AROUND THE USA Nashville, Tennessee, is a great place to live This is a supplement to our extensive Nashville Guide. Relocating The Nashville area is a wonderful place to live for several reasons: Friendly people Reasonable cost of living Varied seasons without extremes Central and accessible to most of the eastern United States Local government with progressive tendencies One of the most important concepts to understand is that Nashville and Davidson County merged in 1963 to form one of the first metropolitan governments in the nation. The creation of Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County diminished overlapping services and generally promoted more efficient government. It's also fostered a better sense of community among all residents with fewer city vs. county battles than typically occur in a situation like this.

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The merged entity is divided into an Urban Services District and a General Services District. Residents of the USD pay higher taxes and get more services. The GSD, which is generally the outlying and rural areas of the city, has different garbage service, fewer street lights and fewer police patrols. But both areas enjoy: The same fire and police departments The same zoning and development review process The same school system The same offices for licenses and permits Major residential areas These aren't the only nice places to live. Nearly every part of Nashville has its strengths, benefits and great people. This is definitely a city where a real estate agent can earn his/her commission. A typical newcomer will probably want to look first: East Nashville: A very old neighborhood across the Cumberland River from downtown. Nashville's original suburb in the 19th century. Beautifully restored Victorian homes next door to building codes basket cases. General trend is upward. The new football stadium is between here and Downtown. Vanderbilt-Belmont: Turn-of-the century suburbs with many pockets of gentrification enhanced by their academic neighbors. Good housing bargains available for those with the time and money to fix them up. Green Hills: Upscale area where development accelerated right after World War II and progressed away from town. Some nouveau-riche homes and neighborhoods on Hillsboro Road but generally an area of solid, everyday folks. Green Hills encompasses a smorgasbord of neighborhoods with varied character. Green Hills Mall nearby. West Meade: The major area of 1960s suburban development. Characterized by very large lots because it was outside the city originally and lots had to be big enough for septic tanks. Sewer lines installed in the 1970s and 1980s, so it's a moot issue now, but lots are generally 1+ acres. Belle Meade, Forest Hill and Oak Hill: Independent cities; very upscale. Belle Meade is the city's most prestigious address and among the richest cities -- as measured by per-capita income -- in the United States. Significant snob appeal to these areas, and if you can afford it, they're nice places to live. The governor's mansion is in Oak Hill. Bellevue: Suburban area west of the three previous areas. Remained fairly rural until the late 1970s. Tends to be younger, more transient and more affordable. Mostly in the General Services District. Strong growth under way. Bellevue Mall nearby. Taxes Tennessee doesn't have a general income tax, although the Hall Income Tax applies to stocks and bonds. That's the good news. The flip side is one of the highest sales tax rates in the nation -- 6 percent for the state plus an additional levy by cities and/or counties. In Nashville, that's 2.25 percent for a total sales tax of 8.25 percent in Davidson County. And it applies to nearly all retail sales, including groceries. In addition, a lodging tax of 4 percent is applied to hotel and motel bills for a total tax of 12.25 percent when you spend the night courtesy of the Marriotts, the Hyatts or their competitors. Local government is primarily financed by real estate property taxes that are calculated on an unusual formula set by the Tennessee Constitution. Remember, Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County has two property tax rates -- a higher rate for the Urban Services District and a lower rate for the General Services District. Taxes on a home appraised at $100,000 would be figured this way: Urban General Services Services District District ________ ________ Appraised value $100,000 $100,000 Assessment ratio (set by Constitution*) x 25% x 25% -------- -------- Assessment value $25,000 $25,000 Tax rate per $100 of assessed value ** x $4.58 x $3.84 -------- -------- Annual property tax amount $1,145 $960 ======== ======== * Assessment ratio for commercial property is 40%; for farm land is 20%. ** These tax rates include the June 2001 property tax increase. In this example, $1,145 is the total property tax for the Urban Services District and includes the equivalent of the General Services District portion. Don't add the two amounts together. Other cities and counties might have different tax rates, but it's calculated the same way. It's beyond the scope of this page, but the state franchise and excise tax -- the corporate income tax -- is relatively high.

Suburban counties The suburban counties have their merits, but they are inconvenient to principal areas such as downtown Nashville, the major business centers and most of the universities. To some extent, all of them are still engaged in old guard vs. newcomer battles on issues like development, schools and the role of government. Williamson County 2000 Census Up 56 percent to 127,000 Williamson is the most upscale of the counties adjacent to Davidson. It has two major cities: Brentwood [pop. 23,000]: Can you say white flight? Boomed in the 1970s as racial desegregation and busing became topics in Nashville. Immediately adjacent to Nashville. Ironically, Nashville has prospered and become an even more desirable place to live in the meantime. Brentwood is still booming and very white bread. Franklin [pop. 42,000]: South of Brentwood; this is the county seat. It's a beautiful town that is preserving its heritage. It's surging as a bedroom community but retains diversity that Brentwood lacks. Sumner County 2000 Census Up 26 percent to 130,000 Sumner County is similar to Williamson but slightly more affordable. Hendersonville is right across the county line from Nashville, and Gallatin is the county seat. Much of Hendersonville is on Old Hickory Lake. Rutherford County 2000 Census Up 54 percent to 182,000 Though it's a Nashville satellite, Rutherford County has more of an independent identity, largely because of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Wilson County 2000 Census Up 31 percent to 89,000 Due east of Nashville, Wilson County had been somewhat insulated from growth until the 1990s. Robertson & Cheatham Counties 2000 Census Cheatham up 32 percent to 38,000 Robertson up 32 percent to 54,000 Though contiguous to Nashville, these have been less affected by their urban neighbor and largely retain a rural character.

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