Moving to Nashville From Brooklyn with Kids (Germantown, Cleveland: transplants, apartments)

[kerenber]

Hi,
My husband just git a job offer in Nashville and we are relocating our family of four (2 young kids under 5) from the great Brooklyn NY. I am looking for info on where to live that still fills urban and hip, but family friendly, with great nursery schools and great elementary (public or private). We are used to a hectic active creative lifestyle with lots of friends and outdoor activity and would hate to lose that - please help me with advice - very anxious about all this.....

Thanks,

Keren

[ariesjow]

Do you have a price range in mind yet? Are you coming down to explore the area before your move? Based on your post, I think Sylvan Park, Hillsboro Village, East Nashville (which includes a number of distinct neighborhoods like Edgefield, Lockeland Springs, Eastwood Neighbors, East End, Inglewood, etc.), Germantown/Salemtown, and 12South are all worth checking out. You may like some others like Cherokee Park or Richland as well.

[nashvols]

Budget is a big, big consideration.

There aren't going to be any areas of Nashville that resemble Brooklyn-like urbanity and density, but there are a few urban enclaves worth looking at. And in general, the urban areas of Nashville are more centered around singles and young professionals than families, although there are some family friendly areas. I would check out the west and southwest sides of town first, and see if that is to your liking. Primarily the Vanderbilt area (West End, Hillsboro Village), Hillsboro West End, Belmont, 12th South.

Sylvan Park, Germantown, and East Nashville (specifically around Lockeland Springs and Eastwood) might also work.

The Gulch is a new urban neighborhood that is rising out of the brownfields, but it strikes me as very much a younger crowd without a lot of kids.

Most of the in town neighborhoods that are "urban" are a mix of historic single family homes with apartments mixed in. Some areas are in varying stages of gentrification.

There are a number of good sized parks that help you fulfill your outdoor activities, most notably Shelby Park (East Nashville) and Centennial Park (West End) as well as a number of smaller parks.

Aside from budget, some things to consider will be that you will likely need a car to travel to most places around town. Public transportation is OK close to town, but I wouldn't recommend it for activities like shopping. It *might* work OK to try it with Green Hills.

I'll defer the schools question to someone else, but my initial thought is that at the elementary level, most people don't have a big issue with Nashville's public schools. Beyond that, depending on where you are, you might want to look into a private school. On top of that, most private schools have a religious affiliation. Some don't. Depending on your preference, this might factor in.

All in all, you're going to have to make some compromises when it comes to leaving urban Brooklyn to coming to urban Nashville. They are simply worlds apart in that category.

An important question would be where your husband's job will be located. Is he working close to the city, or out in the suburbs (we get a lot of people that want to live in an urban environment, yet their jobs take them to the suburbs, which can sometimes make things difficult).

Depending on the sort of creative lifestyle you are looking for, arguably East Nashville would be considered the center of the artsy/creative community. There are certainly other options, but I think the biggest concentration can be found there.

If you don't mind, Keren, please tell us a few more specifics about you and your family so we try to point you in the right direction. If you don't feel comfortable answering all the questions, that's OK. Just omit them. I'm not trying to pry, but answering some of these questions will help us determine what might be suitable (or unsuitable) locations for you.

-Budget (and more specifically, house or apartment/condo? Rent or own?)

-Do you own a car? What about two cars? (If your husband has to drive to work, and you don't have a car yourself, you might find it difficult to get around town)

-What is more important -- access to shopping or access to a large public park?

-Do you primarily shop at chains or name brand locations, or do you prefer local businesses?

-Would it bother you if your children go to a school with religious affiliation?

-How important is it that your neighborhood is ethnically or racially diverse?

-While no area is perfectly "safe," what level of safety do you and your family need to be comfortable?

Answering these questions will help. Also feel free to add any more questions you have for us. We can also help dig up some helpful links, data, and maps to share with you to help you make your decision.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by ariesjow

Do you have a price range in mind yet? Are you coming down to explore the area before your move? Based on your post, I think Sylvan Park, Hillsboro Village, East Nashville (which includes a number of distinct neighborhoods like Edgefield, Lockeland Springs, Eastwood Neighbors, East End, Inglewood, etc.), Germantown/Salemtown, and 12South are all worth checking out. You may like some others like Cherokee Park or Richland as well.

Darn you! It took me a while longer to type out my post...but you and I pretty much have the same neighborhoods in mind.

[citymama]

If you can afford private, and are interested in non-sectarian education, I'd find a k-8 like Abintra Montessori or a k-12 like the University School of Nasvhille. Otherwise, there is a mecca of private schools to choose from. There is so much here for families and to keep you active and busy. Many families rely on their church for their social life, but that wasn't an option for us. Coming from the Bay Area, CA, then Cleveland, OH...Nasvhille was a bit of a shock, but given time, a nice little life can be built for your family down here.

[Coney]

From what I understand you will have the same issues with schools in Nashville as you would in Brooklyn. Nashville metro schools have similar issues and the mixed type of environments as with NYC DOE schools. Both have magnet schools with similar entrance/admittance issues. Parents in both cities often opt for private schools as an alternative, some secular, some nonsectarian, for the same old reasons.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by skowp

You might want to take a look at Brentwood. That is Williamson County school system and they are the best in the State. This community is very kid/family oriented.

I am looking for info on where to live that still fills urban and hip, but family friendly

Re: bold

Two words that have never been used to describe Brentwood.

[citymama]

^^^^ lol! I agree. Brentwood is neither urban nor hip.

[ariesjow]

Originally Posted by nashvols

Darn you! It took me a while longer to type out my post...but you and I pretty much have the same neighborhoods in mind.

Ha! Yours was way more informative than mine. I love your posts!

[yank283]

You should check out some East Nashville neighborhoods including Lockeland Springs, Eastwood Neighbors and Inglewood. They all have very active Mom's Clubs with a lot of young families. There are a lot of Northeast transplants that live in East Nashville. In fact a couple of our friends graduated from NYU and another Mom (that my wife went to a club brunch this morning to) and her husband moved here from Brooklyn. There are a bunch of cool restaurants and shops around the neighborhoods and it seems like more pop up everyday. I would do a search on here for the pro's and cons of
East Nashville. When I have a little more time I will post something with a more detail about East Nashville. Granted it's not without it's faults, but it is probably one of the most misunderstood areas in Nashville (although there are some fine posters on this site that "get it"). Especially, strangely enough, by locals who have lived here most of their life. Oh yeah, nothing against the poster who mentioned Brentwood, but given your criteria, I would avoid it like the plague unless good schools are your only and top priority. It's a really nice suburb with great schools, almost zero crime, McMansions, plethra of chain restaurants and stores, and an overwhelmingly base of very conservative residents (not saying this is bad, just giving the facts). Anyway good luck on the move wherever you choose.