Impression of Murfreesboro after visiting from NYC two weeks ago (Franklin: appointed, real estate) - Nashville - Tennessee (TN) - City-Data Forum

Beatrice00 · 06-08-2011, 04:48 AM

For those people from NYC that want to move to Murfreesboro, this is my impression of it. I drove all over, ate at some restaurants, went to Franklin, Brentwood and Nashville all in a two-week period. In my opinion, Murfreesboro is like a somewhat poorer section of Long Island but still nice, Brentwood is like Great Neck with Franklin being in-between. Downtown Nashville is tiny and a bit like LIC. I saw a street that splits right and left, one side is called Church Street and the other Gay Street which I thought was funny. Downtown by the courts and municipal bouldings there are shady characters walking constantly about and hanging out, just like here in NYC.

Religion seems to be very important, they are mainly Baptist from what I saw. During weekdays there were lots of people outside walking in the shopping areas so I don't know how many of them were working. A lot of people were jogging and using bike lanes by Cason Trail. There is a park nearby that a lot of people use. There is a nice mall in Murfreesboro and you can find pretty much every store you would want. Shopping is plenty and everything is within a few minutes driving distance. Kohl, Target, Walmart, Loews, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Old Navy, Marshalls plus everything else mall style. Restaurants are all chains and food is pretty horrendous. I was unable to find a diner, there are no deli's or bodega style stores. I tried Thai at two places and the food is totally different than the one here, almost unrecognizable and quite bad. I paid between $3.49 to $3.85 for regular gas. The shoppig overall is good, like Queens mall or a Long Island mall with chain stores. I drove to Nashville in rush hour and it is a piece of cake compared to here. It's like 5:00am traffic on the Belt at most. Nashville is about the same distance as Manhattan from Staten Island, so it's pretty close.

Homes are nice, mostly new. They do have drainage ditches EVERYWHERE. I was surprised by that but in retrospect I should not have been, it seems to be a flood area. Every day it was 95 with high humidity, it was a bit hard to be outside in that heat, especially with the darned insect infestation. I was told that about two weeks in the summer it reaches 100. Prices vary on the homes but around Cason Lane/Cason Trail area they are about $140,000. Many minorities seem to buy them at that price or rent in that area recently and the same goes for Blackman Farms. I saw signs on new construction that say $500 moves you into a new house which makes me wonder who is moving in. I visited everything and only like the Indian Hills and Innsbrooke Subdivisions so far, but that's my personal preference. There are lots of families with young kids in those subdivisions and they walk aroud and socialize. The other subdivisions were ghost towns when I drove by and did not look so good. The homes seem to be plopped down without any boundaries between them or landscaping, pretty strange. There are sections where you are out in the country which I did not like also, I like the newer homes.

I was vey interested in the Blackman school district. I have to say that I was very disappointed and crossed it off my list. The homes as you drive on Blaze are cheap and the community looks poorly. As you pass through the schools there is an area of more expensive homes on the left but it is like on oasis built in a hay field. I did not like it, it's nothing like pictures online. I could not live there. I did not even bother with the Siegel district because everyone I talked to said that the schools there won't be good by the time my kids are old enough to go to school. Some even said that about Blackman, including my agent, because the area seems to be declining. It looks like I have to pick a home and area I like then send my kids to private school.

Anyway, food and clothes cost exactly like in NYC, the only thing that's significantly cheaper is the housing. Murfreesboro is nice, very Long Island style, shopping is good, the drainage ditches hopefully work, overall it was nice but not great.

This is just my personal opinion that I am sharing to maybe help others out. I went there looking to spend $250,000 on 4 bedrooms in a community with good schools, lots of young families, with sidewalks, close to shopping. I found some nice homes in not so nice subdivisions (with two exceptions, Indian Hills and Innsbrooke) with very little landscaping, not so great schools or on the way to becoming not so great, and cost of living prices exactly like NYC. I am still considering moving there just because I can have a nice home for less than half of what it costs in NYC. Overall Murfreesboro is not bad. I'll go visit again in September.

