Five Best Suburbs Near Nashville
Mouthwatering barbecue. Legendary music venues. Wide open country vistas. What’s not to love about Middle Tennessee? If you’re moving to the Nashville area and are considering buying a house or renting an apartment in one of the nearby suburbs, it can be hard to determine which one will meet your needs. Don’t just look at a map and guess. Take a look at our list of the best Nashville suburbs. All of these Tennessee communities offer reasonable commutes, friendly neighbors, great school districts and so much to do that you might not even find yourself driving into Nashville all that often.
Read on to find your new hometown:
Brentwood, TN
Distance From Nashville: 10 miles
Why It’s Great: Brentwood is an affluent suburb of Nashville that’s known for its beautiful homes, highly-rated Williamson County School District and wide range of well-maintained city parks plus easy access to Radnor Lake State Park. Brentwood,Tennessee is a quiet, attractive place to live where people take pride in their community. You’ll see evidence of this if you visit the beautiful John P. Holt Brentwood Library, which is outfitted in murals and stained glass, and you’ll experience it if you walk the trails of Primm Park.
Franklin, TN
Distance From Nashville: 21 miles
Why It’s Great: Young professionals who interpret the word “suburbs” to mean boring will be pleased with Franklin. Longtime Franklin locals have been singing the area’s praises for years—and the growing population is proof that the best kept secret near Nashville isn’t such a secret anymore. The community of 72,990 offers a charming yet buzzy downtown district that gives Nashville a run for its money. The revitalized 16-block historic district features restaurants, bars, shops, galleries and music venues. Enjoy oysters at Puckett’s Boat House, shop for antiques at Scarlett Scales and catch a show at Franklin Theatre. Speaking of shows, the Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival at the Park at Harlinsdale Farm is not to be missed.
Murfreesboro, TN
Distance From Nashville: 34 miles
Why It’s Great: Murfreesboro is synonymous with Middle Tennessee State University, so whether you are looking to enter an undergraduate or graduate program, you have kids who will be looking at colleges soon, or you just like the arts and academia that come along with living in a college town, you’ll enjoy Murfreesboro. With an enrollment of about 22,000, MTSU was recently heralded as a school on the rise by The Princeton Review. It’s also an affordable in-state university with great scholarship programs including $18,000 to incoming freshmen with 3.5 high school GPA scores or higher. In addition to being the home of MTSU, Murfreesboro also features over 400 restaurants within five miles, tons of shopping centers and access to Stones River National Battlefield, a Civil War battlefield with seven miles of hiking trails.
Mount Juliet, TN
Distance From Nashville: 19 miles
Why It’s Great: Looking for an affordable Nashville suburb with an easy commute? Look no further than Mount Juliet. This large town of 34,726, is located right along major highways including I-40, I-65, I-24 and I-840. Mount Juliet is also just 15 minutes from the Nashville International Airport and it has a commuter rail line. Mount Juliet is more than just a bedroom community to Nashville, however. There’s plenty to do right in town. When the weather warms up, you’ll love being just 15 minutes from Percy Priest Lake where you can swim, fish, boat and camp. Mount Juliet is also home to the largest shopping center between Nashville and Knoxville plus a growing number of great restaurants that rival Nashville’s culinary scene.
Hendersonville, TN
Distance From Nashville: 18 miles
Why It’s Great: Hendersonville’s nickname is The City by the Lake, so if you live for dipping your toes in a cool body of water, that probably already speaks volumes. Fortunately, the nickname is not without merit. Hendersonville is situated along 25 miles of shoreline on Old Hickory Lake, which is just 25 miles upstream from Nashville. This 22,500-acre lake is dotted with marinas, campgrounds and is a popular Middle Tennessee destination for swimming, jet skiing, kayaking, fishing and lounging in the sun. Old Hickory Lake isn’t just popular among current Nashville area locals, it was also popular with Johnny Cash, who owned a four-acre home in Hendersonville with 1,000 feet of lake frontage that he lived in with June Cash for many years. When you’re not at Old Hickory Lake, you can enjoy Hendersonville’s arts and cultural offerings, including the Hendersonville Performing Arts Company, a beloved community theater.
