Nashville Lifestyle Living | Monique Flores

All About Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee. When you hear those words, what image comes to your mind? The home of country music? Music City USA? The home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and the NHL’s Nashville Predators? Well, if that is what you thought, you would be right! But, in reality, there is so much more to Nashville, Tennessee today!

Today, Nashville is widely recognized as one of the fastest growing cities in the country. It ranks #6 nationally in job creation. Nashville’s largest businesses today are healthcare, global manufacturing, the music industry, tourism, the automotive industry, and social enterprises. Nashville is one of the top ranked cities in the United States for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses. It is also the #1 ranked city nationally for women-owned businesses.

Nashville is known as the “Epicenter of Healthcare”, and for very good reason. Nashville is home to such healthcare giants as HCA, Community Health Systems, LifePoint Health, Brookdale Senior Living and AmSurg. As you might imagine, with major healthcare providers such as these, there are literally thousands of other healthcare providers based here to support the wonderful work done by these 5 organizations, and many more like them.

Nashville’s central location in Tennessee and in the United States, makes it a great location for manufacturing, distribution and logistics companies. The interstate highway system, coupled with the low cost of living and the availability of a trained and knowledgeable workforce make Nashville very attractive.

Nashville has continued to cultivate its reputation as “Music City USA”. Music City USA has now become a global brand for Nashville. People worldwide recognize the brand, and have decided Nashville is a destination they must visit! Which feeds directly into Nashville’s tourism trade. Nashville has been celebrated as one of the top destinations in the entire United States that people need to visit. In fact, tourism has never been a bigger part of our economy than it is today. Today, tourism generates over $4 billion of revenue for the city of Nashville, annually!

When it comes to social enterprises, Nashville is the home to more non-profits per capita than any other city in the United States. Through the Center for Non-Profit Management, Nashville is committed to providing assistance to literally thousands of non-profits, their causes, and the people they serve. Nashville, and middle Tennessee is one of the most “giving” and “generous” places in the country.

And, when it comes to helping entrepreneurs launch new businesses, we pride ourselves on the resources we make available to assist new business start-ups. A lot of this work is done thru the business development services offered by the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, located in downtown Nashville.

So, what is it that makes Nashville such a popular destination for companies wishing to relocate and new business start-ups? Well, the answer to that is complex, and multi-faceted.

First, there is the dynamic workforce here in Nashville. We are today, a very diverse city. 28% of the population of Nashville are black or of African-American decent. We have a thriving and growing Hispanic population, a growing Middle Eastern and Asian population, and an active Native American population. As “America’s melting pot”, we have successfully blended different cultures, religions, ideas, and customs to form an eclectic population base that today calls Nashville “home”.

Our workforce is well educated, and able to support the talent needs and requirements of the many industries based here in Nashville. Our institutes of higher learning are second to none, and include Vanderbilt University, Belmont University, Lipscomb University, Middle Tennessee State University, and Tennessee State University, among others.

The cost of living in Nashville is very affordable. Today, our cost of living is close to the national average, with household income running above the national average. Housing in and around Nashville is very affordable, with the median home value running $193,400. And, one of the best “perks” about living in the state of Tennessee, is, there is no state income tax!

The climate of Nashville is very pleasant, year-round. Our average annual high temperature runs 69.7 degrees (ranges from 47 to a high of 89, by month), and our average daily low temperature is 48.8 degrees (ranges from 28 to 69 degrees, by month). We average 47” of rainfall annually, and rarely see more than a dusting of snow. Best of all, we enjoy all four seasons of the year here in Nashville! Our climate and our relatively low cost of living have helped to make Nashville a popular destination for retirees!

So, what else is there to know about Nashville? Well, Nashville has become known as the “It” city. It is dynamic, growing, and attracts people from all over the country, and all over the world. Nashville is a “city of dreams”. Whether you are an aspiring musician, an individual with a new and innovative idea looking to launch a business, or someone simply wishing to make a new start in life, Nashville is the place for you! Today, on average, 82 people are relocating to Nashville, daily!

When it comes to amenities, Nashville is “alive” with possibilities! We have become a hot-spot for restaurateurs and chefs looking to launch new restaurant concepts. We have been widely recognized for our many unique and original restaurant concepts. Nashville prides itself on its entertainment industry. We have an untold number of bars, clubs, honky-tonks, and music venues to choose from. Everything from the popular Bridgestone Arena, to the Ascend Amphitheatre, to the Ryman Auditorium, and beyond. Some of the finest music to be heard is in the small clubs and honky-tonks where music artists are trying to get recognized and catch their big break into the music industry!

