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I currently live in Phoenix, AZ, but I may be considering a move to Nashville in the Spring or early Summer. Some info about me, I am a SWF 27, no kids, no pets and If I end up moving to Nashville, I will be working in the the following zip codes, 37115, and 37075, (I currently have 2 jobs and would be able to transfer with both of them). Looking at the map, it appears that both jobs will be in the Madison/Hendersonville area.
I guess, I am a bit confused about the different parts of Nashville. I have never been there, and I do plan on taking a trip there before I move, however I am just looking for some guidance on the different areas. In browsing through this forum, Madison area seems to have a "not great" reputation? Why is that? If I end up moving there, I will be looking to rent a 1 or 2 bedroom apt with a max rental budget of $800. per month. I realize that my rental budget will probably force me to look in more the suburbs rather than where the action is. Obviously, safety is a concern, although I am ok with a less than picture perfect neighborhood, (I currently live in the 85035 zip code of phoenix, not really the best area), if it means I can get more for my money rental wise.
Also, WHERE are the destination spots of Nashville, (Music row, ect...) in relation to the Madison/Hendersonville area. I do have a car so transportation is not an issue, but as I mentioned earlier, I am 27 and currently single so I would like to be in an area that is close to nightlife, dining, shops. At this point, i guess I am kind of clueless as to where I should be looking for an apt, any help would be much appreciated.
I currently live in Phoenix, AZ, but I may be considering a move to Nashville in the Spring or early Summer. Some info about me, I am a SWF 27, no kids, no pets and If I end up moving to Nashville, I will be working in the the following zip codes, 37115, and 37075, (I currently have 2 jobs and would be able to transfer with both of them). Looking at the map, it appears that both jobs will be in the Madison/Hendersonville area.
If you are able to transfer both, that's great that they would both be on the same side of town. Madison and Hendersonville are generally 10-15 minutes apart (depending on where specifically they are located).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachel127
I guess, I am a bit confused about the different parts of Nashville. I have never been there, and I do plan on taking a trip there before I move, however I am just looking for some guidance on the different areas. In browsing through this forum, Madison area seems to have a "not great" reputation? Why is that? If I end up moving there, I will be looking to rent a 1 or 2 bedroom apt with a max rental budget of $800. per month. I realize that my rental budget will probably force me to look in more the suburbs rather than where the action is. Obviously, safety is a concern, although I am ok with a less than picture perfect neighborhood, (I currently live in the 85035 zip code of phoenix, not really the best area), if it means I can get more for my money rental wise.
Good, I do strongly recommend visiting first, if just to get a feel for the layout.
As for Madison...Madison is a 1950s-60s era suburb that was once flourishing and middle class. With the growth of Hendersonville (as well as Goodlettsville, Rivergate, and Gallatin), it seems a lot of people have lost interest in the area. It is home to some of Nashville's oldest strip malls...and you can tell. Many of them have seen only minor improvements over the decades.
A lot of the older mid century houses are pretty small, so it became a prime area for lower income people moving out of the city (and from elsewhere) as the area's popularity started to decline.
I wouldn't characterize Madison as a "bad" area...I have visited quite often since my childhood years (my dad grew up there, my grandmother lived there, and I still get my hair cut at an old barber shop there). But it has certainly seen better days. To be quite honest, a lot of "East" Madison is kind of trashy. You see houses with junk in their front yards, a lot of junky businesses. It's not as run down as some areas of town...but it's in the lower group for sure (I'm primarily talking about the area of Old Hickory Blvd east of Gallatin Road).
Some of the areas west of Gallatin Road off of Old Hickory Blvd (like the Graycroft area) are still fairly well kept, and the main drag (well, Gallatin Road) isn't pretty, but not run down. But it's still one of Nashville's transitional areas.
