The Best Neighborhoods in Nashville for Your Move to Music City

Newcomers have poured into Nashville in record numbers over the past decade — and not all of them are starry-eyed songwriters looking for their big break. Drawn by a thriving business climate, a vibrant arts and dining scene, and, yes, the spirit and potential stardom of Music City, new residents are moving here from all over the U.S. and discovering the charm of the best neighborhoods in Nashville

Millennials, young professionals, families, and retirees find Nashville’s energy irresistible. The city — and many others in Tennessee, for that matter, including charming Chattanooga, TN — is rich with recreational options: The mighty Cumberland River flows from the suburbs all the way downtown to the best neighborhoods in Nashville, and nearby Percy Priest, one of Tennessee’s best lakes to retire, lures boaters, canoers, and kayakers when the weather’s nice. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is less than a four-hour drive east, and some of the best places in Florida (Panhandle beaches, anyone?) are within easy reach, as well.

And despite its “NashVegas'' reputation as the bachelorette party capital of the country, Nashville has plenty to offer beyond the honky tonks and tourist crush of Lower Broadway. So if you’re considering making Music City your home, read on for a look at the best areas to live in Nashville and some scoop on what it’s like to live in this historic hotspot.

The Best Neighborhoods in Nashville

Variety is part of the charm of the best Nashville neighborhoods. On a 20-minute drive across town, for example, you’ll go through many of the best places to live in Nashville — neighborhoods of gorgeous estate homes, contemporary high-rise condos, and historic bungalows — with a few rambunctious tourist districts along the way. So, where are the best of the best neighborhoods to live in Nashville? Here are some Music City favorites.

Just a few blocks from Downtown Nashville’s raucous honky tonks is a vibrant urban district of high-rise condos, apartments, and lofts — one of the best areas in Nashville for young professionals to live.
(Source: Mike Fox via Unsplash)

1. Downtown Nashville — Best for Young Professionals

• Average rent (one-bedroom): $2,175
• Average home value: $559,600
• Great for: Young professionals, tourists, urbanites, foodies, music lovers
• Commute to Downtown Nashville: You’re here!

Bustling doesn’t begin to describe the vibe in Downtown Nashville. Businesspeople mingle with tourists — lots of them — for an eclectic experience every day of the week. However, many locals vow never to go near Lower Broadway, a strip of clubs, shops, and restaurants known as LoBro, the Honky Tonk Highway, and other (choice) terms. If you’re not into loud music and sloshy vacationers, you’d be wise to follow locals’ lead and find another one of the best neighborhoods in Nashville to call home.

But just a few blocks off Broadway, you’ll feel like you’re in any other vibrant, fast-growing urban core — certainly not in one of the most touristy neighborhoods in Nashville. High-rise condos and apartments have joined the skyline’s famous “Batman” building — the AT&T tower, Tennessee’s tallest. Historic businesses are now home to condos and lofts. And with the growth have come amenities like supermarkets (Publix and Whole Foods, for example) and a trendy food hall in the Fifth + Broadway complex.                                              

Fun Things To Do in Downtown Nashville:

• Dance through history at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the National Museum of African American Music.
• Catch a Titans game — or a concert! — at Nissan Stadium.
• Escape the LoBro bustle and take in a Nashville Symphony performance at the elegant Schermerhorn.

Many East Nashville neighborhoods managed to retain their original vibe during the gentrification era, with generations of families sticking around through all the growth.
(Source: Zillow.com)

2. East End/East Nashville — Best for Musicians and Artists

• Average rent (one-bedroom): $1,625
• Average home value: $683,800
• Great for: Young professionals, families, musicians, artists, fixer-uppers
• Commute to Downtown Nashville: 15 minutes

A handful of distinctive neighborhoods in Nashville make up the area known collectively as East End or East Nashville, from the stately homes in Lockeland Springs to the bungalows of Inglewood. Lovely tree-lined streets and wide sidewalks make these neighborhoods a favorite for young families. And with hiking trails, tennis courts, and ball fields just a short drive away at Shelby Park and Bottoms, the East Side is known to longtime locals as the best place to live in Nashville.

The area’s apartments and houses are home to families, musicians, artists, and other creative types — many drawn a decade or so ago for cheap rent, which is now mostly a distant memory. But you can still find some great fixer-uppers. And many districts have retained their original vibe, with generations of families sticking around through all the changes in Nashville neighborhoods.