When it comes to sports venues and teams, Nashville is a “big-league” city in every respect. From the Titans, who play at the beautiful Nissan Stadium, to the Nashville Predators, who play at the Bridgestone Arena, to our AAA minor league baseball team, the Nashville Sounds, who play at First Tennessee Stadium, there is no lack of high-level sporting events to check-out!

One of the hidden secrets of middle Tennessee and Nashville is the enormous amount of “green spaces” and parkland that has been preserved for use of its citizens. This includes places like Radnor Lake, the many greenways throughout the city for walking, jogging and biking, and the finest network of state parks of any state in the country. Our beautiful countryside and rolling hills make a day’s drive into the country a great way to spend a summer afternoon!

There is so much to love about Nashville there is no way to do justice to all of it in a few short paragraphs! As such, on this page are a few websites and suggested points of interest in and around Nashville for you to visit to learn more about all that Nashville has to offer.

Music & Entertainment

Entertainment, particularly live entertainment, is an integral part of the Nashville Lifestyle. There are dozens of bars, clubs, and honky-tonks to visit to hear live music.  Here are a few suggestions:

  • Grand Ole Opry
    • 2802 Opryland Drive
    • 615-889-6600
  • B. King’s Blues Club
    • 152 Second Ave. North
    • 615-256-2727
  • Bourbon St. Blues & Boogie Bar
    • 220 Printers Alley
    • 615-242-5837
  • Kijiji CoffeeHouse
    • 1413 Jefferson Street
    • 615-321-0403
  • Sambuca
    • 601 12 Avenue South
    • 615-248-2888

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Restaurants & Shopping

In Tennessee, we pride ourselves on fixing and offering the finest barbecue in the South!

Nashville BBQ:

  • Mary’s Old-Fashioned Bar-B-Que is a Nashville legend when it comes to barbecue.
    • 1108 Jefferson Street
    • 615-256-7696

Nashville has four major regional shopping malls for all your shopping wants and desires.

World-class Shopping:

  • Rivergate Mall
  • Opry Mills Mall
  • The Mall at Green Hills
  • Cool Springs Galleria

Cultural Attractions

Art Museums:

  • Fisk University’s Carl Van Vechten Gallery
  • Aaron Douglas Gallery
  • In The Gallery (featuring art and paintings by African Americans)
  • 615-726-4894 or 615-255-0705

Multicultural Places of Interest:

George W. Hubbard House:

    • George W. Hubbard, a professor in local African-American schools after the Civil War, built a house in 1920 when he retired as president of Meharry Medical College.
    • The house, designed by Moses McKissack III, is a four-square Colonial Revival style structure and is the last vestige of the original Meharry campus.
    • Now on the property of the Seay-Hubbard United Methodist Church, the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Homes.

Jefferson Street:

    • From the 1930s through the early 1960s, Jefferson Street was one of America’s best-known districts of jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues.
    • Famous African-American musicians performed in the Jefferson Street clubs — Club Baron, Del Morocco and the New Era Club. Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, B.B. King, Ike and Tina Turner, and Memphis Slim performed here regularly. Etta James recorded a live album, Etta James Rocks the House, at The New Era Club. Nashville artists, many with hit records, made the Jefferson Street district their home.
    • Show business headliners stopped in Nashville to promote their acts and to try out new acts and material. The Silver Streak, the great off-Jefferson Street ballroom, booked such big names as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Count Basie, and Ella Fitzgerald.
    • Members of the old Negro Baseball League and recording artists such as Ruth Brown, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, and Ella Fitzgerald stayed at Brown’s Hotel and played the famous Blue Room at Del Morocco, owned by “Uncle” Teddy Acklen.
    • In 1994, a group of concerned citizens — homeowners, business owners, longtime residents and developers with new construction in mind — met to create a framework for advancing Jefferson Street. The result of their vision for progress was the Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership (JUMP), a non-profit organization whose mission is “To develop, foster and promote cooperative economic development through revitalization, acquisition, education and public safety programs in North Nashville.”
    • Today more than 111 individuals and organizations make up JUMP’s active membership with one thing in common: keeping Jefferson Street alive and thriving.
    • jumptojefferson.com

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Community Resources

Nashville Public Library:

Neighborhoods:

Nashville Multicultural Chambers of Commerce:

Media

Media:

New and Noteworthy: