How to Choose the Best Nashville Neighborhood For You

Whether you’re moving to a new city or just around the corner, deciding where to live can be a big decision. Though you’ll typically have more flexibility if you’re renting instead of buying, most leases are for 12 months and you want to make sure you’ve made the right decision for you and your lifestyle.
Each home search process is unique, and different factors will have greater importance than others for each person. When I was planning a move to Nashville more than a year ago these were some of the factors I took into consideration in choosing which neighborhood I should live in.
Budget
Let’s talk money. It’s a good idea to have at least a general idea of what you’re comfortable paying each month because it can sometimes dictate where you’re able to look. In Nashville, average rent prices rose 60% between 2011 and 2017 (yikes). You don’t want to fall in love with a place that just isn’t realistic for you right now, so determining the average living costs by neighborhood is a great way to start. You may also want to look into how prices for homes and apartments have changed in a particular neighborhood because it won’t always match the overall trend.
Size
Budget and size are typically related, so you may be able to find wiggle room in the budget for your dream area if you’re willing to scale down the square footage or the number of bedrooms you want. The size of a home or apartment is a great place for a reality check of “want vs. need”.
Job
When I was planning my move to Nashville I didn’t have a job, so there wasn’t one particular area that would make commuting easier. A few months before moving I decided that I wanted to work from home, which is something my boyfriend was already doing. If I had a job downtown, we probably would have preferred to live closer to the city center. However since both of us were going to be working from home, we instead needed space for a few desks in the apartment. When choosing a neighborhood it can be helpful to consider what type of job you have and where you’ll be working. It also makes sense to figure out what type and length of commute you’re comfortable with. Depending on where you work and what neighborhood you’re in, you may be able to use public transportation or bikes.
Favorite Hobbies
I can be a bit of a home body and a loner, so the thought of having crowds of people around all the time sounds exhausting to me. But maybe you love to go to restaurants every night and socialize each weekend. For these two different types of past times, we would be better suited in different neighborhoods. Considering your hobbies and what you do for fun on your time off can also help you choose a neighborhood. For example, I like to hike on the weekends, so I chose an apartment just around the corner from a park. However, someone else might want to be within walking or cheaply Uber-ing distance to more music venues or sports fields.
Lifestyle
Favorite hobbies and lifestyle tend to go hand in hand. No matter if you’re a single lady or a family of four or a retiree or a group of college roommates, chances are you might want to live around similar folks. Though you’re bound to find at least one in every category in most neighborhoods, there is typically a prevailing lifestyle for each neighborhood.
Privacy level
Would you like more breathing room and protection from trees, or do you want to watch people walk past your apartment window? The level of privacy you’ll enjoy at home is based on a few factors, one of which is population density. If you’re in a highly densely populated area it may be harder to find peace and quiet and alone time. However, if you’re in a low population density area you probably won’t bump into as many friends and interesting people as you walk down your street.
If buying: New builds, fixer uppers, or established neighborhood?
While this point is somewhat relevant for renters, buyers, in particular, should consider what type of homes they would like to be around. Are you willing to renovate a fixer upper in an older neighborhood, or do you want to be among the newest and most modern rows of homes?
Throughout the home or apartment hunting process it’s likely you may have to sacrifice some features for others. While we always hope to find the absolute perfect place, it’s a good idea to rank features so that you know what’s non-negotiable.
It’s also important to do your research and due diligence for any neighborhood you’re considering.
If spending dozens of hours looking at data about an area sounds like a bore to you, check out my Nashville Neighborhood Guides.


