E. Nashville -- WEST of Gallatin... (Cleveland, Cedar Hill: crime, cheap house, neighborhoods)

[whithill]

Hi,
My husband and I are moving to Nville in September and have been looking at East Nashville as it has the slightly urban feel (cafes, restaurants, clubs, sense of neighborhood, etc.) that we crave. We like being able to walk places. But we're on the verge of being priced out of the areas east of Gallatin Rd and are wondering about venturing west of it. There seem to be some pretty good deals... what's the downside, if any? We don't have to worry about schools.

Also curious about other pockets of town that are up and coming. THANKS!
Whit

[alleycat]

Are you talking about Inglewood, Madison, Cedar Hill? Say, between Gallatin Road and Ellington Parkway? Or further east?

Just be careful with any of the areas off of Gallatin Road. There's some nice neighborhoods there (I lived in Inglewood for a year), and, unfortunately, some areas that aren't so good. And a few "pockets" where it's really not so good.

[whithill]

We like parts of Inglewood, have not been as far north as Madison yet. Yeah, it's really interesting how good areas and not-so-good are right next to each other.

but I was really curious about the areas west of Main/Gallatin right after you cross the bridge, so just opposite the "fun" bustling areas of East Nashville. I think part of it is called the Cleveland Park area??? Cheap houses, some of them... They keep refer to this as up-and-coming, but is it really?

Thanks. Any help much appreciated.

[alleycat]

Yeah, Cleveland Park is between Cleveland St. and Douglas Avenue. I used to go past it everyday when I was going downtown on Ellington Parkway. That was years ago.

I'm just not that familiar with that area anymore. I think there's a couple of people here who live in East Nashville. They would know more than I do. I'll just caution you to be real careful and take your time before you buy a house. With all due respects to my fine friends in East Nashville, there are some rough neighborhoods around there.

[abby25]

The area you are referring to is "up-and-coming" but you have to be very careful where you buy as the up and coming areas are mixed with some rough areas. If you are heading north on Gallatin and turn right onto Eastland Ave you will find some remodeled houses and nice area to live in. Also, off of Shelby Ave are some nice houses, but behind them are some of the more dangerous projects in town. There are some really cool bars and hotspots mixed in there around 10th and Gallatin as well as down Eastland. If you find a house in that area, I would try to get plenty of opinions on the area you are buying from neighbors, police dept...and visit at night to see what it's like...it will either be pretty nice or pretty dangerous....but that is what most of Nashville is like. But it's a fun place to live.

[houselady]

Cleveland park is still kind of borderline, but if you're game, it promises to be the next 'hot spot.' And with it's proximity to downtown, I would imagine properties will appreciate rapidly. Might not be affordable after the next couple of years.

And yes, certain areas are considered "dangerous" -- not so much because they really are, but because the perception of dangerous minorities persist. I've flipped houses all over Nashville. To date, I've not experience any vandalism or crime against my person or properties. It's not the neighbors that tend to cause the problems, it's the stragglers roaming the streets -- and they can be found just about anywhere.

Be brave, be a pioneer...go forth. LOL.

[artemis]

I would be careful about that area of East Nashville. And Shelby St as well.

How close do you want to be to downtown? Gallatin Road in Madison is traffic-hell.

[whithill]

All great responses; thanks.
Houselady, I know what you mean about people's perception of "problem areas".
It's kind of a delicate balance. We are actually rather open to being "pioneers", going forth, etc (lol back)
We'll know more after we get down there again in the next few weeks for another sortie.

Houses certainly are more affordable. I also wonder how the people in these "up-and-coming areas" who have lived there for generations feel about these new folks coming in and changing the feel of their neighborhoods...

In answer to someone else's question, being close to downtown is not a huge consideration. Mostly we want to have a feeling of a neighborhood that has life and energy.

[chicagojosh]

coming from chicago. I say go with cleveland park. I know I will be part of these beautiful homes. In a few years we will be laughing all the way to the bank...........

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by chicagojosh

coming from chicago. I say go with cleveland park. I know I will be part of these beautiful homes. In a few years we will be laughing all the way to the bank...........

I hope you're right.