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Contemplating moving from Chicago to Nashville

Contemplating moving from Chicago to Nashville

Old May 25th, 2015, 03:59 PM
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Contemplating moving from Chicago to Nashville

Hello, my family and I are thinking of leaving Chicago for Nashville hopefully before end of Summer. Before we take the plunge, wondered if anyone else out there has moved from Chicago to Nashville? If so, what did you think?

In short, my wife and I are sick of Winter. We have a seven year old boy and we live in a condo. We feel that we only have 3-4 months of outdoor life before being stuck inside from November - May. Course Summers here are nice, we love Lake Michigan, our friends, the food, the music scene, and the pubs, but we would like more access to nature, milder Winters/warmer climate and more space without having to live in the suburbs (which we refuse to do). We've visited Nashville and found it seems very progressive, lots of high tech companies (I work in IT), good food, lots of music (obviously) and very friendly people. Also being only eight hours away, we could trip road trips back to Chicago.

All comments are welcome, thanks.
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Old May 26th, 2015, 03:37 AM
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City data is a better place for this inquiry.
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Old May 26th, 2015, 03:37 AM
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I live in Nashville and it is a great city! One of my husband's favorite thing to do each year is take a quick SW flight to Chicago and walk the neighborhoods and eat at Frontera Grill. Just this past weekend, my husband and I stayed in a hotel in downtown Nashville because we couldn't make Chicago work and we had a great time exploring our own city. Lots happening downtown and around these days!

Nashville is really growing and with that comes more traffic and higher priced housing, but even with that it is a nice place to raise a family. I think you would enjoy it here. Williamson Co. (brentwood, tn. just south of Nashville) has a good school system. Nashville has a high percentage of kids going to private schools which seems to surprise those from out of town..just fyi. But there are some really good public elementary schools in Nashville (Percy Priest,Julia Green, Glendale, Waverly Belmont). East Nashville would give you a small taste of a walking neighborhood with old houses, art scene, coffee shops, etc.


If you have specific questions, please ask. The weather is definitely milder and easier to deal with than Chicago!
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Old May 26th, 2015, 04:07 AM
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Moving a family to a new place without staying there and having good leads on a job seems very short sighted.
Schools? Cost of living, admittedly probably less than Chicago, but....
Do you have a financial cushion to carry you through getting settled somewhere?
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Old May 26th, 2015, 05:50 AM
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My wife has a good friend there and we've visited three different times staying downtown, East Nashville, and closer to Brentwood. So this move isn't without some experience. From the people we've talked to Nashville seems progressively minded like Chicago. Just wanted to reach out to a wider audience since yes it's a move to not take lightly. Thanks everyone for all your feedback. Obviously we wouldn't move until I have work set up beforehand. Lots to do. Thanks.
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Old May 26th, 2015, 10:30 AM
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From the people we've talked to Nashville seems progressively minded like Chicago.

Depends on what you mean by "progressively minded." If you mean politically or socially liberal, the city of Nashville is liberal relative to the rest of the state (probably not as liberal as Chicago), but the outer suburbs (like Williamson County/Brentwood, among others) are pretty conservative in both those ways, in general.

But as mentioned, the public school system (MNPS) is not as good as those in outer suburbs - there are some good schools in wealthier areas of Nashville (and good magnet schools), but many more schools that are struggling. So that would be a major consideration for you.

I've lived here for ten years. It's a great city. It's growing and changing fast and there are struggles that come with that. The different parts of town all have very different personalities, and your experience here would probably be very dependent on where you end up. If you're in Chicago proper, walkability and public transit will be a very different experience here!
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Old May 26th, 2015, 10:42 AM
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Getting the job first is the key: http://jobs.monster.com/v-it-l-memphis,-tn.aspx
I would look at Memphis because it is on the route of the Amtrak "City of New Orleans" route. The train leaves Chicago shortly after 8PM and gets to Memphis (downtown) usually before 7AM.
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Old May 27th, 2015, 05:56 AM
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Yes we live in the city, so I've noticed that everyone drives there and it seems to be a growing problem with traffic. Chicago is the same with a liberal city and conservative suburbs surrounding it. School location is key. We would want to move to a good school district. Thanks everyone for some school names and districts. CPS here in Chicago was a challenge as well.

Never been to Memphis, would like to visit.
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Old May 27th, 2015, 12:38 PM
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Oh fer crissakes, now tomfuller is giving advice on where to live based on the structure of Amtrak routes. That's ridiculous. So is his suggestion.

Memphis is a pit. You have a small child. This isn't a close call. Memphis's violent crime rate is 4th in the nation in its city category - 40% higher than Nashville's. Note that Nashville isn't a gawdam prize either - it's 12th in the country among 250K+ cities in the latest available FBI stats (2012).

Two caveats: (1) Nashville's rate is high due to aggravated assaults, a category less severe than murder, rape, or robbery. Its robbery and murder rates are outside the top 25 cities of 250K+ people; (2) your current location is arguably more dangerous: the robbery rate in Chicago is 79% higher than in Nashville and the murder rate is 85% higher.

Now, if you REALLY want a tech destination that's warm and won't have the gawdforsaken lake effect, move to Austin. Plus, it's left-wing nuttiness makes it a slice of LA smack in the middle of Texas but without the state income tax!
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Old May 27th, 2015, 08:23 PM
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Schools are going to be your #1 concern.
Your commute will be #2.

Austin is a great suggestion.
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Old May 28th, 2015, 02:52 AM
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My suggestion would be to go for a weekend and engage a real estate agent to show you houses in your price range. Take notes of what you like and then go home and do research on what the schools are like in those areas. This can tell you if you will be happy with the move.
If and when you do decide to move (have the job) I am sure the best idea is to rent until you know where you want to live.
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Old May 28th, 2015, 03:34 PM
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I am from Memphis and definitely think Nashville is a better choice. Crime is terrible and it's spread out. My husband's family is from Austin area and it is awesome, but so is Nashville! Nashville does have some good magnet schools. My son went to Meigs and is now at Hume Fogg for HS. My son takes the city buses home from school, but as of now Nashville is primarily a driving city. Nephew is at Valor which is a new charter school which parents love and students did fantastic compared to other MNPS schools on TCAP. So there are some good options.
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Old May 28th, 2015, 04:07 PM
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OK so Nashville is better than Memphis but much of Austin is underwater at the present time.
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Old May 29th, 2015, 08:38 AM
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>

More ridiculousness. Geez.
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Old Jun 12th, 2015, 06:58 AM
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We moved from Minneapolis to Nashville almost 8 years ago for my job, with no real intention of staying more than a few years....and now never want to leave. Truly. We have two daughters now and it's just such an amazing place to raise kids.

We get all four seasons pretty evenly spaced out with mild winters but some snow (like a dusting) once or twice for good measure. The school system in Williamson County is fantastic. And there are SO many things to do within driving distance - amazing state parks within an hour, lakes for boating, beautiful horse country, etc. There's never a shortage of things to do.

I can't recommend it enough...although the word is out and people are moving here in droves, which is causing some infrastructure anxiety to be sure. You won't regret it though. I've yet to meet a single person who moved here and didn't fall in love immediately.
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