Nashville neighborhoods, explained

Ask ten locals where to live and you’ll get ten answers, usually their own neighborhood. Here’s a quick, fair rundown of the areas people ask us about most, from the busiest to the quietest.

In the middle of it

• Downtown and SoBro. Broadway, the arenas, the Ryman and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Great for a visit or a high-rise apartment if you love noise and walking everywhere, less so if you want quiet.
• The Gulch. Walkable and polished, with condos, boutique hotels, shops and the famous murals. One of the most expensive areas in the city.
• Germantown. A historic street grid north of downtown with some of the city’s best restaurants, plus the Farmers’ Market, Bicentennial Mall and the Sounds’ ballpark.
• Midtown and Music Row. Next to Vanderbilt and Centennial Park. Midtown has the bars and late nights; Music Row is where the music business works, including Historic RCA Studio B.

Creative and close in

• East Nashville. Just across the river, centered on Five Points. Independent restaurants, dive bars, vintage shops and a strong local identity. Popular with creatives and young families.
• Wedgewood-Houston. Galleries, studios and workshops in old industrial buildings, close to GEODIS Park and the Fairgrounds. Changing fast, with lots of new construction.
• 12 South. One of the most walkable streets in town, with boutiques, coffee and brunch, and Sevier Park at one end. Expect weekend crowds.
• Hillsboro Village. Between Vanderbilt and Belmont, with cafés, casual restaurants and the Belcourt, an independent movie theater in a 1925 building.

A little further out

• Sylvan Park. Leafy and residential on the west side, with long-running local restaurants and bars. A favorite for people who want a neighborhood feel close to town.
• The Nations. Bungalows, breweries and street art in a former industrial area west of downtown, with a growing list of places to eat.
• Green Hills. Quieter streets, the Mall at Green Hills and the Bluebird Cafe, the tiny songwriters’ room where many careers started.

We’re building a full guide for each of these neighborhoods, with where to eat, what it costs to live there and what’s changing. They’re coming soon to the site.