Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee SperlingViews

I'm originally from California (LA area), so coming to Nashville was a big culture shock for me. Things in the South are done differently from the rest of the country. The pace is slow and the good ol' boys mentality is still alive and well here. Nashville has urban sprawl and a small town vibe. It has a "thriving" music scene - meaning country, bluegrass, and Christian music dominate and the rest (rock, metal, jazz, classical, etc) are underground. Healthcare dominates the economy. The area has a subtropical climate, receiving ca 55inches of rain per annum and occasional snow in the winter. Not a good place if you have seasonal allergies as pollen count is often very high. People are polite, but it's difficult to establish close and meaningful relationships with native residents..especially if you obviously come from somewhere else. There is quite a bit of close-mindedness here. Nashville is often referred to as the buckle of the Bible belt because you can literally find a church on every corner. Conservative and religious thought (see "fanaticism") permeate the entire region. Neighbors may invite you to their church..if you don't accept, they will shut you out. Nearly everyone is pro-life. Nashville is a fairly safe place overall. I've never felt afraid or threatened downtown, but there are some key areas to stay away from - namely East Nashville. The rest of the city is quite safe, imo.

I've lived here for 10yrs, but it's high-time for me to move. I need diversity and open-minded people like myself, and the climate hasn't been good for my health....I know a lot of transplants who really like it here and I know others who've moved back home after a few months of living here. So it's really a mix. It's one of those places you either love or hate....and I hate it.

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re: - 2/16/2009
I could not agree more about the drivers here. Coming from a larger metropolitan area, the drivers here literally drive me insane. They are so timid and nonchalant that they cause accidents simply because of their lack of overall awareness. No turn signals, drifting from lane to lane and blatant disregard for rules of the road. As to the racism, it is extremely prevalent in this city. I never really thought this to be the case, but having witnessed it first-hand for the past two years, I now see how much of a problem it really is. There are some blatant racists here who simply do not care what others might think. The overall close mindedness of the area can be bothersome as well, as it is often difficult to offer differing viewpoints and have this result in actual conversation. I LOVE the music scene here and there are parts of town with a real creative "artist" mentality. Night life is great, however somewhat limited if you do not enjoy live music. The food is phenomenal and the people are generally friendly. Though, as some others have said, natives sometimes have a difficult time fully accepting you as one of their own. Higher education in the city is great, though public education suffers from enormous difficulties. The slow pace is great and there is easy access to open spaces outside the city. Overall, I find Nashville to be a good metropolitan area that could stand to be a bit more open-minded. I do enjoy living here...for now...

re: Nashville is... - 7/7/2007 - 11/18/2008
I have to agree with much of what Lance has said...although I don't "hate it"...yet. There is blatant racism here. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people loudly and openly profess their disrespect for blacks/African-Americans. I find it offensive and shocking and it seems some assume that just because I'm white I'd agree with them...an assumption they soon find out is way off base. A couple of native Nashvillians even tried to convince me that prior to their emancipation, slaves LOVED being slaves and didn't want to be freed. And, they weren't kidding! I'm not saying there aren't positives to Nashville. It's slower paced than some cities. There are several very good hospitals and a top-tier private institution - Vanderbilt. The music grows on you, but no more than I've heard in other cities. Aside from honky-tonks (which are can be fun), there's virtually NO night life here. Much different from Atlanta where I lived for years. There's much less rat race here. But that leads to the country's most timid, terrible drivers you've ever seen. They think it's fine to enter a 70-MPH highway at 40 MPH. Then they seem spellbound and confused when accidents happen all around them.

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I'm originally from California (LA area), so coming to Nashville was a big culture shock for me. Things in the South are done differently from the rest of the country. The pace is slow and the good[read more...]

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