Nashville areas (Murfreesboro, Franklin, Hendersonville: sale, car insurance, condos)

[Crazybreakfast]

Hi y'all,

Would appreciate any help!
I believe we will be moving to Nashville. I'm from Collierville, TN, and am slightly familiar with the Nashville area. I think Franklin is akin to Collierville and Brentwood is akin to Germantown. What are some nice areas in the city (condos, or homes, or townhouses)? What about outside the city?

Lastly, I know traffic is bad in Nashville, but how bad is it really? If we lived in Franklin, how long does it take to get downtown?

Thanks everyone!

[JMT]

It would be helpful if you included your budget. You might be surprised at how expensive Brentwood and Franklin are compared to Germantown and Collierville.

Average sale price in January 2024 per Redfin:
Collierville - $485k
Germantown - $484k
Franklin - $745k
Brentwood - $1.3 million

If you're looking for nice suburbs that are more affordable than Franklin or Brentwood, I'd go with Mt Juliet ($593k), Hendersonville ($440k), or Gallatin ($385k). Gallatin has a wonderful town square similar to Collierville, while Hendersonville and Mt Juliet are without historic downtowns but have gobs of big box shopping centers. Costco, for example, has a store in Hendersonville and one under construction in Mt Juliet. MJ will put you closer to the airport, plus MJ also has commuter rail to downtown Nashville. Hendersonville is built on a huge lake although both Gallatin and MJ also have lakefront neighborhoods.

Others can chime in with recommendations for inside the city of Nashville.

[Crazybreakfast]

Thanks so much for the information! Did not realize Brentwood was so darn expensive now. Have some friends who moved there in the early 2000s, and I guess their home's value has increased some, hah.

I think our budget would be 600-800k. Hope would be 2.5-3.5k sq ft with .2-.4 acre lot.

Is the train reliable if one does live in Mt. Juliet, for example? Is it quicker than going in traffic during rush hour?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Crazybreakfast

Thanks so much for the information! Did not realize Brentwood was so darn expensive now. Have some friends who moved there in the early 2000s, and I guess their home's value has increased some, hah.

I think our budget would be 600-800k. Hope would be 2.5-3.5k sq ft with .2-.4 acre lot.

Is the train reliable if one does live in Mt. Juliet, for example? Is it quicker than going in traffic during rush hour?

The train is absolutely more reliable. But it's also pretty limited with just a few trains in the morning rush hour headed into town and a few in the late evening rush hour headed back out of town. No trains on weekends or at other hours of the day. Maybe for special events (Titans games?) but I'm not sure. Depending on where your job is in downtown Nashville the train could be a great option.

TDOT has done a remarkable job widening interstates in Nashville suburbs, but they've done a lousy job widening the interstates in central Nashville; the "interloop" has remained unchanged for 40 years, backing up traffic for miles at all hours of the day and on weekends. If you were to live in Mt Juliet and take the train to work, you'd be pretty well insulated from Nashville's notorious interstate traffic jams, as even getting to the airport would be easy since coming from MJ those traffic jams don't usually begin until just past the airport.

[Crazybreakfast]

Thank you very much! This is very helpful.

[Shakeesha]

I think Mt. Juliet is more comparable. It is quickly becoming a nice upscale area with new shopping and dining. Costco opens later this year, and I would not be surprised if Sprouts or another natural grocery store opens in the area. You are also closer to the airport as well. Infrastructure is being put in place to handle the growth, unlike Franklin.

[niterunner13]

My wife and me recently moved here from Phoenix area. Cost of living is alot cheaper. Weather it be gas prices or just cost of going out to eat. My car insurance alone is half the cost. I did just reread you're original post and see you already lived in TN, lol, so you pretty much already know the points I made. As far as Nashville it's self, there is alot to do downtown. We are big sports fans, so nice having all the different options. Hoping for a baseball team in the near future to. If you're one who's idea is to go out for a night on the town, Nashville is a great spot. So much better night life compared to downtown Phoenix. Good luck on you're move!

[jkc2j]

Depends on what you’re looking for, urban/suburban neighborhood, budget, schools etc. Here’s a few suggestions:

Urban neighborhoods:

Germantown/Salemtown
Wedgewood Houston
The Nations
Five Points
Lockland Springs
Inglewood
Sylvan Park
Midtown/West End
12 South
Green Hills
Forest Hills

Suburban neighborhoods:

Madison
Goodlettsville
Antioch
Hendersonville
Gallatin
Murfreesboro
Lavergne
Smyrna
Joelton
Franklin
Mt. Juliet