Life in Nashville

Rigorous, challenging—these should describe your program, not your living conditions. Nashville packs a lot of options into a compact, easy-to-navigate city with basic benefits: low cost of living, a diverse cultural scene, affordable neighborhoods with character, and many recreational opportunities. We enjoy four distinct seasons, but it’s unlikely you’ll have to tromp around in four feet of snow any time soon.

Nashville—one of the country’s fastest-growing cities—is accessible, too. Airport and other transportation options keep New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and many other cities just a quick flight away. Nashville is a hub for Southwest Airlines.

Expect the unexpected

Think barbecue, Moon Pies, and country singers when you think Nashville?  They’re all here, but there’s more to the story. Consider

• restaurants ranging from Caribbean to kosher, or try a little “hot chicken”—cayenne and paprika-laden fried chicken
• NFL games when the Titans play at home
• Bonnaroo, hailed by Rolling Stone as “the American rock festival to end all festivals”
• the free Southern Festival of Books
• Riverfest, a September celebration of ethnic art, food, and exhibits
• Wine on the River—an annual tasting on the Shelby Pedestrian Bridge

You can choose from a variety of coffee bars, sushi restaurants, and yoga and Pilates classes all in walking distance from the campus. Students can cross West End Avenue to enjoy Centennial Park, which includes an awe-inspiring, to-scale replica of the Parthenon from the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition, as well as public gardens, running paths, and a dog park!

Opportunities for part-time employment, practica, and research assistantships abound in a number of non-profits, colleges, and organizations nearby.

For more information about Nashville, TN:

Vanderbilt University's guide to Nashville
Metro Nashville government
Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau
Nashville Chamber of Commerce
BlueShoe Nashville Travel Guide
Now Playing Nashville

Local print media outlets:
The Tennessean (daily newspaper)
Nashville City Paper
The Nashville Scene (weekly newspaper)
Metromix (weekly entertainment guide)

Local broadcast media outlets:
WPLN (Nashville Public Radio)
WRVU (Vanderbilt student-operated radio station)
WNPT (Nashville Public Television)

Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked Nashville #1 on its list of "50 Smart Places to Live" in 2006. The publication cited a "phenomenal entertainment scene that goes far beyond country."