Nashville or Memphis? (Murfreesboro, Franklin, Hendersonville: real estate, violent crime, home)

[mswebb06]

Hello everyone I have a very interesting situation on my hand. I have been offered a job transfer to either Memphis or Nashville area my compensation package will be the same down to the penny regardless of which city I chose.

We are a young middle to late 20's couple with no children, however we will start planning a family soon. We do not do the "bar scene" anymore, we enjoy the mall, going to movies, ballgames,musuems, and out to eat. We currently live in a sub-division and I am not totally against sd's, however we would like to find a place with a large enough yard for everyone to play in if desired. Our price range is 250-400K. I will post this on both boards. What are some great areas in Nashville to raise a family

[alleycat]

There are any number of communities in and around Nashville that would probably meet your needs. I throw out a few just to get you started: Franklin, Kingston Springs, Mt. Juliet, Hendersonville, and if a slightly longer commute won't be a problem, Pleasant View. Those are areas where you could get a really nice home for $400k and are good places to live and raise a family.

[bnewman]

I'm pretty partial to Nashville over Memphis...have traveled to Memphis several times and just don't like it there. I'm sure others will highly disagree, but that is my opinion.

I've been in Nashville 13 years and have a 7 yr old son and have found it to be a wonderful and awesome place to raise him...oh, and I'm a single mom, too. There are great schools, lots of family-friendly places and the people here are so friendly overall.

With your price range, you should have plenty of options to choose from as far as location...

[statefan]

Originally Posted by bnewman

I'm pretty partial to Nashville over Memphis...have traveled to Memphis several times and just don't like it there. I'm sure others will highly disagree, but that is my opinion.

I've been in Nashville 13 years and have a 7 yr old son and have found it to be a wonderful and awesome place to raise him...oh, and I'm a single mom, too. There are great schools, lots of family-friendly places and the people here are so friendly overall.

With your price range, you should have plenty of options to choose from as far as location...

I would chose Nashville in a heartbeat. Memphis is an ok place to visit, I just would not like to live there! I know there a lot of people with differing opinions, but I even hate driving through on I-40! Nashville is much prettier, much better surrounding smaller cities and better schools! I do not know the actual statistics and do not care to look them up, but crime is worse in the Memphis area.

We moved to Nashville in our late 20s, had both our children there, but just moved to Texas last May. There is something there for everyone: sports, shopping, downtown scene, music (not just country), state of the art hospitals, colleges, and I could go on. The problem is everyone will have an opinion. Take time and visit each city, get a feel for the people and the areas. That is the one true way to make an educated decision.

[denawilliams]

Well, you are in an interesting situation. I am from Memphis and lived there many many years. However, I currently live in Nashville. And although I have family and hundreds of friends there, I would not go back to Memphis. A few things about Memphis have a special place in my heart, but over all, there's no comparison between Nashville and Memphis as far as I'm concerned. And I'm not just saying that because of my profession! In fact, I chose to be a real estate agent when I moved to Nashville partly because I loved the area so much.

As far as real estate goes, Memphis is near its bottom right now, so you can find a less expensive home and watch your money go further there, but you can still find a really nice home in the Nashville area with the price range you mentioned.

You mentioned restaurants and both locations have lots of establishements both local and chains to choose. Memphis probably has every chain you would have in the south and some nice local establishments too, and of course, great barbeque. However, Nashville has a good mix of locals and chains as well. In Nashville, the Mall at Green Hills in Nashville is nice as is Cool Springs Galleria in Franklin. Mount Juliet has a new open air mall called Providence MarketPlace. The only two malls I would visit in Memphis are the Wolfchase Galleria and maybe Oak Court every once in awhile. They are average.
Movie theaters are in just about any of the areas you will look.

As for museums or other points of interest, there's the Parthenon at Centennial Park, Country Music Hall of Fame, Musician's Hall of Fame, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Cheekwood Mansion & Botanical Gardens, Belle Meade Plantation, The Hermitage, Belmont Mansion, Adventure Science Center and lots of art galleries, to name a few. Memphis museums include the Pink Palace, Brooks Museum, National Civil Rights Museum, Children's Museum, Rock N Soul Museum, Stax Museum, Fire Museum and not a museum, per se, but the Gibson Guitar Factory tour is interesting.

As for sports, Memphis has a AAA baseball team (Redbirds) that, for AAA, is well supported. Then there's the NBA basketball team, the Grizzlies. And lastly, the hockey team, the River Kings. Nashville is home to the Nashville Sounds (minor league baseball), The NFL Tennessee Titans team, and The Nashville Predators (hockey).

[artemis]

and .... Nashville has a much lower crime rate.

[scottv]

Memphis is a hole...i grew up there and got the heck out...I live in Nashville and although it does have issues in some areas, overall it's a MUCH MUCH MUCH better place to live!

[statefan]

Originally Posted by scottv

Memphis is a hole...i grew up there and got the heck out...I live in Nashville and although it does have issues in some areas, overall it's a MUCH MUCH MUCH better place to live!

A lot of my husband's business associates are from and live in Memphis. It is very interesting NONE of them say they live in Memphis. They always live "right outside of Memphis"!

[rivercityrebel]

My family is moving at the end of this month from Memphis to Murfreesboro. We have been life long Memphis residents. We are THRILLED to be getting out of Memphis. Memphis consistantly ranks in the FBI's top ten list for VIOLENT crime. Please note, I'm not talking about burglary or property theft. Memphis is in the top five in RAPE, ARMED CAR JACKING and MURDER! Secondly, all politics in the city revolve around race relations. The city proper is majority African-American and the surrounding county was, until just recently, majority white. There is tremendous white flight into the surrounding counties which has stripped the city and Shelby county of a tremendous portion of it's tax base. As a result, the city is nearly bankrupt and services are suffering. The City School system is teetering on the edge of takeover by the State due to the number of significantly failing schools under the No Child Left Behind tests. The City schools also have significant drug and gang problems. The County schools test better and have fewer drug and gang problems, but do not score as well as Nashville schools. I am not trying to be overly depressing or engage in fear mongering, but Memphis does not have a bright future. If you do choose to move to Memphis, I highly highly recommend you actually move to Collierville, an incorporated suburb of the City.

[kcnative]

I, like many here, moved to Nashville from Memphis and love it here. If it weren't for friends and family, I'd most likely never go back.

I'd bet you won't find too many people on the Memphis board who moved there from Nashville...and even fewer who are glad they did.

There's no decision to be made IMO...Nashville wins by a landslide.