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Im in my mid 20s and hoping to move south in a few years. I have been researching different cities in the south that have traits I am interested in. Nashville seems to be a very popular destinations lately but it seems to be a good fit I think.. I am from Pennsylvania and currently live in Boston and do sales, my girlfriend works for a cancer institute doing fundraising and event planning. I would like to live in an area that is fairly to largely populated as those areas tend to have more jobs. I guess I would like to live in a southern area that has some Boston traits to it. Good job growth, lots of museums and history, lots of hospitals and colleges, an area good for running and biking, good social scene (not a nightclub fan, more into microbreweries and good local organic food). I am a moderate Democrat who loves country music. From most things Ive read Nashville seems to fit a lot of those traits. Would this be an accurate assumption?
I've been to Boston a few times, but haven't lived there. Nashville is certainly a bit different. I wouldn't say 'not at all' like Boston, but not a ton of similarities there. I think you pointed out about the only ones that apply.
Nashville doesn't have a plethora of local organic food, but it can certainly be found. I would say the foodie scene (restaurants serving local organic food) is probably ahead of the game compared to stores/markets that provide that (though there are some). The Nashville Farmer's Market would be a good place to check out.
The microbrew scene has exploded lately. 10-15 years ago, there were perhaps 2 microbreweries in the area. Now there are quite a few.
While Tennessee is certainly a red state, Davidson County and Nashville are solidly Democrat. I would classify the city as moderate-liberal. While Democrats do exist in the burbs, they don't have much (if any) representation. If that is important to you, then your best bet would be to live in the city, and probably more specifically, closer to the city center.
There are plenty of hospitals (as well as other healthcare related companies), and a number of colleges, both public and private.
There are a number of places to run and bike, but the network is still very much a work in progress -- it's disjointed in a lot of areas. Biking on the city streets is still pretty much reserved for the die-hards. There are places with bike lanes (again, disjointed), but in those that don't, it can be dangerous (especially on the larger thoroughfares). Depending on where you live, access to the protected trails/greenways may prove difficult without a car. Here's a map to give you an idea:
I am a moderate Democrat who loves country music. From most things Ive read Nashville seems to fit a lot of those traits. Would this be an accurate assumption?
I would say you are exactly the kind of people that would fit in here. There are lots and lots of us transplants.
The food scene is really good, as is the explosion of microbreweries and other places to buy, such as Craft Brewed or The Filling Station, etc. And I'm a cyclist, and just in the past two years it has gotten much better. It's not just hard-core cyclists that ride on the streets. And there is a huge running community here - Nashville Striders, East Nasty Runners are probably the two largest groups.
Im in my mid 20s and hoping to move south in a few years. I have been researching different cities in the south that have traits I am interested in. Nashville seems to be a very popular destinations lately but it seems to be a good fit I think.. I am from Pennsylvania and currently live in Boston and do sales, my girlfriend works for a cancer institute doing fundraising and event planning. I would like to live in an area that is fairly to largely populated as those areas tend to have more jobs. I guess I would like to live in a southern area that has some Boston traits to it. Good job growth, lots of museums and history, lots of hospitals and colleges, an area good for running and biking, good social scene (not a nightclub fan, more into microbreweries and good local organic food). I am a moderate Democrat who loves country music. From most things Ive read Nashville seems to fit a lot of those traits. Would this be an accurate assumption?
I lived in Boston for 5 years prior to moving to Franklin. I am also originally from Pennsylvania (suburbs of philly)!
Nashville has grown up a lot in the past 13 years since I lived here. When I moved to Franklin from Boston in 2001, I was truly in culture shock and felt like I had gone back in time to the 1950s. It took me about 2 years to adjust.
However I think you have a few things going for you - which is first, 2014 in Nashville is a lot more cosmopolitan and transplant friendly then it was in 2001 (IMHO).
Second, a move to Nashville proper will be less jarring than a move to Franklin, which is culturally much more conservative compared to anywhere in the North East. I never knew what conservative meant until I moved to Franklin... i used to think conservative just meant crusty old white guys who smoked pipes and wore bow ties... but i learned. Anyways, Nashville is much more diverse in terms of the geo-political spectrum. In Boston I was considered a left leaning independent - which in Franklin translates as a radical liberal.
Third - I hate country music, so you have that going for you!
We left Boston, in our early 30s, because we were starting a family, and we were faced with the prospect of very expensive real estate, having kids and not wanting them in such an urban environment, and/or dealing with a very long commute into Boston to make all of the above more manageable. So in all those regards, we were not disappointed. We paid less for our monthly mortgage on our house in Franklin than we did on our rent in Boston - so buying a house was very easy for us.
As for the food - I still miss a few things about Boston - the accessibility of lots of small cheap places to eat ... especially anna's taqueria, which I crave regularly and have found nothing close.
I find driving in and around Nashville a piece of cake compared to any boston commute. Also, living in Boston, I became used to a 30-45 minute commutes as normal, even better than average. Around here, people are shocked that my husband and I are willing to have that long of a commute, but I find it a nice drive and time to decompress.
Lots of outdoors activities in a very mild climate here in TN. From Boston, I used to hike in the white mountains routinely and also go to cape cod - and you have to give those things up, but there is great hiking in little known parks of TN, and there are wonderful lakes, and you can drive to good beaches within 8 hours.
Good luck!
Last edited by budgiegirl; 06-05-2014 at 11:14 AM..
