The Nashville Thread

All depends on what you're looking for - your NorCal budget will buy you a lot of house in the burbs or a really sweet condo inside the downtown loop. All depends on your needs and commute scenario. Traffic in Nashville is ridiculous during rush hour so it all depends on what you're willing to live with. I live on 1/2 acre backing up to 15 acres of deep woods, 16 miles from my office downtown. No traffic its <30 minutes, but most days it takes me 50 mins to 1:15 to get to / from the office. But I deal w/ it b/c I like trees and grass!

Areas I'm most familiar with and/or have lived: short downtown commutes

East Nashville - for many many years was where Nashville's crime lived and while some of that is still omnipresent it has become the home of bohemian Brooklyn-types, musicians, artists, etc., pricey by Nashville standards per sq ft but depending on where you are generally good food, great bars and much of it walkable. and most areas can reach downtown Nashville in 10-20mins.
Gulch - condos, downtown, very trendy and expensive to live
12th South - trendy, expensive close to Belmont, old houses
Sylvan Park - becoming trendy, expensive, greenways and walkable to bars and food
Nashville West - used to be the hood, but is now filled with tall, skinny houses 2-4 on a lot. crowded for the $500k price tags imo
Germantown - victorian styled architecture, undergoing a renaissance right now. also was the hood 15 years ago and is still a few streets away but is generally safe. good Octoberfest

'Burbs
(WEST) Bellevue - Nice area, more spread out, on the west side of town so for me no go b/c it's on the opposite side of the city from the plateau and mountains
(WEST) Belle Meade - If you want a house here, you already know about it. estates on large plots of land. Percy Warner end-caps this area
(SOUTH) Franklin/Cool Springs - where Nashville spends their money, malls, restaurants, etc., not a bad place to live though - plenty of amenities and 30 mins from downtown without traffic, good public schools
(SOUTH) Nolensville - relatively affordable, newer neighborhood and houses b/c most of it was open land a decade or 15 years ago. good public schools
(SOUTH) Brentwood - one of the nicer parts of Nashville area, Nashville's "money" lives in Brentwood or Belle Meade
(EAST) Hermitage - decent area, cheap relatively speaking, basic amenities off I-40. where Andrew Jackson's home was
(EAST) Mt. Juliet - lots of character, the east side's answer to Cool Springs with shopping and whatnot but you can still get a big house and some land out there if you are willing to drive a bit. decent fishing spots nearby and you aren't far from Center Hill.

Never lived on the Northside... nor will I though I have friends who live in some neighborhoods close to Opryland and they are nice.

Tennesse is an incredible place to live if you like to camp and fish or anything outdoors short of snowboarding/skiing. The Cumberland Plateau is 1:30 away and has some of the best wilderness you'll find nestled 2000ft above the valleys. Big South Fork, Catoosa Wilderness, South Cumberland, Obed Wild and Scenic River are all reasonable drives from Nashville. Go a bit further (3-3.5 hrs) and you can pick your activity all along the western side of the Appalachians in East TN. Nashville itself has a couple of dam controlled lakes and a couple of excellent parks for hiking and whatnot (Radnor Lake and Percy Warner) that are good to get a fix when you can't get away, but most weekends when it's nice out we make the drive east to clear waters and elevation!

I travel for work quite a bit and spend a lot of time in SFO and while I've been tempted to take offers to move our there a few times, there's nothing like TN to me. I get out to cali enough to get my fix of Yosemite, Big Sur, etc., though!

 

how much is your salary changing from Sacramento to Nashville? Rent here can be anywhere from $500-$2000 a month, depending on how far you want to drive, where your work is, what you're willing to put up with, etc, etc etc. I think the renting market here is more favorable than the buying market in Nashville though. The barrier to home-ownership is pretty steep.
What is your occupation if you don't mind me asking?

There are some areas you probably want to stay away from. Antioch, North Nashville (like Buena Vista), Madison has many sketch areas. You are pretty much good anywhere else.

 

My salary will actually be increasing with the move. Salary breakdown will be anywhere from $25-$30 an hour. I’m okay with a commute and would rather be a little ways away from the city. Preferably with a couple acres of property.

 

Very detailed! Thanks a bunch!

 

May look into the Whites Creek area as well then

 

Also, how strict are gun laws in TN? Because CA is ridiculous

 

haha - I had a break and just kept typing. there's a lot going on in Nashville with a big influx of population in the last few years. my in-law real estate brokers love all the Cali transplants who come here and say... why just buy one when I could buy 3 houses for the same price I was paying back home and rent them out!?

