Nashville is called Music City for a reason. Live music is everywhere: on the street, in cafes, accompanying your late-night drinks. Nashville is THE destination for country music hopefuls. Even If your career isn’t center stage, there are plenty of jobs to be had in Music City. A recent study by NerdWallet found that the top two employers in the city are healthcare and tech. Aside from Bridgestone Tires and Vanguard Industries, both of which have their headquarters in Nashville, there is quite the startup hub blossoming here, playing host to companies like Emma and Cicayda. With an extremely low unemployment rate of about 3%, it doesn’t take very long for new residents to find a job!

It can sound mean-spirited to put down the people who bring so much revenue to the city but not only is Nashville the go-to destination for music lovers, but it’s also acquired a new title: Bachville...Anyone who’s anyone is having their bachelor/bachelorette parties in Nashville. On any relatively warm night, you can find Broadway packed with veil-wearing parties all in matching “Bride Tribe” shirts, looking for a good time. Luckily, if you stay out of downtown you may never see them!

The Opportunities Rule

LookyLOO Review of Nashville

Nashville is a city of transplants: everyone is from everywhere. It may be the music scene or it could be the job opportunities, but there’s no doubt that Nashville has grown tremendously in the last 10 years. The city feel varies wildly depending on where you are. Overall, it has the feel of a college town. The city’s culture revolves heavily around the large university community and there are parts of town that definitely feel like a college town: bars with neon signs and half-price drinks, fans flooding the streets on game day, and a ton of late-night spots that are crowded until 2 AM. Outside of those areas you’ll either be in one of two places: tourist-center (downtown) or chill, true Nashville. Tourism plays a huge role in the city’s economy as well as the vibe. If you’re anywhere downtown in the warmer months, you will be inundated with people in town for Bachelor or Bachelorette parties. Then there’s the people in town for the music who flock to the Grand Ole Opry, Tootsie’s, or the Country Music Hall of fame. Then there are a ton of areas that just feel like Nashville. Not as crowded with tourists, they still have the friendly southern hospitality, great food, and even greater coffee and beer. A lot of locals really rely on their neighborhood because they dread getting in the car and trudging across the city for a night out.

Check out the Nashville [calendar of events](https://www.visitmusiccity.com/things-to-do-in-nashville/nashville-events) to get a deeper sense of what's happening here.

Lifestyle 

In Music City, the country music industry plays a huge part in Nashville’s economy. The Big Three record labels, as well as numerous independent labels, have offices in Nashville. It’s also the headquarters of Gibson guitars. This plays a huge role in the “gig culture” of the work scene here. A lot of people who are trying to make it big in music often piece together work from a variety of day jobs, while playing shows at night. Apart from music, top industries include healthcare, publishing, banking, automotive, and tech. Healthcare being the largest industry, Nashville is home to over 300 health care companies including Hospital Corporation of America (the largest private operator of hospitals in the US). Headquarters in the city also include Bridgestone Americas, Logan’s Roadhouse, and more, while Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and Nissan, amongst others, also maintain a large presence in the city. University life also plays a huge role in the workforce of Nashville, with Tennessee State, Vanderbilt, Belmont, Fisk and more all within city limits.


Worklife 

[**Nashville Public School District**](mnps.org) comes in at a [**"B-" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/metro-nashville-public-schools-tn/) but many parents chiming in on the ranking sites and Reddit proclaim these scores as not capturing the opportunity fairly. 

If you pay attention to the ranking systems then check out a couple of local pearls at the high school level:
-[**Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet School**](humefogg.mnps.org); is the highest-ranked school in the entire state and receives an [**"A+" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/hume-fogg-academic-magnet-school-nashville-tn/). 
- [**Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School**](mlk.mnps.org): the fourth highest-ranked public school in Tennessee, MLK Jr. receives an [**"A+" on niche.com**](Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School) as well. 


Here is a review from one parent countering the rankings Nashville Public Schools receive on standardized sites: 

**n-dubz**
Living in Nashville
Edited 3mo ago


We’ve almost completed year #2 of our MNPS elementary school experience and are totally satisfied. Our teachers have been fantastic! Last year in K, it was our teacher’s 2nd year. This year in 1st we have a 27 year veteran. We’ve been thoroughly impressed with both.

I checked the Great Schools website and our school seems to have low marks, but 4.6/5 stars from parents. I’m not sure where this data is pulled. I’m not challenging the legitimacy of it, I just haven’t seen the testing data myself from the school. Especially since our child is in 1st and I think they start testing in 3rd?

Unpopular opinion: Do we pay these schools to educate our children? Yes. Does educating stop there? No. While I think the schools should provide the best education possible, I do think as a parent, I’m responsible for closing any gaps as well as going above and beyond to best prepare my children for life. Private school is out of reach for us also, but my kids only get one shot at this before they’re grown and into the real world. I don’t want to knock against others’ parenting, but I do know of parents who really don’t care about their child’s education.

