Nice Try
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3/7/2018
I've lived in the metro area going on about eight years. Six of those years were spent in Murfreesboro as a student of MTSU. While I generally liked the Murfreesboro area, after graduation I considered moving to Nashville as that’s where the majority of the jobs were/are. It took me no time to quickly gather that Nashville is nothing like its suburban areas, totally different vibe. One of the biggest gripes I have about this city is the housing. I don't mind paying a decent penny for somewhere relatively decent to stay; but what you get for what you pay is almost laughable. I've stayed in two different apartments in two different areas of town and BOTH apartments had issues you wouldn't think them to have as much as the price in rent was. My first apartment had mold everywhere from the walls, to the cabinets to even smelling it through the vents, yet I was met with a very nonchalant response when mentioned to the office. My second apartment, while a tad nicer in appliances, was infested with huge cockroaches. I had complained so many times to the office, you could hear them becoming pestered by my persistence; while yet again doing NOTHING to resolve the issue. I find it unfathomable that I am paying so much in rent only to feel uncomfortable in my living environment. The mindset of many of these complexes are "you should be grateful to have somewhere to stay" and "you need us, we don't need you" they have no sense of customer service or plain courtesy in general, they treat you like you're a number and not a person, its truly disgusting. Furthermore, if you're not immediately from Nashville, the locals will know it; but this is where the kicker is. They immediately start probing you with all these random questions as if you're too stupid to see that they're trying to figure you out. I have encountered so many scam artists around this city its unbelievable, but the thing is they are sloppy with their trickery. Luckily I'm somewhat street smart so I can always detect a "hustler" when I encounter one. This one coworker from Atlanta told me when I first got here that the passive-aggressiveness of this city is off the charts. I didn't think much of it when he first told me but boy was he right. Also the driving here is horrendous to say the least. I've visited and driven in many cities and while all may have bad drivers, Nashville is bad in the sense that they have no scheme or rationality to their driving. Its like they crank the car, mash the gas and wing it. They keep wanting to hide behind the excuse that their traffic is bad due to increase of population, but truth be told their traffic is bad because they simply cannot drive plain and simple. I will forever be grateful for the experiences and opportunities I've had while living in the area; but I simply think that Nashville has a misconception of how they see themselves compared to what they really are in prospect. They conduct themselves to be a city that has “already arrived” when in actuality, they are a city that is only on a small scale come up. Sure, maybe in the next decade or so they may finally arrive, but they still have a mighty long ways to go before even being acknowledged on that level. Overall, I think Nashville needs to humble themselves and understand they are NOT an Atlanta, Houston, or Chicago and stop comparing themselves against mega metro cities that have been long established. When my apartment lease ends I will be leaving here for certain, maybe even the state as a whole.
Jamal | Nashville, TN