Fun Things To Do In East Nashville:

• Eat, drink, and bop your way through Five Points, the music and restaurant hub of East Nashville.
• See a show at The Basement East, a local haunt that also brings in national acts (often one and the same, this being Nashville.
• Explore the notable dining scene at hotspots like Folk and Lyra, both in walkable Nashville neighborhoods always bustling with families.

Among the historic Nashville neighborhoods surrounding Downtown, Germantown is distinctive with cobblestone streets and refurbished factories and warehouses.
(Source: Zeitlin Sotheby's International Realty via Facebook)

3. Germantown — Best for Professionals

• Average rent (one-bedroom): $2,000
• Average home value: $606,800
• Great for: Young professionals, hipsters, coffee shop lovers
• Commute to Downtown Nashville: 5 minutes

Just north of Downtown, this historic neighborhood is known for its mix of charming 19th-century architecture and sleek new condo developments, many of which are built in refurbished factories. A converted cotton mill, textile factories, and other sites retain original details like exposed brick and high ceilings, with rooftop decks providing awesome views of the iconic Nashville skyline. Germantown is one of the most distinctive neighborhoods in Nashville, with a uniquely historical flavor, but plenty of modern, upscale amenities.

As for single-family homes, beautifully preserved and restored Victorian elements like ornate woodwork and wraparound front porches are the hallmarks of the neighborhood, which is one of the best places to live in Nashville for young adults. The houses in Germantown are generally fairly close together, which fosters a sense of community — but privacy and expansive, lush lawns? Not so much.

Fun Things To Do in Germantown

• Find delish bounty at the Nashville Farmers’ Market, open year-round with seasonal fresh produce, artisanal foods, live music, crafts, and more.
• Get a taste of a local culinary classic, Rolf and Daughters, serving up modern Italian cuisine in one of the more industrial-chic neighborhoods in Nashville.
• Touch grass at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, an 11-acre green space adjacent to the state capitol.

From its quaint bungalows to contemporary rentals, Music Row is known by many residents as the best place to live in Nashville for young adults.
(Source: Sotheby’s International Realty)

4. Music Row — Best for Music Industry Players

• Average rent (one-bedroom): $1,700
• Median home sale price: $767,400
• Great for: Music industry professionals, students, affluent families
• Commute to Downtown Nashville: 10 minutes

Bungalows and larger homes converted into recording studios and record labels characterize Music Row, the storied sites of too many dreams-come-true to count. A stone’s throw from the beautiful campus of Belmont University, the neighborhood is the epicenter of the country music industry — and it’s not called Music Row for nothing: A literal row of music businesses lines the twin one-way main streets, Music Square East and Music Square West.

But thanks to all the commercial activity, Music Row tends to have a lot of traffic — even by the standards of the notoriously congested neighborhoods in Nashville — and is somewhat noisy. And parking is a competitive sport. Still, there’s a certain appeal to this historic neighborhood where icons like Elvis Presley, B.B. King, and Dolly Parton recorded their hits — a vibrancy and excitement that you just won’t find in the ‘burbs.  

Fun Things To Do on Music Row

• Tour the iconic RCA Studio B, where Elvis, Dolly, and Waylon recorded some of their hits.
• Take a breather in Owen Bradley Park and check out the statues and plaques commemorating Music Row history.
• Grab a bite and a brew at The Row Kitchen and Pub, a 30-year Nashville tradition.

As one of the best areas to live in Nashville, it’s not surprising that Watkins Park is home to families who’ve lived here for generations.

5. Watkins Park — Best for Families

• Average rent (one-bedroom): $1,700
• Median home sale price: $365,100
• Great for: Families, academics, professionals
• Commute to Downtown Nashville: 20 minutes

Watkins Park remains home, in large part, to families who’ve lived here for generations and spend time together at sports events, street fests, and community yard sales. It’s also No. 1 out of all Nashville neighborhoods to raise a family, according to Niche, No. 2 among the best Nashville neighborhoods overall, and No. 3 among the best Nashville neighborhoods for young professionals.

