Yankee Doodle Relocating (Franklin, Brentwood, Cedar Hill: transplants, for sale, house)

[gumpop]

My family and I (one tween, one teen, my wife & I) are seriously considering relocating to Franklin/Brentwood TN. We are Pennsylvanians! Everyone here tells us that Northerners will be very unwelcome in the South and that our children will have a difficult time being accepted because they are from the North. Also, I am reading a lot on these forms about Franklin and Brentwood being snobish. We will likly only be in the $350,000 -- $450,000 range for a home. Looking for honest and experienced opinions here....is it likly that our family will be shunned because we are from the North and our home is more modest? Its okay if its true, we just want to know what we are getting into before we decide. Thanks!

[YallWantHam]

Here is my opinion on the Franklin/Brentwood areas. Keep in mind I have a bias because I was born and raised in Brentwood, and I actually just moved back after 4 years of college to start my career in Nashville.

First off, you and your kids will not be shunned because you are from the north. Despite stereotypes, people in the south are generally very welcoming of others. One of my best friends in high school moved here from Michigan right before his freshman year of high school and had no problem making friends. What people don't like, and I'm sure you will find this anywhere, is people who come from different areas and instead of trying to assimilate into their new surroundings constantly complain about what their new area lacks. Having said this, I have never really seen anyone complain about things other than the weather.

Secondly, I really don't believe people in Brentwood or Franklin or snobby. This opinion comes from people who don't live in either of these areas and most likely aren't close with anyone that lives there. I have never looked down on someone because they might be from what I consider a less desirable area. I feel very fortunate that I was able to grow up here and that my parents were able to provide me with great opportunities. What I have found is that sometimes if I tell someone I am from Brentwood, they have a different attitude towards me, and sometimes people will even say something about it. People from the Franklin/Brentwood area most likely know what I'm talking about. If someone now asks me what part of Nashville I'm from I usually just say South Nashville.

Anyway, I hope that helps some. I wasn't trying to make it long winded, but I hate reading about how people think those in Franklin/Brentwood are snobby or elitist when it is really not the case at all. And as I said, people in the south are generally welcoming of others so I really don't think you will have any problems with that.

[BirdieBelle]

I agree. If you are from the northeast, you will fit right in because there are tons of transplants here. The other day while at my son's T-ball practice I noticed that every dad on the other team had either a midwest or northeastern accent.
YallWantHam said it perfectly. Please don't come here complaining about the pizza, Mexican food or Philly cheese steaks or the fact that we don't have Nordstroms, the public schools don't teach Mandarin or the streets don't have enough bike lanes.
People come to Franklin/Brentwood because they want a good place to raise their families. It doesn't have everything everyone wants, but it seems to have enough good stuff that the population grew 35% in 8 years. If there's a perceived snobbery, I think everyone thinks that about affluent areas.
If there are specific amenities or type of community you're looking for, we can offer suggestions.

[jenntenn]

[SIZE=3]I don’t think you will have issue with being from the north…at all. Like others have said, the perceived “dislike” of those from the north normally come from getting tired of hearing complaints about the food, the weather, the bad drivers …etc etc of the south. None of which are really all the bad. I moved here as a teenager from the Midwest with my family and had no problem making friends. We were living in Brentwood and I was going to private school in Franklin. I found the kids that I met back then at my school to be so friendly and welcoming…I had no “outsider” issues at all. Matter of fact, I had selected the school I was going to attend prior to moving here. The school “hooked” me up with some girls in my class for a few weekends when my fam was down here getting things in order for the move. One of the girls that I met on my first visit called me every week prior to my move…I am now 33 and we are still best friends. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Yes, people can perceive the area as snobby. But most who assume this have never really spent any time here or gotten to know the people in the area. Yes there are some very large homes and there are quite a few pretty cars out and about…but it’s not necessarily the standard and by no means required J[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]You will have no problem finding a home within your price range, and I bet you money will get your more than you think it will down here. I live in a great neighborhood in Brentwood, there are homes for sale here ranging from the mid 200’s all the way up to 700k. 400k will get you a nice house in many locations in the Franklin/Brentwood area.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Good luck in your decisions and hopefully you will fall in love with the area…because many doJ[/SIZE]

