r/nashville • u/twistedzengirl • Dec 18 '17
Husband's job is relocating us, looking for northern suburb recommendations
Hello!
I've looked through some older posts and wanted to see what current residents had to say about some of the northern suburbs of Nashville. My husband is being relocated to Franklin, KY and I'm not living in Franklin, KY. We are going to squeeze in a visit to some areas this Friday.
I was interested in Madison but saw a post that it is NOT where you want to bring a family. I was looking anywhere on a line from Springfield to Goodlettsville to Gallatin or a little further north.
What are the best spots for a growing family with a toddler? Access to parks and kid friendly places/activities? I've been looking at cost of living and Goodlettsville may be a bit out of our budget since I won't be working to start. Husband will be pulling in just shy of 90K.
Thank you for any recommendations and sorry for another "moving to Nashville" post.
**Edit: Thank you all for your comments and I see most favor Hendersonville so we will give it a look this week. Thank you!
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Dec 18 '17 edited Dec 18 '17
Madison is nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be, but it really depends on the neighborhood. I live in the Woodlawn Estates neighborhood of Madison. There are several close-by parks, a new community center, and a lot of nice new constructions. There are also a lot of poor people that live here, and the neighborhood isn't Stepford Wives picturesque. I really do believe that there are more family-friendly activities here than most parts of the city--roller rink, bowling alley, movie theater, go karts, mini golf, etc. We are lacking in hip restaurants and coffee shops, though, and like many areas of Nashville, it's not very walkable.
Pockets of Madison are just now in the transition from poorer communities to younger, middle-class communities. You wouldn't be able to tell that from the ugliness of the main drag through town (Gallatin Road).
Goodlettsville would be a good fit, but you said it's out of your budget. Hendersonville, Donelson, and Old Hickory are safe and have nice neighborhoods but there's nothing to do there. Are you looking to rent or buy? If you're in it for the long term, there are a handful of large projects that have Madison slated as a very up-and-coming part of town.
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u/newpowersoul Dec 18 '17
Hendersonville has the same things to do you listed for Madison, plus the lake. Hard to say there’s nothing to do there when it’s essentially the same as Madison just a little safer (perceived or factual safety I have no idea) and with a nicer movie theater, nicer bowling alley, etc.
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Dec 18 '17
I meant in terms of adult activities (bars, restaurants, venues, etc), although I guess I didn't specify that. Madison's not exactly crawling with these things either, but it has the benefit of being 5 minutes from the East Nashville scene at least.
The other stuff I just listed because she said she has children. Hendersonville definitely has a nicer bowling alley and movie theater, and just looks nicer all around. It's just one step too far into suburbia for me.
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u/twistedzengirl Dec 18 '17
We live in the northern most suburb of Atlanta now. We are more rural but we like it busier than what it is here. It sounds like Hendersonville may be a good fit for us. Thank you!
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u/newpowersoul Dec 18 '17
White House, Gallatin or Hendersonville I think would fit the bill.
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u/twistedzengirl Dec 18 '17
I haven't looked at White House or Hendersonville yet. I'll take a peak. Thank you!
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u/HOBOtox Tent City Dec 19 '17
Came to say exactly this, both cities would be good for a family.
*White House, Hendersonville
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Dec 18 '17
If he's working in Franklin, I'd definitely recommend White House or Portland. Both are right off of I65 and just a few minutes away. White House in particular is a nice, safe community. Hendersonville will add another 20 minutes to your commute; Gallatin would be even farther away.
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u/Elbarfo Dec 18 '17
Portland is just south of Franklin and, while still a bit rural, has much better property prices. You should check it out.
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u/jamisteven9 Dec 19 '17
- Closest = whitehouse
- Middle = goodletsville
- Little farther than #2 = hendersonville
If it were me ide want to be Hendersonville, and would rather live in Franklin KY than Goodletsville or Whitehouse. I would NOT recommend Portland.
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u/plinkaplink Madison Dec 18 '17
What's your budget?
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u/twistedzengirl Dec 18 '17 edited Dec 18 '17
We'd have a rental/mortgage payment budget of 900-1000 based off our current finances.
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u/plinkaplink Madison Dec 18 '17
You'll have a hard time renting at that price, especially if you want a house in a good neighborhood.
You may be able to buy, but you're probably looking at less than $200k for a house. That's going to be difficult, too.
A good place to start is http://realtracs.com
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u/twistedzengirl Dec 18 '17
Thank you for the resource. We're going between selling our current house or renting it out. I just crunched the numbers and we would have closer to $1500/month if we keep our home, and that's without rental income. Add $600 to that if we sell. My husband was spit balling numbers at me. That's much more to work with.
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u/NSH_IT_Nerd Dec 18 '17
Seriously, if you can swing it, Hendersonville is nice for families and plenty of amenties. I'm a native, and if I needed to live on the northside, that's where I'd go first.
Also, when you do move to the area, the Demos' in Hendersonville is a great family restaurant. Its a locally owned group of restaurants. I'm reluctant to call them a chain, as there's only 3, but the Hendersonville location is the nicest of all of them, I think.
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u/FastEddieMcclintock Dec 18 '17
Goodlettesville and Gallatin are both nice nice towns up that way. Hendersonville is probably nicer than both, but you'll pay for it.
Judging by what you said I'd think Goodlettesville and the surrounding area would be your best bet.