Married couple, 30, active, artsy/nerdy looking for fun area of Nash (Franklin: for sale, real estate)

[Kelmover]

We are possibly moving to the Nashville area the first of the year. I'm (hopefully) taking a job in north Franklin and was trying to find out what areas we should check out for an apartment initially and later in the spring, a home.

We are looking for an area with some character and hopefully a good art community. A safe area is a high priority. Ideally, we could find an area that would allow us to walk to bars/restaurants/coffee/etc. We prefer locally owned/operated businesses and not so much the chain restaurants and coffee bars. If we could get a 3 bedroom with decent sized rooms for around $150-160k, that would be perfect.

We will probably get an apartment somewhere for 6 months or less, so we will have time to make a decision, I just want to know where I should start looking. I've heard good and bad things about the east side, but more bad than good.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Kelmover

We are possibly moving to the Nashville area the first of the year. I'm (hopefully) taking a job in north Franklin and was trying to find out what areas we should check out for an apartment initially and later in the spring, a home.

We are looking for an area with some character and hopefully a good art community. A safe area is a high priority. Ideally, we could find an area that would allow us to walk to bars/restaurants/coffee/etc. We prefer locally owned/operated businesses and not so much the chain restaurants and coffee bars. If we could get a 3 bedroom with decent sized rooms for around $150-160k, that would be perfect.

We will probably get an apartment somewhere for 6 months or less, so we will have time to make a decision, I just want to know where I should start looking. I've heard good and bad things about the east side, but more bad than good.

Check out the Hillsboro Village neighborhood in Nashville. It's adjacent to Vanderbilt and is home to lots of university faculty, staff, and graduate students. It's also within easy walking distance of the commercial area of 21st Ave known as Hillsboro Village which gives that entire neighborhood its name. Lots of locally owned cafés, restaurants, shops, an arthouse movie theater, Harris Teeter grocery store, even a post office. It also has the absolute best French boulangerie I've ever seen in this part of the world, Provence. They even import their flour from France and brought in French oven builders to construct their stone ovens.

Homes in that area can be a little pricey, but I believe some of the townhomes around there are much more reasonable in price.

[alleycat]

Well, if I were going to be working in Franklin, the first place I'd look is one of the older areas of Franklin. Second would be the Midtown area of Nashville (the area that JMT recommended in his post is part of the Midtown area).

The problem that I think you're going to have is finding something that you'd like for $160k unless you're willing to look at condos or townhouses. You could find something in that price range that's a single-family detached, but it's likely to either be an older, small ranch, or one of these newer things they've thrown up (and "thrown up" is actually being kind).

Since you're planning on living in an apartment for a few months, you will have time to look around and get to know the various areas before making the commitment to purchase.

[Diane Giam]

Originally Posted by Kelmover

We are possibly moving to the Nashville area the first of the year. I'm (hopefully) taking a job in north Franklin and was trying to find out what areas we should check out for an apartment initially and later in the spring, a home.

We are looking for an area with some character and hopefully a good art community. A safe area is a high priority. Ideally, we could find an area that would allow us to walk to bars/restaurants/coffee/etc. We prefer locally owned/operated businesses and not so much the chain restaurants and coffee bars. If we could get a 3 bedroom with decent sized rooms for around $150-160k, that would be perfect.

We will probably get an apartment somewhere for 6 months or less, so we will have time to make a decision, I just want to know where I should start looking. I've heard good and bad things about the east side, but more bad than good.

I checked listings in Franklin to $170.000 since that is negoatable. This is what I found-http://www.realtor.com/search/searchresults.aspx?loc=Franklin%2c+TN&mnp=140000&m xp=170000&bd=4&bth=4

I also checked Spring Hill because its just south of Franklin. You can get much more there-

Spring Hill, TN, Real Estate Listings and Spring Hill, TN Homes for Sale - REALTOR.com®

Diane G

[supernerdgirl]

yes, but if they are looking for an art scene, or walkable, or, well, interesting in any way, Franklin or Spring Hill won't be what they want.

perhaps if they have kids and need a good school district, then that might be the way to go (as long as they stay on the Williamson county side of SH ).

[Steve_TN]

Originally Posted by supernerdgirl

yes, but if they are looking for an art scene, or walkable, or, well, interesting in any way, Franklin or Spring Hill won't be what they want.

perhaps if they have kids and need a good school district, then that might be the way to go (as long as they stay on the Williamson county side of SH ).

I agree. Franklin or Spring Hill will not give them the artsy atmosphere they are looking for. I'd stick to Hillsboro Village.

[ariesjow]

Many have already mentioned Hillsboro Village but I'd I also recommend 12South and East Nashville. The price points in 12South are below those in Hillsboro Village and it's right off of I-65 South so a commute to Franklin won't be so painful. 12South is not as developed as Hillsboro Village but it is a popular, rapidly-improving area that with it's own handful of locally-owned establishments.

East Nashville sounds like it's also your cup of tea as it's probably the part of Nashville where the development is more eclectic, the homes actually have character and the restaurants and bars are homegrown. But you'd probably have to be much more selective since safety is a high priority for you. There are some nice pocket neighborhoods in East Nashville that are relatively safe which I highly recommend you explore while you're renting here.

One other neighborhood that might interest you is Sylvan Park. It has some homes with great charm and a small selection of local restaurants and bars. Unfortunately, Kelmover, you're going to find that your price range will significantly limit the amount of space you'll have. You may want to consider a smaller condo or renting for a while if living in one of the more eclectic, walkable neighborhoods is your goal.

[alleycat]

Well, anyway, that gives you a few places to look.

Near the downtown area of Franklin
The West End/Hillsboro Village/Sylvan Park area
The Edgehill/12 South area
One of the "old house" streets in East Nashville

Those really are about the best suggestions we can give you for what you're looking for. Again, your price range might be a limiting factor, but it's not impossible that you could find something you'd like in your range.

[mattbigelow]

Originally Posted by ariesjow

One other neighborhood that might interest you is Sylvan Park. It has some homes with great charm and a small selection of local restaurants and bars. Unfortunately, Kelmover, you're going to find that your price range will significantly limit the amount of space you'll have. You may want to consider a smaller condo or renting for a while if living in one of the more eclectic, walkable neighborhoods is your goal.

I'll second this. In fact, my wife and I were able to find a house for a third of the price of a Sylvan Park home, just north of Sylvan Park (or north of the Charlotte Avenue split).

We were told it might be unsafe where we are, but we couldn't disagree more. We're within walking distance of where my wife works, a really cool Italian market, Richland Park, a number of cool thrift stores (we're frugal) and a cool boutique on Charlotte. That area of Charlotte certainly has not come along anywhere near as much as the East side, but for the money it's definitely worth it.

And by the way, I also commute to Franklin from there and it's a breeze - 20 minutes door to door with no traffic because everyone is going the opposite direction.

[Kelmover]

Thank you all for the in-depth and thoughtful replies!

This will be a big help in starting our search. I did accept the job offer and will be in Nashville before the end of the year. We are going to check out apartments tomorrow.

Thanks again!