What are the prettiest streets in Nashville?

[aaronmidnight]

@Yallwantham (great handle, btw) - I totally agree. Landscaping is definitely a matter of personal taste and I certainly do feel that my tastes are somewhat out of whack with the majority of Middle Tennesseans.

Sometimes I think maybe the favored style here -- beyond what Wmsn4Life mentioned - might have something to do with a farm aesthetic - wide open fields with a house in the middle? Makes a lot of sense on a farm, but not my cup of tea in the suburbs or city.

I don't want to preach, but to get on my high horse just a *little* bit, I will say that it seems to me cottage gardens do have a couple of advantages over some other kinds of landscaping:

1. If you landscape with natives or other tough plants, they typically require less water, less (or no) spraying with pesticides and less pampering than some other plants.

2. If you enjoy supporting and attracting birds, bees and other critters, having lots of plants that offer flowers, berries and shelter definitely helps. Given the extent to which sprawl is reducing those animals habitats and recent news on pesticides perhaps causing the crash in bee populations, I personally think we all have a responsibility to do what we can to help the birds, bees and butterflies out a little bit.

But you're right, it definitely takes more time and effort - both to plan and maintain - than a green lawn with some hollies and boxwoods as foundation plants. And I do understand that lots of people are busy and have other interests and priorities.

I'm not naive enough or arrogant enough (I hope) to think I'm going to convert Nashville to believing my way of landscaping is best, but I would love to find a neighborhood where at least *some* other people have the same landscaping attitudes/beliefs as I do (so we can share seeds, cuttings, advice, ideas and encouragement) and perhaps we can sway a few others into giving this type of landscaping a try, at least on a small scale.

Some of the streets that others like Nashvols and Wmsn4Life described definitely seem like they fit the bill of what I'm seeking, though as you say Yallwantham, in the ritzier neighborhoods, it may be gardeners rather than the homeowners doing a lot of the work.

(Although in my own Brentwood neighborhood and throughout the area, I can tell you that most people rely on mowing companies and landscapers even though they just have lawn and a few foundation plants. Keeping a lawn deep green and weed-free -- mandated by the HOA here -- also takes a LOT of work in Middle TN, IMHO...)

OK...getting off my high horse now

[nashvols]

aaron -- if you are really interested in the cottage garden style, I would definitely look in the more historic areas. Not that you can't find good landscaping in newer houses/developments, but it seems a lot more common in the historic hoods.

Most will probably be in the Belmont-Hillsboro/Hillsboro-West End/Richland/Cherokee area...but there are also a number of nice ones in East Nashville/Inglewood and Sylvan Park, and a few you might not expect, like in the older areas of Donelson and Madison.

You're starting to find people in 60s-70s ranch houses have a real knack for landscaping as well.

It might be fun to just fill up your tank and go exploring one weekend.

[shinestx]

Originally Posted by nashvols

I agree with the mentions of Whitland and the Richland area in general. Lots of beautiful houses, lawns, landscaping, etc.

Bowling Ave is nice, too...especially closer to West End.

Lots of side streets in that particular area might fit what you are looking for...but they come at a price.

Belmont Blvd. is one of my favorite streets as well...especially between Belmont University and I-440.

Linden between Belmont and 21st is very nice.

Fairfax Ave is nice.

Douglas between 8th and 10th.

16th St between Fatherland and Eastland.

Trousdale between Hogan and Broadwell.

Caldwell Lane

Estes Road

Glendale Lane

Franklin Pike in Oak Hill

North & South Curtiswood & Glen Leven Road

Bluefield Avenue

Lots of pretty roads...but a lot of them don't have sidewalks, or have adequate sidewalks.

In lower traffic neighborhoods, people generally just walk along the street, and that seems to do just fine.

Nice list... I would add Eastland Avenue, Russell Street, and the Winding Way-Brush Hill area. For my "most improved" recognition and a nice mix of interesting looking houses, take a trip down "Double Drive" (aka Riverside Drive). Also, Cherokee Road and the Indian Lake Forest area of Hendersonville are really beautiful.

[groovamos]

I'm going on teen/20's memories for these:

Laurel Ridge Dr. (Forest Hills)
Skymont Dr.
Stanford Dr.

the latter is a short hilly circle terminating each end on Hillsboro Rd.

Also I'm surprised nobody mentioned Hillsboro Rd. from Harding Pl. south. You get much greenery in the summer, and when the leaves fall you get to see the mansions that house the residents. Kudos to Nashville for not widening this artery. Nothing remotely like this in Texas.

Also I'll name a couple from my neighborhood, magical memories from childhood of course:

Robin Hill Rd. from Jocelyn Hollow to Vaughn's Gap Rd.
Vaughn's Gap Rd. from Robin Hill to Jocelyn Hollow Rd.

Scenes like this would get my blood surging on summer evenings, Dad's car in my possession, date waiting for me.

Check out this 3 point intersection at the top of a hill with views of larger hills (my street in West Meade): Currywood Dr. at Jocelyn Hollow circle.

[aaronmidnight]

Thank you nashvols, shinestx and groovamos for all the additional suggestions.

I will definitely try to take a drive and explore those streets soon!

@groovamos, I have been on Stanford Drive once when I tried to detour around an accident on Hillsboro without realizing that Stanford Drive was horseshoe-shaped! That is one hilly street! I guess that's going to be another challenge for me because while I do love having green hills to look at, I'm not keen to necessarily garden on a mountainside!

[groovamos]

Originally Posted by aaronmidnight

Thank you nashvols, shinestx and groovamos for all the additional suggestions.
I will definitely try to take a drive and explore those streets soon!
!

If you are going to the West Meade roads I mentioned, you might take a cruise to the end of Jocelyn Hollow Rd. Also on the other two adjoining streets I mentioned, do the circle of Vaughn's Gap from Jocelyn Hollow, 1st left on Robin Hill, then back to J.H. This way you get to be at the top of Robin Hill looking down on the neighborhoods below. We used to sled down the grade you go down to the stop sign at J.H. , that is until the city began salting the slope every year after a kid was killed sledding through the stop sign.
BTW I amused myself trying to picture any street name in Houston incorporating 'Hill', 'Gap', or 'Hollow'. It would be like a foreign language on the gulf coast. Plenty of 'Forest', 'Wood(s)', 'Shore', 'Grove', 'Farms' and 'Ranch' make the cut though.