Nashville: More Than Just Music
Call it the Music City, the home of hot chicken or the Athens of the South, Nashville by any other name would smell as sweet as a buttered biscuit. This Southern stronghold has built on its historic roots in culture and commerce alike, and no city seems better poised to embrace the future than Nashville.
The Wall Street Journal has named Nashville one of the Hottest U.S. Job Markets, unemployment is well below historic lows and, as the city’s “crane watch” can attest, Americans are relocating to this middle Tennessee hotspot faster than the city can build spaces for them to live. The Nashville area has gained more than 83,000 new residents since 2020, and the population of the Tennessee state capital now sits at 683,622.
Colleges like Vanderbilt University and Fisk University put the city on the map as an educational epicenter long ago, and Nashville has compounded the interest in those original investments manyfold. Nashville is now a hub for research, healthcare, advanced manufacturing and media, diversifying its powerful base in entertainment and tourism, and making it a home to more than 60,000 businesses.
With relatively affordable living costs for a city of its stature, and a diverse economy, Nashville is also a wonderful region of the country to explore. Located on the Cumberland River, the natural wonders in and outside of the city are some of the finest in the country, and mountain bikers, hikers, and paddlers have ample room to roam.
Think the Music City could be the right place for your family to move? Learn more below about Nashville’s neighborhoods, attractions, job market and cost of living, where we’ll also share some indispensable information about how to make your move easy and stress-free.
Reasons to Move to Nashville
Affordable Cost of Living
Although Nashville’s cost of living may be higher than Southern metros like Memphis, Charlotte and Dallas, real estate in the Music City is still far below the rates in popular cities like Austin and Atlanta. According to the U.S. Census, the median home value in Nashville averaged $351,400 between 2018 and 2022 — $100,000 less than Austin’s — and rent averaged nearly $1,400/month.
The National Association of Realtors puts current real estate figures even higher, though, showing median home sales in the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin area topping the $400,000 mark in Q4 of 2023 — a 30% uptick in just three years. Homeownership rates in the Music City are 53.8% — higher than in all other Southern cities mentioned here, but still more than 10 points below the national average.
One potential way to save in this popular city is on taxes. You’ll pay no personal income tax here and property taxes are relatively low, as well. But watch your spending. Tennessee has one of the highest sales tax rates in the country, and the Tax Foundation ranks Tennessee #2 in the nation for its combined local and state levies. The state fares better in the corporate realm, taking 14th place in the country for its business tax climate, because the state does levy a 6.5% corporate income tax and a gross receipts tax. This imposition is something other Southern states may turn their noses up at, but the state’s roads, bridges and schools must get funding from someplace, and as you’ll see in the next section, it doesn’t actually seem to be hurting the job market.
Thinking about moving to Nashville? Let United Van Lines, one of the best long-distance moving companies, assist you. Get a quote today!
Please note: We are not tax experts and are not offering tax advice, other than you should consider obtaining additional information and advice from your legal and/or financial advisers who are fully aware of your individual circumstances.
Dynamic Job Market
Thanks to its diverse and expanding economy, Nashville residents are enjoying a low unemployment rate of just 2.4% as of May 2024, a point and a half below the U.S. average. Things are so good right now in Nashvegas, that the Wall Street Journal named Nashville one of the Hottest U.S. Job Markets three years running, topping the chart in 2022 and holding steady in the top ten for 2023 and 2024.
This Sun Belt city is the headquarters of iHeartMedia, Dollar General, AllianceBernstein, Nissan North America and Bridgestone. Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt Health make Nashville a prized research center and a hub for life sciences and health tech. And, with more than 60,000 businesses in the greater Nashville area, the city is a prime home base for sports business, advanced manufacturing and — of course — music and entertainment.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top industries in the Nashville-Davidson metro include trade, transportation and utilities, professional and business services, education and health services, and leisure and hospitality. Those honky-tonks may look humble, but they sure drive tourism revenue in the Music City. Most industries in Nashville saw growth between 2023 and 2024, but Information and Financial Activities suffered modest losses of less than 6%.
Nashville is a creative city, too, so don’t think you’ll be out of place if you don’t work in healthcare or for a Fortune 500. Small businesses are still big business in the Tennessee capital. Between art museums, galleries, performance halls and the explosion of incredible restaurants, Nashville’s independents and entrepreneurs have made their mark in the Volunteer State.
Outstanding Educational Opportunities
Known as the Athens of the South, this capital city prides itself as an epicenter for educational opportunities and knowledge. And who can argue with the home of Vanderbilt University, one of the nation’s top 20 colleges. Although the flagship location of the University of Tennessee is a couple hours east in Knoxville, Nashville is also home to Tennessee State University, one of four historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that call the city home. The others include Meharry Medical College, American Baptist College — the 100-year-old alma mater of the honorable John Lewis — and Fisk University, which was founded even before Vanderbilt, and graduated such luminaries as Ida B. Wells and W.E.B. DuBois.
High school graduation rates in the Tennessee state capital are slightly higher than the U.S. and state averages, but the percentage of residents who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher — 45.5% — tops them both by more than 10 points.
