Franklin or Hendersonville? (Gallatin, Goodlettsville: real estate, home, employment)

[jgail93]

Hello, Our family is wanting to move to the Nashville area. We are closing on the 28 of this month. We are so torn between the cities of Hendersonville and Franklin. I was wanting to know if anyone could tell me the main differences, pros and cons, of these two cities. Obviously, Franklin is a little more expensive, but it also, to me, is a little more scenic. Hendersonville seems to have some nice areas though. If you are familiar with these areas, I would greatly appreciate any help on this matter.

[vivelafrance]

Originally Posted by jgail93

Hello, Our family is wanting to move to the Nashville area. We are closing on the 28 of this month. We are so torn between the cities of Hendersonville and Franklin. I was wanting to know if anyone could tell me the main differences, pros and cons, of these two cities. Obviously, Franklin is a little more expensive, but it also, to me, is a little more scenic. Hendersonville seems to have some nice areas though. If you are familiar with these areas, I would greatly appreciate any help on this matter.

I live in Hendersonville.

I think Hendersonville has better recreational opportunities, less traffic, and more of a small-town feel.

I think Franklin has better shopping/dining options and more live/work communities.


Historical Downtown Franklin is certainly scenic and a wonderful asset that Hendersonville will never have since the city is so young.

Hendersonville's location and lifestyle really sold me. I love the lake front, the parks, the neighborhoods, and the schools.

The best way to decide is visit both cities. If you are, let me know and I'll tell you some places to checkout in Hendersonville.

[jgail93]

Thank you...we have visited Hendersonville several times. Franklin, only once. I do love a small town feel. Hendersonville does seem to offer that. We are coming from a major metropolitan area and are ready for a change. Is the travel time to downtown Nashville similar to what it would be in Franklin? I am curious about there being a feeling of community in Franklin. I don't want to feel like it does now, here in a big city. Nobody really connected.

[vivelafrance]

Originally Posted by jgail93

Thank you...we have visited Hendersonville several times. Franklin, only once. I do love a small town feel. Hendersonville does seem to offer that. We are coming from a major metropolitan area and are ready for a change. Is the travel time to downtown Nashville similar to what it would be in Franklin? I am curious about there being a feeling of community in Franklin. I don't want to feel like it does now, here in a big city. Nobody really connected.

I don't find Franklin to be like that. It's very warm and welcoming. I just find Hendersonville to be even more so.

The travel time is similar. Both cities are fairly large in area so it depends on how close you live to the Interstate/Bypass.
Personally, I'd take a bit longer commute to live far down on one of Hendersonville's peninsulas. However, most of the new construction in the Hendersonville area is very close to TN-386 bypass that connects to I-65 south.

[DonCorleone]

vive's take on this is very similar to mine. I also am a Hendersonville resident. Both are very similar as far as commerce/dining are concerned. Franklin may have an edge because of its proximity to Cool Springs, but Hendersonville has some great "neighborhood" malls (Indian Lake, Glenbrook) that suit me just fine. Both are about 30-45 minute drive to downtown Nashville, sometimes longer depending on traffic. Maybe it's just me, but I think you have more options than the interstate coming into town from Hendersonville, so that kind of helps. Both have good school systems. Williamson County is one of the best in the state in education, but Hendersonville area schools are excellent as well.

Franklin has more charm and history than Hendersonville (as vivelafrance mentioned) and the downtown Franklin area is truly a gem of the mid-state area. That said, Hendersonville has the lake, and some history (Daniel Smith Days/Rock Castle and nearby Mansker's Station in Goodlettsville).

To be honest, you can't go wrong with either area. I think you can get a little more for your money in Hendersonville, but people are generally willing to pay a premium to live in Franklin...

Hope this helps and good luck to you and your family!

[MiddleTNresident]

Either is a nice place to live. I am a former Hendersonville resident, still living north of town. I love the northern suburbs but employment is scare there, too.

If I had it to do all over again, I would move south of town because that is where the majority of the good jobs appear to be. South of town also has the lowest unemployment rate. For that reason, I would tend to recommend Franklin over Hendersonville.

Much depends on your occupation. If you plan to start your own business, then either city is a good choice. But if you plan to work for an employer, I don't see much opportunity in Hendersonville other than low paying service jobs in retail, restaurants and banks.

The northern suburbs need to attract the type of employers that are found in the miles between Franklin and Downtown Nashville. Travel from Hendersonville to these locations can really add to the length of the work day in commuting time.

[Big TR]

We relocated from Chicago and chose Franklin over Hendersonville. Our feeling was that Hendersonville was just too small for our liking. We're not outdoorsy people, so that made the decision that much easier. We wanted lots of the conveniences of Chicago without the traffic. Franklin fit that bill.

As DonCorleone said, the schools aren't really that much different. Our schools in Williamson County are good, those in Hendersonville test a bit lower but are also pretty good.

[vivelafrance]

Originally Posted by MiddleTNresident

Either is a nice place to live. I am a former Hendersonville resident, still living north of town. I love the northern suburbs but employment is scare there, too.

Much depends on your occupation. If you plan to start your own business, then either city is a good choice. But if you plan to work for an employer, I don't see much opportunity in Hendersonville other than low paying service jobs in retail, restaurants and banks.

The northern suburbs need to attract the type of employers that are found in the miles between Franklin and Downtown Nashville. Travel from Hendersonville to these locations can really add to the length of the work day in commuting time.

Well of course if you are looking at a job in Cool Springs I wouldn't recommend living in Hendersonville. But if you are looking at a job in Nashville then Hendersonville is a fine choice. While the area isn't as developed as Cool springs there are definitely still jobs. Hendersonville and the surrounding area is the home to several corporate HQs including Dollar General, Servpro, and Smith Travel Research. There's also a lot of office construction going on in the Indian Lake area. Personally I'm glad were on a smaller level because it keeps the small town atmosphere and the strong community feel. These attributes were cited by family circle magazine when it named Hendersonville a top 10 city this year.

[tntitans21399]

I think you really need to ask yourself is where do will you work. I say this because traffic to and from Franklin is a lot better then traffic going north. I-65 south of Nashville does get busy but for the most part keeps moving a pretty good pace. While trying to get to I-65 North of town (from rose park blvd or shelby ave) can be close to a stand still. So if traffic bothers you, then I wouldn't pick Hendersonville.

Both are nice areas, I think Franklin is safer, has some of the top schools (Williamson County has great schools). Hendersonville you are close to Old Hickory Lake. I would say on grade scare that Hendersonville is just slightly before Franklin. Both have their bad areas, and Franklin's really nice areas is a lot better then Hendersonvilles. But both are great so I don't think you can go wrong with either.

[DonCorleone]

RE: Traffic...I think they're both about the same as far as headaches go. In my experience (I worked in Cool Springs for a few years) the traffic south of town generally moves better BUT if there are any issues, secondary roads are limited and aren't an option. It's feast or famine, in my experience. From north of town there do seem to be more regular bottlenecks in and around Downtown and sometimes around the Hville bypass BUT I think there are many more options for getting into downtown than from Franklin (Ellington Pkwy, Briley, Dickerson Rd, Gallatin Rd all are options...Ellington is probably the best).

Overall, I agree with most of what's been said, but again I'd also stress that I think you get more real estate bang for your buck in Hendersonville.

I'd say you just need to spend a long weekend in both cities to see what works best for you and your family. Good luck!