Moving to Nashville: engineer, downtown, traffic, job market, crime rate.

dmc1222 · 12-13-2008, 02:08 PM

Hello. My husband and I are looking at potentially relocating to Nashville from Fort Collins CO. We are wondering what neighborhoods/suburbs would be good to look at. My husband is an engineer, and he has not started to look for jobs yet. We are still in the research mode. He will probably work downtown though, unless we find an engineering firm somewhere outside of downtown Nashville. We can spend up to 250000 on our new home, and we don't mind something that we have to do work on if it is in a good location. We would like to stick to public schools. We don't want to live in a really urban environment. We would like the feel of an exciting but small city. Fort Collins has a lot of cool restaurants, shops, and bars. We would like a similar atmosphere without having to live in downtown Nashville. He doesn't mind a 20-25 min. commute. Any suggestions? Thanks!

denawilliams · 12-13-2008, 05:15 PM

Welcome to the Nashville area...or at least to considering it. Based on you what you've described, you may be best to live within 20-25 minutes of Downtown, and then to go to the heart of Nashville for the atmosphere you're seeking. While some of the residential areas you might consider have a few of the things you are talking about, they probably don't quite give you the total atmosphere. There are a couple that get closer, but they are either further than 25 minute drive or have housing over your desired range. The following might be good compromises for you within your price range and within a 20-25 minute drive to the heart of Nashville.

Mount Juliet - has a new complex called Providence Center with a shopping center, some new (mostly chain) restaurants, and a movie theater. There are homes within Providence as well. You would be able to find newer homes within the price range you specified. You'll get a decent value for your money there. School system will be within Wilson County Schools.

Hendersonville - has both an older and a newer section and is probably one of the largest suburbs I'll suggest. Between both the newer and older sections, you should have a wider range of options in shopping and restaurants. You will also get good value for your money here and have a wide range of home selections from old to new. There are several schools that people rave about in Hendersonville within Sumner County Schools. You are also right on top of Old Hickory Lake, which is a wonderful recreational lake.

Bellevue area within Nashville might take you less time to get to the city...depending on exactly where you are in Bellevue. Bellevue has a couple of unique restaurants and some chains as well a little bit of shopping. It is very close to the Natchez Trace, and it has a wonderful park with rolling hills called Edwin Warner Park. You could be in West Nashville quickly as well as the downtown Brentwood area with a few more dining options. You will have options within your price range with a decent value for prices.

Nolensville will give you a little less value for the money, but there are some newer homes there within your price range. The homes that will most likely pop up in your range there will "mostly" be in Williamson County, which is a popular school district county. I just saw a couple that were in Nolensville within Davidson County though. Nolensville is a little more remote, but you can get to other areas fairly easily.

Smyrna is a small town that has recently added a good amount (for the size) of restaurants and shopping as well as a hospital. It's not far from J Percy Priest Lake, another great lake in the area, and it's a short drive to either Murfreesboro (where there's a mall and other retail/dining options) or to Nashville.

A couple of last areas I might suggest you investigate are within Nashville as well, South Nashville, specifically. There's a neighborhood called Crieve Hall that has older homes on beautiful, large lots that is popular. You also have the area of South Nashville that is close to the Brentwood border around Edmonson Pike. You also have a neighborhood like Lenox Village off Nolensville that has a couple of restaurants, shops, and service areas within the subdivision, which is really nice.

You might really enjoy either Franklin or Murfreesboro, but they may be pushing your distance to Nashville. These are both the largest suburbs we have right around the city (along with Hendersonville). Parts of Franklin will be within 20-25 minute drive, but parts are more in the 30 minute range. So it depends on where in Franklin you ended up. You get the least value per dollar spent there on a home, but it is a city with lots of amenities and a popular school district. It does have a mall, tons of restaurants and shopping as well as a charming historic, downtown area. It is quite beautiful too.

Murfreesboro would probably be at least a 30 minute drive, but like Franklin, it has a mall as well as retail/dining options and the University. You would have tons of great options for your price range in homes. There are several people on this board that live there and will soon be telling you all the things they love about their town and why they prefer it over the others I've mentioned. Many who live there make the commute and don't mind the drive, even though it is one of the longest commutes. Others that want to be closer to Nashville find places they are happy in other suburbs or areas.