Lastly, if you want an optimist perspective, if you don’t have children now, that’s means you are looking 5-ish years down the road. A lot can change between now and then, for better or worse. The vast majority tend to gloss over local elections, but I’d recommend paying attention to who your elected school board folks are, and if you think a change needs to be made, be sure to vote!

Schools

Trends come and go, but Nashville isn’t going to be dethroned as Music City any time soon. There’s jobs, fun restaurants and bars, and a plethora of housing to fit any budget or family. It’s definitely growing, but there’s something about the fun hustle and bustle of being surrounded by hopefuls that just makes you feel at home!


Nashville will always be a hit!

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**Pootater**
Living in Nashville
2y ago
✭✭✭

It depends on their reasons for wanting to move here, I think.

If home buying is important, it’s tough to recommend. If they are intrigued with just the general vibe of what they know of Nashville, that is probably only the tourist side of the city which gets old quickly. It is frustrating that the city seems to keep doubling down on tourism and bringing in huge corporate interests rather than invest in those of us who are already here.

On the other hand, if they are coming to be closer to friends and family, that’s the reason to move here or anyplace really. I’ve been to a decent number of American cities and, broadly speaking, they’re all pretty same-y. It’s more about the community you want to be a part of.

I moved back here after growing up in Franklin to be closer to family and to live in a city big enough to have an indie music scene and that smaller, touring bands came through (not a country fan at all). For that, I love it. I hate that it feels like I’ll never be able to afford a house here unless the market crashes. I stay because of the people around me, though.

Reviews of Nashville from Locals

**The Best Thing About Nashville?** The Opportunities

Nashville is called Music City for a reason. Live music is everywhere: on the street, in cafes, accompanying your late night drinks. Nashville is the destination for country music hopefuls. 
Even If your career isn’t center stage, there are plenty of jobs to be had in Music City. A recent study by NerdWallet found that the top two employers in the city are healthcare and tech. Aside from Bridgestone Tires and Vanguard Industries, both of which have their headquarters in Nashville, there is quite the startup hub blossoming in the city, playing host to companies like Emma and Cicayda. With an extremely low unemployment rate of about 2%, it doesn’t take very long for new residents to find a job!


**The Worst Thing About Nashville?** Tourists in Downtown

It can sound mean-spirited to put down the people that bring so much revenue to the city, but not only is Nashville the go-to destination for music lovers, it’s also acquired a new title: Bachville...Anyone who’s anyone is having their bachelor/bachelorette parties in Nashville. On any relatively warm night, you can find Broadway packed with veil-wearing parties all in matching “Bride Tribe” shirts, looking for a good time. Luckily, if you stay out of downtown you may never see them!



**How You Living?** Do want to be hip or no?

There seems to be a distinct separation between the hip neighborhoods and the...less hip! IF you’re looking for condos and a younger crowd, check out the West End. The Nations is an up and coming neighborhood, or if you’re in an older hip demographic check out East Nash. It has great restaurants and bars, but you’ll have a yard. If you can’t live without a neighborhood feel, try Sylvan Park/Sylvan Heights area. If you’re hardcore suburb, maybe try Charlotte Park. It’s perfect for those of us who consider fun Saturday plans to include Target and Costco runs (we’re not judging). 


**Why You Should Move Here Now?** Nashville will always be a hit!

Trends come and go, but Nashville isn’t going to be dethroned as Music City any time soon. There’s jobs, fun restaurants and bars, and a plethora of housing to fit any budget or family. It’s definitely growing, but there’s something about the fun hustle and bustle of being surrounded by hopefuls that just makes you feel at home!


Nashville is in an area a lot of people refer to as “Middle Tennessee.” It’s almost smack dab in the center of the state and has Knoxville to the east, Memphis to the southwest, and Chattanooga to the southeast. Cumberland River snakes through the city and it’s also surrounded by reserves and nature areas like Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural Area to the east, Boxwell Scout Reservation to the northeast, Beaman Park to the northwest, and more. If you take a look at a map of the city from above, the roads might not seem like they make much sense, and you’d be right. Locals and long-time Nashvillains complain that the city was not built for as many people have started moving there, meaning traffic is a huge issue. Living in Nashville can also feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, as you’d have to put in a solid road trip to get to a neighboring major city like Atalnta or Charlotte.


The Area

With the universities in the area, there are no shortage of neighborhoods with great sports bars and walkability. If you can afford it, we suggest trying to find a place in Midtown. It’s a notoriously cool neighborhood with trendy apartments and lofts, walkability to outdoor spaces as well as nightlife, and it’s also close to a lot of the medical centers in Nashville. Living here you’ll get weekend picnics in Centennial Park, concerts at Exit/In, dancing and drinks at Play Dance Bar, and a ton of great food (hello mimosas at Americano)!
- Midtown
- Gulch
- Downtown