A lot of the suburban areas to the north (Goodlettsville and Hendersonville) are much better off and more stable. A lot of the area to the south (Inglewood, and into East Nashville) are either a lot better off, or in the gentrifying stage. Madison is sort of stuck in the middle, not as desirable as either. It might make a comeback at some point, but my feel is that the area is still declining.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachel127
Also, WHERE are the destination spots of Nashville, (Music row, ect...) in relation to the Madison/Hendersonville area. I do have a car so transportation is not an issue, but as I mentioned earlier, I am 27 and currently single so I would like to be in an area that is close to nightlife, dining, shops. At this point, i guess I am kind of clueless as to where I should be looking for an apt, any help would be much appreciated.
The main nightlife spots are close to downtown. Some bars and clubs can be found in just about any commercial district around the city...but as far as large clusters of them...downtown (mostly, but not all touristy), midtown (north and east of Vanderbilt University), and Hillsboro Village (south of Vanderbilt), and East Nashville (for the most part, 5 Points). The Vanderbilt area bars do have a lot of the college crowd, but are also very popular with young professionals.
There is plenty of shopping to the north of Madison (Rivergate is a large mall an surrounded with various retail -- Hendersonville has a couple of fairly large retail developments). The retail to the south and close to downtown is fairly spread out and not concentrated (we don't have any urban malls -- most developments are along the major highway corridors). Green Hills Mall is the closest true mall to the center.
Opry Mills is another mall that is fairly close to the Madison area (take Briley Pkwy east across the river).
A lot of the nicer local restaurants are concentrated in the neighborhoods close to downtown. East Nashville has quite a few.
If you're a foodie, you might find that list useful.
I do think it would be wise to visit and get a lay of the land before making any binding decisions, but my initial advice would be to look north of Madison. Since you're renting, that somewhat narrows your choices. Hendersonville is a pretty nice suburb, and safe. It's a mix of middle and upper middle class, but there might be some apartments that work in your price range.
I can't advise you on the conditions of any of the specific apartments -- a Hendersonville resident would be better able to tell you that.
I think the Inglewood or East Nashville areas would be ideal if you were looking for a house (not too far from work, closer to the "cool" destinations), but I do not trust the apartments in that area. The small number of newer apartments and condos tend to be more expensive.
There are certainly other great areas of town to visit and explore -- but considering your budget and where you will be working, Hendersonville would be the best option, in my opinion.
Thank you so much! The specific areas I would be working in are N. Gallatin Pike, just north of the Rivergate Mall for Job #1 and the Glenbrook Shopping Center off of Glenbrook Way for job #2. According to Mapquest the two places are only about 6 miles apart. I do have a car, but I would definitely like to be no more than about 15 miles away from work. I have been researching Hendersonville, it does seem like it would be a good fit. Nice area, and there seems to be quite a few rentals, both 1 and 2 bedroom units, within my price range there. So if I did end up in Hendersonville, about how far of a drive is it from the 5 points, downtown and midtown areas? Also, what is the Hermitage area like? Is that an area that I should look into as well? It seems like there are quite a few postings for rentals there and it also seems fairly close to Nashville. I don't anticipate spending every night in Nashville, but I imagine I will go out there probably about 2-3 times a month so I would like to live within at least a 30 min drive.
Lastly, What is Hendersonville, like? Typical Surburbia, (not that that's a bad thing)? I expect they have the usual chains for dining and shopping?
So if I did end up in Hendersonville, about how far of a drive is it from the 5 points, downtown and midtown areas? Also, what is the Hermitage area like? Is that an area that I should look into as well? It seems like there are quite a few postings for rentals there and it also seems fairly close to Nashville. I don't anticipate spending every night in Nashville, but I imagine I will go out there probably about 2-3 times a month so I would like to live within at least a 30 min drive.
Lastly, What is Hendersonville, like? Typical Surburbia, (not that that's a bad thing)? I expect they have the usual chains for dining and shopping?
I would figure between 20-25 minutes to get from Hendersonville to most of the in-town areas (plus time to park, etc). Possibly slightly less if you live close to Vietnam Vets (the Hendersonville bypass) and/or drive fast.
