Brentwood vs Franklin (real estate, daycare, attorney)

[rjoannette]

We are thinking about moving to Nashville , it seems the two best areas for families are Brentwood and Franklin, we want to know from the locals, what you have to say about which is "better" for families . We are a mixed family, from Miami, black and hispanic, so if there are racial issues we need to know. Also what is the best daycare / preschool in these areas. One more thing, what's up with the davidson vs williamson county thing ?

[Tunky]

The Davidson vs. Williamson thing is no different than competition between any two counties anywhere else. Yawn.

[alleycat]

And, adding to Tunky's reply, I probably hear more about it here on this forum than I do in real life. Almost everyone has friends in both counties. I sometimes hear some minor debates about one issues or the other involving Williamson and Davidson County, but it's not a big issue for most people.

I have a few minor quibbles with Williamson County myself (mostly involving attitude), but they're not that important to me or something I think about all that often.

[rjoannette]

Attitude ? Is Williamson County a tad more rude than Davidson ?

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by rjoannette

Attitude ? Is Williamson County a tad more rude than Davidson ?

No, nothing like that. If anything, Williamson County might be a tad less rude than Davidson. It's really not worth getting into since it's well outside your original questions.

Back to your first question. Both Brentwood and Franklin are nice places to live for the most part, but I think if I were you I would look at Franklin first since you have a family. Brentwood is a little (well, more than a little) homogeneous; something like 98% white and mostly conservative. I don't think they're anything really wrong with that, as long as it's not done intentionally to keep certain people out, but I would think that your children would like living in a place where there's at least a few other kids similar to themselves. No kid likes being the "only one" for whatever reason. Does that make sense?

[rjoannette]

Thank You so much for the candid response.

[rjoannette]

Alleycat, since you seem to know alot , another que. Nashville is not a small town, you can read and research about Franklin and Brentwood all day long, but what's it really like ? Are the people flashy dressers ? Are there ice-cream socials all the time ? Does everyone belong to the Brentwood Country Club ? Is there Gucci and Prada bags on every soccer mom's arm !

[Steve_TN]

Originally Posted by rjoannette

Alleycat, since you seem to know alot , another que. Nashville is not a small town, you can read and research about Franklin and Brentwood all day long, but what's it really like ? Are the people flashy dressers ? Are there ice-cream socials all the time ? Does everyone belong to the Brentwood Country Club ? Is there Gucci and Prada bags on every soccer mom's arm !

I am not even touching this. LOL!

[akm4]

There are far more down-to-earth families than conspicuous consumers in Brentwood and Franklin. That said, you can find shallow divas and snobs just about anywhere if you look for them. Most moms I know here are like me- we work hard, we're family-oriented, and on days like this you can find out us out back by the BBQ.

Hope you find the perfect place for your family!

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by rjoannette

Alleycat, since you seem to know alot , another que. Nashville is not a small town, you can read and research about Franklin and Brentwood all day long, but what's it really like ? Are the people flashy dressers ? Are there ice-cream socials all the time ? Does everyone belong to the Brentwood Country Club ? Is there Gucci and Prada bags on every soccer mom's arm !

Both Franklin and Brentwood are fairly low key when it comes to flash and ostentation. If you tell someone you bought a Gucci bag, you're just as likely to get laughed at as admired (unless you managed to buy it for $10). Probably the biggest thing people "flash" is their huge SUVs (very popular in Brentwood it seems).

A lot of people in Brentwood do play golf, but not all are members of the country club. Some use private courses, and some use the public courses.

Both Brentwood and Franklin are very family oriented. Kid's activities takes up a lot of the free time for people who still have kids living at home. Sports (whether school or pro) are major activities for the people there. Hard work and success are admired in both towns, as is being a reasonably nice and moral person.

Probably the biggest difference between Franklin and Brentwood is Franklin is a real small town. Brentwood, while it is an incorporated town with its own government (and its own very protective police force), seem more like a large, very upscale area or community. Franklin has been around for a long time (the Civl War Battle of Franklin was fought there); Brentwood really just started to develop and be what it is now in the 1950s or 60s. Before that it was mostly farm land. For that reason, and others, there is more of a social/economic difference in the residents. For example (and just a simple, incomplete one), in Franklin you might live on a street where your neighbors include an attorney, a guy that manages a bowling alley, a dentist, a senior retired couple, a young couple where the wife stays at home and the husband repairs copy machine, etc. In Brentwood you might live on a street that includes an attorney, a business executive, a doctor, another lawyer, a successful real estate broker, the president of an engineering firm (probably my boss), an executive with Nissan NA, etc.--many of the them who have moved to the area from somewhere else. Both areas are affluent for the most part; Brentwood somewhat more to the upper middle class to slightly wealthy category. Franklin is more all over the social/economic map; there's even a few poor people in Franklin.

It's hard to explain everything completely in a post or two, of course. Others will probably have a different take on the two areas. Take them all together to get a general picture of the the two towns. Then visit to get your own feeling about the two.