Considering a Move to Nashville... (Franklin, Hendersonville: transplants, renting, condo)

[rustyblonde98]

Hubs and I are thinking of moving to Nashville next year... Right now we live in Toledo, Ohio. The cost of living looks similar and I've read that Nashville is a very "up and coming" area, good for young professionals and families... but I want more info from people who live there!

1) Pros and cons of living in Nashville...
2) Any areas you would recommend to live? (we would be renting for the first year...)
3) Jobs... are they hard to come by? Should we both definitely have secured employment before moving?
4) How's the music scene?
5) Are there any dog parks in the area?
6) On a scale of 1 to 10, rate Nashville's "friendliness"

A little bit more about us: We're both 26 years old, he holds a master's degree and works for a finance firm as a tax accountant. I have a bachelor's degree and work for a local tv news station as a producer and also have some experience in radio. We have a small dog (20lbs) and no children. I love all sorts of music (pop, rock, alternative, country, etc). Hubs is more into rock, metal, alternative -- he's scared that Nashville will only have country music and nothing else haha...

[vivelafrance]

Originally Posted by rustyblonde98

Hubs and I are thinking of moving to Nashville next year... Right now we live in Toledo, Ohio. The cost of living looks similar and I've read that Nashville is a very "up and coming" area, good for young professionals and families... but I want more info from people who live there!

1) Pros and cons of living in Nashville...
2) Any areas you would recommend to live? (we would be renting for the first year...)
3) Jobs... are they hard to come by? Should we both definitely have secured employment before moving?
4) How's the music scene?
5) Are there any dog parks in the area?
6) On a scale of 1 to 10, rate Nashville's "friendliness"

A little bit more about us: We're both 26 years old, he holds a master's degree and works for a finance firm as a tax accountant. I have a bachelor's degree and work for a local tv news station as a producer and also have some experience in radio. We have a small dog (20lbs) and no children. I love all sorts of music (pop, rock, alternative, country, etc). Hubs is more into rock, metal, alternative -- he's scared that Nashville will only have country music and nothing else haha...

1) Pros: Friendly People, Growing City, Lots of entertainment options, Natural Setting, Mild Winters, great park system......Cons: Lack of Public Transport, Very Spread Out, HOT Summers

2) It depends on how much you want to spend. The best areas for young professionals are: East Nashville (Five Points), West-End, Hillsboro Village, Belmont, 12 South, Sylvan Park, Germantown, and The Gulch. Each neighborhood has its own strengths and weaknesses. If you are an urban pioneer and looking for likeminded try East Nashville or Germantown. If you like High Rise Condo living, think of the Gulch. If you want to be near the Universities for cultural events, think Hillsboro/Belmont.

3) Yes and No...in general jobs are hard for recent graduates but if you already have some experience in your field you might do ok. It's changed a lot in 2 years when Nashville was really on top in this field. A lot of other young people have the same impression that you do of the city and move here for the same reasons so competition can be steep.

4) Amazing. You can find any kind of music on any given night. Remember that in addition to the countless country musicians that roll through Nashville, it has given birth to Kings of Leon, Kesha, and The Raconteurs. Many musicians like Ben Folds, Sheryl Crow, and all the country regulars make their homes here so there's always a lot happening. The city has some great music festivals too like Tin-Pan South which features singer-songwriters.

5) Yes, I'm more familiar with the ones here in the Hendersonville area but I know there are some in Nashville too.

6) It depends on whom you ask. I'd say an 8...but I seem to find most places I've lived/visited to be friendly. Some people say that southern hospitality comes off as fake. You'll just have to see it to understand, I guess. Just remember that Nashville and especially its suburbs is an area of transplants from across the country. You won't run into many natives but when you do they may have some disdain for the newcomers. I haven't experienced this but others have.

Any other questions, feel free to ask!

[NJtoTN]

I am also considering a move to the Nashville area. We are coming from the east coast and we have 2 children ages 6 and 9. During the summers my boys love to go to the beach, so my question is what do kids do during summers in the Nashville area since there are no beaches. The kids ask me what there is to do and I'd like to hear from someone with young kids as to how they spend their summers. Thanks so much!

[BirdieBelle]

Most everyone I know drives to the Florida Gulf Coast for a beach vacation. That's why so many of us take the BP oil gusher as a personal affront.
If you live here, the beach is not a weekly occurence, though, so if you're used to going to the shore for a day, you're not going to have that. The beach is definitely a weeklong destination to Tennesseans.
Other options are local pools and water parks. Nashville Shores is getting better, and a world-class water park is three hours away in the Middle of Nowhere, I mean Santa Claus, Indiana, at Holiday World.

Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana | Holiday World

[Edgefield D]

NJtoTN
We have lots of lakes here. I grew up about an hour east of here on Center Hill Lake. I spent most summer days on a float on the lake. The best place for "lake living" around here is Hendersonville. There are lots of houses on Old Hickory Lake that have boat docks. If I were going to live in the burbs...I think it would that would be a nice option.

[brentwoodgirl]

Lots of our friends have lake houses and boats on KY Lake or the TN River. So most weekends in the summer they are at the lake.
If you buy a house in a neighborhood, you could look for one with a neighborhood pool. We go a couple of times a week and our kids always have friends at the pool. And some of the Ys here have fabulous pools, some with snack bars. So we will hit the Y, I work out, while they do kid stuff, then head outside to the pool, and eat lunch at the snack bar. My kids think that's a great day.
We never have trouble finding things to do in the summer, the problem is usually having enough summer for all the things we want to do.

[BirdieBelle]

Savannah, I thought you just posted on the previous thread about Nashville Dating (which looked a lot like an ad) that you were single and raving about some online dating site? Now you're all talking about your "hubs"?
What's up?

[Inkpoe]

Wmsn4Life, that last section is actually the OP's. Savannah didn't delete that part/differentiate it from her post.

[mgoosten]

I am not living here yet but I can answer the dog park quesion! There are a few of them that I know of. I have been going back and forth for a couple years and am finally getting ready to make the move hopefully this fall if my house sells here. I have 2 dogs that always make the trp with me. We have visited the Franklin dog park a few times which is pretty nice. They have aagility equipment and separate dog parks for small dogs and large dogs. Although my two little dogs wanted nothng to do with the msall dog area they always want to play with the big dogs! And had no interest in the agility equipment! This last trip we stayed in Brentwood and we went to the Percy Warner dog park. They don't have agility equipment or anything but it is a large area and my two loved it! That is probably the one we will frequent more because I am now looking to move to the Brentwood or Bellevue areas.

[shinestx]

If I ever move back to Nashville (I'd love to)... there's no question that I'd head straight to my old playground, Hendersonville. I learned to do just about everything water-related on that lake. I still get up to ski at least 5-6 times a summer. Hendersonville is a very well-rounded community with a great mix of public and private schools... and housing in virtually all ranges.