Hermitage is one area I would consider as an alternative. It's pretty decent, and there are a number of apartments. It's not as nice as Hendersonville (in general), and it would only put you marginally closer to downtown (and at certain times, it could take longer due to traffic). It would, however, put you in a better position to get to Vandy and Green Hills. But it would also be a bit farther from where you work, though certainly doable (within 15 miles, 15-25 minute commute, traffic and location depending).
I would keep Hermitage open as an option (look around when you visit), but I think you will find it doesn't have enough pros to make it a better option than H'ville.
Hendersonville is sort of typical suburbia. Each suburb has it's own character or identity...Hendersonville's is the lake. Old Hickory Lake. Lots of residents have boats, and it is one of the few places close to Nashville where there are a large number of properties that are actually on the water (Mount Juliet has some, Nashville has some...but Hendersonville's unique shape gives it a ton of shoreline).
It's one of Nashville's largest suburbs (50,000+...nothing like the Phoenix burbs), but isn't really that old (as a city). Most of the development came from the 1970s onward...it was essentially nothing before that. It doesn't really have the cute downtown/town square that you see in some of the other burbs (the county seats/exurbs that are a bit older -- Franklin, Lebanon, Murfreesboro, Gallatin, even Springfield). Highway 31E (Main St/Gallatin Road) is one long continuous commercial strip. As Hendersonville has grown, new shopping centers have popped up just off of Vietnam Vets (New Shackle Island Rd. and Indian Lake Blvd) giving Hendersonville a shopping edge over most of it's peer suburbs, though also having a negative effect on the Rivergate area.
Hendersonville is also known for having good public schools (though that doesn't do anything for you right now -- it speaks for it being a desirable area).
I know a number of people that live and/or work in Hendersonville, but I'll leave the opinions and perspectives on what it is like living there for our posters that do live or have lived there.
Again, thank you so much for the info. I am planning on making a trip to Nashville in April and I will definitely check out Hendersonville, and probably the Hermitage area. Hendersonville, sounds very much like the type of area I would enjoy living in, one of the main reasons I am looking to leave Phoenix, is because I HATE the huge sprawling city, insane traffic (and very rude drivers), and generic, cookie-cutter suburbs. I am originally from Pennsylvania, but I have lived in Phoenix for nearly 12 years now, and I am definitely ready for a change. I miss being in a smaller area, with grass and trees and lakes, and actual weather as opposed to just hot, dry and brown. Plus, while I am not involved in the music industry, I do really enjoy country music and being able to see live bands. There is almost no place to go in Phoenix to do that. I am definitely looking forward to seeing Nashville and hopefully moving there as well!
Again, thank you so much for the info. I am planning on making a trip to Nashville in April and I will definitely check out Hendersonville, and probably the Hermitage area. Hendersonville, sounds very much like the type of area I would enjoy living in, one of the main reasons I am looking to leave Phoenix, is because I HATE the huge sprawling city, insane traffic (and very rude drivers), and generic, cookie-cutter suburbs. I am originally from Pennsylvania, but I have lived in Phoenix for nearly 12 years now, and I am definitely ready for a change. I miss being in a smaller area, with grass and trees and lakes, and actual weather as opposed to just hot, dry and brown. Plus, while I am not involved in the music industry, I do really enjoy country music and being able to see live bands. There is almost no place to go in Phoenix to do that. I am definitely looking forward to seeing Nashville and hopefully moving there as well!
Nashville & surrounding area most certainly has it's sprawl and cookie cutter houses. Hendersonville is no exception. There are cookie cutters there, too (but not all of it, either). Hendersonville has a mix.
Of course, Nashville is quite a bit smaller than Phoenix, so it's nowhere near on that sort of scale...and both Nashville and some of the surrounding towns have some historic houses to balance it out.
We do have plenty of grass, tons of trees, and two sizable lakes (plus a decent sized river).
Weather is of course hotter than what you had in PA, with milder winters...but much more similar than compared to Phoenix. We do get 4 seasons, but little in the way of snow (occasionally 2-3 inches, most of the time flurries or a "dusting"...and a couple of times a decade a half foot or so).
