From Texas to Tennessee | A Relocation Series by The Jernigan Group at Compass
There’s a reason Nashville has a way of finding its way into conversations about where to live next. Maybe it begins with a weekend spent exploring the city, a visit to friends who have already made the move, or the realization that the lifestyle you’ve been imagining might look a little different somewhere new.
For Texans considering a move to Tennessee, Nashville is often the natural place to begin. There’s the music, of course, but also the restaurants, distinctive neighborhoods, professional opportunities, and a city with a personality all its own. What many people don’t realize until they start exploring, though, is just how much there is to discover beyond Downtown Nashville.
A little farther south, Franklin and the surrounding Williamson County communities introduce an entirely different side of Middle Tennessee. Historic Main Streets, beautiful residential neighborhoods, rolling countryside, and properties where the setting can feel just as special as the home itself. It’s the kind of place where you can enjoy everything a major city has to offer while creating a daily life that feels distinctly your own.
If you’re considering relocating from Dallas, Austin, Houston, Fort Worth, or anywhere else in Texas, understanding the differences between Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, College Grove, and the surrounding communities is one of the most valuable places to start. Because moving to Middle Tennessee isn’t simply about choosing a house. It’s about discovering which version of life here feels most like yours.
What Is It Like to Live in Nashville, Tennessee?
Nashville is much more than Broadway, country music, and a weekend itinerary. It’s a city of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own architecture, restaurants, local businesses, and way of life. Spend an afternoon in 12 South, and you’ll find walkable streets lined with boutiques, coffee shops, and restaurants. Head to Germantown, and the atmosphere shifts toward historic buildings, neighborhood dining, and an urban setting close to Downtown. East Nashville offers a different personality altogether, with independent businesses, creative spaces, and established residential streets.
Then there’s Sylvan Park, The Nations, Green Hills, West Meade, and the neighborhoods surrounding Vanderbilt and Belmont, each offering something different for buyers considering Nashville as a place to call home.
For someone relocating from a major Texas metro, that’s an important distinction. Living in Nashville doesn’t necessarily mean living downtown or being surrounded by nightlife. It can mean a historic home on a tree-lined street, a modern residence near your favorite restaurants, or a more private setting in West Nashville. The city offers a wide range of residential experiences, and the right one depends on how you want your everyday life to unfold.
But Nashville is also the center of a much larger region, and some of the most compelling places to live are found just beyond the city limits.
Why Should Texans Consider Franklin, Tennessee, When Relocating to Nashville?
Approximately 20 miles south of Downtown Nashville, Franklin offers a genuine sense of place.
Founded in 1799, Franklin has grown into a thriving city while preserving much of the historic character that makes it recognizable. At its heart is a 15-block historic downtown filled with beautifully preserved architecture, independent boutiques, restaurants, and a Main Street that remains a meaningful part of local life.
And while Franklin is part of the greater Nashville metropolitan area, it doesn’t feel like a community that exists simply because Nashville is nearby. Franklin has its own restaurants, shopping destinations, parks, events, and traditions. For many residents, Nashville becomes somewhere to enjoy a concert, sporting event, special dinner, or day out, while Franklin serves as the backdrop for the everyday moments in between.
One of the most interesting things about Franklin is how quickly the setting can change. Near Downtown, you’ll find historic homes and established neighborhoods with distinctive architecture. Around Cool Springs, there are residential communities close to shopping, restaurants, and business centers. Travel west toward Leiper’s Fork, and the landscape opens into rolling hills, wooded properties, and farmland that feels remarkably removed from the pace of the city.
A local perspective: If you’re searching online for homes in Franklin, pay close attention to where they’re actually located. A Franklin mailing address doesn’t necessarily mean a home is near Historic Downtown Franklin, or even within Franklin city limits. Two properties with the same mailing city can offer entirely different daily experiences, commute patterns, and land-use considerations.
Where Should You Live Near Nashville If You’re Moving From Texas?
One of the most common mistakes when beginning a Middle Tennessee relocation search is treating Nashville and its surrounding communities as though they’re interchangeable. They’re not. And understanding their differences can be the key to finding a location that genuinely fits.
