Moving from southern ca to Brentwood ? (Franklin, Green Hill: to rent, home, neighborhoods)

[N.Cal]

I like to think of Brentwood, TN as the OC East without the ocean.

[Momtotom]

Originally Posted by N.Cal

I like to think of Brentwood, TN as the OC East without the ocean.

Well that's promising. Starting to freak myself out a little with the religion and hick talk ha.

Also, can anyone tell me if there are things to do with babies ? Baby music class, Gymboree things like that

[N.Cal]

Have you ever been here? I would suggest knowing where you are going to work before seriously looking for a place to live. I think the traffic will be an unpleasant surprise. Not like the 405 but not the "oh you can be anywhere in 15 minutes" we were told when we moved here. It takes me an hour to go 7.5 miles at 5PM.

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by Momtotom

Also, can anyone tell me if there are things to do with babies ? Baby music class, Gymboree things like that

Yes, there is plenty of stuff like that.

Notice on the left side of the page, there are different activities all over town:

http://www.nashvilleparent.com/age-by-age/0-12-months/

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by Momtotom

So can any locals tell me , is religion a huge deal ? Do people push Jesus on you a lot ? We wouldnt be joining a church at all .

Plenty of people here don't go to church.

In the areas you are asking about, people absolutely do not "push Jesus on you." If merely seeing a lot of churches or hearing people talk about mission trips or something they did at church or something they heard in Sunday school offends you, then you may have an issue.

It just depends on where you work and what kinds of things you do . You could very easily find yourself surrounded by other like-minded people.

[Momtotom]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

Plenty of people here don't go to church.

In the areas you are asking about, people absolutely do not "push Jesus on you." If merely seeing a lot of churches or hearing people talk about mission trips or something they did at church or something they heard in Sunday school offends you, then you may have an issue.

It just depends on where you work and what kinds of things you do . You could very easily find yourself surrounded by other like-minded people.

Thanks. None of that would offend me at all. I just wouldn't want them to be offended by my lack of religion

[Momtotom]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

Yes, there is plenty of stuff like that.

Notice on the left side of the page, there are different activities all over town:

Parenting Tips - Ages: 0 - 12 Months - Nashville Parent Magazine

Thank you!

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by Momtotom

Thanks. None of that would offend me at all. I just wouldn't want them to be offended by my lack of religion

There ARE a lot of churches here, and it's not southern California.

But I think people forget that it's Nashville, which has long been a creative town at heart with a forgiving spirit. There really is a place place for just about everyone.

And honestly, I have found that in dealing with people, here or anywhere, you get what you give.

[artemis]

Originally Posted by Momtotom

Well that's promising. Starting to freak myself out a little with the religion and hick talk ha.

Also, can anyone tell me if there are things to do with babies ? Baby music class, Gymboree things like that

Hick talk? Really?

[HiThere777]

Well, Momtotom, speaking from my personal experience from SoCal, we had to weigh our priorities when we considered relocation. As you know, the west coast is very different from southern life, which is what we were looking for.

People here are some of the nicest we've ever met. I find it beautiful here. There are tons of trees, much better sight than a concrete jungle in my opinion. The birds and wildlife are amazing, the random old barns along the roads, two lane country roads, the snow is beautiful (the ice, not so much), the charm and vibe are all what we wanted. The country roads add to the charm but there are times when the road feels so narrow and there's a car coming the other way, I feel as though I might take out someone's mailbox. Lol. Many of these roads don't have guard rails so don't take your eyes off the road otherwise your car may roll into a steep drainage ditch! Ha ha.

Things won't be as convenient as you may be used to. I spend more time in the car here. You will pay more for real estate closer to grocery stores and restaurants.

There aren't many master planned communities per se, whether you are looking for one or not, but that was what we were used to. Westhaven in Franklin is very nice and very charming, but smaller lots and homes are closer together. We wanted more space between our house.

The community we used to live in CA had good infrastructure and convenience. So, that was the trade off for us. I spend double the time in the car taking my 3 kids to school and getting to work. School starts an hour earlier than my preteen is used to. I have to wake her from a dead sleep every morning to get to school on time in the bumper to bumper traffic. Her MS in CA had twice the number of students but it takes me twice as long to get through the car line here. Difference is, I have found drivers here to be more courteous. I have had too many experiences to count with angry, aggressive drivers in CA. It is ironic that we were tired of the traffic (freeways) there only to double our time getting to and from school. Ah, well, TN is worth it.

The bus is, personally, too early for my kids as it rolls down our street at 6:30am. Pick up is just as long, so days are a challenge making time for driving and traffic/ downtime after school/homework-studying/after school sports/dinner/and bed early enough to get enough sleep for tired, growing kids.

So, because Brentwood and Franklin and areas of Williamson County have experienced an explosion of growth there is a lot of traffic as many of the roads and main veins have not been improved or widened. We spend more time driving to places.

We love it here, and so do thousands of other people but you need to visit, if you haven't already to see if it's a fit for you after considering the feedback.