Suggestions for places in Rutherford County (Memphis, Franklin: apartment, lease, crime)

[Chobbes90]

I can't wait to leave South Florida (SoFl)! I have been here nearly 10 years and do not like it at all. My family and I are looking in the Nashville area. Although we would love to live in Nashville, I've heard the schools are not great...which is a TOP priority for us. We have a middle school-er and a child entering the 2nd grade, so we are currently looking in Rutherford County. We currently do not have a job lined up, but we do expect to receive monies from our business that is established here in SoFl and I am looking diligently now (am open to part time work in the meantime).

We are looking to rent a place (house preferably) for no more than $900. We will rent first, so that we can get a feel for the Nashville area. I'm currently looking for jobs in Nashville, so we don't want to be too far away in Rutherford County, if possible. I've heard some good things about Rock Springs Elementary and Middle schools--any comments are welcomed...it would be nice if the middle and elementary school are near each other. We are not stuck on any one area yet, but our wish list is as follows:

1) We are hoping for a 3 bedroom with a yard (we have a dog and a cat).
2) Decent, family-friendly area, relatively low-crime (we know there is crime everywhere, we just want to have a general idea on where to start).
3) Prefer to have sidewalks.


Any suggestions on decent schools, home location, and/or cities based upon my requirements above?? Thanks in advance!!

[jcmanasco]

Originally Posted by Chobbes90

I can't wait to leave South Florida (SoFl)! I have been here nearly 10 years and do not like it at all. My family and I are looking in the Nashville area. Although we would love to live in Nashville, I've heard the schools are not great...which is a TOP priority for us. We have a middle school-er and a child entering the 2nd grade, so we are currently looking in Rutherford County. We currently do not have a job lined up, but we do expect to receive monies from our business that is established here in SoFl and I am looking diligently now (am open to part time work in the meantime).

We are looking to rent a place (house preferably) for no more than $900. We will rent first, so that we can get a feel for the Nashville area. I'm currently looking for jobs in Nashville, so we don't want to be too far away in Rutherford County, if possible. I've heard some good things about Rock Springs Elementary and Middle schools--any comments are welcomed...it would be nice if the middle and elementary school are near each other. We are not stuck on any one area yet, but our wish list is as follows:

1) We are hoping for a 3 bedroom with a yard (we have a dog and a cat).
2) Decent, family-friendly area, relatively low-crime (we know there is crime everywhere, we just want to have a general idea on where to start).
3) Prefer to have sidewalks.


Any suggestions on decent schools, home location, and/or cities based upon my requirements above?? Thanks in advance!!

I wish you luck in finding a neighborhood in the Nashville area with sidewalks. I've been living in Nashville for almost a year but haven't spent any time in Murfreeboro. Maybe the sidewalk situation is better there because sidewalks are practically nonexistant in residential areas of Nashville, Franklin, or Brentwood. That's amazing because Memphis has sidewalks in every neighborhood. I know what people who don't know the truth often say about Memphis but, trust me, sidewalks are everywhere. Good Luck!

[Mary_Moon]

I think you'll have a difficult time finding a house with all your specifications for $900/month even in Rutherford County. You might be able to secure something at that price point in LaVergne (likely in the Lake Forest area which is currently the armpit of RuCo. IMO) but then you'd be zoned to LaVergne schools, which I would personally avoid.

If you want a safe neighborhood with sidewalks and a yard, check out Berkshire which is zoned to Blackman schools (all 3 schools in close proximity) but know that rents will be higher there, even for the smaller starter houses in the front section of the subdivision. Siegel is another school where the 3 schools are close together but I seriously doubt you'd find a house for rent in your budget there. The Stewart Creek schools in Smyrna are all actually situated on 1 large parcel of land making a great campus (my children attend school here) but the only developments with sidewalks zoned to SC will definitely be more than you're looking to spend on rent.

Smyrna Primary/David Youree Elementary/Smyrna Middle are all fairly close together in Smyrna as well and would likely find several older homes with larger yards in safe neighborhoods for rent in your price range in this area. Adelaide Park subdivision has sidewalks, seems very safe and would afford quick access to I24 for the daily commute as well. Not sure where rents are there, tho. I'm not familiar with middle schools in Mboro so other than Blackman & Siegel I don't know where to direct your search if you need the schools to be located near one another.

[Chobbes90]

Originally Posted by jcmanasco

I wish you luck in finding a neighborhood in the Nashville area with sidewalks. I've been living in Nashville for almost a year but haven't spent any time in Murfreeboro. Maybe the sidewalk situation is better there because sidewalks are practically nonexistant in residential areas of Nashville, Franklin, or Brentwood. That's amazing because Memphis has sidewalks in every neighborhood. I know what people who don't know the truth often say about Memphis but, trust me, sidewalks are everywhere. Good Luck!

Thank you for your response. I don't know why sidewalks are so rare down here in the south!! It would be nice to be in Nashville, but because of the poor school ratings, we are considering outside Davidson County.

[Chobbes90]

Originally Posted by Mary_Moon

I think you'll have a difficult time finding a house with all your specifications for $900/month even in Rutherford County. You might be able to secure something at that price point in LaVergne (likely in the Lake Forest area which is currently the armpit of RuCo. IMO) but then you'd be zoned to LaVergne schools, which I would personally avoid.

If you want a safe neighborhood with sidewalks and a yard, check out Berkshire which is zoned to Blackman schools (all 3 schools in close proximity) but know that rents will be higher there, even for the smaller starter houses in the front section of the subdivision. Siegel is another school where the 3 schools are close together but I seriously doubt you'd find a house for rent in your budget there. The Stewart Creek schools in Smyrna are all actually situated on 1 large parcel of land making a great campus (my children attend school here) but the only developments with sidewalks zoned to SC will definitely be more than you're looking to spend on rent.

Smyrna Primary/David Youree Elementary/Smyrna Middle are all fairly close together in Smyrna as well and would likely find several older homes with larger yards in safe neighborhoods for rent in your price range in this area. Adelaide Park subdivision has sidewalks, seems very safe and would afford quick access to I24 for the daily commute as well. Not sure where rents are there, tho. I'm not familiar with middle schools in Mboro so other than Blackman & Siegel I don't know where to direct your search if you need the schools to be located near one another.

Thank you for your response. I saw a few houses for rent in that price range; however, I'm not sure of the location. So, I will look into the suggestions you provided above. If we can't get a house for that price, we may have to consider a townhome or an apartment on a short term lease until we can become familiar with the area. I'm trying to see if there is a difference between curriculums with the schools in Rutherford and Davidson County because as I have read on this forum, there are schools within Davidson County that are decent, but hit or miss...or its a magnet school. *sigh* I will continue my research to see if I can narrow down the options even more. I appreciate your response.