Nashville - what's missing? (Murfreesboro, Gallatin: how much, hotels, houses)

[SouthBound3]

When compared to other places you have lived (for those who have relocated) or other places you have family/have visited (for the locals) what is missing in the Nashville area - including the suburbs - (IE: food, services, recreation, entertainment, etc.)?

[soulful]

Walkability is the biggest missing factor. It is very hard to find a neighborhood where one can actually be totally self sufficient without a car (by walking). The one area that sort of matches this criteria is Hillsboro Village near Vanderbilt.

Nashville simply has few places where you can live and walk to coffee houses, grocery stores, drugstores, restaurants, etc within your neighborhood.

[Antioch]

1. A real theme park with in the 20 mile radius of Nashville, not 45 miles out.
2. Since Opry Mills is still not open, and even before, a large, non-touristy, non-outlet, "every kind of people" friendly, centrally located, with the concept of "Mall of Tennessee", just as in Atlata they have The Mall of Georgia, or recently when I was in Baton Rouge they have The Mall of Louisana.

Can I add to this topic to ask, What does Nashville need?
1. To update its area surrounding its immediate downtown area, especially on the east side of downtown near the stadium all the way out to Fesslers Ln. and Murfreesboro Rd. on the east side, to Trinity Ln. on the North side, that entire streatch of interstate looks so 1970's to me. With all the old 70's looking factories near the river, the old run down looking hotels right by the stadium, and the biggest eye sore in the city, the junk yard on the south east side of the stadium. Nashville needs to get more modern looking buildings, businesses and hotels to line the interstates in the inner most areas of the city surrounding the central business distric.

[bluesky42day]

Originally Posted by Antioch

Can I add to this topic to ask, What does Nashville need?

1. To update its area surrounding its immediate downtown area, especially on the east side of downtown near the stadium all the way out to Fesslers Ln. and Murfreesboro Rd. on the east side, to Trinity Ln. on the North side, that entire streatch of interstate looks so 1970's to me.

One of the truest statements I've read on city-data

The main roads that lead into downtown are all eyesores that need improving. I think everyone is in agreement on this & there are plans in the works for Gallatin Rd. & Lafayette Street. Dickerson Rd. has made some headway with their Buffalos but there is still more work to be done across the board.

Courtney

[bobtn]

Missing is an appreciation for AAA Baseball. Build a new park already, on the thermal site. It will help the restaurants; games are short (2.5 hours usually), tons of families with kids, since AAA prices do not empty their wallet, ca-ching, even if just 5% of 6,000 fans a game 70 plus times a year went out to eat, imagine the synergetic affect on the surrounding streets.

NHL & NFL are nice, but they are so pricey, not many fans will spend more in the neighborhood after a game. Plus, NFL with parking and delay getting inside = 5-6 hours of a day consumed already.

Give the Sounds land for a new park..now!

[mlp206]

Originally Posted by bluesky42day

One of the truest statements I've read on city-data

The main roads that lead into downtown are all eyesores that need improving. I think everyone is in agreement on this & there are plans in the works for Gallatin Rd. & Lafayette Street. Dickerson Rd. has made some headway with their Buffalos but there is still more work to be done across the board.

Courtney

As a parent to a child with special needs..better access to special needs programs in the public school system...

I laugh every time I hear the above statement..I travel quite a bit and have seen far worse " eye sores " in major cities, smaller cities, etc..our schools suck, we have a pretty significant homeless problem for a city our size ( not talking about pan handlers ) and we are thinking we need to make the East Side or any other main road more acceptable looking or " pleasing " .... to whom may I ask?

I know I have gotten off on a soap box..but oh well..I hear the griping a lot about these areas that are not so pretty..These are urban areas..if you no likey..move to the suburbs..

[MillionaireMom]

Originally Posted by bobtn

Missing is an appreciation for AAA Baseball. Build a new park already, on the thermal site. It will help the restaurants; games are short (2.5 hours usually), tons of families with kids, since AAA prices do not empty their wallet, ca-ching, even if just 5% of 6,000 fans a game 70 plus times a year went out to eat, imagine the synergetic affect on the surrounding streets.

NHL & NFL are nice, but they are so pricey, not many fans will spend more in the neighborhood after a game. Plus, NFL with parking and delay getting inside = 5-6 hours of a day consumed already.

Give the Sounds land for a new park..now!

My husband used to play for the Cincinnati Reds, we would LOVE a baseball team to root for. A pro basketball team would be great too

[bluesky42day]

Originally Posted by mlp206

As a parent to a child with special needs..better access to special needs programs in the public school system...

I laugh every time I hear the above statement..I travel quite a bit and have seen far worse " eye sores " in major cities, smaller cities, etc..our schools suck, we have a pretty significant homeless problem for a city our size ( not talking about pan handlers ) and we are thinking we need to make the East Side or any other main road more acceptable looking or " pleasing " .... to whom may I ask?

I know I have gotten off on a soap box..but oh well..I hear the griping a lot about these areas that are not so pretty..These are urban areas..if you no likey..move to the suburbs..

I think that I agree with you on some levels. Why would we spend money to make a street look nicer when we have substandard schools? Is that where you're going with that?

At the end of the day the money spent on schools isn't going to come from the same budget as a streetscape project & just because an area is urban doesn't mean that it has to look bad. I don't need everything shiny & new, but I would say that "most" Nashvillians would agree there is definite room for improvement when it comes to the main roads leading into downtown & that you're in the minority.

Courtney

[mlp206]

So if I understand you, you are saying that my tax dollars do not pay for schools and improvements to inner city roads such as what you are proposing..Of course everyone would love Dickerson Road and Trinity Lane and such to look better..I mean I am aware of that much but for the record but do you propose that spending tax payer money on what? Landscaping, paving, sidewalks etc..these are just examples will make things look nicer...what about the demographics of the people who live in those areas? Do you think they would appreciate these changes? Would this be enough without spending money on those neighborhoods or better yet..the schools in those neighborhoods.. and yes you are right..some money comes to the schools from the federal govt. but when that money is gone and it goes quickly..there is no money left for special ed programs, after school programs for at risk kids..that is where tax payer money is needed and is all ready spent on other projects..none related to education.

My second poing..Homeless families or homeless citizens that are a problem in some of those areas you mention.. where do they go when the areas are made nicer? I think you may be suprised at how much of the majority I may be..I guess it depends on perspective.

[Anony-Momma]

Originally Posted by mlp206

As a parent to a child with special needs..better access to special needs programs in the public school system...

Tennessee needs to step up in many ways in addressing the needs of individuals w/ special needs, especially individuals who don't score low enough on IQ tests but still are not capable of being independent. But Tennessee is so proud of the fact that they do not have a state income tax, so the state has no way to deliver supports at a state level.