Nashville, Tennessee. The city that will make you love country music even if you hate country music.
Music City boasts the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, performers on every bar stage and street corner, and a surprising surplus of boot stores. And that’s just on Broadway; go down any road, and you’ll find barbeque restaurants, music halls, and so many performance venues you’d be forgiven for thinking the city’s primary resource to be musicians.
Well, let’s get a few things clear for anyone thinking of relocating to Nashville: yes, it’s a country music town, but it’s also a fantastic place for blues, jazz, rap, rock, and any other genre on the music spectrum. No, you don’t have to avoid Nashville if you don’t care for Blake Sheldon or Rascal Flatts; the country music genre includes blue grass, honky tonk, and so much cultural music inclusions that one trip to the city can absolutely change a person’s view about country music.
And even if music history and live performances doesn’t sound exciting enough, the city offers professional sports, access to higher education, a slew of technology jobs, and a climate that includes every kind of weather available.
Also, there’s the Parthenon with a 42-foot-tall statue of Athena, but aside from that wonder, new residents should consider…
Living in Nashville
Relocating to Nashville means relocating to a large area with diverse offerings from real estate to craft beer. With its location in central Tennessee, Nashville residents enjoy ready access to everything the state has to offer, including access to Chattanooga, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the Great Smoky Mountains, and an international airport.
The city’s geography extends beyond the downtown neighborhoods. The Gulch neighborhood has been experiencing the most growth lately, Music Row attracts the young crowd, East Nashville sports places like McFerrin Park, and Brentwood offers a more traditional suburban atmosphere.
As with most major metropolitan areas, traffic can be a challenge to negotiate during normal business hours, but the city does offer public transit options and ride-sharing services, both of which prove incredibly handy for anyone looking to head over to the Broadway area on Saturday night.
Check the weather report before you go anywhere, though, since…
Weather Conditions to Consider Before Moving to Nashville
Officially speaking, Nashville has a humid subtropical type of climate that features hot and humid summers and mild to cold winters. Average summer temperatures can hit 89 degrees at the height of July, but triple-digit temperatures can occur, too. Conversely, the winters tend to be mild and capable of hitting freezing temperatures in January, but cold snaps can bring things down to 10 degrees.
Generally speaking, the weather in Nashville has some similarities to the music in Nashville: one style may seem dominant, but it’s actually surprisingly diverse. Balmy weather can occur in January right after a freeze, and an early spring thaw can be overridden by a March cold front. Anyone moving to Nashville needs to keep (or purchase) a winter wardrobe and pay close attention to the weather reports.
Also, because the possibilities of snow, be prepared to handle driving in hazardous conditions. Staying at home would be the wisest choice, of course, but that’s not always going to be an option because…
People Work in Nashville
The Census ACS 1-year survey reported the median household income for the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro-Franklin Tennessee metro area was $63,939 in 2017. Nashville median household income is $12,599 higher than the median Tennessee household income and $3,603 greater than the US median household income. The ACS 1-year data also showed the median family income for Nashville was $75,998 in 2017. Compared to the median Tennessee family income, Nashville median family income is $13,072 higher.
Why the increase in median family income? Mostly because of the tech industry. While not rivaling Silicon Valley, Nashville has been enjoying a tech insurgence in recent years, offering multiple opportunities for businesses to grow while still being capable of providing mentor opportunities and the ever-important networking system needed by new companies and talented individuals. Anyone interested in learning more should contact The Nashville Technology Council, and anyone looking to start a career in the tech field can make use of the Nashville Software School.
Nobody expects Music City to also be STEM City.
Things to Do Once You’ve Moved to Nashville
Now if live music doesn’t seem enticing, Nashville has an NFL team (the Titans), an NHL team (the Predators), a minor league baseball team (the Sounds), and most of the stadiums exist within a few downtown blocks of each other.
There’s also a surprising diversity of shops and antique malls in the downtown area, and few sites in the city can beat a stroll down Music Row right after one of the music houses sells a song. They’ll be easily identified by the banners on their lawns, not unlike when a high school football hero breaks a record.
Music events include Bonnaroo, the Country Music Awards, and a variety of smaller venues so numerous that we don’t have the space to name them all. And make at least one trip the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum; your views about country music will change forever.
The Culture of Nashville
Have we mentioned the music? Good. Moving on…
Nashville has a more conservative bent politically, but everyone agrees with the food offerings. A famous Nashville culinary tradition includes “meat and threes,” which means three sides to go with the meat entrée. The tradition should apply to vegetarian restaurants, but being a vegetarian in Nashville can be difficult. Also, any fan of fried chicken should be warned that “hot chicken” doesn’t mean the chicken came right out of the fryer so much as it does mean the bird has been coated in spicy past and cayenne pepper.
Music City Calling? Better Call Colonial
Simply put, Nashville is awesome. And because it’s awesome, moving there should be awesome, too. And Colonial Van Lines has the experience and the expertise to make sure your Nashville moving experience will be straight forward and stress free.
Call a Colonial Van Lines professional and get to Nashville ASAP.