46Barb · 06-08-2011, 08:32 AM

When you visit again, go drive from Goodlettesville (Rivergate Mall) to Hendersonville (Streets of Indian Lake) etc. It will remind you also of Long Island with all the shopping etc.

CountryGirl2b= · 06-08-2011, 09:38 AM

It doesn't sound like you LOVE Murfreesboro??? Your last paragraph sounded a little "down". Have you considered Franklin? There are some homes that meet your criteria listed on Real Tracs. A couple in Franklin Green look OK to me?

RealTracs Real Estate Mid-South Search Results

Maybe just spend a little more time in Franklin on your next visit. The downtown is very cute and schools are good.

Beatrice00 · 06-08-2011, 10:51 AM

Thank you so much for your suggestion. In September I'll be looking at Franklin definitely. I'm a bit scared as a single mom to move there though. It seems pretty up-tight and very religious. It does look good though. Do people with expensive homes look down on others with cheaper homes ($250,000) in the same subdivisions? I would not want to put my kids through that. It seems like that sort of place.

CountryGirl2b= · 06-08-2011, 11:25 AM

We bought about the cheapest house in our subdivision (Fieldstone Farms) and so far, we have not had anyone try to run us out of town! LOL! The houses in Franklin Green are all about the same price range so everyone is 'equal' . . . I mean, they are families who moved there for the good schools.

In Fieldstone Farms there are different 'sub sub divisions' that range from an over 55 type area, condos, smaller homes, one story homes, and then all the way up to some pretty big houses. But I've never felt I didn't belong here.

The only thing 'wrong' about moving into a development is that there are HOA fees. Ours just went up because Fieldstone Farms is leasing back the two pools (which were privately run). This means we pay another $12 a month and the pools are open to everyone. DO check the HOA fees whether it's here or in Murfreesboro.

I don't find it 'up tight' at all and no one's really asked me about church.

So far, everyone I have met in Franklin (all of Nashville, really) has been really nice and welcoming!

In all fairness to Murfreesboro, though, I have not spent a lot of time there. It's just that you seemed a little let down after your trip. Come to Franklin in the Fall! I can meet you for lunch!

nashvols · 06-08-2011, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beatrice00

Thank you so much for your suggestion. In September I'll be looking at Franklin definitely. I'm a bit scared as a single mom to move there though. It seems pretty up-tight and very religious. It does look good though. Do people with expensive homes look down on others with cheaper homes ($250,000) in the same subdivisions? I would not want to put my kids through that. It seems like that sort of place.

Some people are uptight and religious, but certainly not all. You definitely would not be alone as a single parent.

As for people looking down on those with less expensive homes, I wouldn't think that would be a big issue. Perhaps if you tried to move a trailer into a subdivision of half million dollar homes...lol.

But, if you think you might have some reservations about the people...I suggest you try to meet some to get a sample of what the area is like.

Lamplight · 06-08-2011, 03:01 PM

I'm a bit surprised to hear that food prices here are comparable to NYC.

nashvols · 06-08-2011, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lamplight

I'm a bit surprised to hear that food prices here are comparable to NYC.

Well, definitely not the restaurant prices.

Lamplight · 06-08-2011, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nashvols

Well, definitely not the restaurant prices.

That's mainly what I assumed she meant, which seems almost hard to believe. Just in Seattle, a meal that would have cost me $12-$15 here (at the most) was $25+. I would think NYC would be at least that much.

aaronmidnight · 06-08-2011, 04:49 PM

Long Island bears absolutely no resemblance to Middle TN and frankly it's insulting to compare Downtown Nashville (a state capitol, by the way) with Long Island City.

If you're just looking for a warmer and cheaper NYC, why not move to Florida like all the other NYers. They have better delis and bodegas down there.

IMHO, if you're just moving to TN for cheaper real estate you'll be miserable. The culture, the people and the climate are nothing like NYC. I'd encourage you to take a close look at Miami, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Houston, Dallas, Denver or Chicago. It sounds like you'd be a much better fit for those cities. Some of the Dallas suburbs in particular like Richardson, Addison or Plano in particular might be what you're looking for.