First BHam, Now Nashville is throwing shade at the King of the South (Atlanta: 2015, construction)

[JoeP]

Nashville is a great city and I love the downtown/Lower Broadway area...but it has already out-sprawled and out-Atlanta'd Atlanta. Comparing Nashville's population of 1.7 million spread across 7400 square miles versus Atlanta's 5.5 million people and 8400 square miles - it's easy to see which city has more serious issues. Atlanta has actually been moving quickly toward improving urbanization and transit in recent years, and the economy seems to have completely bounced back. Nashville can only hope to follow in Atlanta's footsteps in the future.

All the more reason for Nashville to get its act together now. At least the population is "only" 1.7 million, as challenging as that it is - they still have time to adapt to smarter policies than an area with a larger population, which was the point of the video.

[hautemomma]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

I would say the people who are buying this property are wealthy Yankees.

I am from East Tennessee and received several offers in Nashville between $35-40k. I couldn't justify moving for the increase in cost of living. I ended up getting an offer in Indy for $50k. I've had other calls in Nashville but they are all pitifully low in comparison to Florida, bigger metros, and northern areas.

Yeah, actually several studies have recently come out saying that an individual needs to make around $50K to live decently (modestly) well in Nashville. So that is turning the focus on whether service professionals, like firefighters, police officers, public servants, teachers, etc. will even be able to afford to live in or near the city in which they work in the near future (it's not looking good).

There's a lot of talk going on right now about affordable housing, but as you may figure, it's one of those NIMBY issues. People talk a good one, but almost no one wants such development or housing options in their own neighborhoods.

[oobanks]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Transit has absolutely nothing to do with the criticism levied at Nashville. I don't think you understood the original point at all.

And there's absolutely nothing Rustbelt about Nashville whatsoever. Do you even understand what that term means??? No way in the world is Nashville less culturally Southern than Atlanta...that's just ridiculous.

Opinions Man, Opinions,, We all are entitled...

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by oobanks

Opinions Man, Opinions,, We all are entitled...

Many of your opinions don't have any logical basis to them though. For instance, you can think Nashville is like a Rustbelt city but that's not rooted in fact as Nashville doesn't have a history of heavy industry and subsequent deindustrialization. Furthermore, a city's "good ol' boy" climate isn't the same as a city's transit system being hamstrung by the state--it's apples and oranges and the two have very little to do with each other.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by hautemomma

Yeah, actually several studies have recently come out saying that an individual needs to make around $50K to live decently (modestly) well in Nashville. So that is turning the focus on whether service professionals, like firefighters, police officers, public servants, teachers, etc. will even be able to afford to live in or near the city in which they work in the near future (it's not looking good).

There's a lot of talk going on right now about affordable housing, but as you may figure, it's one of those NIMBY issues. People talk a good one, but almost no one wants such development or housing options in their own neighborhoods.

COL is one thing, especially if the jobs keep up with the cost of living. From my experience, they certainly don't in Nashville. I have routinely gotten offers for $10k-$20k less in Nashville than for Indianapolis, and Indianapolis is actually A LOT cheaper in terms of rent and property prices. IMO, you can get more than what Nashville offers for less in Tampa, Atlanta, and likely Charlotte.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by JoeP

All the more reason for Nashville to get its act together now. At least the population is "only" 1.7 million, as challenging as that it is - they still have time to adapt to smarter policies than an area with a larger population, which was the point of the video.

1.7 million people in an area almost the size of metro Atlanta - that's the point. I'm afraid the damage is already done...Nashville will be scrambling to densify, improve transit, and urbanize much the way Atlanta has been doing for many years.

[Mutiny77]

I think looking at the density of the urbanized area gives a better indication of how sprawled a place is; since MSAs include entire counties which often have wide swaths that are rural, the population within the entire MSA square mileage can be somewhat misleading. By that measure, Nashville and Atlanta are pretty much the same at roughly 1700 ppm. Most other larger inland Southern urban areas are within that same range (1500-2000).

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

I think looking at the density of the urbanized area gives a better indication of how sprawled a place is; since MSAs include entire counties which often have wide swaths that are rural, the population within the entire MSA square mileage can be somewhat misleading. By that measure, Nashville and Atlanta are pretty much the same at roughly 1700 ppm. Most other larger inland Southern urban areas are within that same range (1500-2000).

Typically I agree, but you still have to investigate the context too.

Nashville's growth recently has boomed so far from the city center some of it is still technically in a different urban area by definition, even though it is clearly suburban commuter growth of Nashville by commuting patterns.

We have had similar issues in the past, but it makes up a much smaller fraction of our total size now.

Another simple way of putting it is over 80% of metro Atlanta is inside the Atlanta UA, whereas only 55% of Nashville's metro is in its UA.

Now some of that 45% is legitimately pre-existing rural growth in the Nashville area, but a large chunk of that is in scattered exurban developments that do not connect to an existing urban area, which they have made transportation upgrades to reinforce. This is a large part of where Nashville's growing problem is.

Now for us it exists too, it just represents 20% of area area and we have more rural landscape from the high number of counties in our msa as well.

I do roughly agree we all have the same types of growth with so much developable land available and runaway land consumption so common in the Southern US. It just seems to me so early in their metropolitan development they have some suburban areas that reach out close to Atlanta's far off of ones and they have reinforced them with something similar to what would have been our outer perimeter. That was really my initial criticism comes from, if not the other posters. It seems to me Atlanta at 1.7m was far smaller than what Nashville has spread out to at 1.7 million, yet the ad is making a boogey-man out of us.

[oobanks]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Many of your opinions don't have any logical basis to them though. For instance, you can think Nashville is like a Rustbelt city but that's not rooted in fact as Nashville doesn't have a history of heavy industry and subsequent deindustrialization. Furthermore, a city's "good ol' boy" climate isn't the same as a city's transit system being hamstrung by the state--it's apples and oranges and the two have very little to do with each other.

I know what Rust belt is and in spite the history, it has a more Rust belt feel to me, Like I said, that's my opinion.. also when I say good ol boy, I'm speaking of how government is ran, and government plays a part in infrastructure which has everything to do with public transportation and TRAFFIC..I'm not here to knock ur opinions so don't knock mine. I understand where this is going so I will leave it alone.. peace be with U...

[coolieandre]

I take this video as a compliment. Clearly Nashville wants to be Atlanta just as bad a Birmingham does, but I ask them what is wrong with being yourself. I escape to Nashville for the charm they have, and some pretty cool restaurants for a city it's size...They'll never be an Atlanta b/c when we continue to grow, they will be where we where 15yrs prior....Atlanta will always have traffic issues. Even when we expand Marta and do all we can. It's just come with the territory of being a growing city.