Downtown Nashville (apartment, high crime, tenants)

[NatashaH]

Hi, I'm moving to Nashville from Canada to start graduate school and I'm looking into an apartment in the downtown area (the cumberland). How is the downtown area, namely chruch street? Is it relatively safe for a single female? I was in Nashville recently, but I didn't spend that much time downtown, mostly in the west end area. West end is a nice area but it was a little too noisy for me.

[alleycat]

Since no one else has replied, I'll give you a general opinion of the area (and opinion is all it is, I don't live downtown).

First a little history, forty or fifty years ago, before shopping malls, that part of Church Street was the prime retail shopping area in all of Nashville. With the decline of downtown retail shopping, the area became mixed use (offices, apartment, the main branch of the Nashville Library, parking garages, etc.). However, it still hasn't quite gotten to the point where you can say someone living there would enjoy all the conveniences of living in a downtown location. It's a little bit away from the major restaurants or downtown attractions; not far, but enough to matter. It's not quite a "people place" yet is what I'm trying to say, although it is getting more that way.

So, is it safe? In the daytime, yes (except for perhaps the occasional wino wanting to "borrow" money). In the early evening? Yes, for the most part. At night? It would probably then be better for a single female to not be out alone (not that's it's a high crime area per se, but you might be the only one on the street). The Cumberland is a large building with a lot of tenants; it could be that right around the building it's more active with others about, going to restaurants, etc. and therefore a little safer for a woman to be out alone. Does that make sense?

Anyway, that's just my take on the area. The area itself should be quiet enough; although I've heard that the Cumberland can be a bit noisy due to the other tenants. I don't think the Cumberland was built with quite the same quality that some of the newer downtown residential buildings have been. But, again, I'm going on what I've heard second-hand.