Posted: 5/7/2026 2:12:38 PM EDT
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I’m making the jump to Nashville this summer for a new role for as a MSL, and I could definitely use some local wisdom from people who actually know the area beyond “Broadway + hot chicken + traffic.” I am starting a role that’ll have me traveling throughout the region (Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama) quite a bit. I’m planning to rent for about 12 months before buying so I can learn the city first. What I’m hoping to learn from you all: Best areas for a professional in his late 30s who wants a good balance of safety, convenience, gym/range access, decent food, and relative sanity. Any areas that are overrated or places locals would say to avoid. Townhome/home rental recommendations Realtor recommendations for when I eventually make the jump to buying Commute/travel considerations for someone who’ll be in and out of the airport somewhat regularly Any hidden gem areas that outsiders usually overlook I’m not really a nightlife/bar guy, so I’m less interested in “where the party is” and more interested in “where I won’t question my life choices every time I sit in traffic.” Current areas I’ve heard mixed things about: Germantown, Franklin, Brentwood, Mt. Juliet, and Hendersonville Would love honest opinions from locals including the “everyone moving here thinks this area is great but actually…” takes. Also, if there are any fellow transplants who moved here not knowing a soul, I’d love to hear how that went too. Appreciate any advice. |
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Originally Posted By oak86: Any areas that are overrated or places locals would say to avoid. Nashville. Seriously. The current trend is for restaurants to be closing, since they can no longer afford their property taxes after the mayor told the council that more property tax revenue was needed to pay for more bike lanes (there are cycling youtubers who have done videos on how badly Nashville plans the routes of bike lanes), more sidewalks (driving along and seeing a 100 foot section of sidewalk, that doesn't connect to anything, with no other sidewalks within sight, isn't really a strange thing to see in some parts of Nashville - it's another one of those lack of planning things), and to hand out passes to anyone enrolled in SNAP, so that they can ride the city buses for free. “everyone moving here thinks this area is great but actually…” One frequent thing to see in the local news in recent years, is a shooting in east Nashville (residential area east of downtown and on the opposite side of the Cumberland River from downtown), the reporter giving what information they have from police about the shooting, then interviews with random residents of the area who have lived there less than a year. Common statement from those recent transplants is "I can't believe something like that would happen here, because it's such a nice neighborhood." They obviously never looked at a map of their neighborhood, because it's easy to see on the map how many public housing projects are within a few blocks of their "nice neighborhood". It has been a ghetto area for as far back as I can remember (born in Nashville in the 1960s) and over the last decade or two, there have been efforts to gentrify it, but they have had only partial success in some pockets of the area. Bellevue used to be a safe area, but the city government started pushing the older Bellevue apartment complexes to take section 8 tenants, and now there have been shootings in the Kroger parking lot, a fight in Red Caboose Park that (if my memory isn't off) ended with two teens shot (one died), and a series of incidents in one apartment complex starting with several men standing in the parking lot and popping off random shots at apartments for 10 minutes or so, with nobody apparently daring to even think about shooting back at them - of course nobody could give the police a description or name of the men who were shooting. About the only place I would now consider living inside the county, would be a place similar to where I now live - dead end road near the edge of the county, only a few houses visible from your own house, and around half the neighbors being the type that would likely grab a rifle or shotgun if they heard a lot of shooting nearby and determined that it wasn't a neighbor doing some target practice. ETA: And how do you feel about homeless people being just about everywhere? It's pretty much common knowledge (to anyone who has been paying attention for the last decade) that the council has told MNPD to leave the homeless alone, unless they catch one of them in the act of committing a violent felony. ETA2: If you leave your car parked outside at night, in a suburb, it's likely only a matter of time before you get up one morning to discover that your car, and every other car parked outside on your block, has a broken window, with the interior of the car having been tossed to see if there was anything inside worth stealing. MNPD formed a special unit to deal with this, and at least one officer on that unit has told reporters that when they catch someone, it's not unusual for them to have prior arrests for the same thing. The Nashville juvenile court is run by the 'restorative justice' types, who place a high priority on getting offenders released as quickly as possible, with the main punishment being a requirement to sign a written pledge to not do it again. It's only when one of them shoots and kills someone (just the person who pulled the trigger, not any accomplices), that the Nashville juvenile court sees a reason for an actual punishment (so they turn them over to the adult criminal court, relieving themselves of the problem). |
Earthsheltered house - a reinforced bunker that even the treehuggers consider to be socially acceptable.
Earthbag house - like an earthsheltered house, but cheaper and easier to DIY.
Earthbag house - like an earthsheltered house, but cheaper and easier to DIY.
