Moving to Nashville? Get A Taste of Music City

Jun 05, 2020

Photo by Brandon Jean

Originally Posted On: https://www.lifestorage.com/blog/moving/moving-to-nashville/

Moving to Nashville means more than country music and pro-football. The city is teeming with culture, arts, diversity, and tech, making it one of the most exciting “big little” cities in the Southeast. There’s no possible way to list every amazing restaurant, festival, music show, and creative event that happens in this city — it’s too full of life to catch everything in just a few paragraphs — but I’m here to give you a jumping-off point to find your own favorites as you settle in.

While this can’t be a complete list of every possible thing that makes Nashville great, it can get you started on the best foot just in time for your move. This guide is everything you need to know about moving to Music City, offering all the highlights so that you can discover your own favorites and fall in love with this incredible city. Let’s get started.

Here’s What It’s Like Living in Nashville

If everything you know about Nashville comes from the Country Music Awards or the TV drama Nashville, then you’re in for a treat. There is a lot to offer residents of all types. Let’s break it down.

Nashville by the Numbers

Nashville Value:

Median household income (adjusted inflation numbers): $63,939
State income tax: 0%
Sales tax: 9.25%

Cost of Living:

Median home value: $287,076
The average monthly cost of living: $2192.76
Average rent: $1540.90

Why Move to Nashville

The biggest employers in Nashville are in healthcare, higher education, and government. These fields have strong recession-proof numbers and provide Nashville with a measure of stability. The largest employer in the city is Vanderbilt – a blend of higher education and healthcare – with Nissan North America and HCA rounding out the top three.

It’s also a fun city, home to minor and pro league sports (Go Preds!) and cultural festivals (your chance to compete for Dragon Boat glory). There are iconic restaurants such as Prince’s Hot Chicken and the Loveless Cafe. Plus, everyone — Gen Z just entering the workforce (surprise concert at Grimey’s) to families (Live on the Green and Little Art House) to retired couples (a Full Moon Picking Party, perhaps?) — can find the perfect way to pass the time.

What to Consider

Nashville is becoming an expensive place to live. While currently not in the top ten most expensive cities, it’s just below the top 20. If you’re moving to Nashville, the numbers can paint a grim picture, but considering the growing tech presence in Nashville and the strong music industry, it is possible to land a job that pays enough to be comfortable.

Nashville also lacks public transportation infrastructure unless your work location is downtown, and the traffic grid has strained under the weight of the growing city. However, each of these downsides is an opportunity for Nashville residents to innovate and make a difference, and maybe that innovator is you!

Nashville’s Best Neighborhoods

The area is home to quite a few different types of neighborhoods, allowing residents to settle in places that suit their needs and their personalities. Let’s take a look at a handful of contenders.

For Fast-Paced Urban Living

Music, food, nightlife, and singles – these neighborhoods offer something for people wanting to turn up the volume.

The Gulch

As one of the fastest-growing areas in Nashville, The Gulch is home to swanky condos and walkable streets. It’s cheaper than living right downtown, but not by much. With easy access to the interstate and plenty of bars, restaurants, and music venues to keep you busy, this area is extremely popular.

Midtown

For a thriving area that’s a little more removed from the tourists, Midtown is a great choice. It’s home to an excellent selection of new condos and upscale apartments with Nashville staples like Patterson House and easy walking to Division and Demonbreun Streets for some of the most famous music studios in the country. It’s a dynamic section of the city.

For Walkable, Family-Friendly Spaces

If apartment or condo living isn’t your style and the thought of bars open until 3 am isn’t appealing, some of Nashville’s quieter areas could be a great choice.

Sylvan Park

Sylvan Park was cool before Nashville itself was. The neighborhood located just off Charlotte and west of downtown features charming cottage style homes with sidewalks and popular eateries like Star Bagel, Nashville’s oldest and only locally owned bagel shop and bakery. McCabe Park offers golf, greenways, and a brand new community center while The Produce Place continues to offer organic produce and local foods.

12 South

12 South is a thriving area with lots of local restaurants and little shops. It’s anchored by Sevier Park, a small green area located centrally and home to a weekly farmer’s market and plenty of festivals in the spring, summer, and fall. With charming, single-family homes lining the side streets of the connecting road 12th Ave S. and plenty of sidewalks from Belmont to nearly downtown, it has a lot to offer.

For a Little of Everything

If you’d love a little bit of everything, there are a few places you could choose.

East Nashville

Everything east of I24 is considered part of this historic section of Nashville. East Nashville is home to a thriving art scene and plenty of local food. With new condos, traditional cottage style single-family homes, and everything in between, it’s home to both young professionals and families alike. It’s known for its lovable and wacky character (there’s an annual art festival dedicated to the tomato) and has everything a Nashville resident could want.

Germantown

Considered one of the oldest areas of Nashville, Germantown boasts an eclectic vibe that’s still mild enough to close down by 10 pm. It’s most well known for German-themed restaurants and festivals (and yes, there’s a decent Oktoberfest), but it’s also a walkable area with boutiques and a few art galleries. It’s close to the central Nashville Farmer’s Market and the Bicentennial Mall green space and offers single-family homes, condos, and even a few high-rises.

Other Notable Neighborhoods

Nashville is home to quite a few different areas, so check out a variety if you can before making your official move.

