Is the growth in Nashville due to Red State? Please confirm (Memphis: best city, 2014)

[arton1]

I had a person tell me that today.

That the growth is due to that TN is Red State. And that the growth is not exclusively limited to Nashville (lol really? So many people are moving to Knoxville yes).

Is that true? And if not, what is the reason? Much thank yous

Also to add depth to discussion-

Would you also say, are most people migrating to NashVegas more liberal minded? They are replacing the old with the new, if I am seeing it right. Please confirm that too

it's either true-----or it isn't

Don't be scared Nashvillians!!

[BirdieBelle]

A ton of conservatives are moving to Middle TN from high-tax states like California.

Nashville has always been more liberal than surrounding counties, and yes many liberal folks are moving here as well as companies that used to be located in liberal states relocate here.

But it's not likely that they will "replace old with new." LOL

[Tominftl]

Maybe some are trying to be recognized in the Music world. What better place to move if you have your eyes on music and fame?

[Shakeesha]

Nashville is a welcoming city to all types of people. That is the beautiful thing about living here. The diverse industries means you don't have to worry about living in a political bubble. You are among conservatives and progressives, daily, who move here for a better life.

[septimus]

Tonnes of folks move to Franklin thinking they've found the religious holy land-- especially Californians. Just an observation but the ones who don't move here because of a job move because they think they've found conservative utopia. Those that move here for a job tend to be more liberal.

Business are coming to TN because of the tax incentive the state and cities are giving them and tend to plug their noses about the social politics of the TN GOP.

[shinestx]

You'll find more conservatives fleeing the so-called 'blue' (actually RED) states with their high taxation and corruption, like we just saw this week in the Jussie Smollett case in Illinois.

You must realize that the executives of the large companies are making the decision to move their HQs and/or large parts of their operations to places like Tennessee that don't have state income taxes. And those states also have much higher property taxes and regulation. Compared to places like CA, IL, NY, MA, NJ, and now VA and MD, this can be the difference of $18-22,000 and up for the top executives ($50K-60K for a million dollar salary). Given that opportunity, they're going to jump at that.

As the op notes, there are more liberal people coming in the wave. Many are coming because they're young adults who tend to go through a liberal phase, especially when they're single. And the people coming for the music industry have always been left-of-center on social issues. While migration of these folks is greater now than ever before, they still don't outnumber the people/families coming for a better (and cheaper) lifestyle. With that said, Davidson County has always been Democrat, what are called "yeller dawgs" here (meaning they'd vote for a yellow dog before ever voting for a Republican). Yes, it is growing fast, but the surrounding counties attracting more conservative families/people are growing even faster.

And don't underestimate the allure of a more religion-friendly state to conservative Christians. There are dozens of families in my neighborhood in Chattanooga who moved from 'blue' RED states, with Illinois being the single greatest source. In my conversations with them, all of them cited religious reasons for moving. That includes those who say things like their company offered a transfer (some with options b/n TN NJ or CA, for example) and they chose TN because it was lower taxes and they didn't feel like they were constantly under assault for their religious beliefs.

[arton1]

I don't honestly believe companies are only coming for tax breaks---not at this point. At this point, there is a massive pool of talent (and competitors) that is drawing a chain effect. Just my thought, interested in others

[Hey_Hey]

Nashville's growth isn't just one thing. I think it's a mistake to think any place can attract people, grow the economy, and provide a high quality of life by focusing on one variable (business environment, tax situation, higher ed, etc). Instead those are all data points that millions of people consider every year when they decide to move within the US, although I would be willing to bet that none of those play as important a role as family ties. However, when you're looking as massive numbers of people moving every year throughout the US, it doesn't take much to move the needle to create substantial growth (the difference between a stagnant city and a booming city can be growth a difference in absolute growth rates of 1-1.5% per year).

Maybe Nashville's greatest strength is that it is a fairly liberal area in a conservative state. The state's conservative politics keep regulations and taxes to a minimum while the city of Nashville provides a comfortable place to live for people from a multitude of backgrounds. It also has a distinguishing sector (music and entertainment) that carry a certain cache and keep it in the forefront of peoples' minds while also have a diversified economy that cuts across myriad industries.

So....taxes and business climate absolutely help draw people here. Anecdotally, I was one of those. I was considering KY, TN, and AL a few years back, and the income tax savings were particularly appealing as it added up to several thousand dollars per year that I could save. But Knoxville, Memphis, and Chattanooga all have the business and tax benefits that Nashville does, so there is something more than that which leads to our growth.

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by Hey_Hey

But Knoxville, Memphis, and Chattanooga all have the business and tax benefits that Nashville does, so there is something more than that which leads to our growth.

Nashville is easily the best city out of those three. I would go so far as to say Its the best thing going in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas. So yes, for those looking at those types of places, Nashville wins all the way around.

[BobNJ1960]

Tn has a great business climate, and Nashville by far is best in state, one of fastest growing nationally.

People move there for more opportunity vs most other states.

In general, red states do offer the best business climate and above average economic growth rates.

PS: I lived in Metro Nashville 1997-2014, and the growth was spectacular, and seems even better since.