We do have an especially large Country scene....notably downtown. There are a lot of touristy bars with live music, but you can definitely find less touristy places that play Country or some variety (Bluegrass, Americana, Alt-Country, et al). Aside from that, we have a pretty broad range of other genres of music (something that we don't get a whole lot of credit for)...plus a symphony, performing arts, and visual arts. Amenity-wise, we should have most of what you can find in Phoenix, at least on some level.
Before you come here in April (that's a good time, btw, as long as it's not pouring rain), make sure you post here and we can give you a few tips on places to see.
I realize that almost any decent sized city has a certain amount of sprawl and cookie cutter areas, and I am fine with that as long as it also has enough historic areas and places with character to balance it out. Phoenix being a fairly "new" city doesn't really have much in the way of historic places aside from a few lackluster museums, it is mostly strip malls, chain stores and restaurants and stucco houses with red tile roofs.
As for the music scene...as I mentioned earlier, there really isn't much of one to speak of. The few places that do play live music in the valley mostly play rock, punk, or metal. Country is not so popular here. As far as amenities, I am sure I will have no problem finding what I like and need in Nashville. Are there any local farmer markets in Nashville or Street Fairs? We do have a small (very small) farmers market in Phoenix. I am honestly looking forward to being able to spend more time outdoors in Nashville as well. I love to hike and go running and with Phoenix being so hot, it is kind of difficult to do that most of the year outside of the gym.
I am very happy to hear as well that Nashville does not get very much snow. While I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, I have lived in Phoenix for 12 years now. I love the idea of being able to have 4 seasons again but I was hoping to find an area that would not force me to shovel 12 inches of snow off my car every morning. I realize that summers in Nashville will be hot and humid, but I am actually looking forward to that as well. I have asthma and am very allergic to smog and dust so it is very difficult for me to breathe most to the time in Phoenix. I know in the past when I have visited PA, my allergies and asthma are much less prevalent so I am hoping the same will be true of Nashville. I have discovered that I definitely do better in a humid environment rather than desert.
Thank you again for the tips Nashvols. I will definitely post again in April when I finalize my trip. Does Nashville have any festivals or events going on in April that I might be able to plan my trip around?
I realize that almost any decent sized city has a certain amount of sprawl and cookie cutter areas, and I am fine with that as long as it also has enough historic areas and places with character to balance it out. Phoenix being a fairly "new" city doesn't really have much in the way of historic places aside from a few lackluster museums, it is mostly strip malls, chain stores and restaurants and stucco houses with red tile roofs.
Gotcha.
The housing stock in the city is pretty varied, and you can usually tell where the city's development boundaries were by what style of housing you have. The city itself is a mix of the typical sprawl (mainly around the edges) with ranches a little closer to town and then mid century as you approach the grid area (sidenote: one thing you will find very, very, very different is the street layout). With the suburbs, it kind of depends on when they developed. Some of the newer suburbs are almost straight up cookie cutter...or have huge swaths of that. I especially dislike the all vinyl ones. Yuck.
But most of them have some sort of mix of 60s-current housing styles (the county seats, like I mentioned earlier, are generally older towns and they have some historic housing stock).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachel127
As for the music scene...as I mentioned earlier, there really isn't much of one to speak of. The few places that do play live music in the valley mostly play rock, punk, or metal. Country is not so popular here. As far as amenities, I am sure I will have no problem finding what I like and need in Nashville. Are there any local farmer markets in Nashville or Street Fairs? We do have a small (very small) farmers market in Phoenix. I am honestly looking forward to being able to spend more time outdoors in Nashville as well. I love to hike and go running and with Phoenix being so hot, it is kind of difficult to do that most of the year outside of the gym.
There are several farmer's markets around town. The largest is just north of the Capitol Building next to the Bicentennial Mall.