Green Hills – A classic neighborhood with lots of space, single-family homes, and proximity to David Lipscomb, a K-12 private school and four-year private university.
Charlotte Park – Sandwiched between downtown and Bellevue, this area is home to quite a few retirees and families. It’s experiencing a renaissance and could have more affordable homes or apartments (for the moment).
Elliston Place – A sliver of space west of downtown and adjacent to Centennial Park, this area is known for rock and roll with plenty of small venues like Exit/In and The End.
Melrose – Melrose is a quieter area built for families and young professionals who want to experience what old Nashville feels like. It’s a classic neighborhood with access to grocery stores, restaurants like Sinema and The Sutler, and plenty of housing. And it’s the original location of M.L. Rose.

Things to Do

Nashville offers a wide variety of things to do despite its smaller size. No matter your interest, there’s a place in Nashville for you.

Music

Nashville is known as Music City for a reason. The Country Music Hall of Fame is a must for both tourists and residents alike with installations that highlight both well-known musicians and the industry itself.

Around the city, residents have a variety of ways to hear music. Local options include Mercy Lounge (and its upstairs sister, The Cannery), The 5 Spot, 3rd and Lindsley, Exit/In, Bluebird Cafe, Minerva Avenue, The Vanguard, and the Station Inn, host music from every genre imaginable. In reality, every corner in the city has a music venue, and one of the best local pastimes is finding new, hidden gems.

For bigger shows, The Ryman (the original home of The Grand Old Opry) offers some of the best listening in the city. Residents revere this venue, and out-of-towners can catch intimate shows of some of the best acts in the country. Bridgestone Arena and the outdoor venue Ascend Amphitheater provide space for big acts.

Nashville is also home to the classical music venue, The Schermerhorn, with an in-house orchestra that plays everything from classics to up and coming composers to movies like Star Wars with live music. TPAC brings musicals to the city to round things out.

Sports

Bridgestone Arena Nashville Night Bridgestone Arena, Home of the Preds

Nashville has both a pro-football team, the Titans, and a nationally ranked pro-hockey team, The Predators (but don’t call them that. After moving to Nashville, it’s ‘The Preds’ forever). You get that pro-team excitement at still affordable prices for some of the seats.

That isn’t all. Nashville’s minor league baseball team, the Sounds, just moved to a brand new venue for affordable outdoor fun. The latest sports addition to the city, the Nashville Soccer Club, is another major league team playing in the USL championship.

Outdoor sports are also available locally with hiking clubs and meetups. The area is home to plenty of rivers and lakes where you can rent paddleboards, kayaks, and boats for fishing or swimming.

Culture

Nashville’s diversity is unmatched in the state, and you can experience something wholly different than the classic music and bar scene. Nearly a third of the city’s public school students speak a different language than English while at home, and the city’s Welcoming America initiative has created a thriving cultural environment.

You can take part in local festivals such as the Nashville Culture Festival, the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival, the Thai-Laotian Food Fair, the Indian Cultural Festival, and the Greek Festival, among many others. The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition offers many events, such as the InterNASHional Food Crawl, and the Global Education Center, dedicated both to entertainment and education.

Nashville is home to many restaurants in this space as well. Travel down Nolensville Road for everything from traditional Mexican to Persian restaurants. Head to Sulav for a taste of Kurdish dishes, Epice for upscale Lebanese dining, Chaatable for Indian street food, or Anatolia for traditional Turkish cuisine. Check out Nashville’s local paper The Scene, for even more ideas.

The Arts

Schermerhorn Symphony Center Nashville Tennessee Schermerhorn Symphony Center

The Frist is Nashville’s premier art museum – dedicated both to world-class art exhibits and community education – but that isn’t all. Art thrives in Nashville with local galleries hosting exhibitions and an entire Second Saturday Art Crawl dedicated to local galleries and artists.

Local theater is also thriving with the Belcourt offering both popular movies and independent films, The Porch providing both entertainment and education, and small publishing houses such as April Gloaming.

Higher Education

With over 20 higher education institutes within the city, Nashville is home to plenty of world-class education. Vanderbilt University (ranked 18th in the nation) and Belmont University provide undergraduate and graduate-level education while smaller colleges such as David Lipscomb provide intimate education settings and plenty of scholarships.

Nashville is home to prestigious historically black colleges and universities with Fisk, Tennessee State University, and Meharry providing students of all backgrounds quality education. Community colleges such as Nashville State Community College help students with affordable two-year degrees, and specialty colleges such as Watkins College of Art and Design help fill niche programs.

Dining

Food in Nashville is some of the best in the country. Not only do you have all the food we mentioned in the cultural section, but dining that touches on any type of experience you could want.

Prince’s Hot Chicken is the original Nashville hot chicken place while The Cake Project offers a brand new cheesecake experience to North Nashville. Catbird Seat provides diners with a unique, open-seating plan and changing menu while the duo behind Biscuit Love and ‘za provide food that just makes you happy.

Redheaded Stranger hits your breakfast taco cravings, and Nicky’s Coal Fired offers the perfect pizza. Husk provides iconic southern and veggie dishes while Arnold’s Country Kitchen continues its traditional “meat and three” style. Bastion offers a secretive back-of-the-restaurant vibe, while Lockland Table encourages open seating and community.