)

[cnc2123]

My husband and I are wanting to relocate to Nashville area from Tampa, FL. We have a 15 month old and want to find a close knit community with great schools. We are not ready to purchase a home yet, so we will need to rent while we explore our options. Any advice on where to start the search? We need to make some connections as we are seriously ready to leave the craziness in FL.

[aaronmidnight]

Hi there.

Not sure about 'close knit'. We live in Brentwood and if you pick a community with a pool, odds are you and your children can form friendships and bond with neighbors there during the summer.

In terms of schools, Williamson County schools (Brentwood, Franklin) are considered best in the state, I believe. Other highly rated schools from what I understand include the systems serving places like Hendersonville and Mt. Juliet.

Nashville itself incidentally is supposed to have some very good schools - elementary (Julia Green, Percy Priest, etc.) and high school magnets (e.g. Hume-Fogg) if your child gets in.

Good luck with the search. Best advice that's always given on the board -- come and see for yourself! Drive around different neighborhoods, talk with people and see if you find a nabe that seems like a good fit.

ps - Have you ever lived outside of FL? If not, get ready for a shock when winter comes. Well, not this winter, cause we didn't have one, but the previous two winters temps dipped down in the teens, 20s and 30s regularly. Yes, Nashville is the South, but we're MID-South not deep South.

[shinestx]

See if you can find a house to rent in your prospective areas. If you get into a swim-club community, that would also be a nice way to meet other families. I say this because you have kids, and apartment complexes are not the best places for kids (limited yard, more traffic, schools may be a bit more iffy in areas where there is a high concentration of apartments, transient neighbors, etc.). I know of some houses that are up for rent (you might even look into a lease-purchase on a "for sale" home) on the Nannie Berry/Indian Lake peninsula in Hendersonville. Those are two very good elementary schools. Good luck.