22 Year Old New Hampshire Girl Headed South-- Help!! (Green Hill, Rutherford: fit in, sales)
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I'm moving to Nashville in early June straight out of college, and know NOTHING about the city. I landed a job as an elementary school teacher, but have grown up in New Hampshire and attended college in Boston... suffice to say, I'm sort of headed South blindfolded. I am SO, SO excited to make the big move, but would appreciate any and all advice you can provide on housing, good/bad areas of town, etc. Where should I look for an apartment?
Things that are important to me:
- Safety. I'll be living with a roommate, but need the area to be safe for young, single women. I want to be able to walk around by myself without feeling like somebody's going to pop out at me
- Walkability. I think that's a word I'll have a car, but it would be nice to be able to walk to a coffee shop, restaurant, etc.
- Proximity to "Stuff." Like I said, I know very, very little about Nashville and how the town's laid out, but I'd like to be fairly close to "downtown"-- restaurants, bars, music venues, etc.
-Age Appropriate Areas. Neighborhoods with lots of 20-somethings would be nice... I won't know anyone when I make the move, so living close to young people (and young people hangouts) is definitely a plus.
- Price. As I mentioned, I'll be living with (at least one) roommate, but we'll both be straight out of college girls... Without knowing what's reasonable to expect for rent, I'd like to stay under about $800/month (so $1600/month for a 2 bedroom).
Recommendations for neighborhoods, areas, do's/dont's, and any other words of wisdom (related to housing or not!) would be greatly appreciated Thanks!!
If you're looking to rent an apartment, I think you might find the West End, Hillsboro Village, and Green Hills areas. Not super walkable, but among the better neighborhoods you'll find for walkability. Pretty close to downtown (starting with West End, a little farther in Green Hills), fairly safe (among close in places, it's hard to beat), but a little pricey. I think $1,600 should be fine, though, especially if you are looking at apartments. $800 would probably be tough...lol.
Another consideration would be East Nashville (rent a house or possibly a condo...I'm not so sure about apartments...perhaps an EN local could enlighten me). East Nashville (or East Nasty) is the cool and artsy hotspot. Lots of cool local shops and restaurants, and a good community atmosphere. The only drawback is that there is crime in the area. It really just depends on where you are, though. There are a number of EN residents who post here, so you can ask one of them about safety.
btw, if you don't mind...what Elementary school? That might help a lot with choosing your location.
I agree that knowing the general area of your new school would help choosing a location, nashville is pretty spread out and would hate to land you in a 45+ min commute.
I would say that for a 22 year old, who is completely unfamiliar to the area, i would try hillsboro village area. I lived there when i was 22-23...so it is for sure great for that age group. Vanderbilt University is partially located within this neighborhood as well as Belmont University, so the crowd ranges from college age to young families. There are quite a few places that would be walkable including coffee shops, restaurants, bars, some cool fun stores and possible even a grocery store (depending on which end of the area you land). I am pretty confident that you could find something for $1600 in the area.
Its a great place to live and i really loved the years i lived there...
Send me a private message if you need any more information, i would be more than willing to help out anyway i can
I moved here from the 603 last July. My husband and I could be your parents . You didn't ask about culture shock but be forewarned .
We moved here from NH...with a short stop-over in DE...and fit right in. We were in rural NH in the lakes region. My only gripe is that as a business, the state of TN ALWAYS seems to be knocking on the door with their hands out. Seems like every few weeks I'm paying some sort of annoying little fee or tax.
That said, it is still cheaper than NH, mostly because property taxes are a little less and I'm not paying $8000/year for heating oil. Had we bought a place outside of metro taxes would have been considerably less. Live and learn.
Oh...and snow...They cancel school here if there is snow in the forecast. It doesn't even have to actually snow.
Another Granite Stater here. First, I'll echo the common theme of comments so far - it will really help us if we know where you're working and what type of commute you're willing to tolerate. You will hear people talk about traffic here; it is bad, but not at all Boston 95/128 bad.
As for living, I'd look for somewhere in the Hillsboro Village area. As someone else pointed out, it is safe; somewhat walkable; age appropriate; and a fair amount of "stuff".
There's a lot to love about Nashville. The music scene is killer, and I'm not talking about country. It's a beautiful area with plenty of green spaces (make sure you check out the Warner Parks when you get down here). Lots of cool restaurants, bars, museums, etc. Perhaps my favorite thing about Nashville is that it can be what you want it to be - upscale, touristy, collegiate, comfortable, rural, urban, on and on. The cost of living is much, much better than what you'll be used to (though they do have sales tax here, unlike NH). Oh, and the weather. I talked to my parents back on the Seacoast on Tuesday; it was snowing. It was 80 here.
Things I don't love so much about Nashville...as a New Englander - especially a New Hampshirite - I'm sort of used to a "live and let live" attitude. Yeah, not so much down here. It's definitely not Live Free or Die...it's Live the "Right" Way or Die (ha). Be prepared for questions about what church you attend. Oh, and recycling - it's kind of non-existent in public. I'm saddened and amazed by how little recycling goes on here.
Best wishes on your journey. If you have any additional specific questions, feel free to DM me.
Thanks for all of your replies (and how cool to hear from so many NH to Nashville people!!) Your insight definitely helps me to start understanding where to look, and it's nice to get advice from those who know the area well. Thanks!