Nashville: For buyers who want an urban or neighborhood-centered lifestyle, Nashville offers everything from walkable districts to established residential areas. Neighborhoods such as 12 South, Sylvan Park, The Nations, East Nashville, and Germantown are worth exploring for their individual character, while West Meade, Green Hills, and other parts of West Nashville offer additional residential settings. If proximity to Vanderbilt, Belmont, Downtown Nashville, or the city’s entertainment and employment centers matters, location within Davidson County may deserve priority.
Franklin: A natural starting point for buyers drawn to historic character, established neighborhoods, beautiful homes, and a community with a strong identity of its own. Franklin offers a combination of residential living, shopping, dining, and access to Nashville, with the added appeal of countryside just beyond town.
Brentwood: Positioned between Nashville and Franklin, Brentwood is particularly worth considering for buyers who want access to both cities. Established neighborhoods, mature landscaping, and larger homesites in certain areas create a residential setting distinct from Downtown Franklin or Nashville’s more urban neighborhoods.
College Grove: For buyers dreaming of more land, an estate property, or a countryside setting, College Grove offers a very different perspective on Middle Tennessee living. The area includes agricultural land, larger residential parcels, and newer communities. The exact location matters, especially when evaluating access to Franklin, Nashville, and the surrounding road network.
Leiper’s Fork: Just west of Franklin, Leiper’s Fork is known for its historic village, art, music, and surrounding countryside. It’s an area with a distinctive identity, where historic properties, farms, and rural estates are part of the landscape. Buyers drawn to character, privacy, and a connection to the land often want to experience Leiper’s Fork firsthand.
Thompson’s Station and Arrington: These communities are also worth exploring for buyers who want to understand the full range of options in Williamson County. Thompson’s Station, south of Franklin, offers a combination of residential communities and rural settings, while Arrington, to the east, includes rolling countryside, agricultural properties, and newer development.
There isn’t one universally right place to live near Nashville. The more useful question is what you want to be close to, what you want to come home to, and how you imagine spending your time once you’re here.
How Does Living in Nashville or Franklin Compare to Dallas, Austin, and Houston?
For Texans considering a move, it’s tempting to look for a direct equivalent to the community they already know. But Nashville and its surrounding areas don’t always fit neatly into comparisons with Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin, or Houston.
Someone moving from a walkable neighborhood in Austin might be interested in 12 South, Germantown, or East Nashville. A buyer accustomed to an established North Dallas suburb may want to spend time exploring Brentwood and Franklin. Someone who loves the landscape and space of the Texas Hill Country might find the countryside around College Grove or Leiper’s Fork particularly intriguing.
Those are starting points for exploration, not exact neighborhood equivalents. The architecture, road networks, terrain, housing inventory, and scale of each community can be quite different.
One of the most noticeable differences is the landscape. Middle Tennessee is known for its rolling hills, mature trees, winding roads, and changing seasons. In some areas, a relatively short drive can take you from busy commercial corridors to open pasture and wooded countryside. That contrast is part of the region’s appeal, but it also makes location and travel times especially important.
And while Nashville is a major city, much of the surrounding region is experienced through individual neighborhoods and communities rather than one continuous urban environment. Choosing where to live is often less about distance to Downtown Nashville and more about the places you’ll actually visit every day.
Can You Find Homes With Acreage Near Nashville, Tennessee?
For some Texans, the idea of moving to Tennessee begins with the landscape. A home surrounded by mature trees, a few acres for privacy, horses in the pasture, or enough room to create a garden and hobby farm can be a compelling reason to explore Middle Tennessee.
And while acreage can be found in parts of Davidson County, buyers looking for larger parcels often expand their search into Williamson County and surrounding rural communities.
Western Franklin, Leiper’s Fork, College Grove, and parts of southern Williamson County are natural places to begin. Here, properties can range from established homes on smaller acreage to farms and larger tracts with barns, pasture, creeks, and wooded areas.
But buying land in Tennessee requires understanding more than the number of acres on a listing. Rolling terrain, drainage, septic suitability, access, easements, and the location of usable land can all affect what a property can accommodate. A beautiful ten-acre property may offer less practical pasture or building space than a smaller parcel with more favorable topography.
If you’re considering horses, chickens, goats, or other livestock, the property’s zoning, jurisdiction, private restrictions, and intended use also deserve careful review. A private hobby farm and a commercial equestrian operation may be subject to different requirements.
This is an area where local knowledge becomes especially valuable. The right property isn’t simply the one with the most land. It’s the one where the land supports the lifestyle you want to create.
