While visitors come to see a show at the Ryman Auditorium, tip back a bottle with the talent scouts at Bluebird Café and tour the Grand Ole Opry, future Nashville residents will want to dig even deeper.
Creativity drives a fast tempo across industries — Nissan North America, Hospital Corporation of America and 24 colleges and universities call Nashville home. The best riffs, though? They come out of Nashville’s eclectic, inviting neighborhoods, where antebellum mansions and mad-hot chicken, honky-tonk and haute couture make sweet harmonies.
The most popular Nashville neighborhoods for renters
Tune up your two-step and learn a bit more about the most popular areas of this city. Then, take our Nashville neighborhood quiz to find out which one you should call home.
Music Row
Located south of downtown, Music Row is the crown jewel of Nashville’s music industry with legendary recording studios (think RCA Studio B and Southern Ground Nashville) nestled between hip eateries and gleaming apartment complexes. You can take a tour of the district, or check out the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Just a skip north, Hattie B’s serves up another chart-topping Nashville specialty: hot (as in spicy) chicken.
A one-bedroom apartment in Music Row can be had for a song … or about $2,000 a month on average.
SoBro
Located South of the honkytonks and neon of Broadway, SoBro and its upstart industrial sidekick, the historic Gulch district, are considered downtown ZIP Codes. Home to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Johnny Cash museums, SoBro is known for reclaimed lofts and mixed-use urban living, with high-end new builds, as distinguished as anything served by the mixologists at Bar Sovereign on 5th Ave.
West End
Just a jaunt from the glamor of downtown, West End (and neighboring Midtown) is Vandy country and the host of Elliston Place Rock Block, a solid city block of the loudest and proudest nightclubs in town. Small homes and café culture are signatures here. Locals and visitors also flock to the full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon, which houses an impressive art collection in the heart of the city’s premier urban Centennial Park.
A one-bedroom apartment in West End will cost you about $2,100 a month on average.
Green Hills
Six miles southwest of the city center, this neighborhood flanks Nashville’s big money in Belle Meade but has the upper hand on schools and high-end shopping along Hillsboro Road. In Green Hills, unassuming Cape Cods, tree-lined streets and the iconic Bluebird Café are good neighbors, proving you don’t need glitz to make it big.
It’ll cost you an average of about $2,120 a month for a one-bedroom apartment here.
12 South
Home to the “I Believe in Nashville” mural and named for the hip, hot commerce along 12th Avenue South, this blue-blooded district has a reputation as can’t-miss for eats, shopping and culture. In 12 South, young families can ‘fiene up at the Frothy Monkey and no one will stink-eye the stroller. Drummers and other low-profile pros frequent Fork’s Drum Closet, while at the gem Josephine, “American Farmhouse” means an Amish tomato comes atop bacon mayo, grilled onion and basil.
Germantown
Gateway to North Nashville, historic Germantown is 18 square blocks of pristine Victorian homes and kraut heritage (hat tip to its mid-1800s residents), now in the employ of industrial chic. Luxury leather designer Peter Nappi has reclaimed the boiler room of a meatpacking plant on Adams Street. And over at 4th and Madison, Henrietta Red snagged a James Beard “Best New Restaurant” nod for its craft spirits, oyster bar and seasonal savvy.
You can find a one-bedroom apartment in Germantown for under $2,000 a month on average.
Donelson
Bounded by Percy Priest Lake and the Stones and Cumberland rivers, six miles east of downtown, Donelson offers breathing room and some of the city’s most attractive pricing, whether you’re looking for a modest 1940s rambler or a slip at the yacht club. Donelson is just a grace note south of the Grand Ole Opry and the Hermitage — the historic home of President Andrew Jackson — but for jetsetters the real draw is hassle-free access to Nashville International Airport.
A one-bedroom apartment in this part of the city will only cost you $1,200 on average each month.
Lockeland Springs
An 1800s “streetcar suburb” in East Nashville, Lockeland Springs is where the city’s up-and-comers enjoy a six-minute commute downtown and neighbors who wave hello. Its cozy mix of Classical Revival, bungalows and English cottages draws residents with an eclectic taste – literally. Foodies of all flavors cross the Cumberland River for the house-made falafel burger at Pharmacy Burger Parlor and the peach tartine on toasted currant bread at Marché Artisan Foods.
Find the best Nashville neighborhood for you
Still not sure which Nashville neighborhood is perfect to call your home? Simply answer a few questions and we’ll tell you!
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