Good but gentrified. - 2/14/2024

Gentification and tourism reduce the score but it is still good mix of a big and small city.

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Nashville is getting worse - 2/14/2024

Nashville has a lot of culture, but ultimately it is overpriced and dangerous. I can't imagine buying a $600k house in a neighborhood with automatic gunfire. The home values are insane. The bars and nightlife is fun, but there are very few places left for locals to enjoy due to the tourist industry. It is cannibalizing the city from the inside out.

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Extremely overrated town. - 12/14/2021

Nashville has to be the most overrated city in the US. I unfortunately live here and we can't wait to leave. We moved here in 2018 (for job relocation) and realized what a huge mistake that was. I honestly don't understand what the draw is for people. Seriously. There is nothing to offer but bars, horrible cover music and drinking. There is zero art culture. They don't even have a real art museum. The Frist is just for traveling exhibits, and you have to fight the drunken tourists downtown just to go there. The city isn't pretty either. There are some nice neighborhoods, but East Nashville is just random strip mall after random strip mall. And then don't even get me started on the traffic. Ridiculous. And there are always wrecks. Like no one knows how to drive here. I've had some friends from out of town come here to visit, and some friends travel with groups because they heard it was supposed to be fun. NOT ONE person I know that has visited here liked it. They think we are crazy for living here. If you enjoy living around 20 somethings drunk all the time....this place is for you.

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Nashville Native - 11/24/2021

I've lived here all my life, 51 years. I miss the old Nashville, a midsize city with a small town feel. Its been turned into a big, party city, maybe not as big as NYC but its on the way. Much more expensive, more crime, more traffic, and lots more crazy people. Big upspike in homeless population. I'm disappointed in our city leaders, driven by greed at all costs. Failure to plan for infastructure when they have been planning for this booming growth for 30 years. Nashville is a great place to visit, but not a great place to live anymore, unless you like a big city. If you move here, dont bring your politics with you, and learn some manners! Dont try to change our city into that of your old one!

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I moved out from Nashville and never looking back - 9/17/2021

Nashville is an overrated city. Parents BEWARE 1). The school system in Nashville proper is awful, unless you are willing to pay for a 500k+ house and even then you end up in mediocre schools. 2). You end up moving out to the burbs to be in a ‘good’ school. That practically means you are cut off from all the attractions the proper city has to offer because the traffic is so bad on the weekend you end up giving up. So practically, you end up hanging out in the small town nearby. 3). The burbs are very segregated and I mean very! If you want your kid to have some cultural diversity forget it! Say no more. 5). Most people hate cold north east winter but I tell you what: Nashville has a wet, very hot, super humid summers, a lot os mosquitoes and straight up unpleasant. 6). The city lacks culture generally. Very touristy look and feel but not refined. Very commercial and aimed for out if town folks.

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Welcome to Austin 2.0 - 4/20/2021

Nashville has been a big Californian magnet as of lately, and it's drastically changing the town for the worse. Nashville now resembles a slightly cheaper Austin nowadays rather than it's own thing. It's expensive and crowded, and it will only get worse. Give Nashville some more time and there will be a big homeless problem as well.

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Nashville Is The American Dream! - 4/2/2021

Please Read the Entire Post before you judge I give Nashville a 4 only because I can't give it a 3.5. I am one of the very few people left who is from Nashville. My parents, grandparents, and great grandparents are from hear and I am raising my children here. I have lived in NYC, ATL, and Pennsylvania. there are a lot of valid points that people make about Nashville that are negative. 1) the traffic is crazy!- true 2) sidewalks are either nonexistent in many areas- true 3) public transit is atrocious- true 4) homeless- True 5)gentrification- True 5) Everything else- eh There is one thing that most people leave out of their critic of these cities. Whether it's Nashville, ATL, NYC, or wherever...Name the city...name the part of the country. The thing that most of these people fail to mention is that they came from SOMEWHERE ELSE and they are part of the problem! Give yourself a one-star rating if you came to the city 5,10,20 years ago and don't like traffic, or no sidewalks, or you feel like there are too many homeless or there's too much gentrification. My Nashville Public School education tells me that this is tragically ironic. Most of the times people come here and they either simply don't vote for the progress that is needed or they think that cities should just automatically have nice stuff. I'm sorry to tell you that is not the way it works. In older cities like Pittsburgh etc. you didn't have to lift a finger because most of your parents and grandparents made the sacrifices while you got to enjoy the benefits. But instead of being happy where you were you come to cities like Nashville, ATL, Charlotte etc. and want what you had elsewhere while not voting or voting to block stuff that would actually make these cities better. Why? Because you don't want to pay more taxes? Because you want to trash the city or give it a bad name? So what do you do about it? Ah I'm glad you asked. Your bright idea is : 1) move to the next city say Chattanooga or out to the far away suburbs (or farm land) 2) wait 10-20 or so years 3) Come back on this site and complain, complain, complain 4) repeat steps 1-3 I guess that's what you call "Livin' the 'merican Dream y'all!"