College Students

Midtown

Nashville is a young professional's dream city. There’s music, great food, and a ton of job opportunities, especially if you’re in tech or medicine. Skip East Nash for now and check out the Wedgewood-Houston area. It’s just south of downtown, it has relatively affordable places to rent, and thanks to the old warehouses, factories, and redone garages, there are great art galleries, breweries, and cute shops in the area. It’s definitely walkable, although locals will tell you about the notoriously narrow streets. If your perfect Saturday consists of brunch at Earnest Bar & Hideaway, shopping at Track One, day drinks at the Loading Dock, then dinner at the Flying Hawaiian, then this is the place for you.
- Wedgewood-Houston
- East Nash
- West End


Young Professionals

Wedgewood Houston 

Unlike other large cities, Nashville has some neighborhoods with a little room to grow. You can find cute houses that need a little love or completely redone condos– it just depends on what you’re looking for! We suggest starting your search in the Nations. It might be expensive, but it has a young/hip vibe with bars, restaurants, coffee shops and a lot of dog friendly areas. Here you’ll find what locals call the “tall skinny” home architecture. Homes are built up, while still maintaining a southern style feel with double porches and a just enough lawn for little ones!
- The Nations
- East Nash
- Sylvan Park


Young Families

The Nations

Even though it’s getting more expensive, you can definitely find some larger homes in the area without having to go full suburb. Sylvan Park may be pricey, but it’s worth it. It’s located on the westside, it’s walkable, and there’s a ton to do. You’ll be close to some of the best restaurants and shopping in the area as well as a ton of parks. The homes here have larger yards and the style can vary from brick bungalows to modern mini-mansions. 
- Sylvan Park/Sylvan Heights
- The Nations
- Charlotte Park


Established Families

Sylvan Park/Sylvan Heights

Nashville is a great place to retire if you love going out, music, and don’t mind a younger crowd. Arguably the most walkable area is the Gulch. It can feel a little bit like a tourist hub, but that’s what makes it fun! There are a lot of bars, restaurants, and coffee shops to spend time at. Check out the high-rise condos and apartments that also give you rooftop pools and great views!
- The Gulch
- Sobro
- Midtown


Retirees

The Gulch

Nashville

**ruuustin**
Living in Nashville
2y ago
✭✭

Brentwood
My best suggestion would be to find Doc Brown and hop in the Delorean and get here 5 years ago.

It's fine, but barring a good job bringing you here it's a tough sell for me today. My wife and I moved here for jobs 13 years ago and it was great at the time. As a two professional household we got a ton for our money. We see houses in our neighborhood renting for 2.5x our mortgage payment. If you bought a house 4-10 years ago you are probably fine, but that same house is likely ~3x as much now and if you didn't buy a few years ago it'll be reallllllly hard to buy now.

Now Nashville is in this weird spot where we're masquerading as a big city, but we don't have big city things quite yet.

All that being said... If I was young and single and had a decent enough job... It would be a fun place to live for a couple of years. You'll be fine living in a place that's a little too small and having a little fun... meet some people...

If you're a bit older and are used to a house and some space... I wouldn't come here now.

**Cesia_Barry**
Living in Nashville
10mo ago
✭✭

If climate is important to you, know that Nashville is very hot in the summer. Last year we had 90 days of 90+ degrees, with a single, random 83-degree day. This year was only slightly better. We also have huge thunderstorms, floods every few years. The floods are much worse now because developers are allowed to build in near the 100-year floodplain, which is now flooding much more often & much deeper.

And we have winters that can be mild, and winters when the city is paralyzed by snow and ice.

Nice that you've heard great things about Nashville but the "let's move to Nashville because it's fun & cheap & the weather is great" ship has sailed.

**chiquitatexicana**
Living in Nashville
10mo ago
✭✭✭

like any place, there are pros and cons. I recommend visiting here more than once before moving. there are also a lot of variations in the way things will impact you, depending on your lifestyle.

traffic is literally horrible. every single day. not a big deal if you work from home. no end to this issue in sight (regardless of “transit plans” that get floated around).

there is always something going on in town (this is both a good thing and a bad thing. stuff is crowded at all times.) Candidly, a lot of it does revolve around bars but there’s so much more than that if you’re willing to look.

in general, I think a lot of decisions are made with tourists in mind rather than locals. this can be a huge bummer sometimes and I have found that things that were enjoyable over the last few years have become too popular to really enjoy anymore. but on the flip side, growth is always happening..everywhere.

the state is beautiful for outdoor activities and you can easily drive to surrounding states and areas for additional places to explore. Summers can be HOT and outdoor activities are not as enjoyable as a place like Colorado (in my opinion).

in general, people are nice here. the tourist crowd tends to be celeb/influencer obsessed but it’s not nearly as bad as CA.

housing prices are insane but a great place to invest in if you plan to buy. rent is….borderline highway robbery. everywhere.
I like the opportunity the city provides. It's booming and you can feel the energy. Whenever someone says "why don't you have XXX in Nashville" what they mean is "I haven't bothered looking for XXX yet." Yeah, we may not have off-the-boat Chinese food like San Francisco but we have a surprising amount of authentic food all over the city.



Nashville, Tennessee

The City For Dreamers

Looklyloo Score: 93