Starting Over in TN..Opinions welcomed and needed (Franklin, Hendersonville: houses, rental)

[Optimum]

Starting Over and wondering if Nashville is the best place for me? ( I am in PA currently) I feel a calling to go to Nashville (visited for GMA conferences last year) and have been doing lots of internet research on different areas but feeling it best to hear from people here. I've research over the internet all around the city(N,E,S,W burbs) and have found a place between Whitehouse and Springfield ...what do ya think about this area?(north of Nashville 30 miles). Looks like great country. I ride bike and have 2 dogs. I am a single Christian woman (hoping to meet a Real Godly Man for this next stage of my life) I am 40-something and wonder if this area is too far out to meet people? How long will it take to the city? and is this a good place to start over? Looking for friends, christian musicians, and cycling friends. It's not easy starting over , having a bit of a time, but I do know it will be all right, just wondering if TN is the best choice. Have lots of applications for employment in Nashville but no bites at this time.

Any one have an opinion to help me in this quandry? (Sounds like a loaded questoin...lol) WIll appreciate any answers, suggestions, etc. Thanks for reading.

peace to you,
Optimum

[CaliCouple]

I've been perusing the forums here. Sounds like a lot of earnest advice. I'd give that a try!

[akm4]

Franklin is the epicenter of Christian music, but there are plenty of musicians in other Nashville-area towns too.

Good luck wherever you land!

[blueyes721]

White House/Springfieldcan be pretty remote...for a single person...you might want to get alittle closerto activity...I know of someone who moved to White House..built a beautiful home...but is very lonely out there..she is now looking for a historic home in downtown Franklin, there is just more activity here.
The beautiful thing about middle TN, tho is that there are so many wonderful choices....

[Optimum]

Would love to be in a Christian music community..now that would be heaven...
I have looked for rentals in Franklin and Brentwood , they were my first choices but they are quite expensive, unless you know of anything there that would be good for me and my 2 big dogs and be affortable too.....?
I have read a lot of the forums ..they have been wonderfully helpful, I will continue to peruse, also needing to network ....who knows who will cross paths.

Thanks for the thoughts and well wishes..hope to come in for a landing soon...
blessings and peace,
Optimum

[alleycat]

Both Springfield and White House would be a bit of a long commute to Nashville; not terribly bad, but it is a fairly long drive. One thing, Springfield is a small town, but it's not that small. The area between Springfield and White House is fairly rural.

There are places all around that would probably meet your needs. If you're anywhere near Nashville, you can take part in the gospel music scene, find a nice church to go to (if you want to meet someone special, going to one of the largest church would be the way to meet someone compatible). You can also find natural areas to walk with your dog and ride your bike in most areas; some are better than others, especially for biking.

You could even consider areas within Metro Nashville itself. For example, I live in Bellevue and that would meet most of your needs; it's relatively close to Brentwood and Franklin, has a huge park, a state park a short drive down the road, lots and lots of churches, a fairly easy commute into town, etc. There is also Burns, White Bluff, Kingston Springs, Hendersonville, Pleasant View, Coopertown, and others.

Really, I think a tour of the area is in order. Spend a couple of days just driving around getting a general feel for what each area is like.

[Optimum]

Originally Posted by alleycat

Both Springfield and White House would be a bit of a long commute to Nashville; not terribly bad, but it is a fairly long drive. One thing, Springfield is a small town, but it's not that small. The area between Springfield and White House is fairly rural.

There are places all around that would probably meet your needs. If you're anywhere near Nashville, you can take part in the gospel music scene, find a nice church to go to (if you want to meet someone special, going to one of the largest church would be the way to meet someone compatible). You can also find natural areas to walk with your dog and ride your bike in most areas; some are better than others, especially for biking.

You could even consider areas within Metro Nashville itself. For example, I live in Bellevue and that would meet most of your needs; it's relatively close to Brentwood and Franklin, has a huge park, a state park a short drive down the road, lots and lots of churches, a fairly easy commute into town, etc. There is also Burns, White Bluff, Kingston Springs, Hendersonville, Pleasant View, Coopertown, and others.

