22 y/o College Grad Possibly moving to Nashville (Portland, Midtown: apartment, rental)

[tsiddons]

Hey all,

First of all, I understand you've probably answered the same questions 1000 times, so I will try and refrain from being 'that guy' by asking those same questions.

A little background about me: I am 22 years old, graduated college in May, am currently deciding where my next move will be. I've narrowed it down to a number of cities and I'm trying to gather as much information as possible. My hobbies include music, sports, happy hour, and people.

I went to school in Charleston, SC at the College of Charleston, and loved everything about the city. I'm basically looking for something similar to that...

The city was perfect for my age range(College students, young professionals), downtown area where I lived was lined with bars, restaurants, stores, etc...and lots of places with outdoor/patio seating. Very laid back but vibrant city. I would move back there, but after 4 years there I am ready for something new.

I realize Nashville is larger than Charleston, but I'm thinking there are areas that have similar qualities to what I just described. Also, I'm not all that worried about finding a job, as I will probably wait tables for a while once I'm there, in order to meet some other people my age. Everywhere I've looked (on these boards and elsewhere) indicates Midtown is probably where I should look.

My questions kind of start here. Where exactly in midtown should I be looking? I realize near Vandy and Belmont is where a lot of the action is, but can someone be a bit more specific. I'm wondering if I could get a few block radius on where most of the action is, or specific street names. Also, I keep hearing about the "West End." I've located West End Avenue on a map, but I'm not really sure what the West End Area entails. Same goes for Hillsboro Village. I'd like to be able to walk to as many different restaurant/bar districts as possible.

Also, I've found a few places downtown that are in my price range(I'd be moving with a buddy of mine, so having a roommate helps) but I don't know much about that area either. We found a rental on craigslist for the Cumberland...would we be happy there? We aren't really the kind of guys that need all those amenities, but obviously they are nice. I would prefer to live in an apartment or condo rather than a house though.

Thanks in advance for whoever is kind enough to respond to this, I realize it was lengthy but I wanted to be as detailed as possible. If it helps at all, the other cities I'm looking at are Denver, Austin, Portland(OR), and Tampa.

Thanks again.

[alleycat]

I know what you're asking; I'm trying to think of the best way to answer it without confusing you.

In general, if you look on your map of Nashville, you'd probably want to stay within the area that is south of Charlotte Pike (and not too close to Charlotte), west of the I-40/I-65 inter-loop which runs around downtwon, and bounded on the south and west by 12th Avenue and I-440 Parkway. It's kind of a blobby, kidney shaped area.

It's a little harder to tell you exactly what streets would work the best for you within that area. The closer you were to either West End or 21st Avenue would probably be better for you from what you mentioned in your post.

Let me ponder a bit and see if I can think of a better way to describe it.

[tsiddons]

Thanks Alleycat...you are all over these boards!

Does anyone else have any input they could help me out with? Whether its regarding certain locations within the city, or comparisons with the other cities I mentioned..?

Once again, thanks in advance for any help.