Where should we live? (Franklin, Hendersonville: real estate market, new home, buyer)

[Pimpy]

Originally Posted by TNNative

Not Madison.

Sis just called and said all four tires got slashed last night in her condo parking lot. They did most of the cars in the parking lot AGAIN.....this is the third time in less than a year. What punks that keep doing something like this.

Senseless crime like that should be punishable by slow death. The people who perpetrate these acts contribute nothing positive to society while taking major steps to destroy it. They have no right to inhabit our communities. Sorry about your sister's bad luck.

And to the person who said it takes their co-worker 45-60 minutes to commute from Hendersonville to MetroCenter, find out where he lives and which way he goes. That is unheard of. One morning I had an 8am appointment off Hwy. 96 in Franklin. I left home at 7:05 and was early, and I don't have a lead foot.

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by Pimpy

And to the person who said it takes their co-worker 45-60 minutes to commute from Hendersonville to MetroCenter, find out where he lives and which way he goes. That is unheard of. One morning I had an 8am appointment off Hwy. 96 in Franklin. I left home at 7:05 and was early, and I don't have a lead foot.

I was surprised myself. I'm not sure where he lives exactly (I didn't ask), but his wife is the owner of Brown's Florist there in Hendersonville.

[ariesjow]

Originally Posted by Pimpy

Another point to consider is that Hendersonville is located in Sumner County, which ranks just behind Williamson County (Franklin/Brentwood) on the list of top school systems in Middle Tennessee. You will get much more house for your buck in Hendersonville than anywhere in Williamson County, with the exception of maybe Fairview. Davidson County (Metro Nashville) schools are abysmally bad, especially at the high school level. If you send your kids to school there, don't be surprised if they come home in gang colors packing heat. West siiiiiiiide!!!!!!

Are all Nashville public high schools really "abysmally bad" or is some of this just hyperbole from those who live outside of Davidson County and/or are fortunate enough to offer their children a great private education? I graduated from a Nashville public high school (John Overton) about eight years ago and I believe I received a quality education that well-prepared me for my future. I began undergrad at UT as a sophomore (thanks to AP credits) and on numerous scholarships. I just graduated from a top ten law school last year.

I'm not a parent so I won't pretend to tell any poster here where precisely they should send their children upon moving to the Nashville area. My reason for stating this isn't to suggest that Nashville public school are "excellent" or even "good." I just wanted to let those folks who can't afford to send their children to private schools or who would prefer not to live in Williamson County or another suburb know that a quality education is very possible in Metro Public Schools. One doesn't have to move further away from town solely because of the schools. It's likely a matter of picking the right Nashville neighborhood and really being involved in your child's education.

[Pimpy]

Obviously you don't watch the news.

Look, I'm not saying that a quality education can't be received in ANY school system. Hell, Bill Clinton went to public school in Arkansas and became President. The level of education a child receives during his formative years is more a function of his or her own will to succeed and positive reinforcements at home and from his peers than the actual quality of the teachers. My point is that the aforementioned positive environment is a lot more prevalent in Williamson and Sumner County schools than in Metro Nashville. One Metro school, I think it was Stratford High, now has an after-school club where rival GANG members can meet and discuss their differences. Is that the kind of place you want to send your kid?!? You sure as s--- won't find that kind of garbage in Franklin or Hendersonville.

[ariesjow]

I get what you're saying but I think you're missing my point.

I'm not saying that some or even most of the Nashville public schools aren't terrible. My point is that not EVERY Nashville public high school is a Stratford or Whites Creek. There are also decent neighborhood schools like Hillsboro, Hillwood and John Overton which, while not Williamson County level, don't warrant being called "abysmally bad." There is also the magnet program. Certainly public magnet schools like Hume-Fogg and MLK don't deserve such a label either.

One can attend any of these Davidson County schools and be afforded a quality education with numerous honors and AP offerings like those in surrounding counties. One may be exposed to children of families from more varied socioeconomic backgrounds but that won't necessarily scare every parent out of town.

Again, I'm not pretending to tell anyone where they should send their children in the Nashville area. I'm simply offering a counterpoint to prevailing view here that ALL Nashville public school are flat-out terrible and, thus, should be avoided at all costs. This is simply not the case but some on this site make it out to be the total truth. This could be misleading for those moving to the Nashville area and would actually prefer to live in the city itself rather than one of its' suburbs for various reasons. The hyperbole here makes one believe Davidson County should not be an option for those with children when it very well could be a good option.

[Pimpy]

I'm happy that you were able to parlay your Metro schooling into a good college experience and career. Like I said, a good education can be received anywhere if the child and his family do their part. The fact remains, however, that Metro schools as a whole stink, especially when compared to some of the surrounding counties. Check the state report card. I believe you that Overton and Hillsboro are better than Stratford, but when compared with Williamson or Sumner County, "abysmally bad" is still an appropriate description for Metro schools.

If someone is moving to this area and schools are a top priority, the best advice anyone can give them is to look away from Davidson County. I don't care how great your personal experience was, how many scholarships you won, etc. You can't deny this simple fact.

[TNNative]

I have a friend that had a daughter that went to Hunters Lane. She said her daughter was scared to death every single day because of not street gangs but a group of kids would gang up on a single kid and pummel them in the restrooms or in the parking lot before or after school. Her daughter was getting threatened in the halls and she had only been there a month. It was like a territorial war inside the school.

If you check out the county tags on the plates of cars coming into the Sumner and Robertson schools, you will see many that say Davidson County, but that isn't investigated as much as it should be because Goodlettsville (which zones mostly for HL) encompasses part of both of those counties.

[Pimpy]

I have a co-worker who lives in West Meade, a nice part of Davidson County zoned for Hillwood HS. Their kids go to private school, but a lot of the other kids in the neighborhood go to Hillwood, and they say that even that school is scary. Gangs, fights, kids cussing out and threatening teachers, girls getting leered at by creepy dudes as they walk the halls, etc. And this is in West Friggin Meade!

Basically, if you want an idea of what it's like attending most Metro high schools, think "Dangerous Minds" except with teachers that DON'T look like Michelle Pfieffer.

[alleycat]

Pimpy, I can appreciate a lot of what you're saying (although not the way you're saying it). If I had kids of high school age, I would have to think long and hard before sending them to public school, and would do a lot of research on the particular school they would be attending. A metro area like Nashville has a lot more problems to deal with in public education than a smaller town. For a large part of Nashville, there is already a dividing line between those who can afford to send their kids to a private school and those who can't.

Things are changing all over however. I went to Clarksville High School years ago. Back then there was only three or four high schools in the county and the discipline at CHS was VERY STRICT and the school environment was controlled for the most part. I suspect even it has changed now. I would have to check before I would even send a kid to school there now.

Still, there are a few high schools in Nashville that might be okay; one just needs to make sure before shipping their kids off. Whenever anyone asks here on the forum, I pretty much try to tell them that.

[auntsherry6]

I have been reading all the prior posts and have found them very helpful. We are moving to Nashville after the summer of 2008 and we wanted to start now with the prep work of finding the right area to live in (for children), proximity to downtown Nashville (for job reasons) and of course, price-wise. We will be renting at first and want to know the best area for doing that, as well. We are originally from Chattanooga -so we have a base knowledge of Nashville but there is so much more we need to know before moving. Is there anyone out there who would be willing to exchange email addresses and offer up some helpful advice to a soon-to-be new neighbor??? Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much, Sherry