[gumpop]

Thanks for the comments. I guess what most important for us are strong educational programs (my 15 year old daughter and 12 year old son are in AP classes in the North) and good sports programs for my son. My wife is a homemaker and has been pretty involved in our community. We like theater, professional sports, nice restaurants, and big grocery stores. My daughter figure skates so a nice ice rink is a plus. We have pretty much decided to make the move to Franklin or Brentwood and were just looking for a little reassurance. One thing that we are surprised about is that so many of the homes don’t have basements. The kids are "freaking out" about tornados in TN and insisting on a basement! BTY; we also like boating and skiing, but realize that may have to be something we give up in TN. On the other hand, we are excited to learn about things we don’t know we like yet; things unique to TN or the South! And Disney being a 10 hour drive sure beats flying all the time!

[jenntenn]

[SIZE=3] There is an large ice rink in the Cool Springs area called Southern Ice..its borders the Franklin-Brentwood border. I am not sure about their figure skating programs…have never been much of a skater myself. There is also another large ice rink in Nashville, Centennial Sportsplex. We don't have basements because they cost $$$$$$ to build...its solid rock a few feet down and requires blasting in most areas to make room for a basement. Maybe look for a house on a hill...with a walk out basement...maybe? We have lakes here...lol. There is one close to in Nashville, Percy Priest. And then once you get about an hour and a half out of town you will find many...including Cedar Hill lake (its really nice and great for families) I know plenty of families that have lake cabins on Center Hill as well and many who just go for the day. So don’t give up those fun activities just yet!!! Now if you are talking about snow skiing and not water skiing...you will drive at least 4 hours to get to a mediocre (at best) ski mtn.

Hopefully you are aware that we do have professional sports and theater here in Nashville...lol. We get touring companies of most major shows at TPAC and we also have an amazing Nashville Children’s Theater. We also have BIG grocery stores, including Publix, Kroger and Harris-Teeter [SIZE=3](those are the big 3 here in town). We do have good food, just not the same exact food you might find in PA. I will be more than happy to give you restaurant recs. when you come to town![/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]If you need any more info...keep the questions coming…take care[/SIZE]
[/SIZE]

[groovamos]

Nashville metro has more than tripled in population since I was in high school there. Would this have been likely if hostility to non-natives were the rule? Don't think so. My best friend in elementary school was from a family of Boston transplants.

[gumpop]

[font=Verdana]Thanks folks! What about the tornados & humidity?!?!?! Do you have a lot of lizards? Also, if you have to blast for a basement do you haveto do the same for an in ground pool? Thanks so mcuh for all the great info!

[JMT]

I have to roll my eyes every time I see one of these "Southerners won't accept us Northerners" posts. Tennessee's current 2-term governor, who was previously Nashville's 2-term mayor, is from Massachusetts. Our previous governor, also a 2-term governor, was from Illinois. Nashville's last mayor was from New Jersey. Or if not NJ it was somewhere else up north. At any rate, people in Tennessee clearly don't have a problem with people from the North or else we wouldn't keep voting them to be our leaders.

[BirdieBelle]

Lizards?!!! Who have you all been talking to?!!
We get little salamanders in the garden sometimes. Nothing deadly. They run if you come near.
It gets very humid in the summer, but it doesn't keep people away. You just have to get used to it. You probably won't want to keep your windows open in the summer, but that's why God invented central air.
As for tornadoes, they don't happen THAT often. You just have to pray and prepare. I mean, if the kids are that worried, then you can get a weather radio (cheap) and a storm room (Storm Shelters Tornado Shelters Safe Rooms).
Honestly, I would suggest more Internet research about the area. Try these links:
Williamson County, TN
Brentwood's Online Newspaper Home Page
tennessean.com | The Tennessean | Nashville news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Nashville, TN

Keep your questions coming. We need to set y'all straight!