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Small Town that thinks it’s bigger than what it is - 1/5/2021

My hometown is Pittsburgh but I’ve lived quite a few places including NYC. I visited Nashville a few times before moving and the people were nice and the bars of course were great. However living here is NOT fun. CONS: Traffic/Driving - never seen as many drunk and just plain stupid drivers than here. The other commenters are NOT over exaggerating there is a serious traffic problem here. Public Transportation - horrible. Probably why the traffic is so bad besides the fact that a lot drink and drive. Walking - No sidewalks other than certain gentrified areas and downtown. That’s it. All buses also go directly to downtown then you catch another bus to go elsewhere. Problem is if it’s dark/raining you’re gonna have a hard time walking to the bus stop on the side of a 40mph road(which really means 60-70) with Nashville drivers. Things to do - This is my personal opinion but it’s very over hyped. The restaurants that everyone loves are pretty bad and overpriced. A slice of pizza here is $5!!!! I can’t believe how much they overcharge here and not even for good food. I was really disappointed about this one. Dirty - There is litter and trash everywhere and no one does anything about it. Homeless People - NYC has more control over the homeless people than Nashville probably because most of the “homeless” in Nashville are really just drunks and/or addicts. Loitering isn’t illegal here and the police do nothing about the problem. Which brings me to another issue.... Dogs - stay overnight in a neighborhood area before moving here because dogs bark all night or at random times at night and the police are no help with this issue whatsoever. People can let their dog bark from 12am to 4am and it’s not illegal unfortunately in Nashville. TAX - Insanely high sales tax. I’d rather pay state income tax than pay extra for every single thing I buy now and on top of that have my taxes go to absolutely nothing. Archaic Weed Laws Too many Californians moving here PROS: Cheaper than most “cities” Good location to ATL, Pigeon Forge, Cincinnati, etc. If you’re a hipster or from Cali you’ll probably like east Nashville. Good gun laws. Nice weather in the summer. Beer. Open minded and LGBT friendly.

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Thoughts from a visitor (IGNORE THE PERSON BELOW) - 9/18/2020

The person below me said to not bother with Nashville, this was what he said (if you want you can skip this portion): "If you like the following, you’ll love Nashville: 1. Scary, terrible drivers 2. Very high violent crime rate 3. Conservatives 4. High humidity 5. Poverty 6. Mostly uneducated population." Now here's what I think about this. First the drivers, of course you're gonna have bad drivers, what big city doesn't? Now about the crime, I can't really say how bad the crime is because I don't live here but I have travelled through here several times. But as someone who was born and raised in the St. Louis area, I can guarantee that the crime isn't as bad in Nashville as it is there, or even Memphis. Thirdly conservatives, this was the part where I realized the person below is from the West Coast. Surprisingly, Nashville is quite liberal. You would think the country music capital of the world would be as conservative as can be but nope. Fourthly, the humidity. This is the only problem I can actually see being a problem, the humidity is bad down south which might be a dealbreaker for some of y'all. Fifth, the poverty. Again, I can't say what the poverty is like since I don't live here, but the unemployment rate is at 3.2% which is 0.5% below the national average. Finally the claimed uneducated population. Yet again, I don't know the average intelligence of a Nashville resident, but I'm pretty sure the people there are smarter than the backwoods of Tennessee. Now here are my thoughts: It's a nice place, if you like country music then this is the place to be.

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Don’t bother - 9/5/2020

If you like the following, you’ll love Nashville: 1. Scary, terrible drivers 2. Very high violent crime rate 3. Conservatives 4. High humidity 5. Poverty 6. Mostly uneducated population.

