What are the liberal/diverse/safe areas of Nashville? (Knoxville: real estate, lofts)

[chic1]

Hi, I am looking to relocate from Atlanta to Nashville for work. I live in Dunwoody, which is a very nice area in Atlanta. More suburban, but quick access to great shopping, restaurants, clubs, etc. I have never been to Nashville, and I am going for a weekend to see if I would want to transfer there for my job. I currently live in a more conservative part of Atlanta, but it is ethnically diverse, which is important to me. I am 28 and looking to buy a home in the $150k-$200k range. I hope to be able to use equity to buy a home much cheaper in Nashville, than here in Atlanta. What areas are very safe, more liberal, and more diverse? Thanks for your help!

[GatorTrout]

Originally Posted by chic1

Hi, I am looking to relocate from Atlanta to Nashville for work. I live in Dunwoody, which is a very nice area in Atlanta. More suburban, but quick access to great shopping, restaurants, clubs, etc. I have never been to Nashville, and I am going for a weekend to see if I would want to transfer there for my job. I currently live in a more conservative part of Atlanta, but it is ethnically diverse, which is important to me. I am 28 and looking to buy a home in the $150k-$200k range. I hope to be able to use equity to buy a home much cheaper in Nashville, than here in Atlanta. What areas are very safe, more liberal, and more diverse? Thanks for your help!

You must be joking.

[mad fiddler]

Originally Posted by GatorTrout

You must be joking.

How so?

[Steve_TN]

Originally Posted by mad fiddler

How so?

Good question Fiddler!

[scottv]

You will have a hard time finding a liberal/diverse area that is safe...and finding it in your price range will be very difficult unless you are looking for a small house. I'll send you a link I used to find my house, it will give you an idea of prices here. good luck!

[ariesjow]

I generally agree with scottv. You can possibly find a safe, reasonably liberal, and moderate ethnically diverse neighborhood in Nashville. The challenges will be finding a home in one for around $200k and one that's suburban in nature. I'd imagine you'd have a similar challenge in Atlanta and the housing prices here are not much cheaper if at all.

$250k to $300k will give you many more options but you'll be wanting to look in one of the inner-ring neighborhoods like East Nashville, 12South, Sylvan Park, Berry Hill, Inglewood, White Bridge, etc. instead of the suburbs. Much like ATL, the suburbs here are quite conservative. So, if that's a problem for you, you might want to consider looking in Davidson County.

[chic1]

Thanks scottv and ariesjow for the feedback. I have a condo here in Atlanta and it is an arm and a leg. I guess I didn't think TN was as expensive as Atlanta. I have enough equity to go up to $300k, but was hoping to be able to find a smaller house in a fun area that is safe. I am looking at a vacation condo, and can only buy both properties if I can go smaller and get a good deal in Nashville. I travel a lot so I don't need a large house.

[ariesjow]

^ I think you can find a home around $300k or a litte less in the areas I mentioned above. You may be able to find something around $200k in a few of them. You might also want to consider the Edgehill area. It's a transitional neighborhood in between Midtown, the Gulch, Music Row, 12South and Wedgewood Park. You can probably find a good deal there in a decent size home but it'll be a fixer upper. Although that neighborhood is still in the early stage of revitalization, buying a home there will probably be a smart investment considering the area is literally surrounded by popular neighborhoods.

You might also want to look into a condo or townhome. I know they are plenty in the neighborhoods I mentioned in your price range. You could also probably move a little further out and find a decently-sized one if you prefered an area a little further out from the core. Of course, the challenge is finding a neighborhood that fits all of your criteria.

[yank283]

Here's an article on East Nashville. It's still a transitional area, so crime can be an issue. You take the good with the bad. If you don't try to sell or buy drugs or your not in a gang, the chances of being a victim go way down. Again, if you decide to move, I would speak with some real estate company's based in East Nashville (say you might eventually buy and they will be glad to pick good or bad streets/areas, Karen Hoff Historical Homes is one).

In East Nashville, hipsters and families create a funky vibe : Travel : Knoxville News Sentinel

I know the East End Lofts still have some units avaliable -

Welcome to East End Lofts!

[mblight]

You want to reconsider this move. I'm just being honest. The areas you're interested in- liberal, diverse and cheap - do not exist in Nashville. If you're interested in those kinds of areas in a city, and you want to move, try moving to the west, and get out of the South.