Franklin/Nashville Relocation Questions (Green Hill: apartments, rentals, condo)

[JakeyB]

Hello all, my job is relocating to Franklin and I've got a few questions. A little background - I'm in my early-mid 20's and single so I'll be looking to rent a 1 bedroom apt or condo. I'm a pretty big music fan so I'm excited about that aspect of a move to Nashville. I want to find an area that is relatively safe and has a decent number of young professionals living nearby rather than more family oriented neighborhoods. Hillsboro/Green Hills/Vandy/Belmont areas seem like the places to be, although they would be cutting it close on my price range for rent (trying to keep it $800 or under).

Here are my questions:

1) How is the commute from those areas in Nashville to Franklin? My job would be right off I-65 a little Northeast of downtown Franklin. My current commute is about 1/2 an hour so something in that range would be fine. If it's higher then I might have to consider places closer to Franklin.

2) How is the transportation/bus system, especially to/from downtown at nights? From my searching on here it looks like it doesn't extend out as far as Franklin. How is it for the areas I've mentioned?

3) Are there any other areas I should look at that would be within a decent commute to Franklin but close enough to more of a Nashville scene?

4) My relocation would occur in mid-July. I've already started looking and most are available April/May rather than later. Is there a time that more July available rentals will pop up?

Thanks!

[septimus]

1. Commute from Nashville to Franklin is easy, unless there is a car accident (about once a month--usually when it rains).

2. Bus system in town isn't bad, but I wouldn't want to rely on it for my sole means of transport. It is non-existent to Franklin (there is a computer bus and Franklin has its own Trolley system.

3. I would stay down by Vanderbilt/Belmont/Gulch/12S if I was young and single.

[Hey_Hey]

If you stay within the boundaries of 8th ave south, west end ave, and inside 440 you will be in those trendy areas. The one issue may be your price as it seems most 1BR apartments in those areas are going to be around $1000-1300/month in the nicer apartments. The other area to consider would be the 5 Points area in East Nashville. It would be a further commute to Franklin, but only by 5 minutes or so compared to the other areas already mentioned. There are some apartments along 10th St South around 5 points in East Nashville (directly across the river from downtown).

For either of those areas you will be a short walk from bus routes, and all of them run downtown.

[steindle]

There are definitely sub-$800 1BR rentals in the Hillsboro/Belmont/etc. area -- but you need to look out for them. My first year in Nashville, my wife and I rented a 900-sq ft 1BR place on Fairfax for $625! We really lucked out for that area, though.

Originally Posted by JakeyB

2) How is the transportation/bus system, especially to/from downtown at nights? From my searching on here it looks like it doesn't extend out as far as Franklin. How is it for the areas I've mentioned?

Most buses, even on the busiest routes, end service at 10 or 11 PM. And even when it does run, it's hourly after about 6 PM. Public transportation here borders on useless for going out at night.

[JakeyB]

Originally Posted by steindle

Most buses, even on the busiest routes, end service at 10 or 11 PM. And even when it does run, it's hourly after about 6 PM. Public transportation here borders on useless for going out at night.

How is the cab service in the city? I'll have a car but would prefer to take another form of transportation to shows/bars (preferably bus) and have a way to get back afterward (bus/cab).

I've found a few decent looking older condo's for rent in the area that seem to be in my price range. I'll definitely continue to be on the lookout, though.

Thanks all for the comments so far!

[BirdieBelle]

There are plenty of cabs, but you have to call them. Just find one you like and program the numbers into your phone. It's not really a "flag one down in the street" situation like NYC.

I'd say it's the mode of choice for young people going out. We ate dinner in 12 South last weekend, and as we sat outside we watched cab after cab pull up and deposit people in front of the restaurant.