Tips for Moving to Nashville!

Since I have lived in the greater Nashville area for about 13 years and in the actual downtown area of Nashville for about 6 months I can say with confidence about what not to do and what to do when moving to this southern beauty.

I will say this kind of depends on what you are coming here for. Some people are here for the Nashville experience to live downtown, go to the clubs/bars/pubs every other night and meet tons of new people or even move here to start over then this is a great place to do it. I strongly feel that Nashville has something for each and every person.

I do want to point out my top 5 tips of advice when moving to downtown Nashville.

1st: Don't move downtown!

Yep, I said it. I currently live downtown (like legit downtown... next to the batman building) and my hubby and I LOVE IT but we are ready to settle into a new adventure away from so much traffic. I totally get wanting to move downtown! There is so much to see and do and plenty of yummy places to eat. But Nashville traffic is a booty. If you're an early riser and can get out and around the traffic then you might be okay or if you go to bed extremely late or don't want to even get home until 6:30-7 then you might just be okay. Traffic for Nashville is increasing so much. This is a city that is growing like a weed and with the growth comes SO MANY CARS! Honestly, my husband and I can't wait to leave Nashville all together because there is just so much traffic everywhere. You legit have to look at the Nashville calendar to make sure you are able to get in and out of Nashville because so many huge events go on all the time. Fore example here in a few weeks Nashville will be having a huge marathon, NFL draft, concerts galore, and there is even a chance that there is going to be a huge hockey game here as well.

I would suggest moving to the surround areas of Nashville. Some great places to live would include Franklin (more of a wealthy part of greater Nashville, Hermitage (this has more of your average Joe here, you're average income in Nashville), Clarksville (a bit far away from Nashville but still a great city to live in and travel to Nashville for work), and Hendersonville.


2nd: Go on adventures around Nashville

Guys! I can't stress this one enough! Nashville has so many awesome inviting activities all around. Everyone says that if you want these great adventures then you have to travel and go see every state and country to find these wonderful adventures but in reality we have some really cool things to do here as well. We have the SMOKEY MOUNTAINS in our back door. Just a quick 3 hour drive and you are in some of the most lush, green, bewitching mountains you will ever see... hikes galore there! If you go another directions in about three hours you will hit Chattanooga who has the Toccoa/Ocoee river! Row your little boat (white water rafting) down that river and see how exhilarating it is. This is something I've personally done a few times and it gives me a huge adrenaline rush every time. If you want something a little closer like ... a waterfall per say in Cookeville (hour outside Nashville) then Cummins Falls is for you. This waterfall has a bit of a hike in it but once you're there is so worth in. You can even bring your pup with you! There is plenty to go and do like rock climbing, hanging in the many parks and even canoeing all extremely close to Nashville. Please don't just stick to the bars and party life when there is so much beauty here!

3rd: EAT EAT EAT

Oh my goodness... the food here! I didn't know I was a foodie until I met my husband and I realized we both love to eat! That got even more intense when we moved downtown. There is a type of food for everyone. As I have grown up here I feel like Nashville has become incredibly diverse in our population as well as in our food. Yes, we have those southern foods that people think of when you think of the south. Some places to hit up for that kind of meal would be Jim n' Nicks, Hattie B's, and Mission BBQ. If you're feeling Italian we have that too! Coco's Italian market is my absolute favorite! We even have Irish food. Yep, I said it... Irish! This is probably one of the most well kept secrets of Nashville. I don't even want to say the name because its so stinking good and is actually authentic with the most charming decor. The owner is from Northern Ireland (yes that's different from Ireland) who married and native Nashvillian. We have even taken our Irish friends there to see if it meets their standards and they 100% agree. Its called McNamara's Irish pub and Restaurant. One of my newest found joys when it comes to eating is the True Food Kitchen restaurant. This is a bit pricey but oh so yummy! the best part about it is that it is HEALThY!!! I can eat Paleo there without even feeling like I am eating paleo. Their ginger lemonade is to die for! I would strongly suggest hitting this place up!


4th: Meeting new people in Nashville

Nashville is just a fun city and it is growing so much. There are new faces everywhere and with that comes people who want to mingle. Even if you are just wanting to catch up and chill and not meet the new love of your life there are so many ways to do that! My husband and I love to go rock climbing. We didn't expect to meet anyone or really interact with anyone but ourselves. We were trying to scale a certain track and were having hard time getting it when two other couples joined us in this endeavor that we had never talked to. We all ended up talking for about and hour and exchanging numbers! Now I will admit, my husband and I aren't the most quiet people you will ever meet and I can talk to just about anyone so its not very surprising that we talked with some people. Meeting new people does require a bit of courage but once you do its so nice! Nashville people are generally very welcoming. Ever heard of Southern Charm? Well that slides right on into the Nashville category. A lot of the churches around Nashville are incredibly welcoming as well. This is a great place to meet people. The Donelson Fellowship does a fantastic job of creating ways for people to get involved in loving Nashville and meeting new people. There are also tons of groups that meet up (who are total strangers) and go on hikes. I even have a friend who is now with her boyfriend who met on one of these hiking trips. Some other fun ways to meet people include go to a Preds hockey game or even a Nashville SC game!

5th: Cost of Living

This one hits home for my husband and I. Its one of the biggest reasons we will be leaving once we are out of college. Nashville is behind the curve on paying for how stinking expensive this city is. The medical community is so saturated here because there are so many medical schools right in Nashville and in the surrounding areas. They don't have to pay well here because people are moving in droves here. There will always be someone to step in when someone leaves. This means they don't have to pay a whole lot. Vanderbilt in particular pays the least of the three biggest hospitals in Nashville. Its a great hospital for learning, teaching, and looks great on a resume but its not the best for sustaining a hearty lifestyle. Most of the people I have talked to who are applying here in Nashville for nursing jobs will start out making 22-24 dollars. This in comparison to the rest of the country is pretty rough. This doesn't even include medical insurance or dental. I could totally get going on how little nurses get paid in general...but we don't do it for the money. Being a nurse is such a rewarding job but it would be nice if we got paid a little more.

I hope this helps someone on their journey to Nashville! So many people are in love with this city and there are plenty of reasons to understand why! If you have any questions feel free to comment or email me!