Brentwood vs. Oak Hill (Franklin, Belle Meade: insurance, low crime, credit)

[brinpol]

My family might be moving to Nashville next year, and I was wondering which city/suburb people would be recommend more for a family relocating (me, wife, 2 kids, ages 7 and 10). Which one has better housing prices (our budget is $900k), better schools, better commuting to Nashville, better amenities like retail and dining, etc. I will be working in Nashville myself.

So far, from what I gather, that whole area (Brentwood, Oak Hill, Franklin, Forest Oaks, etc) is somewhat similar, very upscale, low crime, good schools, etc. However, some of those cities are in Davidson County, while others are Williamson County. How will that affect the schools? I read Williamson County as a whole is more affluent overall than Davidson County, while some areas within Davidson are more affluent than even Brentwood, like Belle Meade, which is a bit too pricey for us.

So...Brentwood in the stronger Williamson County, or Oak Hill in Davidson County? Which is a better place overall?

[septimus]

If you want public schools stay on the Williamson County side.

The public schools in davidson are hit or miss some are phenomenal and others aren't. The magnets are world class but you have to win the lottery to get in and that's not a sure thing.

The private schools are expensive and admissions is competitive for the better ones.

[brentwoodgirl]

Agree with sept. We have been thrilled with Brentwood Middle and High.

Percy Priest is the elementary school in Oak Hill and it is excellent, but middle school in Nashville starts in 5th grade.

I would focus your search on the neighborhoods just south of Old Hickory Blvd and west of Franklin Road. That's where Oak Hill and Brentwood meet. You get the same feel on both sides (older houses on big lots), and that will put you in Williamson County schools.

Two things to note- make sure you house is zoned for Wilco. Some houses in that section are in Davidson County but have a Brentwood zip. Schools here are done by county, not zip code. Some are in Davidson County but have a sliver of property in WilCo, so they pay Davidson County taxes but their kids get to go to school in Williamson. (We have 2 friends in that situation). Most are 100% in Williamson. If you are looking at a house close to the county line, I would call the school system to confirm the address before you make an offer.
Also, I woukd ask if the property flooded during the 2010 flood and also ask if it requires flood insurance.

[crooow]

The above posters are right on. We were in a similar situation as you, and chose Oak Hill over Brentwood. It was a tough choice, but we wanted to reduce the commute, and basically we're more city people than suburb people.

This probably doesn't apply to you (and I don't mean to offend anyone), but we're also a multi-racial family, so the diversity of Davidson County schools was kind of important to us. Percy Priest is quite good, and we talked to a number of folks who had kids go through JT Moore and Hillsboro high school, and they were generally happy with their experiences, so we figure that if our kids don't get into a magnet, we'd be ok with the zoned schools in Oak Hill.

I think it really just depends on the sorts of things you care about. Both options are good.

[WanderingFar]

A lot of people have already addressed the schools issue.

It's worth pointing out that Oak Hill is much smaller than Brentwood. It doesn't offer much in the way of amenities itself (other than proximity to Radnor Lake.) However, from a commuting perspective and for proximity to everything that Nashville offers, it does offer a leg up (how big of a leg up depends on where you are in Brentwood. The farther north and, to some extent, west you are in Brentwood, the better your commute will be.)

Brentwood will offer more planned subdivisions, if that's your thing. Some of them have rather nice amenities like pools and walking trails. However, Brentwood, while beautiful, lacks the upscale (and downscale) shopping and dining experience of Nashville. You will go to Nashville (or Franklin) for most of your entertainment. So it may be worthwhile to be in Oak Hill.

If you're worried about schools, my personal bias would be to live in areas zoned for Scales Elementary; those neighborhoods are super convenient to everything. Unless you have a strong preference for Davidson County (like the poster above.)

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by WanderingFar

However, Brentwood, while beautiful, lacks the upscale (and downscale) shopping and dining experience of Nashville. You will go to Nashville (or Franklin) for most of your entertainment. So it may be worthwhile to be in Oak Hill.

It's worth noting that north Brentwood and Oak Hill are literally across the street (Old Hickory Blvd) from each other.

Most people I know who live in Oak Hill shop in Brentwood for "daily" stuff. We ALL (10 counties worth in middle TN) drive to Nashville for fine dining and entertainment.

When the first phase of Hill Center Brentwood is complete, there will be more shopping and dining options near both.

Hill Center Brentwood

Oak Hill is a purely residential "satellite city" within the consolidated Metro Nashville city limits. It has no commercially zoned property and relies solely on property tax and Hall Income Tax on investments for revenue. It also offers no services except, I believe, trash pickup. It's MUCH smaller with about a tenth of the population of Brentwood.

Brentwood is a standalone city located entirely within Williamson County. It has fully staffed and accredited police and fire departments, more than 1,000 acres of city parks, and paved walking/biking trails. Brentwood offers more opportunities for non-vehicle oriented connections to parks, etc, with neighborhood connections to those trails. Some parts of the city don't have access, but many do.

It really just depends on what you want. Both cities have about the same type of residential property zoning, based on 1 house per acre, so they have the same suburban feel. But Brentwood is much more spread out, and parts of Brentwood are much busier, just like they would be in a city. If you're primarily going to orient toward Nashville and rarely go to Cool Springs, Oak Hill might be better. If you want your kids to settle into a school feeder pattern and not have to change in a few years, Brentwood might be better.

If you can spend some time here and get a feel for it, that would help.

[HaleyinNashville]

The only differences between these areas are proximity, schools, and lot sizes. And exceptions exist with each of these. I would suggest you just look in both and then decide based on what actual houses are on the market at that time--that will usually sway you one way or another pretty fast!