Planning a move to North or South of Nashville - Need scoop on schools, subdivisions and will a Yankee be welcome (Franklin: fit in, transplants)

[Jwoo]

Hi,

Bare with me, I have a lot of questions. My husband and I are planning a move to the Nashville area. We have two children age 4 and 8. I thought we would probably target the Franklin area but he may work near Mt. Juliet. How long of a commute would that be? I've read on other forums that the schools are not as good in Mt. Juliet and Hendersonville. Do many people send their kids to private schools in those areas and if so, how much do they cost?

We don't know anyone in the area so are looking for subdivisions that have some built in social activities and possibly a pool. Most importantly, will a Yankee fit in around there? I have been to Cookeville and felt that I stuck out.

We are probably looking for a home between 350k - 450k. Depends on the salary he gets which will be lower than the Chicago area we live in now, but I'm not sure what we will be able to afford.

Thanks!

[somewhereoutthere15]

You say he is working near Mount Juliet? That is a nice town but it is very spread out and rural. Hendersonville is about 20 minutes away or so and the schools there are very nice. Certain areas have lots of transplants and you will not feel left out. Newer neighborhoods will typically have higher percentages of transplants that are from both other areas of the South as well as the Midwest and California. As a Michigan transplant, I would not live anywhere else in the Nashville area.

[vivelafrance]

Originally Posted by Jwoo

Hi,

Bare with me, I have a lot of questions. My husband and I are planning a move to the Nashville area. We have two children age 4 and 8. I thought we would probably target the Franklin area but he may work near Mt. Juliet. How long of a commute would that be? I've read on other forums that the schools are not as good in Mt. Juliet and Hendersonville. Do many people send their kids to private schools in those areas and if so, how much do they cost?

We don't know anyone in the area so are looking for subdivisions that have some built in social activities and possibly a pool. Most importantly, will a Yankee fit in around there? I have been to Cookeville and felt that I stuck out.

We are probably looking for a home between 350k - 450k. Depends on the salary he gets which will be lower than the Chicago area we live in now, but I'm not sure what we will be able to afford.

Thanks!

While the Williamson system as a whole ranks better than Hendersonville & Mt. Juliet, there are still great schools in those two cities. Merrol Hyde Magnet in Hendersonville, for example, recently ranked as the 3rd best high school in the state. Not too many send their kids to private school but the option is available. Pope John Paul II in Hendersonville would probably be the most popular choice.

Yankees will definitely fit in. Hendersonville adds about 1,000 newcomers every year and most of those are transplants from other parts of the country so you'll definitely share a common experience with most of your neighbors. It's a very welcoming area. Mt. Juliet is much the same.

I would definitely try to focus your search on Mt. Juliet as the short commute would be pretty attractive. Hendersonville is 23 miles from Mt. Juliet and Franklin is 35 miles.

[Jwoo]

Thanks so much for your help. Can you suggest some family-friendly subdivisions in Hendersonville that are in those school districts?

[vivelafrance]

Originally Posted by Jwoo

Thanks so much for your help. Can you suggest some family-friendly subdivisions in Hendersonville that are in those school districts?

Well Merrol Hyde is a k-12 magnet school so you can live anywhere and attend there if your child passes the academic standards.

As for other schools, check any homes in the following elementary school districts: Indian Lake, Nannie Berry, Jack Anderson, Beech, Station Camp, and Madison Creek. Those are the top elementary schools and they feed into good high schools and middle schools.

[cantsleepclownwilleatme]

We moved a few years ago and have very much enjoyed living in the Williamson county area, which has excellent public schools at all levels.

Franklin is a fantastic area with much charm and local appeal. I would suggest to you, however, that nothing around Nashville will be much like Chicago (obviously --- right?). You will be welcomed, being a yankee and all, because this place is exceptionally friendly. Welcome to the South!

For the home price range you're interested in, you could look in the Franklin area if you want to be closer to shopping and larger groups of "civilization," but if you were OK with moving out of town a little bit, you could check out Nolensville, which is growing and has plenty to offer from an affordable housing aspect. Franklin and Nolensville (as well as Brentwood, Thomas Station, etc.) all fall into the Williamson County school district.

I currently commute from south Brentwood area over to the Lebanon Pike area and it's not nearly as bad as some of the commutes I used to experience on Houston, TX interstates, so I would imagine you would feel the same way in comparison to Chicago traffic.

The best advise about choosing a locale, though, is to come down and spend time driving the areas as much as possible --

good luck -

[Jwoo]

Hi again, Thanks for all of your replies. Cantsleep, can you tell me how long your commute is? I agree with your assessment that a bad commute in Nashville beats most commutes in Chicago. Trying to keep it less than 30 minutes if possible. My husband used to live in Nashville and always liked Nolensville. Are schools good there too or are they hit or miss?

[ExIslander]

If the job is in or near Mt. Juliet, you should give MJ a good look before you assume you need to be somewhere else. It's a smaller city than Hendersonville so there are fewer listings to choose from, but it's still mostly suburban and there are a lot of nice neighborhoods. The schools are good (the ones in Mt. Juliet proper, anyway) and we no longer have to go elsewhere to shop. Easy access to two lakes and the airport, too. Hendersonville and Franklin are great places, but if you can find what you're looking for ten minutes from work instead of 30 or 45, it makes life easier. (Or so I've heard. My commute to work, from bedroom to desk, is about 35 feet.)

[Raiderstudent]

Originally Posted by somewhereoutthere15

You say he is working near Mount Juliet? That is a nice town but it is very spread out and rural. Hendersonville is about 20 minutes away or so and the schools there are very nice. Certain areas have lots of transplants and you will not feel left out. Newer neighborhoods will typically have higher percentages of transplants that are from both other areas of the South as well as the Midwest and California. As a Michigan transplant, I would not live anywhere else in the Nashville area.

I don't think the drive from Hendersonville to Mt. Juliet takes 20 minutes. In fact, I'd say it's closer to 35. It is sad though, because Mt. Juliet is the closest town to Hendersonville (even closer than Gallatin), but it's separated by a quarter mile of water in most places. The quickest way to travel would be to go through Madison take Old Hickory Boulevard. I do find it funny that Mt. Juliet has several of the same road names that Hendersonville does. It's like they connect underwater.

As much as Mt. Juliet is growing, I'd love to be able to get there quickly and shop in Providence. I wish they'd build a bridge. The more of the Nashville you connect , the better our infrastructure and traffic will get.

[ExIslander]

Originally Posted by Raiderstudent

I don't think the drive from Hendersonville to Mt. Juliet takes 20 minutes. In fact, I'd say it's closer to 35. It is sad though, because Mt. Juliet is the closest town to Hendersonville (even closer than Gallatin), but it's separated by a quarter mile of water in most places. The quickest way to travel would be to go through Madison take Old Hickory Boulevard.

Depends on the time of day, traffic etc. but if it involves going all the way around the lake, your estimate's more realistic. Mt. Juliet Road to New Shackle Island Road is 30 miles as the freeways go. Using OHB saves distance but adds traffic lights. Either way, if I'm going to Hendersonville I allow 30-45 minutes depending on where I'm headed.

Of course, the OP said "near Mt. Juliet" which could mean anything from the airport area (well, it's sort of near) to the industrial/warehouse/distribution zone east of town by 109/840. Without knowing exactly where the workplace is, it's kind of hard to say.