Area Information
What is Nashville? It’s widely known for being the home of country music, but there are a lot of other important and influential pieces involved in the entire makeup of Nashville that you may not know about. Nashville does have a great music scene, but also contains an ever-expanding economy, astounding ethnical diversity, a brag-worthy educational system, and limitless opportunities for all types of people.
Economy
Nashville/Davidson County has an unemployment rate of approximately 4.1% (as of January 2007), which is significantly below the National average of 5.1%. This is especially impressive considering Nashville is a major city, and other major cities typically have a much higher unemployment rate.
Where are all of these jobs coming from? Well, you might be surprised to learn that a lot of major, multi-billion dollar companies are located in Nashville. Especially helpful are the abundant music related businesses, and the high chance of success for these companies because of the fact that the music industry is so huge in Nashville. For instance, an office of each of the “Big Four” record labels (Sony BMG, EMI, Universal, and Warner) is located within Nashville, and that’s not to mention the hundreds upon thousands of jobs that are provided by various instrument shops, CD stores, music clubs, shows, and so on. Overall, it is estimated that Nashville’s music industry alone annually contributes $6.38 billion in revenue to the Nashville economy and employs over 19,000 people.
Vanderbilt University and Medical Center provides more jobs than any other single company in all of Davidson County. The full- and part-time employees, as well as the clinical staff, total to over 17,800 jobs. That’s about 3% of the entire population of the city, employed by only one company! Yes, you can clearly see that Nashville has vast employment opportunities.
Other major companies that call the Nashville area home include Nissan North America Inc., Dollar General Corporation, and Caremark Rx. Why Nashville? Well, the state of Tennessee boasts a low tax burden, and big companies are offered reasonable incentive packages that convince them to base their operations in Nashville.
Education
The educational system in Nashville is statistically better than that of most of the cities in the entire nation. The teacher-student ratio is only 1:14 for the public schools, making it one of the lowest in the entire nation. There are 31 schools and counting in Davidson County, which shows that the focus on enough room for a healthy learning environment is being thoroughly maintained. Also, the drop out rate is around 4.86%, one of the lowest in the nation. Clearly, importance is placed on education in the Nashville area.
Vanderbilt University is located smack dab in the middle of Downtown Tennessee, on a huge, 330-acre campus dating back to 1873. Not only is Vanderbilt a major employer of the citizens of Nashville, but people also come from all over to attend the nationally acclaimed college, especially those in the medical field. However, Vanderbilt isn’t the only remarkable school in the area. There are plenty of other great universities to choose from, including Belmont, Tennessee State, Fisk, Lipscomb, and loads of others.
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AttractionsWhere can you visit a 200 year-old fort, a massive dedication like no other to country music, and a Greek architectural phenomena replication all in the same place? Well, Nashville of course! The Grand Ole Opry is a legendary venue that has lasted throughout the generations. Major bands make it a point to include a tour concert at one of the many venues within the Nashville area, and there is also a hopping local music scene, with memorable entertainment occurring each and every night at the clubs all around town. If you’re a history buff, Nashville will definitely quench your educational thirst with the dozens of forts, plantations, and historical mansions at every turn. The awe-inspiring and full-size replica of the Greek Parthenon in Centennial Park looks like a painting as it sits against the bright blue sky, the odd but somehow refreshing out-of-place centerpiece of the green park. Those are only a few things that you can use to fill your recreational time - there is always something new to explore, no matter how long you live in Nashville. |
Natural Features
Although Nashville is a bustling big city, the area has been able to maintain an outer beauty as if it is a small town. You might be surprised to travel into downtown and see relatively little smog, whereas other big cities are surrounded by pollution. Clean, glistening, and beautiful Percy Priest Lake makes for a fantastic spot to spend a warm summer day fishing or just sunbathing. Take a short trip to a forested area nearby and go hiking or camp out. You could even bird watch from your own backyard with the many gorgeous feathered friends that live in middle Tennessee. Between the years worth of indoor activities that Nashville has to offer and the breathtaking scenery, there is no way that you could ever grow bored.