Help! Advice needed on moving to Nashville from Raleigh (Green Hill: real estate, home)

[Ownway]

I'm looking for advice from people familiar with relocating to Nashville and also people who know the area well. I'm considering moving to Nashville from Raleigh. I've lived in Raleigh for 8 years but am originally from the mountains of NC. I'm 27 and single and am desperatly seeking a life change. I miss the beauty of western NC and the diversity of the town I'm from, but would never move back home due to personal reasons. I've also looked into moving to Charlotte. I would like to go back to school at some point for interior design. I've never been to Nashville but am planning 2 trips w/in the next month out there to visit. I am a fan of country music, however I prefer other genres. I've been reading the posts on Nashville in general, but I have a few questions I was hoping people could help me out with!

Is it hard finding jobs in Nashville? I'm currently in real estate but have experience in office management and banking but do no want to limit myself to one industry.

For a single female, what are the good areas around the city to live in? I want to be in the hustle of everything, but also wouldn't mind having a short drive. I also need the area to be safe and affordable.

Are the schools in and around Nashville considered good schools? Does anyone know about the interior design programs? I know what I've read online about the schools, but have not heard first hand.

If anyone can compare Raleigh/Charlotte/Nashville for me that would be great. I'm very familiar with Charlotte as I have family that lives there. So I guess if anyone knows what the differences between Raleigh and Charlotte are compared to Nashville. Is Nashville any more diverse than these cities; a larger city atmosphere?

Any words of wisdom or advice are much appreicated!

[alleycat]

I don't know much about Raleigh, but I sort of consider Nashville and Charlotte to be "sister cities". Although the two cities are different in some ways, they are similar in many other ways.

I could recommend some areas that you would probably enjoy living from what you described, but until you decide if you're actually moving to Nashville it would be pointless. If you just want to do a little research you could check out the Midtown/21st Avenue/Hillsboro Village area, or maybe Green Hills; I think those areas would come closest to meeting your needs, although I'm not sure whether they're affordable for you or not. There's also Bellevue, which is a little away from "the action", but is an easy drive into town. Like most cities of any size, it's hard to find an area that's very convenient, very nice, very safe, as well as being very affordable.

Two of the programs that I know of in interior design are Watkins Institute and O'More College of Design (there may be others). My best friend is a principal in one of the largest architectural firms in town; they have an interiors department. I could probably arrange for you to talk to one of the interior designers there if you'd like.

[denawilliams]

Hopefully, you'll enjoy your upcoming visits. It sounds like you'll like the area. I work in the industry you are currently in, so if I can help in anyway, as far as describing the different companies here, let me know. Or perhaps, if I know what your specific role is, I can see if I know of anyone looking to add to their team.
As far as design schools, I would recommend International Academy of Design and Technology. They offer a few different programs, and I was at one time checking it out for myself. Since I did not need another undergraduate degree, it was a little pricey for what I was looking at doing.