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Originally Posted By JPN: Nashville. Seriously. One frequent thing to see in the local news in recent years, is a shooting in east Nashville (residential area east of downtown and on the opposite side of the Cumberland River from downtown), the reporter giving what information they have from police about the shooting, then interviews with random residents of the area who have lived there less than a year. Common statement from those recent transplants is "I can't believe something like that would happen here, because it's such a nice neighborhood." They obviously never looked at a map of their neighborhood, because it's easy to see on the map how many public housing projects are within a few blocks of their "nice neighborhood". It has been a ghetto area for as far back as I can remember (born in Nashville in the 1960s) and over the last decade or two, there have been efforts to gentrify it, but they have had only partial success in some pockets of the area. The closest I've ever come to having to shoot someone outside of the military was in the parking lot of the gas station between the Titans' stadium and the Interstate while working an armed security shift back in late 2002/early 2003. Two cars pulled off the interstate, stopped at the light, ripped off 5-10 gunshots, and took off towards the project. I was walking the parking lot when I hear the shots, and, suddenly, I realize I'm standing there with my 1911 in a low ready with an older couple in a van from IL staring at me. I couldn't remember drawing my gun, it just seemed to jump out of my holster and into my hand. I was hyper focused on the threat. |
I will not compromise!
Ne Desit Virtus (Let Valor Not Fail) - Rakkasan!
"Life is fucking hard. Either get used to taking a few lumps like the rest of us, or buy a fucking helmet and crawl into a corner somewhere." -Me
Ne Desit Virtus (Let Valor Not Fail) - Rakkasan!
"Life is fucking hard. Either get used to taking a few lumps like the rest of us, or buy a fucking helmet and crawl into a corner somewhere." -Me
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Originally Posted By SiVisPacem: The closest I've ever come to having to shoot someone outside of the military was in the parking lot of the gas station between the Titans' stadium and the Interstate while working an armed security shift back in late 2002/early 2003. Two cars pulled off the interstate, stopped at the light, ripped off 5-10 gunshots, and took off towards the project. I was walking the parking lot when I hear the shots, and, suddenly, I realize I'm standing there with my 1911 in a low ready with an older couple in a van from IL staring at me. I couldn't remember drawing my gun, it just seemed to jump out of my holster and into my hand. I was hyper focused on the threat. From the Fall of 1999 to May of 2010, I worked at Cornelia Fort Airport. Starting in the Fall of (if my memory isn't off) 2004, my daughter was enrolled in the academic magnet school program, starting at Meigs Magnet Middle School, then Hume-Fogg Magnet High School. Not too hard to guess what areas I became familiar with, dropping her off in the morning, then heading to Cornelia Fort, and leaving the airport around 4:30pm to go pick her up. For her first year of middle school, they hadn't yet finished the new Meigs building (on the same site that the old Meigs building had been on), so they were using an old school building that I can't remember the name of, but it was on Douglas Avenue, a few blocks west of Ellington Parkway. Wonderful little area on Douglas... I still remember when the school sent home notices for parents to ask their kids to be careful if they had to stay after school for some reason, as there had been incidents of students being mugged after they stepped outside of the school building. Then they moved to the new Meigs building, which has been the site (either the Meigs parking lot, or the streets on either side of Meigs) of several of those shootings that made the news in east Nashville. ETA: Looking at a map, I think the building that my daughter spent her first year of middle school in, is now called KIPP Academy. |
Earthsheltered house - a reinforced bunker that even the treehuggers consider to be socially acceptable.
Earthbag house - like an earthsheltered house, but cheaper and easier to DIY.
Earthbag house - like an earthsheltered house, but cheaper and easier to DIY.
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Pardon my ignorance, what is an MSL? I have lots family in Nashville and have been going there since the 1960’s. It is no where the same as it was years ago, really changed in the last 20 years and not for the better. Wherever your office, commute to, etc. will be, live accordingly. No use in spending that much time in a daily commute. The other issue is budget, Nashville’s home prices are through the roof. |
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No worries at all! MSL stands for Medical Science Liaison. Basically, I'm a technical representative for a drug manufacturer. I’m there when healthcare professionals have questions about a drug, side effects, off label uses, or clinical trials. The commute advice is definitely appreciated. Since my territory will cover Tennessee/Kentucky/Alabama, I’ll be remote most of the time, but I’m trying to be strategic about where I land so I’m not spending my life sitting in traffic contemplating my life choices on I-65. Current plan is to rent a townhome/home for 12 months before buying anything. Going off this thread, it seems like the general consensus is to avoid Nashville proper all together. What about Murfreesboro? |
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Originally Posted By oak86: My job allows me to work from any location, so I’m open suggestions. Personally, I would definitely stay out of Davidson county period. Murfreesboro is eaten up with traffic problems as well. It’s become nothing more than just a suburb of Nashville for the most part. I would look at the other surrounding counties, Wilson, etc. |
| Murfreesboro used to be nice but MTSU has been giving excessive low income scholarships mainly from Nashville and Memphis for the last 20 years and is now more like a turd thats slipped out of Nashvilles pants leg. |
I think one of the major problems with America today is not enough families sit down to a big plate of squirrels momma just fried up.
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Originally Posted By oak86: What about Murfreesboro? I lived in Murfreesboro from 2006 until 2014. I moved there to attend MTSU. My ex-wife and I met while living there. The first place we moved into together was within a mile of campus. There was a fight in the driveway of the house next door which ended up in a homicide a couple miles away. We lived there for a year and moved to another house in a different neighborhood, but still within close distance to campus. Within a month of living there, there was a drive-by shooting six houses down the street. In the 18 months we lived in that house, there were at least two other shootings in the neighborhood. There were always reports of shootings, murders, armed robberies, and other violent crimes around town-especially in the apartment complexes frequently populated by MTSU students. Oh, and traffic SUCKS in Murfreesboro. |
I will not compromise!