You'll likely be surprised by how spread out Nashville (and really any southern city) is....in that sense, it'll be quite a bit different than Boston....don't expect much from public transit
however, from a microbrew standpoint, this should be right up your alley....Nashville is also known as the "Athens of the South" due to the large concentration of colleges and the "Healthcare Capital" due to the large number of healthcare companies and hospitals in teh area...and the country music part goes without saying (although I would point out that there's a lot more to the music scene here than just country)
basically, as long as you're okay with a departure from the density of cities in the NE, you sound like you'll love it here
You'll likely be surprised by how spread out Nashville (and really any southern city) is....in that sense, it'll be quite a bit different than Boston....don't expect much from public transit
however, from a microbrew standpoint, this should be right up your alley....Nashville is also known as the "Athens of the South" due to the large concentration of colleges and the "Healthcare Capital" due to the large number of healthcare companies and hospitals in teh area...and the country music part goes without saying (although I would point out that there's a lot more to the music scene here than just country)
basically, as long as you're okay with a departure from the density of cities in the NE, you sound like you'll love it here
I just have to respectfully disagree here in 2 regards... and I apologize if this rubs people the wrong way.
But Boston is home to so many amazing universities, counting Cambridge, you have Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, Berklee College of Music, Tufts, plus others that I am sure I am missing... and then if you are willing to include a 1 hour radius of Boston, there are even more.
Comparing it to Vanderbilt, TSU, Belmont and Lipscomb is not the same. I'm just calling a spade a spade here, because you have got to be realistic.
Second, with regard to healthcare. Undoubtedly healthcare is a huge industry in Nashville, with Vanderbilt and HCA dominating. But once again, I think people unfamiliar with Boston, or unfamiliar with medicine as a profession, might be unaware that Boston Hospitals are world reknown - including Brigham and Women's, Mass General, Beth Israel Deaconess, Dana Farber, and Joslin Clinic. I'm not saying that healthcare is not alive and well here in Nashville, but it is a different climate. The climate in Boston is overwhelmingly "academic healthcare". Here in Nashville, I have found there is much more of a private sector feel to the term "healthcare". So it depends on what the OP is looking for.. but the medical climates are not the same at all. Vanderbilt is the only place in the area that has a feel remotely like the major hospitals in Boston.
Don't get me wrong, I think Nashville has lots to offer. But it is going to have a smaller feel than Boston, and there will be pros and cons to that fact. Also get used to no T to get around.
I just have to respectfully disagree here in 2 regards... and I apologize if this rubs people the wrong way.
But Boston is home to so many amazing universities, counting Cambridge, you have Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, Berklee College of Music, Tufts, plus others that I am sure I am missing... and then if you are willing to include a 1 hour radius of Boston, there are even more.
Comparing it to Vanderbilt, TSU, Belmont and Lipscomb is not the same. I'm just calling a spade a spade here, because you have got to be realistic.
Second, with regard to healthcare. Undoubtedly healthcare is a huge industry in Nashville, with Vanderbilt and HCA dominating. But once again, I think people unfamiliar with Boston, or unfamiliar with medicine as a profession, might be unaware that Boston Hospitals are world reknown - including Brigham and Women's, Mass General, Beth Israel Deaconess, Dana Farber, and Joslin Clinic. I'm not saying that healthcare is not alive and well here in Nashville, but it is a different climate. The climate in Boston is overwhelmingly "academic healthcare". Here in Nashville, I have found there is much more of a private sector feel to the term "healthcare". So it depends on what the OP is looking for.. but the medical climates are not the same at all. Vanderbilt is the only place in the area that has a feel remotely like the major hospitals in Boston.
Don't get me wrong, I think Nashville has lots to offer. But it is going to have a smaller feel than Boston, and there will be pros and cons to that fact. Also get used to no T to get around.
What are you disagreeing with?
Artemis didn't say the colleges and hospitals were better than those in Boston - just pointed out there is a "large concentration" here, which there is.
I moved here from CT and would visit Boston a lot, starting from childhood. The big difference to ME is that I consider "Boston" to be what I can get to on the MBTA . . . just as far as Harvard Square, Coply, Mass Ave, Haymarket, the Aquarium stop . . . That's about as far out as I would go for restaurants, shops, etc. "Nashville" downtown isn't very big. You could include Germantown, and The Gulch I guess but the main downtown area that you'd go to visit is more compact.
There's also so many historic sites IN downtown Boston . . Paul Revere's house, Faneuil Hall, Boston Common, North Church, Old North Church, Beacon Hill, Old South Meeting House . . . not so much in downtown Nashville.
So comparing the 'true' downtown Boston to the 'true' downtown Nashville, there's a big difference. That's not saying there aren't historic spots in and around Nashville, they are just not so centrally located.
I moved here from CT and would visit Boston a lot, starting from childhood. The big difference to ME is that I consider "Boston" to be what I can get to on the MBTA . . . just as far as Harvard Square, Coply, Mass Ave, Haymarket, the Aquarium stop . . . That's about as far out as I would go for restaurants, shops, etc. "Nashville" downtown isn't very big. You could include Germantown, and The Gulch I guess but the main downtown area that you'd go to visit is more compact.
There's also so many historic sites IN downtown Boston . . Paul Revere's house, Faneuil Hall, Boston Common, North Church, Old North Church, Beacon Hill, Old South Meeting House . . . not so much in downtown Nashville.
So comparing the 'true' downtown Boston to the 'true' downtown Nashville, there's a big difference. That's not saying there aren't historic spots in and around Nashville, they are just not so centrally located.
Those were my thoughts too. Nashville definitely has less historic sites, less museums, less interesting architecture, etc.
It also will be very different than Boston in a lot if ways. A friend who grew up in Boston and has moved around a bit as an adult often jokes that Boston is its own country. She had never been in a Target before we met. And she was shocked there was a church on every corner instead of a donut shop.
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