Moving to Nashville area, need help (Franklin, Hendersonville: real estate, crime, houses)

[KriskoBG]

My father is looking at a job in Nashville, and there is a strong possibility that he will take it. We currently live in Maryland but used to live in Columbia, South Carolina so I feel like Tennessee will be quite similar, and have that southern feel.

What are areas you would recommend to look for houses? We are looking at 300k for a place, which compared to MD is an amazing difference! Just browsing some real estate sites returned amazing results, we don't know anything about the neighborhoods though. Any crime "areas" we should be worried about? We aren't suburbia people so not too worried about petty crime and such. Also, what is there to do? I'm sure downtown Nashville has plenty of bars and live music, anything besides downtown though?

And lastly,how is the car scene? My dad and I are huge gearheads

Cheers guys

[Beat02]

Originally Posted by KriskoBG

And lastly,how is the car scene? My dad and I are huge gearheads

Well, Nashville was rated "Manliest city" in some study recently. I think you'll be fine with the car thing

[KriskoBG]

No one? :\

[JMT]

Originally Posted by KriskoBG

No one? :\

The answers to your questions can be found in other threads. You can do a search, or just browse the Nashville forum and you'll see lots of information. And welcome to Tennessee!

[BirdieBelle]

Based on your post, I was thinking you would want a larger lot. I mean, since you are gearheads, do you have some "fun" cars you need to store, or do you need lots of room to work on cars? That made me think you'd want at least an acre or so, rather than a subdivision with a quarter acre lot and front-facing garage where all your stuff is in plain view. Or is that not a consideration?

If you want to be close to the Nashville action, you might try parts of Donelson, like Lincoya Estates, or Inglewood, which are established parts of town with older homes.

West Meade, on the west side of Nashville, has the same type of houses. Other areas that came to mind are parts of Bellevue and Hermitage.

[DonCorleone]

What are some other priorities for you? Schools? Neighborhoods you can walk in? Urban/Suburban/Rural?

There's lots to do in Nashville besides the bars/honkytonks downtown. Give us an idea of what you are interested in and we can toss a few back at you.

I think there's a good chance you'll find plenty of other gearheads around town. I know every Friday night during the summer there is a car club that meets in Hendersonville at the Glenbrook shopping center. Lots of older cars. And by "lots" I mean anywhere from 50-150. They're kind of annoying sometimes...like kids cruising the mall.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by KriskoBG

My father is looking at a job in Nashville, and there is a strong possibility that he will take it. We currently live in Maryland but used to live in Columbia, South Carolina so I feel like Tennessee will be quite similar, and have that southern feel.

What are areas you would recommend to look for houses? We are looking at 300k for a place, which compared to MD is an amazing difference! Just browsing some real estate sites returned amazing results, we don't know anything about the neighborhoods though. Any crime "areas" we should be worried about? We aren't suburbia people so not too worried about petty crime and such. Also, what is there to do? I'm sure downtown Nashville has plenty of bars and live music, anything besides downtown though?

And lastly,how is the car scene? My dad and I are huge gearheads

Cheers guys

You're not suburbia people and not worried about petty crime...does this mean you would rather be closer in to town?

$300k is above the average for house values across most of the city as well as the suburbs...so you have a lot of options. Most areas with $250-350k homes are pretty safe, even closer to town. I can't think of any areas in that price range that I would say are "crime areas"...but some, especially in the older, more historic areas of town are adjacent to areas with higher crime.

As far as things to do, downtown is definitely the entertainment hub of the city...and it's not really close (unless you are entertained by shopping). The sports venues and the majority of major music venues can be found in and around downtown.

Each area of town has its own commercial areas, though (as well as the suburbs)...so there are some bars (some that play music), restaurants, as well as festivals and other things that go on elsewhere around town...but a lot of those areas are pretty spread out and in strip malls or suburban style retail development. Notable exceptions to that in Nashville would be Hillsboro Village (near Vanderbilt), East Nashville (though not in a great concentration, there are plenty of bars/restaurants spread throughout the hood), Sylvan Park/West Nashville, and Germantown (just north of downtown).

Downtown Franklin is the obvious exception for the suburbs. In fact, despite being suburban, Franklin/Brentwood have quite a bit to do.

Besides music and bars, there are also two decent size lakes close to town, so if you are into boating or watersports, there's something to do there. There are also a good number of parks and opportunities for hiking, watching wildlife, and even canoeing in the area. Nashville also has about the arts offering you would expect from a city of 1.5 million (preforming arts, a great children's theater, a couple of art museums, and a very good symphony). Really, unless you are just used the entertainment options in a very large city, Nashville has plenty to do.

I can't really speak for the car scene...but I'm sure there are a fair number of gearheads here.

As far as where exactly you want to live...what are you looking for?
-new construction vs. old construction?
-are sidewalks important?
-size of yard (1/8 acre? 1/4 acre? 1/2 acre? 1+ acres?)
-are schools important?
-proximity to commercial/retail districts?
-proximity to the interstate?
-distance to downtown (mileage or time)? Would you prefer living in the city, or in the suburbs?
-what sort of people people do you envision yourself living around (conservative/liberal? young families or professionals w/o kids or empty nesters? more or less ethnically diverse?) or is that a consideration?

These types of choices can help us narrow down potential areas that would suit your needs.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by DonCorleone

I think there's a good chance you'll find plenty of other gearheads around town. I know every Friday night during the summer there is a car club that meets in Hendersonville at the Glenbrook shopping center. Lots of older cars. And by "lots" I mean anywhere from 50-150. They're kind of annoying sometimes...like kids cruising the mall.

You know, you reminded me of something, Don. There do seem to be a lot of car shows that come through town. It's definitely not that uncommon to see groups of older cars around town from time to time. I think they had a pretty big show downtown in the stadium lot not too long ago, if I'm not mistaken.


OH, and for car lovers, you MUST check out the Lane Motor Museum for a wonderful selection of unique cars from around the world!