As for my actual work location... it's still up in the air. I've been hired, but as for which school I'll be placed in, I'm not sure. I could know tomorrow, I could know the day before the kids arrive. Essentially, I'm looking for a place to live without really knowing what to expect in terms of commute, etc. I drove 45 minutes every morning to my student teaching placement here in Boston, and, though it's not ideal, I know I can handle it.
A question about East Nashville (or, ahem, East Nasty... just so I sound like I fit in haha)-- are there certain areas (streets, neighborhoods, or otherwise) that are recommended more than others? Areas to avoid? I like the sound of the artsy community, but want to be sure I'm not getting myself into a completely crime-ridden area, either. Like I said, I know next to nothing about the area, so please excuse my forthrightness here. I don't mean to sound like I'm put of by East Nashville (just the opposite, actually), but would love to learn a little more about the area. Thanks!
Things I don't love so much about Nashville...as a New Englander - especially a New Hampshirite - I'm sort of used to a "live and let live" attitude. Yeah, not so much down here. It's definitely not Live Free or Die...it's Live the "Right" Way or Die (ha). Be prepared for questions about what church you attend. Oh, and recycling - it's kind of non-existent in public. I'm saddened and amazed by how little recycling goes on here.
Of course I've encountered a few of those "you have to do things my way, or you're going to hell" type of people, but I wouldn't say that's the norm. I'm not going to say that we're a total "live and let live" kind of place...there are plenty of loudmouths with opinions out there...but the average person isn't going to intrude on your personal life. I can probably count on two hands how many times I have been asked what church I attend in 25 years. And a lot of times, when people ask that, they're just trying to be friendly, not trying to pry. Yes, the culture is different down here...church talk would probably go under the small talk category. People are just looking to break the awkward moment (although some of them don't realize it can lead to a more awkward moment...lol).
As far as recycling, it is NOT non-existent. I absolutely agree that things should be improved, and there should be a push towards recycling more and wasting less. If you live in the city of Nashville, you have curbside recycling once per month, and there are a number of recycling centers around the city. Are they under-utilized? Absolutely. Are they barely used? No. If you want to see what a popular recycling program in the area looks like, head to Granberry Elementary School on a Saturday before noon. The same lady has operated the recycling program since I was in school there, and it has been running more than 20 years.
People who want to recycle can...you just need to know where to go. Unfortunately it may take more effort than you are used to if moving from elsewhere.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 603emmylu
Thanks for all of your replies (and how cool to hear from so many NH to Nashville people!!) Your insight definitely helps me to start understanding where to look, and it's nice to get advice from those who know the area well. Thanks!
As for my actual work location... it's still up in the air. I've been hired, but as for which school I'll be placed in, I'm not sure. I could know tomorrow, I could know the day before the kids arrive. Essentially, I'm looking for a place to live without really knowing what to expect in terms of commute, etc. I drove 45 minutes every morning to my student teaching placement here in Boston, and, though it's not ideal, I know I can handle it.
A question about East Nashville (or, ahem, East Nasty... just so I sound like I fit in haha)-- are there certain areas (streets, neighborhoods, or otherwise) that are recommended more than others? Areas to avoid? I like the sound of the artsy community, but want to be sure I'm not getting myself into a completely crime-ridden area, either. Like I said, I know next to nothing about the area, so please excuse my forthrightness here. I don't mean to sound like I'm put of by East Nashville (just the opposite, actually), but would love to learn a little more about the area. Thanks!
Under 45 minutes should be pretty much anywhere in Davidson County. I would imagine you could see a 20-30 minute average commute.
As for East Nashville...if you find yourself close to a number of 2-story red brick buildings that all look the same, and all have the street address posted in a metal sign on the building, you're probably in the wrong place. LOL
There are pockets of good and bad here and there. The area around Shelby and South 5th St. is pretty rough...but as you move away from that (East, away from downtown), it gets better relatively quickly. During the daytime, I have noticed a number of people out on the sidewalks (in the residential areas, that is) running, walking their dogs, or just enjoying themselves. Men, women, families, etc. I don't think you would see if it were a dangerous area to be.
Once again, though, I'll leave the specifics to someone who actually lives there about the "good" and "bad" areas. I also don't spend too much time there after dark, so I can't speak to how safe people feel out walking the streets at night.
Also, I would encourage you to come take a visit, and drive around and see what you like BEFORE you decide to rent. Don't get stuck in a year long lease somewhere that you feel unsafe, or just plain don't like.
If you find out the school you will be working at, we might add some other suggestions so you have a nice place to live, and an easy commute to get to work.
(or, ahem, East Nasty... just so I sound like I fit in haha)
So you HAVE been there.
EN has decent pockets, but for the most part it is older homes, sort of run down looking and way over priced for what you get. People pay the big bucks for these places because of all the "up and coming" hype. Residents will pitch it as the best place on earth mostly because they want new money in there to help revitalization efforts.
We go to dinner over there now and then and have never had a problem, but there is a gang problem. You'd be shocked at the number of violent crimes committed by minors than never make the news...mostly gang related. EN has been in the news lately for it's sharp increase in home invasions in the past 6 months or so.
If you're used to rural NH...or pretty much any place in NH...you won't be impressed by EN. If you're coming from Detroit, it would probably be a step up. It's all relative.
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. You didn't ask about culture shock but be forewarned 
.
