Cleveland/McFerrin Park vs. The Nations vs. Sylvan Heights vs. Charlotte Park (or: East vs. West) (Germantown: for sale)

[FiveSevenNine]

Hi all,

I'll be moving to Nashville (along with my partner) in June and am trying to figure out where to live. We're young, very liberal, and will both be attending graduate school (re: no kids for a loooong time, lower budget).

Having lived in a city for the past two years and really enjoyed the walkability it offers (3 minute walk to the grocery store, 2 minutes to a coffee shop or bar), we've narrowed our Nashville housing search to Charlotte Park/The Nations/Sylvan Heights on the west (Hillsboro/12S/Sylvan Park/downtown are too much $) and Cleveland/McFerrin Park (and maybe a few other areas of EN?) on the east. Again, we're wanting somewhere that offers at least some walkability, with friendly neighbors and a more liberal attitude.

We realize EN might have a little more crime and is perhaps more up-and-coming, but it seems to have a lot more character than the western areas we're looking at. Can anyone dispute or verify this? Where would our money go the furthest, and where would we see the biggest ROI?

Any input is muuuuch appreciated! Thanks!

[alleycat]

I don't think Charlotte Park would meet your needs/wants as well as some other areas would.

If you were careful, East Nashville might very well be a "best fit". Have you also considered the Germantown area? That might work for you as well.

[FiveSevenNine]

Originally Posted by alleycat

I don't think Charlotte Park would meet your needs/wants as well as some other areas would.

If you were careful, East Nashville might very well be a "best fit". Have you also considered the Germantown area? That might work for you as well.

Germantown seems a bit pricey for me, but maybe I'm missing something? You can't seem to find much under 200k inside of 65, except maybe a 1 bedroom condo. I was hoping to find something with at least 2 beds on a slightly smaller budget. But maybe prices will go down by the time we move?

Speaking of which, where do people see Nashville real estate heading over the next months? Will prices continue to drop?

[GoGreenNashville]

I agree Germantown might be a good option if you are thinking about walkability. Within Germantown there is Buena Vista, Salemtown, and Hope Gardens which may open up some options for you with regards to pricing and all of these should be walkable to the core of Germantown. I like Germantown a lot but there is not a ton of variety to the shops and restaurants.

I am an East Nashville gal myself and feel like you can really get a lot of variety and home for the money over here. The downside to me for Cleveland/McFerrin Park is that I don't consider it that walkable to groceries, coffee shops, etc.. Maybe bikable. I personally think if you don't mind transitional but want great proximity to East Nashville's core, you could consider the South side of Shelby (Shelby Village, United Electric Rail). Walkable to 5 points in East Nashville and to the park. Also, you might consider South Inglewood. There is a great little coffee shop, pizza place, deli, etc... that all have recently taken over a once dilapidated strip of retail space. East is also a very close knit social community.

[North 6th]

Cleveland or McFerrin Park are probably your best bets for getting the most for your money. I bought in Cleveland Park about 6 months ago and it was by far the best deal if you want to be close to the city and near a some great bars and good food. There is also a decent amount of development happening here despite the housing market. Vernon Winfrey (oprah's dad) is breaking ground on a multi million dollar mixed use development just down the street from us which will be a great help in bringing more businesses and attractions to the area. It's safe enough to walk the streets, and people are very friendly for the most part.

[Carol McCullough]

I will agree with GoGreen that Cleveland and McFerrin Park have limited places to walk *to* at present (but we have ample sidewalks and decent parks to pleasure walk or walk the dog). You CAN walk to Five Points, but it isn't a casual stroll, it's a short/moderate hike. I have walked to the grocery store (at Gallatin and Eastland) a couple of times, but the distance is not ideal for a walk. Since you mentioned that you bike in a previous post, I would say it is a very reasonable casual bike ride.

There is very little commercial or service type businesses in our neighborhood that one would want to walk to at this point. I am hopeful that this will change, at least to a moderate degree, with time. In the meantime, I enjoy a short car trip to the other side of Gallatin for most things. Even my "long" car rides to Green Hills (for Trader Joes, Davis Kidd Books or a movie) only take 12 minutes--and half of that is sitting in traffic in Green Hills.

And North 6th is right. Mr. Winfrey is supposed to break ground in April. His project had been delayed by a lengthy court battle with a business tenant who wouldn't leave the building to be demolished. That finally ended and they are ready to proceed. Yay! They are still determining what the final commercial piece will be and I am hoping for a coffee shop, bakery or restaurant. We'll see...

[theurbanfarmhouse]

My partner and I have lived in the McFerrin Park area for the past 3 years and LOVE it! It is still a growing and changing area but all of the neighbors we have met have been wonderful! It is a close knit community over here. There are all types of socio-economic backgrounds in this neighborhood although it seems that lately it is mostly young open minded folks looking for a great investment that are moving into the area. You can still get in over here fairly cheap ($100k to $175k)for a very nice home compared to the other side of East (Lockeland Springs/Shelby Park). Winberry Place is in the Cleveland Park area and will hopefully be starting soon (Cleveland Park and McFerrin Park areas are divided by Cleveland St from Dickerson Rd to Ellington Pkwy). This is a walkable community with lots of Community Centers within easy distance, however there is not really any shopping within walking distance (grocery, restaurants, etc.), although those places are within easy biking distance or a less than 5 minute drive away. We own 3 properties in McFerrin Park (our house, a duplex and a townhouse) - The duplex is currently rented, we live in our house (but are thinking about selling it) and the townhouse is currently listed for sale (although I'll rent it out if it doesn't sell in the next month) If you'd be interested in renting something to check out the area before you commit, I could get you details about the property. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an e-mail and I'll share more about the McFerrin Park community with you. Good luck with your move!

[JustANashvilleGal]

Mcferrin Park is an exciting place to live. The houses here are each uniquely their own. The people here are down to earth and friendly. Generally is pretty quiet and safe.

I grew up in west nashville and east nashville. I like visiting the west side but I can't deal with the traffic. If can take you an hour to get a mile through westend, broadway, and Rosa parks blvd at time. It miserable. Since moving to Mcferrin park it takes me 20 minutes to make the 13 mile trip to work. Its amazing the stress you don't have and don't miss.

The landscape here is always changing. Just about the time you notice an eye sore, somebody's rehabing it. In 5 years, I could never afford a place here. I got nearly twice the house I would have gotten less than a mile away in 5 points.

The one thing I think is coming a long but does still have a ways to go would be the schools. They are clean and safe but not superior educational facilities. Once the schools here come around, I think there will be no stopping this area. It's so ideal. Plus Oprah grew up here. I mean how can you go wrong?!