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A city stuck in the past - 8/19/2020

Having moved back here after living in a couple other cities for the last 7 years, I can see where Nashville has lagged behind in terms of the times. Most obviously, they have the worst commuting system in the country for a big city. In other cities, I could easily ride my bike a couple miles on a bike path or even side walk to work. In Nashville, they have cars. There are no other means of transportation. This city is devoid of any form of modern transportation outside of a motor vehicle. There are no bike paths, no side walks, no light rail. Everything requires you to get in your car and drive. Oh excuse me, they have a "bus" that has a radius of maybe 10 square miles. Considering the number of people who commute from surrounding counties such as Rutherford and Williamson, you can imagine the amount of congestion. Not to mention, red lights are just a suggestion in this state. I think they have a total of 6 sidewalks in the entire city and they are all downtown. Speaking of the downtown, the city of Nashville was founded in 1779, and it looks like it hasn't moved on from that year. That's a bit harsh, but this city looks old. Abandoned buildings, old structures, cracked roads, hand-me-down houses, street lights that still hang on wires, and unappreciated vegetative areas (parks). Honestly, this city looks like they are doing the bare minimum in terms of aesthetics. And if they aren't investing into the city, where is the money going? Sure as heck not into the pockets of its citizens. I knew coming from my previous state that I would take a bit of a pay cut, but I am making less here in TN than I made as a starting salary with my last job. And I have 6 years of experience. My wife who has her degree and 4 years of experience took an immediate $7 pay cut! Most of what I mentioned above could be mitigated above if the city at least was fun. If you are not a drinker nor a partier (both of which my wife and I are not), then there is nothing else to really do. The music scene is not bad (obviously), the Parthenon is OK, the Country Music HoF seems pretty cool (though I have no interest in country music) and going to a Preds or Titans game is pretty fun, but outside of that, nothing. Most people I have met do the same things every weekend. Go drink downtown or have a bonfire outback. Theme park? No. Zoo? Mediocre. Annual events? Grand Ol' Opry or bust. Art Museum? No. Malls? Opry Mills or travel. Rivers and lakes? Eh, kinda, but way outside of the city. In all, this city is more like a "buffer" city. For people who want to say they live in a city, but don't want the actual city feel. It's a big city (in terms of population), but has no aspirations to change with the times. The city looks like it finished construction in the mid-1990s and has stayed their ever since and the mind state for people is the same. Once my job time is up here, I can safely say that this will be the last ever living in this state.

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Cosmopolitan City, American Issues - 1/16/2020

I've lived in the Nashville metro area for about 14 years. There is so much I can say about this place, each with its own positivities and problems. First is education -- Nashville public schools have a rightful reputation of being sub-par; they're definitely not the worst in the country, or even the state, but they come with problems you would expect with low funding. Parents in the area sometimes will go into debt to put their child in a private school -- some can make a public school work for their child (some districts in neighboring counties are okay in this department). Second is lifestyle/entertainment -- Of course, live music is great. Not just country either. Emo, pop, post-grunge, hip hop, these scenes are also doing pretty great; it's really just the tourists who go downtown who are a bit too rabid about their love for country music and whiskey. The tourists can be unreasonably rude, however -- even the ones coming from backwoods areas. There are plenty of sports and sports bars to go around, and make for a nice getaway from your trouble at work and all that, and a few golf courses and bowling alleys here and there. The Predators have a great audience and stadium to boot. Third is expenses -- Naturally, housing prices have undergone a significant rise in the past decades. However, they are not entirely unreasonable; salaries should keep up, though. Wage stagnation affects Nashville like most U.S. cities, but your dollar will definitely get you farther than in, say, New England. Food is gladly rather affordable; utilities are up there but okay; gas prices are somewhat volatile; this brings us to.... Fourth, transportation. Nashville provides plenty of examples of what not to do with infrastructure (again, similar to much of the U.S.). Transportation by bus will only get you between key points in the city (and a few suburb centers), the only passenger train goes between downtown and Lebanon, and these combine to make possession of an automobile crucial to mobility in Nashville. This is America; what can I say? Plenty, actually. There is an aristocratic family here which makes most of their money from the parking garages across Nashville, hence their persistent lobbying against phasing out the car in Nashville. So expecting public transit to get better in Nashville is like waiting for the apocalypse to eliminate your need to pay taxes (which are middle-of-the-road in Nashville btw). This brings to -- finally -- number five, politics. Nashville has long been a hub for wealthy Southern Democrats. This brings with it a solid base for the Democratic party in the county, but these Democrats can only do so much, because the state of Tennessee as a whole -- it comes as no surprise to most of us -- votes Republican. The effects of this odd political climate are visible: rural people who come into town whether for work or pleasure wear MAGA hats expecting not to be glared at and make overt racist statements, and hate speech in general is not that uncommon. Democratic officials in government make contradictory policies under pressure and minorities are still often disenfranchised. All this said, if you think you have what it takes to help make the world a better place, Nashville might be the place for you.

