Nashville/Franklin, TN

eggteeth

Our family is contemplating a move from Minnesota to Franklin, TN.  Any comments, suggestions, cautionary/imploring comments?

GreenhawK

I am from North Alabama, and we go there a lot.  I have several friends that live in the area.  It is a great place to live.  Nashville is growing, the economy is better than most places, and downtown Nashville is a great place to play.

That is one of the very few places that I would move to.

Cowdogs

Make sure your house is above high water mark from last flood.

eddyg

I've lived in Franklin for the last 10 years and I can tell you you would be very happy here. Great place to live with a great thriving local economy with low taxes. The winters are mild but the summers are a little on the humid side. Very nice people but many transients. Good luck.

Raymont

You will love it. Depending on where you work (e.g. downtown Nashville?), you will need to seriously consider your commute when looking for housing. The West side of Franklin is very nice, but long commute. Housing will be more expensive than Minnesota. Mid-range (20-30 year old homes) - look in Forrest Crossing. High-end - Look at Westhaven. Quality of life in TN is very good. It is certainly hot&humid in July/August.

Cymbaline65

I've done 3 projects totaling 18 months in Nashville/Franklin area and know it well. It's a nice place albeit real estate will probably be more than what you are used to in MN. Lots of good eats around the Vanderbilt campus and downtown Nashville (stay away from Broadway, though - tourist trap crap). LOTS of big money in Franklin as that's where a lot of the country stars live so you will see lots of high-end vehicles and huge homes. Although I'm not a country fan, I've dined (accidentally of course) with Kick Brooks (sushi) and Brad Paisley and family (Indian). They were all very gracious. Everyone just doesn't make a big deal out of it even though their mugs may be plastered on billboards around town.

So, you will certainly appreciate the weather and it will take you a year to get used to the humidity. No state income taxes but high sales taxes. MN is rather politically liberal, TN is not.

My two cents.

TTC

I was born and raised in Middle Tennessee, and with the exception of a 10 year stint in Dallas in my 20's it has been my home. This is a fantastic place to live, for many of the reasons listed above.

IMHO, the 2 primary considerations for you are 1) schools, and 2) commute -- and they are connected.

If you have the need for schools I would strongly advise against living in Nashville/Davidson county. For all that Nashville does right Metro schools are abysmal. The surrounding counties; Williamson (Franklin/Brentwood), Rutherford (Murfeesboro/Smyrna), and Sumner (Hendersonville/Gallatin) have DRAMATICALLY better schools but you will spend a lot of your life in traffic if you work in Nashville and have to commute.

If you don't need schools then I would live in Nashville, there are a ton of well established neighborhoods particularly on the West side of town. East Nashville, while still a bit sketchy in some areas, is gentrifying quickly.

If you're going to be in one of the suburbs I would suggest renting for 6 months while you find your feet. Franklin/Brentwood are very nice, but there is a definite "bling-y" atmosphere that turns many (myself included) off. The other suburbs offer many of the same amenities without as many "new money, look what I just bought" neighbors. It reminds me of why I left Dallas. 

We have a great airport; I travel quite a bit and it is nice to have a large Southwest presence that allows direct flights to all the major metro areas in the US. If you like outdoor life this a beautiful part of the world with hiking, fishing, etc that will keep you busy every weekend.

As mentioned, the summers are not great and the winters can be very cold and very wet. Spring and Fall are amazing. 

Good Luck!!

 

wbradking

Hey @eggteeth, I've lived in Middle Tennessee for the last 20 years, the last 10 of which in Franklin.  Its a great place to live.  I'm assuming that since you mentioned your family you have kids.  Both public school systems here (Williamson County, Franklin Special School District -- we're in FSSD) are great and consistently ranked tops in the state.  I'm lucky in that I work in the Franklin area too, so my commute is only about 15 minutes for me.  Nashville is about 30 minutes away so we can go to concerts, Titans, Preds. and other big city events too.  

I travel quite a bit for a living and everywhere I go I always compare where I'm working with Franklin and I'm always glad to get back home.  

TTC

I fear I came across as ripping on Franklin, which was not my intent as it is a great town and a huge asset to the area.

Better stated, in my opinion there are rather significant differences in the culture of the outlying suburbs, which should merit the OP'S consideration

henapple

I have lived in Murfreesboro, 30 minutes away and, Franklin reminds me of Detroit.

Fred19Flintstone

henapple said:

I have lived in Murfreesboro, 30 minutes away and, Franklin reminds me of Detroit.

That good, huh?

Cymbaline65

Detroit? :-?

henapple

Lols jk broski. ... Franklin is super nice but can be super expensive.