Ne Desit Virtus (Let Valor Not Fail) - Rakkasan!
"Life is fucking hard. Either get used to taking a few lumps like the rest of us, or buy a fucking helmet and crawl into a corner somewhere." -Me
Ne Desit Virtus (Let Valor Not Fail) - Rakkasan!
"Life is fucking hard. Either get used to taking a few lumps like the rest of us, or buy a fucking helmet and crawl into a corner somewhere." -Me
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Originally Posted By oak86: My job allows me to work from any location, so I’m open suggestions. That being the case, Nashville and/or the greater Nashville area would not be on my list. I would be further east, plateau or more east than that. TN is fairly well served by the interstate system even in the east side of the state to KY, AL and the rest of the state. If blue politics, high taxes, lots of traffic are your thing, then Nashville should be right up your alley. Seriously. |
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Originally Posted By rebel_rifle: If blue politics, high taxes, lots of traffic are your thing, then Nashville should be right up your alley. Seriously. You forgot the illegal dumping of trash (including hazmat, from at least one report), widespread crime, failing infrastructure... One of the more jarring examples I can point to, is when the 'openly transgender' member of the Nashville council proved to be one of the more sane councilmembers to voice an opinion on a topic, a while back. |
Earthsheltered house - a reinforced bunker that even the treehuggers consider to be socially acceptable.
Earthbag house - like an earthsheltered house, but cheaper and easier to DIY.
Earthbag house - like an earthsheltered house, but cheaper and easier to DIY.
|
Originally Posted By bodybagger: Murfreesboro used to be nice but MTSU has been giving excessive low income scholarships mainly from Nashville and Memphis for the last 20 years and is now more like a turd thats slipped out of Nashvilles pants leg. The 'white girl bleed a lot' incident on campus was the first incident that I can remember being an indication that things were circling the drain. There was also the student who stabbed her roommate, the shooting on campus that involved a former student and seemed to have indications of being a drug deal gone bad... The city government seems to have been feuding with the MTSU administration, lately. The local government has also been problematic, with the traffic light cameras that had no legal basis for the tickets they generated, contracts having been issued without going through the bid process, at least one scandal involving a judge... |
Earthsheltered house - a reinforced bunker that even the treehuggers consider to be socially acceptable.
Earthbag house - like an earthsheltered house, but cheaper and easier to DIY.
Earthbag house - like an earthsheltered house, but cheaper and easier to DIY.
| I lived in Murfreesboro to attend MTSU around the turn of the century. After growing up in a small town, the Boro was big city living to me. My wife and I returned a few years ago for a doctor appointment. I didn't recognize the place. The old backroads that I used to take were now 4 lane divided highways with tall apartment complexes and businesses everywhere. It was a shock. |
“America is a whorehouse where the revolutionary ideals of your forefathers are corrupted and sold in alleys by vendors of capitalism.”
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Originally Posted By Southernman077: I lived in Murfreesboro to attend MTSU around the turn of the century. After growing up in a small town, the Boro was big city living to me. My wife and I returned a few years ago for a doctor appointment. I didn't recognize the place. The old backroads that I used to take were now 4 lane divided highways with tall apartment complexes and businesses everywhere. It was a shock. Murfreesboro's growth over the last 20 years has been significant, but nothing compared to Clarksville's. I spent 1997 to 2002 stationed there and have been back several times over the last year. The differences are astounding. |
I will not compromise!
Ne Desit Virtus (Let Valor Not Fail) - Rakkasan!
"Life is fucking hard. Either get used to taking a few lumps like the rest of us, or buy a fucking helmet and crawl into a corner somewhere." -Me
Ne Desit Virtus (Let Valor Not Fail) - Rakkasan!
"Life is fucking hard. Either get used to taking a few lumps like the rest of us, or buy a fucking helmet and crawl into a corner somewhere." -Me
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I lived in Lebanon (Wilson County) for four years as a geographic bachelor, working in Nashville. As stated above, the traffic is a nightmare, especially around normal rush hours. Mount Juliet seemed very nice/bougie, and nearly as expensive as Nashville for renting or buying. Wilson County was a little lower in cost, but the trade off is sitting in traffic for an hour and a half to drive 30 miles… Sold my condo January of this year. I’m never going back if I can avoid it. |
Wild Man of East TN
Joined:
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TN, USA
| Depends on where you HAVE to go. Im out in Hermitage. Close to the airport. Downtown is a 30 min drive (everything is a 30 min drive btw, atleast) With all that said. Mt Juliet is nice. Has just about everything you need and still has grass in the yards lol. Brentwood, expensive but nice, Same as Franklin. Murfreesboro and Antioch are less than wonderful. People say it depends on the part.. Antioch is pretty shit everywhere lol. Hendersonville, Still pretty decent out that way too. |