Really, I think a tour of the area is in order. Spend a couple of days just driving around getting a general feel for what each area is like.

I really do need to come in and tour the area. I live in the country here in PA and am in love with the nature that is all around and my dogs have a freedom to roam and hang out near the ponds but I also want to be involved with others when I move to Nashville. I did find a place in a rural area but am concerned now about the travel to the city. IT's a struggle in this next stage of my life...lol...
I have looked at rentals in most those areas you mentioned but rents are so expensive for me, and I really don't want to go into an area where the houses are slammed against one another and there is no elbow room...I got to breathe........so much to figure out,
Thanks for your informative response. I appreciate it. Hoping to fly in and rent a car within the next few weeks for sure!!

blessing & peace,
Optimim

[alleycat]

There are still areas within a reasonable commute to Nashville that are still basically rural. If you take a look at a map of Nashville, the areas to the northwest and west, 15 to 30 miles out from downtown Nashville, are "in the country" for the most part (if it was a clock face, the area from 8 to 12). There areas include White House, Ridgetop, Greenbrier to the north, even the area between Joelton and Pleasant View along I-24; and to the west, White Bluff, Burns, and Pegram.

You will have a longer commute from some of these areas into Nashville than from someplace like Hendersonville or Bellevue, but you might be willing to put up with that in order to live in a more rural setting. And as long as you're within an hours drive of Nashville, you can still participate in any of the music stuff you want to.

[TNNative]

Originally Posted by blueyes721

White House/Springfieldcan be pretty remote...for a single person...you might want to get alittle closerto activity...I know of someone who moved to White House..built a beautiful home...but is very lonely out there..she is now looking for a historic home in downtown Franklin, there is just more activity here.
The beautiful thing about middle TN, tho is that there are so many wonderful choices....

My gosh, you would think there is not life in White House or Springfield.

There are parks in both places with greenways for walking or riding bikes. You are probably looking at an area off of Highway 76 which runs between White House and Springfield. Some parts are rural but they are not desolate and there are affordable places with SPACE. However, you can get to the Rivergate Mall area within 15 minutes and to Nashville within 30-35. This area has been the home to Doug Stone, the late Jim Varney ("Ernest"), and an accomplished songwriter named Billy Yates (who wrote "Choices" for George Jones). Not too far from this are was the previous home of Tricia Yearwood, and in Springfield, the previous home of Sara Evans. All of these are country singers, but I'm sure there are Christian musicians scattered also. Hendersonville is within 15 minutes also and I know there are tons of christian musicans there.

You state that you haven't had a bite in job applications yet. Are you sure that moving until there is something lined up is a wise choice? Nashville is where all the aspiring musicians flock to, and many go home after years of frustration. I wouldn't want to dampen your dream but depending on what type of $$ you are looking at, the higher prices in Franklin and Brentwood could use up a "nestegg" quickly. It also depends on how much traffic you want to be in every day. I can assure you that the traffic between Springfield and White House is heaven compared to sitting in Brentwood bumper to bumper stuff. I was just there the other day and the gas I spent sitting could have almost gotten me to Nashville from White House.

My sister moved here from IL a few years ago. She is a single middle aged woman and she found a church home she loves. I, on the other hand am in a different church that I love too. It will all depend on what you're looking for. I agree that a trip to the area would be best to look things over.

[sliverbox]

If you aren't from Nashville, you need to be aware that Franklin and Brentwood are the most expensive areas in Nashville. I'm not sure why these 2 places are continuously pushed on people asking questions. Just be aware that a house in those 2 places can easily be 3-400k, which in TN dollars is ridiculous. I'd say that your initial gut feeling to look in areas outside Nashville and perhaps a bit further out would be a good bet. You get more rural settings and pay as much as 50% less.