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Country folk - 12/13/2019

The most commonly spoken word/phrase in Nashville, verbalized by each and every resident is a resounding.......YEEEEEHAWWW!!. The city council opens it's formal sessions, and teachers greet their students first thing in the morning with a........You guessed it! City employees must address their bosses at the beginning, and than again at quitting time with a .......That's right! I recommend to all perspective new residents, practice this skill, and as soon as you pass over the county line, roll down your window and yell........!! I think you'll be Astonished and Amazed at the response you get. Welcome to Nashville

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Goodbye From a Native - 11/18/2019

Nashville used to be pretty okay, but in the past several years it has turned into total crap. The rapid growth with no change to infrastructure has caused traffic to become the worst in the country. The things you see on the road here will make your jaw drop, and it may cost you your life. Road rage is not uncommon here either. The type of people that have flocked to "new Nashville" are the worst. They are obnoxious, aggressive, low brow, and ignorant. They are caricatures of "southern, country living" and bring every stereotype associated with that dialed up to 11. Big ridiculous trucks, blind support to Trump, obesity, pop country music blaring, open air racism, an alcohol problem, in your face evangelism, cowboy boots, cowboy hats, dip chewing, all come to mind when I consider the new residents that are hyped to be here. If they don't fall into this camp, they tend to be the artsy fartsy type living off their parents money. The sense of entitlement with both parties is off the charts. People moving here tend to come from a backwoods county in the midwest or south and see themselves as hot stuff for moving up and getting out, or they come from a bigger more expensive city they couldn't hack it in, so they think they are better than Nashville and see themselves as hot stuff too. What this has resulted in, is a city full of stuck up assholes. It used to be chill here, and people were rather down to earth and approachable. Now it's the opposite, and people only seek to see how you will be an advantage to them. Out of towners actively try to exploit the hospitality of locals. So many local people have been pushed out by this new wave of people. Nashville is getting whiter and whiter every day, and to some they love that and it is by design - but to others who value a diverse community see it is as a very sad thing. The traits that used to make Nashville (somewhat) desirable are all dissolving away. Your new neighbor is probably 2 tall and skinny Airbnbs. Homeless people beg on every single corner and will bother you while getting gas and groceries. Cost of living has gotten out of control here and is on pace to rival California - especially when you consider the much lower salaries here. The sense of community that once was present is dissolving as transplants seem to stick around for about 2 years and then head out to the next hot city when they inevitably get bored here. Which brings another point - there really is not a lot to do here. You can get drunk at the plethora of country themed bars or eat a 3000 calorie meal at mediocre restaurants. There are normal amenities you would expect of any city over 500,000 people, but nothing that stands out as a main attraction other than Broadway. There are no mountains, there is no beach. There is a lake which is nice in the summer so I will give that. The weather completely sucks for a third of the year - either by pouring down rain, being freezing cold, or being hotter than hell. The allergies here rank among the top worst in the entire country year over year. The school systems are underfunded and few kids are able to get a college degree with what they learn in high school. The local government has completely bent over to big business and has given nothing back to people that made Nashville what it was. The police force is comically understaffed and criminals take advantage of this. If you are considering moving here - don't. You will find yourself bored and disappointed within a few years. This native is off to greener pastures, hope Nashville can fix the mess it's become someday.

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Stop moving here it isn't special. - 8/20/2019

I've lived in this city my entire life, born in Vanderbilt, my kids were born there as well and I was here to see the downtown area go from diversity to one sided country themes. I get so sick and tired of being yelled at by pedal taverns full of Bachelorette parties. The bars are all named after country music stars, racist bouncers, rude bartenders, and if you were a bar that played anything other than country right before the tourist hype you probably got your doors padlocked and forced to sell only to become some old ass country music stars museum. The hype has brought some new restaurants but compared to the other cities I've been too there isn't really anything that stands out (I'm looking at you hot chicken). Traffic sucks, old Republicans don't want a transit system, the churches run our politics, people are paying 400k+ to live in some real shady areas because they're being described as "Hip" these are areas I refuse to go to because they'll rob you for a nickle. This city has sold itself out for the almighty dollar but doesn't want to do the things it takes to run a major city, such as, transit to help make themselves look appealing to better companies with higher paying jobs so we can all afford to live here instead of struggling and having to hustle non stop. This city is a dump and the day my kids graduate will be the day I move away from it all.

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Nashville is the armpit of America. - 7/5/2019

Nashville is the most boring mid size city in America. Nothing of real quality exists anywhere in Nashville. There are no good or healthy restaurants, there is not one men’s haircut that is even above average. There isn’t one good clothing store or department store. If you are a sophisticated person with any kind of taste or money this is the last place you would ever want to live. Nothing here caters to sophisticated people at all. The drivers here are the worst drivers you’ve ever seen in your life. I’ve seen people go in reverse on the highway because they missed their exit. I’ve seen people drive with one half of their car on the curb so they could sneak through traffic. Maybe 25% of the population ever uses their signal and nobody obeys the speed limits. Eventually you’ll be so terrified of driving among these idiots that you’ll never want to go anywhere because it’s not worth the risk. I don’t know if at some point everyone in Tennessee that had an IQ under 50 got a free house in Nashville or what but it sure seems like it.

