east Nashville...are there still any rough spots? (Memphis, Lebanon: apartments, condos)

[titanspreds_04]

Sorry Artemis!

I'm just extremely frustrated. Nashville is changing and I really think were in trouble when it comes to affordable housing. I see time and time again where another family is "pushed" out of East Nashville for affordabilitt reasons and forced to live in Madison or Antioch or another place that hardly havs any bus lines or public transportation options to get to work.

I've also just met too many snotty transplant hipsters who are fresh out of college, move here, and within months think they know and own everything about the city. They are a dime a dozen anymore and they really seem to be all the same.

So yeah, I'm not a fan of East Nashville.

[nashvols]

The vast, vast majority of those that live in East Nashville are not "snotty transplant hipsters who are fresh out of college."

I understand your frustration, and affordable housing is definitely a concern looking forward. But I find the changes happening in the city to be mostly positive. I much prefer the East Nashville of today compared to the East Nashville I remember when my brother attended Meigs in the early 90s.

[titanspreds_04]

Yes, I will agree that East Nashville has improved. However, Nashville didnt really solve any poverty or crime issues. They simply just shifted them to Antioch and Madison. The Madisons and Antiochs were much nicer in the 1990's than today. Remember when people actually shopped at Hickory Hollow Mall?

[artemis]

The developers have moved into Madison. By the way, Madison has excellent bus routes etc., I don't know about Antioch.

Anyway, I'm no hipster. I've been here about 15 yrs. My husband has been here since the late 60's.

The development has been fascinating to watch, and while some of the new homes aren't my cup of tea, I can't say I'm sorry to see some of the old run-down houses get knocked down & replaced with new homes. Some of those old houses needed to go.

[nicshoe18]

LOL I always love when this question comes up! From a new transplant who's traversed this area quite a bit and is well accustomed to urban living, the answer is yes. In what context is a different story. They're right, EN is huge. Sections are experiencing the "gentrification" but it's also pushing others into other sub-neighborhoods of EN. From my experience, there's a couple places I just don't go (south of Shelby Ave for example). Others like sections Cleveland Park I think get blown way out of proportion. People complaining more about theft than violent crime. Most of the paranoia criticisms I do think come from transplants, others just can't seem to let go of the past. In general though, I think it's a product of the new DIY culture. The millenials want the social perks of an urban environment but want the amenities of their suburban upbringing, which makes the great debate of COL and safety kind of pointless because their expectations are generally unrealistic, making their arguments and concerns more drama than reality. Fact is, it's a major metropolitan city and with that comes some sacrifices. If you want "affordable" housing and/or safety in a major city, you either have to seriously downgrade the size of your apartment or you have to live right on the edge of some sketchy neighborhoods and that's the way it's always been. From what I see and hear, it's A LOT different from 10 yrs ago, but the EN "safety" issue is always a loaded question.

Eventually this ridiculous housing bubble will burst this side of the river and it will even out. The affordable housing scare will eventually end.

[Hey_Hey]

I don't think the affordable housing issue will be going anywhere for a while. the reality is that Nashville still has affordable housing when compared to our new peer cities. We used to be a city that was in a peer group of Louisville, Birmingham, and Memphis. Over the last 15 years we have really outgrown that group and are in that next tier of cities. Places like Charlotte, Austin, Portland, and San Diego are probably more accurate peers at this point. Compared to our former peer group we are expensive. Compared to the new peer group we're pretty typical.

The reality is that it is next to impossible to have an exploding economy, active urban life, and a growing population without having expensive real estate. I actually hope we don't suddenly become affordable because that would likely mean our economy has collapsed. Expensive places are expensive for a reason.

That doesnt mean we don't need to work to keep things as affordable as possible, but expensive places to live are typically expensive because the economy is healthy.

[mee9mee9]

What about donelson and hermitage?

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by mee9mee9

What about donelson and hermitage?

It probably depends on what you consider "rough". Not as rough as the rougher parts of East Nashville, but there are some not-so-nice areas or more crime-prone areas for sure. Donelson is all around a bit better.

[titanspreds_04]

Yes, both Hermitage and Donelson are nicer for the most part.

[nashvols]

There are more nice spots in EN than in Hermitage, without a doubt. Hermitage just doesn't have spots as rough as those in EN.