Nashville suburbs vs Lexington suburbs (living, best, cost, state)

[southerngirl821]

We're thinking of moving to one of these two since we like this general region of the U.S. How would you compare them for any of the following:

• Traffic and time to commute to work
• Job opportunities for computer programming (not IT)
• Things to do for the kids - like zoos, children's museums, homeschool groups, chess clubs, theater or ballets to take them to, other wholesome activities
• Would be looking for a subdivision with a pool, doesn't have to have tennis courts, under $300K but still in a nice development
• Would like to be somewhere where it will remain low crime and a good place to live for decades (where I'm from has gone downhill and everyone has moved to other suburbs)
• Cost of housing, taxes, other expenses
• I grew up near Birmingham and love the weather there, but my husband wants something a bit cooler. I really love the trees and thunderstorms in AL - are either of these similar?
• Proximity to outdoor activities - hiking, renting kayaks for the lake, afternoons in parks
• Conservative leaning or minimal government intrusion
• We eat out often, mostly the "upscale fast food" with the kids (Panera, Zoes) but like a variety of better restaurants for date nights

Thanks for any insight! We've been up north several years and the taxes and weather have become intolerable so I'm hoping to narrow down our search before winter!

[BuffaloHome]

Originally Posted by southerngirl821

We're thinking of moving to one of these two since we like this general region of the U.S. How would you compare them for any of the following:

• Traffic and time to commute to work
• Job opportunities for computer programming (not IT)
• Things to do for the kids - like zoos, children's museums, homeschool groups, chess clubs, theater or ballets to take them to, other wholesome activities
• Would be looking for a subdivision with a pool, doesn't have to have tennis courts, under $300K but still in a nice development
• Would like to be somewhere where it will remain low crime and a good place to live for decades (where I'm from has gone downhill and everyone has moved to other suburbs)
• Cost of housing, taxes, other expenses
• I grew up near Birmingham and love the weather there, but my husband wants something a bit cooler. I really love the trees and thunderstorms in AL - are either of these similar?
• Proximity to outdoor activities - hiking, renting kayaks for the lake, afternoons in parks
• Conservative leaning or minimal government intrusion
• We eat out often, mostly the "upscale fast food" with the kids (Panera, Zoes) but like a variety of better restaurants for date nights

Thanks for any insight! We've been up north several years and the taxes and weather have become intolerable so I'm hoping to narrow down our search before winter!

Nashville is probably more expensive than Lexington, but you can certainly find what you're looking for in some of Nashville's suburbs. If you're looking for lake access, I'd zero in on Gallatin, Hendersonville, and Mount Juliet, all of which have neighborhoods directly on Old Hickory Lake, some even with neighborhood boat launches. Spending weekends on the lake is very popular in those areas. A cursory search at realtor.com showed dozens of homes for less than $300k in neighborhoods with community pools in those areas. And each of those cities also has all the fast casual restaurants you could stand (Panera, Red Robin, Zoe's, Jason's Deli, Chipotle, Mellow Mushroom, etc), plus the big box lifestyle retail centers that people seem to like in the suburbs (Target, Home Depot, Best Buy, TJ Maxx, Costco/Sam's Club, etc). Thanks to the onslaught of Publix a few years ago, I think Nashville has over-all nicer grocery stores than Lexington.

Nashville will have slightly longer summers than Lexington, and Lexington will have slightly longer winters than Nashville. Nashville averages 7 inches of snow per year, Lexington averages 13. (Birmingham averages 1.) Lexington is much smaller than Nashville and has better traffic. Both cities have those awesome summer thunderstorms you love (and so do I). Nashville traffic can be brutal, but if you're not driving during rush hour it's not too bad. Nashville also has commuter rail from Mount Juliet to downtown which is a definite perk to living in Mount Juliet.

Nashville's zoo is wonderful and is very popular with families. Nashville's science museum is fantastic. Both cities are surrounded by beautiful countryside and aren't too far from more rugged terrain an hour or so east of town, great for weekend hiking trips. An hour east of Nashville will also give you a dozen or so waterfalls to explore. Kentucky and Tennessee are noted for their beautiful state park networks that are plentiful and well maintained. This one is located right in the middle of Nashville:
https://tnstateparks.com/parks/radnor-lake

Really, both cities are great. You can probably get more house for your budget in Lexington than Nashville. But Nashville is just so much larger and thus has so much more stuff. It probably comes down to personal preference since you really can't go wrong in either place.

[KathiOH1]

Hello again southerngirl821. You're still searching for the right place, huh? Between the two I would steer you toward Nashville. You're not likely to find everything on your wishlist in either place though, because in order to have things to do and places to eat, you're going to have more traffic. That being said, I want to ask for clarification ... are you comparing Nashville, TN and Lexington, TN or Lexington, KY?

Nashville, TN has a lot to do, and you'll never run out of places to eat, AND you'll be close to an inexpensive airport. However, the cost of living is higher there. I haven't personally experienced the schools there but my friend was very happy with Brentwood schools.

Lexington, TN is closer to Memphis. That's a different feel entirely. I know nothing about the schools.

Lexington, KY is going to be cooler in weather, but not as much to do. It's just over the boarder from Cincinnati, but that traffic can be a real bear. The airport has some deals sometimes. Kentucky has a different approach to schools than Tennessee.

I suggest you look up articles about crime in those areas, but read more than one article because crime can be reported many different ways to fudge official numbers. You want to know what kind of crime is being discussed and how concerned the local community is about it.