With deep roots in the Black community, the area has played a crucial role in creating the cultural and social fabric of the city. Residents are aiming to preserve and honor that history with initiatives like the North Nashville Heritage Project, a community-driven effort to document history through oral histories, workshops, and public art. But as new development continues in the best neighborhoods in Nashville, there’s always the risk of history fading away.

Fun Things To Do in Watkins Park

• Tour the Fisk University Galleries, on-site at one of the distinguished HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) that call Nashville home.
• Stop in and see the Watkins Park Community Center, which has a busy schedule of activities for kids and families.
• Take a spin on the Watkins Park Pump Track, the first bike park in the city, a collaboration between Oasis Bike Workshop and the city of Nashville. 

6. Green Hills  — Best for Suburbanites

• Average rent (one-bedroom): $1,775
• Average home value: $1.7M
• Great for: Suburbanites, shoppers, families, young professionals
• Commute to Downtown Nashville: 15 minutes

Shop, shop, shop — that’s the vibe in this Nashville neighborhood just south of Downtown. From The Mall at Green Hills to dozens of smaller shopping centers along the main drag of Hillsboro Pike, retail dominates rooftops here.

There are homes, too, of course — tucked away in the hilly side streets of this Nashville neighborhood. Charming cottages and luxurious new designs offer homes for a range of budgets and tastes. It’s a popular area for families and professionals looking for space in one of the convenient neighborhoods in Nashville without sacrificing amenities.

Fun Things To Do in Green Hills

• Get discovered at the legendary Bluebird Cafe, a cornerstone of Nashville music history — Taylor Swift and Garth Brooks are just two of the luminaries who got their start here.
• Peruse the literary treasures at Parnassus Books, the city’s best independent bookstore.
• Spend the afternoon at Green Hills Park, a 12-acre oasis with a bluebird trail, picnic areas, and playing fields.

Beloved by many longtime residents as the best place to live in Nashville — Hope Gardens remains richly diverse with generations of families continuing to call the neighborhood home.
(Source: Sotheby’s International Realty)

7. Hope Gardens — Best for Diversity

• Average rent (one-bedroom): $1,925
• Median home sale price: $734,000
• Great for: Families, urbanites, sports fans
• Commute to Downtown Nashville: 5 minutes

This in-town neighborhood between Germantown and Downtown Nashville has experienced the same wave of gentrification that’s transformed much of Music City’s historically Black urban core. But Hope Gardens, one of the best places to live in Nashville, remains richly diverse, with generations of families, many of whom with business roots in the once-thriving Jefferson Street district, still calling the neighborhood home.

Restored houses designed in the Victorian and Queen Anne styles share streets with newcomer condos, houses, and apartments. At 909 Flats, for instance, studios and larger apartments are home to a mix of young professionals and families seeking the convenience of Downtown and other pricier neighborhoods in Nashville, along with the abundant mix of nearby attractions.

Fun Things To Do in Hope Gardens

• Explore the history of this culturally rich and storied area at the Jefferson Street Sound Museum.
• Savor a traditional Southern meat-and-three at the iconic Big Al’s Deli — breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  
• Join a community clean-up — or just spend some time in nature — at the small but lovely Hope Gardens Park, a half-acre green space in the heart of the neighborhood.

Walkable and lively, The Gulch has a cosmopolitan flavor, characterized by high-rise apartments and condos — many with spectacular views of the city skyline and the surrounding neighborhoods in Nashville.
(Source: Twelve Twelve via Facebook)

8. The Gulch — Best for Foodies and Shoppers

• Average rent (one-bedroom): $2,050
• Median home sale price: $560,700
• Great for: Young professionals, partiers, shoppers, foodies
• Commute to Downtown Nashville: 10 minutes

The odd name of this upscale Nashville neighborhood comes from an actual dip in the topography where Music City’s railroad yard once stood. Today you’ll find a trendy neighborhood bustling with shopping and dining — and, it must be noted, traffic. Tourists love the Gulch, one of the nicest neighborhoods in Nashville, not least for Biscuit Love, where you’ll unfailingly find a line of hopeful breakfasters waiting for a table.

Crowds aside, the Gulch is one of the best places to live in Nashville for singles — and anyone, for that matter. Walkable and lively, the neighborhood has a cosmopolitan flavor, characterized by high-rise apartments and condos — many with spectacular views of the city skyline and the surrounding neighborhoods in Nashville.