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Nashville native weighing in - 4/24/2019

I was born in Nashville, grew up here went to college here (for a while) and then I moved away for a job. I’ve lived in several different cities in the US and traveled extensively for work. I moved back here 4 years ago after the birth of my second child and I have to say, it’s changed. It’s changed and not in a good way. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great place for visitors but living here when compared to other major cities Nashville has a lot of work to do. The daily traffic is gridlock and drivers don’t obey traffic laws so it makes it worse. People will block the entire intersection during the other directions green light, run red lights, texting while driving, don’t know how to merge...it’s these things that start to grind at you and then transit was voted down and no one has re-opened the discussion though it’s desperatly needed. Downtown is flooded with bachelor and bachelorette parties and yes it makes it u desirable for locals that want to go out and have a nice evening with their kids. Nashville is business friendly but it seems actively working to erode citizens rights (well maybe just the rights of those that aren’t white and heterosexual). Then there is the crime. North Nashville has the highest incarceration rate in the country and violent crimes are higher than most places in the country. What someone said about food is correct. You can get amazing bbq and southern food here but if you’re looking for sushi, Indian, etc you won’t find any great places. What is rated 5 here would get 3 stars elsewhere and go out of business in a year. That’s a very true statement. Nashville food scene breeds mediocrity. Nashville ranks low in health scores, asthma, obesity and education but high in teen pregnancy crime and maternal mortality. Oh then there’s all the churchiness. Believe what you want folks but when it’s so pervasive it truly becomes (and the current legislative session proves this) state sponsored. We are talking evangelical Christianity by practice not just birth so there’s that. I plan to leave and I’m sad about that because my parents live here and it’s my hometown but I know there are better healthier cities out there. Sorry Nashville, you were once great.

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What a dump!! - 9/11/2018

I’m originally from LA and I’ve been to dozens of countries and hundreds of cities so I think I’m someone whose opinion should be considered pretty accurate on where Nashville ranks as a city. Nashville is a dump and an extremely overpriced dump. Of all the places I’ve traveled to, Nashville is by far the least sophisticated. The food in Nashville is on par with that of Eastern Europe, and if you’ve ever been to Eastern Europe you know what I’m talking about. Restaurants that get 4 1/2 to 5 stars on Yelp in Nashville, would get 3 stars in coastal cities and would be out of business within a year. The drivers in Nashville are the worst in the country if not the world. All the entertainment is downtown and parking is at least $15 to $20 for the night. Downtown, The Gulch, and Midtown are totally unlivable due to all the bachelorettes screaming in their pedal taverns all night long. Most importantly, 90% of the city is nothing but inbreds, rednecks, and slow southern people who get offended if you are in a hurry to get anything done. Nashville, you are the dump of all dumps

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After 4 years moving - 9/9/2018

I've lived in Nashville for 4 years now, but unfortunately I'll be moving back to my home state next year..Nashville is a very beautiful city, great outdoors area..plenty of parks, it clean, plenty of restaurants and shopping...great suburbs areas...it has the normal cons as other major cities: crime some area higher than others, traffic is horrible especially for those who work downtown and for some reason when it rain there are so many car wrecks..causing the entire city to be backup..6 min drive to work can easily turn into a 30 min drive..they never inform drivers when there will be road work. There plenty of jobs here..if someone says they can't find a job, it's cause their just lazy. If your not making 50k+ a year...you'll find yourself working multiple jobs just to survive...cost of living is very high, so expensive to live here. Nashville and it's suburbs are more for families...if you're single you will find yourself bored. Nashville is not for me..but it's a great city..every city and town has there pros and cons and this city no different...I will never tell anyone not to move here cause you'll never know if it's a great fit for you until you try it for yourself...cause you could find out it's a wonderful fit for you...

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Save me Jesus… - 9/8/2018

Deplorable's, trumpsters, NASCAR, yee haw Country, Pentecostals, born-again's, smiling white tooth pick pockets Preachers, churches, bugs, humidity, flat, Walmart vs Target, Midwest meets middle America, fat Americans, Jesus this and jesus that-er's, Bible thumper's. Fried everything. yee haw Soccer moms. Tractor pulls. Dorks, horrible hipsters. Suburbs worse, more money but same crowd.

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