Neighborhoods & Driving (Murfreesboro, Nolensville: houses, rent, motel)

[locoindio]

I'm moving to Nashville, TN from Houston, TX next month (June 2008) to pursue a music career. To start I have a budget of $500/mo, pref. including all utilities.

I've found some places in Antioch but have read that it's not safe. Is that true?

Also, how bad is driving in Nashville? If I wanted to drive from one end of Houston to the other, it could easily take me 1.5-2 hours. Is Nashville like that, too? And how bad is traffic? Alright, please reply.

[jenntenn]

IMHO traffic is not better or worse then other cities of similiar size. If you tired to find a commute that took 1.5-2 hours you probibly could but it would be from one far reaching corner to davidson county to another. Its doubtful you would find a commute that long within nashville propper. OK Antioch in general...there are bad parts, and parts that as not as bad. Stay away from Nolensville Rd, the area of the mall, and up around Murfreesboro Rd. Keep in mind, Antioch is a word used to describe very LARGE area. There is an area sometimes referred to as "brentioch" Nippers Corner, Edmundson Pk...that area is not as bad as the the other area. You might be able to find something close to you budget in that area. You might want to look in the Bellevue area. Lots of appartments, normally a pretty budget friendly area. But i will be honest its going to be tough for $500. Just keep looking and if you contact any complexes ask them if they are running any specials. that could possible make it affordable enough for the first few months till you got on your feet and could bump up your budget a bit. Good luck!!!

[Pimpy]

$500/month including all utilities ain't gonna happen in Nashville without a roommate, even in Hispantioch. Get on Craigslist, find a roommate, then heed the above poster's advice and start looking in Bellevue.

There is no commute in Nashville that should take anywhere near 1.5 or 2 hours. Even something like Murfreesboro to the west end of Nashville should clock in at under an hour and a half. That isn't to say that traffic is a picnic here -- there are some trouble spots -- but you shouldn't have any complaints if you're coming from somewhere like Houston or Atlanta.

[scottv]

If you are trying to get into the music industry, I wouldn't recommend living in Bellevue (I live in Bellevue by the way, but already have a career)...you should try to live where other musicians live: East Nashville, music row, etc...seems like you would want to be right in the middle of all the music stuff if you're trying to "make it"...that's my advice. You'll need to get a roommate though, can't live anywhere even remotely safe on that budget by yourself.

[Mike in TN]

Keepin' it real...

you're going to need a roommate, or two, on your budget.

[Steve_TN]

Originally Posted by Mike in TN

Keepin' it real...

you're going to need a roommate, or two, on your budget.

I 2nd this post. Yes, keeping it very real!!!!

[2martins]

lots of musicians share houses in east nashville. its cheap, and being close to the scene is worth something, too. you are going to want to go see people play, do open mike nights maybe, that's gulch, downtown, east nashville, NOT antioch.

east nashville has some ick, like crack houses, but as a single male you should be ok with roomies. also, insider tip: visit different churches. you'd be amazed who you can meet at church. be nice to EVERYONE. you do not know who they are or may be next week.

[locoindio]

what does a one bedroom or efficiency cost in east nashville?

[Ally6729]

My best friend was just looking for a one-bedroom apartment in Nashville and her budget was $700/month...she couldn't find anything that wasn't completely ghetto. For $500/month I'd say it's impossible...at least without roommates. One thing I would recommend you look into is taking a room in a house with some random people...there are some listings on craigslist where people are staying in great houses and have extra bedrooms, and you can get good deals in situations like that. My friend could've done that, but she didn't want to live with random people. If you're open to it, it's definitely worth looking into. That's the only way you'll get to stay downtown on that kind of budget.