Brag & Complain about YOUR Nashville neighborhood/area! (Franklin, Germantown: apartment complexes, rentals)

[Casper27]

Hey everyone! Though I am hoping to learn what different areas of Nashville are like as I'm considering a move there next June, I thought that this would be a fun way for everyone to give a candid opinion of their own neighborhood/area that they live in without turning it into a "that place sucks, this is the best" kind of thread! So if you all would be so kind to humor me, could you please share whatever you're comfortable sharing about:

1. Description/Stereotype/Verbal Picture of your neighborhood and the type of people who live in it (though actual pictures would definitely be welcome!).
2. Specific areas/locations, like "two blocks south of the Gulch", "east of 4th downtown" or "three blocks south of Vanderilt".
3. Things you love about your neighborhood/area.
4. Things you really dislike about your neighborhood/area.
5. Brief description of yourself and why it fits you.

The idea here is to try to make a very informative thread about the different areas of Nashville without becoming too competitive. And again, though I am hoping that I can borrow your collective observations and wisdom to decide where to move next year (30 year old guy, multi-instrumentalist musician, works with animals and in legal field), maybe this thread could provide a good scope of the variety (or lack thereof) in your specific niche of Nashville for others. Let's go!

[CountryGirl2b=]

I can understand how this seems like a good idea for a thread . . . but I don't see how me telling you that I bought (for instance) a $500,000 house in Westhaven because the elementary school has special services for adopted twins and the October Glory tree in the front yard reminded me of my childhood, but the president of the HOA board is very picky about my over the top Halloween decorations, will be much help to you.

Maybe your budget is twice that, you have no kids, and hate Halloween!

This is a forum to help people who are considering a move to the Nashville area. We have already moved here and picked a neighborhood for a myriad of sometimes very personal reasons. I don't really want to stereotype my neighbors.

I want to help YOU find what fits YOU!

What is bringing you to the Nashville area?
What is your budget - buying or renting? (this is a biggie)
Do you want a yard or are you a condo person?
School age kids?
What kind of 'vibe' are you looking for?
Do you have a job lined up? What is your tolerance for a commute?

How do you feel about this little smiley guys???? : think:

[Casper27]

Hi CountryGirl,

Thanks for bringing up that point, maybe I did make this too general.

I'm a 30 year old single straight guy, no kids or pets. I actually grew up in Louisville and spent several years living and going to school in Oklahoma City and Dallas before moving to Chicago and have since decided that I'm ready to look at settling down somewhere. I miss the general culture of the South and especially the people, so that's why Nashville is currently leading the running ahead of Dallas, Denver and Seattle for me. My job is such that I can telecommute from anywhere so I don't have a commute to consider, however I would like to be within a 15 minute drive to whatever areas single people like myself go to hang out. I currently volunteer as a foster home for cats and specialize in working with extremely problematic animals and would like to be involved like this somehow in Nashville. I'm also a multi-instrumentalist looking to get involved in playing music, but I'm not expecting to be able to jump in immediately and am willing to pay my dues and play in any genre. Would prefer to rent for the first year or two and keep my rent around $1300 a month after utilities. Would love to make friends and meet a sweet southern girl, they're in VERY short supply here in Chicago!

[CountryGirl2b=]

$1300 after utilities could mean about $1150 depending on your cable bill. Are you considering cable/internet a "utility"? That's an OK amount but it's not going to open every door. Nashville is 'up and coming' at the moment. Lots going on and lots of people moving here means rental rates are rising and vacancy rates are low.

Nashville is smaller than Dallas, Denver, and Seattle. Cheaper than Seattle, not sure about the other two. Nice that you can work from anywhere! I'm sure you could find a rescue group to work with. Happy Tales in Franklin has a foster program:
Foster | Happy Tales Humane

East Nashville, Germantown, The Gulch, Sylvan Park . . you can use the search feature for this forum to find out info on all these areas. But Franklin might work for you as well. Maybe 20 minutes into downtown (not at peak commute hours), lovely little downtown with it's own music/restaurant scene, and a lot of apartment complexes. The neighborhoods at the top of this paragraph are very much sought after and would take more looking and more luck to find something in your price range.

Music is everywhere but so are musicians! Lots of places to play. Lots of restaurants have live music on the weekends (local ones, not the chains).

I have a plane to catch - hopefully you'll get some more ideas . . . . .

Really, though, Nashville has a buzz at the moment . . . a good one! Come visit!

[Hey_Hey]

I'll brag a little about my neighborhood. It's Edgehill Village and we have a great location! We are an easy 5 minute walk to Vandy and Belmont, a 10 minute walk to Midtown, a 10-15 minute walk to Hillsboro Village, the inner portions of West End and the Gulch, and directly adjacent to Music Row. We are a short bike ride or drive from the heart of downtown, 12South, and Downtown. We have a mix of rentals and owner occupied houses, and amenities will be increasing even more as additional residents move in. A 90+ unit luxury apartment opened this year, and we have three additional high end apartments either under construction or officially announced. We have a vibrant retail area at Edgehill and Villa Pl with restaurants, gelato, boutique shops, and galleries. When you live here you definitely feel like you're in Nashville. It's unique. Walking around your neighborhood you see the recording studio signs and the tour buses stopping at RCA Studio B. You see tourists from all over the world walking with maps in hand.

You could definitely afford a 1BR in this area. 1BR are going for $1.50-2.00/sq ft here right now, and there are several more apartments coming online in the next few months. They will be smallish, but they the newer ones are very nice and full of amenities.