U.S. News & World Report ranks two Nashville-area secondary schools in the nation’s top 50: Central Magnet School in Rutherford County and Hume Fogg Magnet High School in Davidson, so K-12 learners will be well-prepared to make that leap to higher education when graduation day arrives.
Neighborhood for Any Lifestyle
Downtown Nashville
If you are looking for a town with a big-city heart that has never lost its cultural core, Nashville delivers. Music is still front and center in downtown Nashville, and Music Row draws throngs of tourists and locals alike. The unpretentiousness of Nashville’s honky-tonks is part of their appeal, and in this unique city, you really never do know when an open mic might reveal the next star of the century. Our favorite spot on Lower Broadway just might be Layla’s, where the décor of old brick, bar neon and defunct license plates provides an apt backdrop for hillbilly heartbreak and bluegrass drawl. Grab yourself a fried bologna sandwich and a cold beer, and you’ve got yourself a plan for the evening. If you’re looking for more sophistication in your nightlife, the Ariston is one of the last places in America you can smoke indoors, but it’s going to be a premium cigar from their humidor alongside a caviar plate and a Bartender’s Handshake, an El Dorado rum-based elixir with amaro, lemon and bitters. Downtown is also home to must-sees like the Johnny Cash Museum and the Ryman Auditorium. Historic sites like the Tennessee State Capitol and the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park anchor the North Capitol District, where you’ll find the Tennessee State Museum and the World War II Memorial. Space is at a premium in this dense commercial district, and condos, lofts, and apartments may have more affordable price tags overall, but the square footage restriction may be shocking to newcomers.
12 South
Popular with academics, this near-Vandy neighborhood is filled with great places to grab a bite, go boutiquing or take the dogs for a walk. Playdate is one of the newest establishments in this hip district to hang out, especially if access to swirly tube slides (sized for adult use) rank high on your must-have list. The restaurant and self-proclaimed “funbar” serves boozy slushies, elevated bar food and funnel cake fries for dessert. No double-dipping in that caramel rum sauce. Grab your morning joe at the Frothy Monkey, or splurge on one of their signatures, like the Golden Monkey Latte, which drinks like a spicy, coconut chai with its turmeric-ginger-cayenne infusion. For dinner, don’t pass up the burnt ends at Edley’s Bar-B-Que, which are served on their spicy grits casserole with — in a display of corny gratuitousness — a side of cornbread. Their fried catfish sandwich and banana pudding are also something special. You’ll find lots of new construction in 12 South. Trendy, contemporary clapboards with sleek profiles have edged out many of the older, modest single families that used to populate the area. There are a handful of condos here and there priced under a million but expect that to be the starting point for a residence in this trendy area.
Germantown
Nashville has loads of historic sites, but Germantown actually makes the National Register of Historic Places. This urban district on the Cumberland River has deep roots with a modern twist, and you’ll find chic eateries and beautiful, old warehouses converted into well-appointed lofts. There are lots of luxury townhomes and even some affordable, modern condos. Prices right now range from the mid-$400s to upwards of $3 million. Even if you don’t live in Germantown, you’ll likely spend many a Saturday shopping at the nearby Nashville Farmer’s Market downtown. Not only does it have some of the best produce vendors in the region (just wait until you see all the pumpkins and gourds in the fall), but there are also awesome spots indoors to grab a bite. If you’re in the mood for a splurge, there’s no better place to dine in Germantown than Rolf & Daughters. This inventive, eclectic menu weaves disparate plates, heavily influenced by Scandinavian flavors, into an intoxicating, international palette. The beef tartare with smoked roe and lardo on Danish rye is a satisfyingly updated traditional starter, while the rye spaghetti is deeply complex with anchovy, bottarga and lemon. The whole turbot with lady peas, uni butter and the unique citrus note of yuzu is a triumph.
East Nashville
Nashville’s artsy types live all over, but East Nashville is one of their main hubs. This buzzy, eccentric area east of the Cumberland encompasses hoods like Talbot’s Corner, Maplewood Heights, Edgefield and Eastwood. You’ll find cozy-elegant joints like Café Roze, which has perfected simplicity, and the Pharmacy Burger Parlor, a master of maximalism. Street art and galleries and specialty shops are de rigueur in East Nashville. Make an appointment to visit the studio of Lockeland Leather or treat the kids to a trip to Tabla Rasa, a toy store and café, where you can pick up a pair of pogo stilts and some soft-serve in a freshly pressed waffle cone while the kids try out the see-saw out front. Housing in this widespread area ranges from the mid-$200s for a small, well-designed condo into the millions for swanky single families.