Each of these area are quite different from each other, so the best thing for you to do is schedule a visit sometime to physically drive through these towns or areas, talk to folks as you see them, and visit some of the schools. Even though you'll get some great opinions on here, since there isn't one area that fits all of your criteria mentioned easily above, you'll have to decide after visiting which has the most to offer for you!

Beretta · 12-13-2008, 05:22 PM

Dena, wow! What an informative post. I had to rep you for that one. Thanks a bunch!

Mike in TN · 12-13-2008, 05:23 PM

Sure about moving w/o a job lined up?

gabbyknashville · 12-13-2008, 05:51 PM

You will want to look in the Williamson County/Franklin area. It meets all your criteria and if his job is downtown, he can commute in 25 minutes via car. No bus lines though. It is very family oriented, excellent schools, small town atmosphere still and you should have no problem finding a house there for that price. The economy has finally trickled down to this area so I would secure a job first as most places here have job freezes or are handing out layoff slips after the first of the year. Good Luck and feel free to contact me direct if you need any specific advice.

dmc1222 · 12-14-2008, 10:38 AM

Thank you so much. We were considering Mount Juliet a lot because of the train that goes to downtown. How long is the commute on the train from Mount Juliet to downtown Nashville?

dmc1222 · 12-14-2008, 10:40 AM

We won't move without my husband having a job, but he is in grad school at the moment to get his masters in engineering, so we will need to find him a job no matter where we are. We have looked into the engineering job market in Nashville, and it seems like there are still jobs out there. He will have experience and his masters, so we are just really hoping we will find something!

gabbyknashville · 12-14-2008, 05:25 PM

The train is very lovely and the commute to downtown is about 25 minutes from Mt. Juliet. The great thing is he can enjoy reading or listening to music and doesn't have to worry about all the traffic. A drive in during rush hour could be quite long and stressful then parking cost downtown. The train is the way to go for sure and Mt. Juliet is a beautiful growing town that still has the small town feel.

370z · 12-26-2008, 08:28 PM

dmc1222, may I ask why you are leaving Fort Collins, CO? I have friends that are moving there from CA & are trying to talk me into moving there also. Not sure if I'd like the weather. I'm more interested in moving to Nashville or NWA. Just curious as to why you are leaving F.C.

BuzzCam · 12-26-2008, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmc1222

Hello. My husband and I are looking at potentially relocating to Nashville from Fort Collins CO. We are wondering what neighborhoods/suburbs would be good to look at. My husband is an engineer, and he has not started to look for jobs yet. We are still in the research mode. He will probably work downtown though, unless we find an engineering firm somewhere outside of downtown Nashville. We can spend up to 250000 on our new home, and we don't mind something that we have to do work on if it is in a good location. We would like to stick to public schools. We don't want to live in a really urban environment. We would like the feel of an exciting but small city. Fort Collins has a lot of cool restaurants, shops, and bars. We would like a similar atmosphere without having to live in downtown Nashville. He doesn't mind a 20-25 min. commute. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Ft. Collins is a cool town. I have relatives that live there and I love the progressive, clean feel of the city.
One thing you may take some getting used to in our area is the humidity. My stepson is a chef in Denver and he really has a hard time dealing with our humidity when he visits. Of course, it takes me some time to get used to the altitude when visiting Denver. I like Ft. Collins much better than Denver, I guess because it is not quite a big.
I live in Donelson, which is a suburb of Nashville. I love Donleson, as the crime rate is low, but it does not have the feel of Ft. Collins. Also, Nashville Public Schools are not that good, with the exception of two "magnet" schools.
Hopefully. you will hear from folks on the board from the Franklin and Brentwood areas, (southwest of Nashville), which I think you would be more interested in. Franklin does have that Ft. Collins feel to it. Williamson County Schools, which both cities are in, is probably the best school system in the state.
Good luck to you and if you make the move, welcome to Middle Tennessee!