Living & Nursing in Nashville

Mention the name of some cities and you immediately get a picture of what it’s famous for. Images flash in your mind of all the pictures, video and movies you’ve seen that feature that city. For instance New Orleans or Las Vegas—see the images that just came to your mind? Get the picture? Well, there’s often much more to these cities than what you first expect. Another such city is Nashville.

You may have immediately pictured the Grand Ol’ Opry and Country Music stars in sequined, spangled, sparkly costumes with hats and boots and big hair. Did you picture the Parthenon or Vanderbilt University? Stately old Victorian homes? Grand classical style buildings? Arts centers and museums? Jazz and Symphony orchestras playing classical music? Well, that’s Nashville too. Just like the things you first pictured, they’re part of what makes Nashville, Tennessee so appealing and such a great place for you to work and live.

Nashville just wouldn’t be Nashville without Music Row. The country music recording industry is big business in “Music City USA.” But so is education. Nashville has been called “The Athens of The South” for its dedication to higher learning and education. There are twelve colleges and universities in, or in close proximity to, Nashville. Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, is known as the “Harvard of the South.” But guess what leads all industries in Nashville? Keep reading.

Situated in the softly rolling hills of middle Tennessee, Nashville is the capital of the state and is the second most populous city in Tennessee after Memphis. The population of the city is around 650,000, but it is the center point of a metropolitan area of well over 1.5 million making it the largest metro area in the state. If you want to go online and search for homes in the Metro area, be aware that it includes 10 counties- Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson.

The city is a leader in the health care, music, automobile production, publishing, hospitality, banking, higher education and transportation industries. Did you catch the first one? That means opportunity for you! The health care industry is the largest in the city-even larger than the music industry. It’s home to more than 250 health care companies and the headquarters for the largest private operator of hospitals in America-Hospital Corporation of America, now HCA Inc.  In 2006, the health care industry provided over 94,000 jobs in the Nashville area.

Nashville has a humid subtropical climate with warm, humid summers and chilly winters. There are four distinct seasons and no extremes of precipitation. There’s bound to be at least one season you’ll really like- and probably more than one! Fall seems to be everyone’s favorite. It has a relatively low cost of living and a thriving large job market. Three major interstate highways intersect the city with a beltway around the city for easy access. The Music City Star Rail operates between downtown Nashville and outlying suburbs with new routes planned to eventually make a total of seven legs of the system.

  Speaking of suburbs and downtown here’s a brief rundown of the Nashville neighborhoods so you’ll have an idea of where you might want to live and play.

The Gulch is Nashville’s historic industrial district recycled to become the hottest new neighborhood in town. It originally housed the downtown railroad terminal in the 1920s. The old warehouse buildings have been renovated into residential and office space and upscale restaurants. The juxtaposition between the old and gleaming new contemporary construction attracts the restaurants, shops and clubs and makes for an exciting and vibrant nightlife. If you want the urban lifestyle this is the place.

12 South is one of Nashville’s newly refurbished neighborhoods. With new sidewalks and street lighting it has become the up and coming trendy place to live and meet your friends in one of the many fine restaurants, clubs, galleries and shops located here.

East Nashville is home to several historic neighborhoods now experiencing a renaissance. Definitely low-key and neighborly, it’s a great community filled with antebellum buildings left after the Great East Nashville Fire of 1916. There are two locally zoned “historic preservation districts” that require all construction, demolitions or additions to meet stringent codes preserving the timeless feel of the neighborhoods. The Five Points retail area houses restaurants, a library, coffee houses and small clubs and continues to grow. It’s the center for the musicians and artists that live in the area giving it the eclectic and creative feel that it’s known for. Elliston Place is near the Vanderbilt campus just west of downtown. It’s literally filled with restaurants and clubs and, as you would expect, is another young and trendy neighborhood due to the close proximity of the university. It’s clubs have been the launching point for many artists in the music and comedy fields. Germantown was Nashville’s first suburb and, as the name suggests, was initially mainly inhabited by the city’s large German immigrant population. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the neighborhood is in the midst of restoration. The beautiful old Victorian homes are bringing people back closer to town to live and play. The neighborhood houses several prominent restaurants as well.

Green Hills offers some of the city’s most desirable homes and many exciting destinations as well. For one it contains the famous Bluebird Café where songwriters and singers go to get their start in the industry. You’ll also find Jazz clubs and boutiques along with great places to eat. Hillsboro Village is a collection of shops, boutiques and restaurants all within a four block area near both Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities. It has rejuvenated the community and attracts young professionals to live and play. Midtown as you would expect is near the middle of the city and harbors a great variety of restaurants, delis and grills. Sylvan Park is a quiet and quaint neighborhood southwest of downtown Nashville. Stone bungalows from the 1930s and clapboard homes from the 1920s exist side by side in this neighborhood of homes and businesses.

That’s a quick tour of Nashville’s neighborhoods and regions and we didn’t even touch on the outlying smaller communities. There’s a place where you will fit right in-you can be sure of it! We haven’t even discussed all the wonderful things there are to do and the great places to visit, but you can find it all online at www.visitmusiccity.com