Green Hills
If you’re looking for a good life outside the city limits, one of the most coveted suburbs is Green Hills. Amongst the rolling green lawns and quiet streets, you’ll find impeccable pre-Civil War mansions as well as brand new estates, but the ground floor in this tony area is over $2 million. Along the main drag, there are modest condominiums for far less, and what they lack in curb appeal they make up for in comfort and proximity to excellent schools like Harpeth Hall and popular shopping spots like the Green Hills Mall. The Bluebird Café is perhaps Green Hill’s unlikeliest neighbor, but this legendary club far off the Honky-Tonk Highway has written some of Nashville’s most important musical history, with notable shows by Garth Brooks and the Indigo Girls to Taylor Swift’s label-making performance in 2004, when she was just 15.
Diverse and Flavorful Culture
Many people are familiar with the Music City’s greatest hits — the Grand Ole Opry and Music Row, Nashville hot chicken and smoky BBQ, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ryman Theatre. And who could forget the Parthenon — the city isn’t called the Athens of the South for nothin’. But between the landmarks and the legends, the city can strike an array of cultural chords, and you’ll find that Nashville has a lot to offer from the visual arts and dance to sports and the great outdoors.
When you’ve gotten your fill of live music at the honky-tonks and are ready to dig deep into musical history, the National Museum of African American Music is one of the first places you should set your sights. The NMAAM is one of the newer (and long overdue) additions to Nashville’s music scene, and there’s no better place to listen to the sounds of the American songbook, from spirituals to hip-hop.
On the visual side of the city, the Frist Museum presents wide-ranging exhibitions of work from around the world. One month you might see turn-of-the-last century monuments by Saint-Gaudens and the next sculptures by contemporary artists, like Shahpour Pouyan. To satisfy the sophisticated tastes of Nashville’s performing arts fans, the city also has its own ballet, opera, symphony and children’s theatre.
There are plenty of straight-up fun museums, too. Take the Lane Motor Museum in Murfreesboro. You don’t have to be a motorhead to enjoy this attraction — anyone who has wanted a cooler way to get from A to B will enjoy seeing the one-of-a-kind autocanoe, the Dragonfly ice sled and the Chevy Corphibian, which is what you’d get if a firetruck mated with a leisure boat and a mini-bus. They’ve also got video game cars, Mignet flying machines, aerosleds and assorted amphibious cars from the 60s!
Nashville has three professional sports teams now, and though the city isn’t big on winter, residents sure do show up for the Nashville Predators. This NHL team scrapes up the ice at the Bridgestone Arena, and soon enough all your favorite merch will be blue and gold, starting with the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs tee shirt, unless you’re more the hockey-tonk style.
Football fans will need no introduction to the Tennessee Titans, who spent their first 36 years as the AFL’s Houston Oilers but have been Tennessee strong since 1996. Although the team has seen its share of near victories in the playoffs and has made one Super Bowl appearance, the Titans haven’t clinched a championship title since the ’60s.
Southeast of downtown, Geodis Park plays host to the Nashville SC, the city’s MLS team. The team got its start in the minor leagues in the mid-teens, but by 2020 the supporter-owned club had made the big leagues, and the city has never looked back.
Of course, sports aren’t just for the pros in Nashville. This is a city that makes the most of the great outdoors, whether you’re a fan of manicured gardens, like Cheekwood Estate, or you prefer the rugged, unspoiled terrain of the Piedmont. The hilly countryside is prime territory for mountain bikers, who will certainly find their haven in the nearby Smokies, but you don’t have to venture that far for some weekday fun. Newbies can rent bikes at Bell’s Bend to get their bearing before moving on to more challenging courses at the rough and rooty Hamilton Creek.
Water babies can whet their whistles in the Cumberland River, where an outfitter can take you on a wild or mild adventure through the urban corridor to view the Nashville Skyline, or you can put in with your own paddles at gorgeous spots from Gallatin to McMinnville, near the Cumberland Caverns and Falls Creek State Park.
You can combine biking, boating and hiking at Long Hunter State Park. This meandering wilderness area on J. Percy Priest Lake is an ideal near-town getaway (mere minutes from the airport) where you can wander through the wildflower fields at Couchville Cedar Glade, test your muster on the old-school Alpine Tower ropes course or just kick back for a weekend of swimming and fishing and birding.
Nashville has really made a name for itself in the food scene. You’ll find incredible pork shoulder sandwiches at joints like Mary’s Old-Fashioned Pit Bar-B-Que in the Jefferson Street Historic District. There are Japanese comfort food spots like Kisser, where you will not want to leave without sipping on a melon cream soda. Soul food standouts like Big Al’s is the only place we know you can get a chicken-fried banana pork loin. And when you just need a Neapolitan pie or some pork coppa with bagna càuda? You go to Folk. Nashville does it all in style, from low-brow to high-brow, coffee shop to speakeasy, brunch to late-nite. Want to learn more about the food scene in Nashville? Check out our favorite picks in the neighborhood section above.
Does life in Nashville sound like your idea of fun? Let United Van Lines help you relocate to Music City. Get a quote today.
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Wonder what living in the Volunteer State is really like? Our Moving Guide to Tennessee takes an inside look at this Southeastern gem.
If you’re still deciding which city is right for you, our regional guides to the United States can help you find the perfect spot to settle. And, when you move, explore the best nature has to offer in your new region — let our national parks guides lead the way.
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