Fun Things To Do in The Gulch

• Browse the beauties at Carter Vintage Guitars, the legendary music shop where local greats get their instruments.
• Have a retail therapy session in the chic boutiques of The Gulch.
• Feed your soul at the beloved Turnip Truck, Nashville-owned and health-focused, with a robust selection of organic and locally sourced goods and groceries.

As is the case in many of the best neighborhoods in Nashville, a mix of old and new architecture is the hallmark of Salemtown.
(Source: Zillow.com)

9. Salemtown — Best for Young Professionals and Families

• Average rent (one-bedroom): $2,175
• Average home value: $755,600
• Great for: Young professionals, downtown commuters, families, fixer-uppers
• Commute to Downtown Nashville: 10 minutes

Just up the hill from Germantown and 1.5 miles from Downtown’s Lower Broadway, this cozy community calls itself a “front-porch neighborhood” — if you’ve got deck remodeling ideas, this is your happy place. Longtime residents are proud of its history — particularly the pivotal role of the Fehr School in Nashville’s Civil Rights Movement — but welcome the recent revitalization, which has included new multi-family housing and an influx of shops and dining.

As is the case in many of the best neighborhoods in Nashville, a mix of old and new is the hallmark of Salemtown. Victorian and cottage-style homes share the area with condos and townhomes adjacent to the formerly industrial-chic business area of neighboring Germantown.

Fun Things To Do in Salemtown

• Meet your neighbors and join a community clean-up or a holiday block party with the Salemtown Neighborhood Neighbors Association.
• Join local brunchers at Roasted Salemtown, another Nashville line-around-the-block hotspot for delicious Southern cuisine and weeknight live music.
• Fetch some fun with your fur baby at Central Dog Park, paradise for puppers (and their parents).

Bonus Highly Rated Nashville Area: Brentwood

The gated estates of Brentwood are a haven for many of Music City’s superstars, who value the privacy and room to breathe this Nashville suburb offers.

10. Brentwood, TN — Best for Superstars

• Average rent (one-bedroom): $1,550
• Average home value: $1.4M
• Great for: Country music stars, CEOs, families, retirees
• Commute to Downtown Nashville: 15 minutes

Okay, okay, so Brentwood isn’t exactly a Nashville neighborhood — it’s a suburb. But you can’t talk about living in Nashville without mentioning Brentwood. You see, in many Nashville neighborhoods, it’s not unusual to run into music superstars at the local supermarket. And in Brentwood, your chances are even better. Residents of this elegant, upscale burb have included Taylor Swift, Jack White, Dolly Parton — and many more.

Known for its gently rolling Tennessee hills and easy access to the airport and Downtown Nashville, Brentwood is a haven for wealthy residents who want privacy. It’s also popular among (mostly affluent) young families and outdoor lovers, with about 70 parks in the area, including Radnor Lake State Park, a local favorite with a nearly eight-mile hiking trail and several educational centers dotting its 1,400-acre footprint.

Other Nashville Suburbs Worth Checking Out:

• Franklin, TN
• Thompson’s Station, TN
• Mount Juliet, TN

 PODS portable moving containers provide flexibility and convenience for your move to one of the best neighborhoods in Nashville.

Planning Your Move to One of the Best Neighborhoods in Nashville

It’s never too soon to start planning your move to Music City. With PODS, you can move on your timetable with a PODS portable moving container delivered to your driveway — and one month’s storage included in the cost of every move. You know what else will make your Music City move a success? A hand with the heavy lifting. PODS can refer you to experts in packing and loading assistance. When you’re ready to make your move, get a quote for all your local moving needs or call 877-350-7637 for long-distance moving.

Shannon Jacobs is a Tampa-based freelance writer and frequent contributor to the PODS Blog. She has lived in Atlanta, the Berkshires, and Nashville, but always returns to the warmth of Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Editor’s note: Average and median rent prices were obtained from RentCafe; average home values were obtained from Zillow; and median home sale prices were obtained from Redfin. For ease of reading, monthly rental prices were rounded to the nearest $25 and home values were rounded to the nearest $100. Home values in the millions were rounded to the nearest $100,000.

_{*This article was written on behalf of PODS Enterprises, LLC (“PODS”). PODS does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of any information contained in this article and disclaims any liability for reliance upon the content herein.}