 

I’m originally from Oklahoma/Texas so I’m excited to get back and be somewhat close to all my relatives. But yes the cost of living in CA for what you get is crazy compared to other states

 

would you be splitting the rent or looking for a 1 bedroom? On that pay I think you should try to cap your budget at $1,300 a month. You could go anywhere in between depending on your personal preferences. It's different for everyone. You likely could live wherever you wanted on that, but I would personally stay away from big cookie cutter apartments. They are NOT a 'get what you pay for' situation in most instances. I would recommend a smaller rental property agency. We use Gianikas now, and the rent prices are very good for what you get, and they are pretty good about maint requests, etc.

I came from Alabama, so I think they're more strict. That being said, they are basically non-existent. The only reason I say they're more strict is because you have to take a class to get your concealed carry permit (one 8 hour session). In alabama, all you do is fill out a form and wait 6 weeks. CCW permits in TN are good for 8 years tho.

Other than that, there are no restrictions. If a "no guns" sign is on the door, it MUST look EXACTLY like this sign, or it isn't valid and you can carry inside if a permit holder.




"As of July 1, 2016, amendments to Section 39-17-1359, which made changes to the requirements for posted signs, will take effect. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-1359 (b) (3) (A) A sign shall be used as the method of posting. The sign shall include the phrase "NO FIREARMS ALLOWED", and the phrase shall measure at least one inch (1") high and eight inches (8") wide. The sign shall also include the phrase "As authorized by T.C.A. Section 39-17-1359". (B) The sign shall include a pictorial representation of the phrase "NO FIREARMS ALLOWED" that shall include a circle with a diagonal line through the circle and an image of a firearm inside the circle under the diagonal line. The entire pictorial representation shall be at least four inches (4") high and four inches (4") wide. The diagonal line shall be at a forty-five degree (45deg.) angle from the upper left to the lower right side of the circle."

Slash on the wrong side? Pictoral representation not 4"x4"? Go ahead and exercise your 2nd amendment. This was a nice thing I learned in my concealed carry class, by an old-school retired cop named Buford. And yep, he was hilarious.


There are no mag limits, wait periods, or whatever other BS-work-in-theory-but-doesn't-work-in-reality laws in this state (yet).

 

what keeps everybody there? The drought? Earthquakes? Fires? high cost of living? Mud slides? Smog?

 

Precisely the reason why I cannot buy a home here. Too much speculative purchasing and then subsequent renting. Can't wait for the non-owner occupied AirBNBs to go bye bye. Then maybe the home prices will stop being artificially inflated and I can actually buy a house to you know, LIVE in.

 

I have no idea honestly. The one good thing that came from me living in CA is I met my wife. She’s excited for the move as well because she’s never been out of CA

 

It's sunny and 72 year round, man.

 

I will add, living in Sacramento is not that bad. You have to deal with all the bullshit but I’m perfectly centralized from the ocean, snow/mountains, redwoods.
Still would rather not live here though.

Commiefornia

 

Yeah, I have a friend who grew up and still spends some time in Sacramento and it's not a bad place to live being centrally located. Lots to love about TN as well - just prepare to (and PLEASE DO!) drive east. Kills me how people can live in Nashville and not drive a couple hours to some of the most beautiful land I've seen anywhere and I've traveled a lot

 

This is basically spot on. I live West of Nashville. My mother lives in Franklin. I love both areas. Id live any direction of nashville except North of nashville and thats just my personal opinion. I know a lot of folks that live north and they like it.


bshammer0 - What is your profession? Getting to live in TN and frequent Cali is the perfect set up.

 

Professional Services - Software, consulting, data integration.

I also travel to Denver once a month and Seattle on occasion so I get to hit my favorite areas in the country frequently and as much as I love them it still makes me appreciate TN even more.

 

100%. I try to do as much as possible. The most beautiful/memorable trips are the lengthy ones. Big Sur, the redwoods, MOAB.

 

Ah MOAB - I keep wanting to make that drive out there but have done a couple of those only stop to pee and fuel up and swap drivers trips from Nashville to the west coast and I'm over it until I have the time on my hands to take the time to slow down and enjoy the trip. Normally just fly into SLC and rent a 4WD. Dying to get back out there

 

I was there for a week doing all the trails/hiking I could do. We went in may and it was cold night and blistering days. Next time I go I’m definitely gonna research a cooler time to go. Wheeling all day with my trucks AC on full blast and 100 degrees outside made me feel bad for the ole girl lol