Farmer's Markets - Middle Tennessee
^^
There's a list of the farmer's markets in the area. I'm primarily familiar with the main one in Nashville, but I've seen where several posters have mentioned going to other ones in the area. There's one in Hendersonville, as well as several of the surrounding towns.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachel127
I am very happy to hear as well that Nashville does not get very much snow. While I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, I have lived in Phoenix for 12 years now. I love the idea of being able to have 4 seasons again but I was hoping to find an area that would not force me to shovel 12 inches of snow off my car every morning. I realize that summers in Nashville will be hot and humid, but I am actually looking forward to that as well. I have asthma and am very allergic to smog and dust so it is very difficult for me to breathe most to the time in Phoenix. I know in the past when I have visited PA, my allergies and asthma are much less prevalent so I am hoping the same will be true of Nashville. I have discovered that I definitely do better in a humid environment rather than desert.
One caution -- Nashville is known as being a very bad city for allergies (as well as a lot of other cities in this region). Air quality can get bad at times, especially in mid summer when we go days (and weeks) without rain. Pollen and ragweed are terrible here.
I myself am not hyper sensitive to allergies, but there are a couple of weeks in the spring and fall that are miserable. April might be a good time to come as things start to bloom to see if you have a negative reaction. You might not...just be prepared.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachel127
Thank you again for the tips Nashvols. I will definitely post again in April when I finalize my trip. Does Nashville have any festivals or events going on in April that I might be able to plan my trip around?
The two big festivals are in mid June (CMA Fest downtown, and Bonnaroo 70 miles away in Manchester).
Just browsing the schedule, the only thing I see that might be worth checking out would be the Franklin Main Street Festival. Franklin is about 20 miles south of Nashville, and a very popular suburb. Cool Springs is the hub for the "new" in the area -- massive sprawling retail and office complex...but Franklin has one of the best preserved (and most active) Main Streets in the region. The festival is right downtown, which has a few blocks of charming old commercial buildings as well as beautiful historic antebellum houses.
Well, sounds like East Nashville would be perfect for you. But like Nashvols said, the large apartment complexes run from a bit sketchy to really sketchy. They haven't quite caught up with the whole gentrification (and I mean people putting time, effort and resources into revitalizing historically neglected older neighborhoods, not political) Although the crime issue even in and around these complexes seems to be improving. $800 a month rent would be stretching it in a decent area on the Eastside unless you could find a roomate. Rents have been booming lately over here.
Here's a six year old video about the "scene" over here...when this was made you pretty much just had Five Points as a little social scene/gathering place.
I'll skip posting about Five Points as information is pretty easily avalable on that area. Since that video was made, there have been numerous little spots pop up throughout the neighborhoods. Walden, an area at the corner of Eastland Ave and Chapel is one. There are a bunch of nice restaraunts in the area now - Eastland Cafe/Rosepper/Ugly Mugs/Silly Goose/Wild Cow/Portland Brew East/ Jenis Ice Cream- They have also cranked up new construction in the last month. Not sure what all is coming but I do know there will be another Climb Nashville there.
There's also Riverside Village in South Inglewood -
And we just got our own independent Butcher and artisan cheese shop, Porter Road Butcher....
My apologies for the rambling post (filled with easily attainable Google images, hah), but I love my hood. I'm a former reluctant suburbanite so I know where your coming from.
I think Hendersonville might be a good place for you to start out since you haven't lived here and are not familiar with the city. It's a nice, safe suburb (close to where you will be working) to launch your search to where you really want to live. You can get know the inner ring neighborhoods a little better and possibly meet someone to roomate with (to help with rent). But it probably is the antithesis to what you might be looking for (although compared to parts of Phoenix, it might seem like Greenwich Village, who knows). It's not at all walkable, very spreadout, plenty of cookie cutter subdivisions, and a dearth of chain restaurants. If your not into lake culture/boating and aren't worried about your children going to a good public school, I see you really getting bored fast though. I think you would like neighborhoods like East Nashville, 12th South, Hillsboro Village, Germantown or Sylvan Park. Anyway, good luck with the move, wherever you end up.
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