moving to nashville 12/3/2013 (Murfreesboro, Franklin, Hendersonville: best neighborhoods, rental, safest neighborhood)

[breanaRN]

Hi, not sure if i'm doing this right or if anyone will see this! haha

but I am 24 years old about to graduate from nursing school in Indiana. I've always wanted to move to Nashville at least as a part of my journey, so I finally made the decision to get my Nurse's license in Tennessee when I graduate in 5 months.

I guess I need some input on the best neighborhoods for a twenty-something. I might have a roommate coming with me but she's not set in stone yet. so safest neighborhoods? good hospitals? obviously i'm researching places online and hope to get down there for myself some time this month, but I figure locals have the best advice.

anything and everything is appreciated.
thanks!

[BirdieBelle]

It all will depend on your budget. AVERAGE rent in Nashville right now is in the mid-$800s.

Also, you will need a car.

[nashvols]

First and foremost, what would be your rental budget? Having a roommate could definitely help. Rents here have been steadily rising over the past few years.

I would definitely encourage you to get your job lined up before you take the plunge. We do have a lot of hospitals here, but I am not certain what their hiring process is like, or how competitive nursing jobs are at the moment (perhaps someone else here could shed some light on that).

Regarding hospitals, the main hospital groups in the area are Vanderbilt, St. Thomas, and HCA. All have multiple locations in Middle Tennessee. Vanderbilt and St. Thomas are private/non-profit. HCA (known as Tri Star in the area) is private/for-profit. Vanderbilt generally has the best reputation among the 3, but is going through somewhat of a downsizing phase right now (though I'm told that is more related to the research sector, which is heavily dependent on government funding). St. Thomas is also considered to be good. I think perception is a little more mixed when it comes to HCA, primarily because it is for-profit, but that doesn't mean they don't have good hospitals.

As for best neighborhoods -- are you looking to live in the city, or in the suburbs? Neighborhoods popular with 20-somethings in the city tend to be more trendy, but consequently more expensive, and typically the 'safest' neighborhoods in the city are the most expensive. Most of the suburbs are pretty safe, though some areas obviously more so than others. Nashville is a consolidated city and county -- so within the city itself are suburban areas (such as Antioch, Bellevue, Donelson, Hermitage, Madison, etc) which can range a bit with their safety. Those are more or less the inner ring suburbs. The ring of suburbs out of the county are places such as Brentwood, Franklin, Hendersonville, La Vergne, Mount Juliet, and Smyrna. Then there are some farther out exurbs like Murfreesboro, Lebanon, and Gallatin, which are 25-35 miles from downtown.

So are you looking for a more of an urban environment, or a suburban one? How far are you willing to commute?