For buyers interested in acreage, our Land Edit series explores the details of purchasing rural property in Franklin and Williamson County, including the questions worth asking before making an offer.
Is Moving From Texas to Tennessee More Affordable?
One of the first questions we hear in relocation conversations is whether moving to Tennessee will change the cost of living. The answer depends on where you’re moving from, where you’re moving to, and the kind of home and lifestyle you’re looking for.
Texas and Tennessee both have no broad state individual income tax on earned income, so the comparison isn’t as simple as moving to a state without an income tax. Housing costs, property taxes, insurance, utilities, transportation, and everyday expenses all deserve consideration.
A home in Franklin may have a different purchase price than a comparable property in Dallas, Austin, or Houston. Likewise, a home in Brentwood, a Nashville condominium, and an acreage property in College Grove can have very different ownership costs, even within the same metropolitan region.
Property taxes are another important part of the equation. Tennessee and Texas use different property-tax systems, and the amount owed depends on the specific property’s location, assessed value, applicable tax rates, and any available relief or exemptions.
Rather than relying on broad claims about which state is more affordable, we recommend comparing actual properties and estimated total monthly expenses. Purchase price, property taxes, insurance, HOA fees, maintenance, and commuting costs can provide a much clearer understanding of what a move might mean financially.
We’ll explore this in greater detail in our upcoming Texas-to-Tennessee cost-of-living comparison, including Dallas, Austin, Houston, Nashville, Franklin, and Brentwood.
What Should Texans Know About Schools, Commutes, and Everyday Life in Middle Tennessee?
Some of the most important relocation decisions have very little to do with the home itself. They’re about the routines that begin once you’re living there.
Schools: Public school districts and attendance boundaries vary throughout the Nashville region. Davidson County is primarily served by Metro Nashville Public Schools, while Williamson County has both Williamson County Schools and the Franklin Special School District. School assignments are property-specific, and buyers should verify them directly with the appropriate district before purchasing.
Commuting: Nashville’s road network includes I-65, I-40, I-24, and I-440, while I-840 provides an important connection across parts of the surrounding region. A home that’s convenient to Downtown Franklin may not be equally convenient to Downtown Nashville or Nashville International Airport. Traffic patterns can vary significantly, so we always encourage buyers to consider their actual destinations rather than relying on a single estimated drive time.
Weather: Middle Tennessee experiences hot, humid summers, colorful fall foliage, changing spring landscapes, and generally cool winters with occasional snow and ice. Severe thunderstorms and other weather hazards are also part of the region’s climate. The differences may feel more or less noticeable depending on which part of Texas you’re coming from.
Community and lifestyle: Nashville brings major concerts, professional sports, museums, restaurants, and a wide range of cultural experiences. Franklin and Williamson County offer another layer of local traditions, from the Franklin Farmers Market and seasonal downtown festivals to the shops, restaurants, and music of Leiper’s Fork. Together, they create a region with far more variety than a first-time visitor might expect.
A neighborhood can look perfect in photographs, but understanding the schools, roads, nearby businesses, and everyday rhythm of the area is what helps determine whether it feels like home.
How Should You Plan a Relocation Trip From Texas to Nashville and Franklin?
If you’re planning to visit Middle Tennessee before making a move, we’d encourage you to think of the trip as an opportunity to explore lifestyles rather than simply tour houses.
Start with Nashville. Spend time in a few neighborhoods that align with your interests, whether that’s 12 South, Sylvan Park, The Nations, East Nashville, or West Nashville. Notice the architecture, street layouts, nearby restaurants, and how the area feels at different times of day.
Then head south toward Brentwood and Franklin. Walk Main Street, explore residential neighborhoods, and see how the atmosphere changes between Downtown Franklin and the communities surrounding Cool Springs. If you’re interested in more space, make time for the countryside around Leiper’s Fork or College Grove.
Most importantly, try to experience the ordinary parts of life here. Drive a potential commute. Visit the grocery stores and coffee shops near the neighborhoods you’re considering. Explore the parks and local businesses. Pay attention to what feels convenient, what feels too far away, and where you naturally find yourself wanting to spend more time.
For buyers still living in Texas, we can help narrow the search before that first trip through virtual consultations, neighborhood guidance, and property tours. That way, your time in Tennessee is spent getting to know the places that genuinely fit your priorities rather than trying to see everything in one weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions About Moving From Texas to Nashville, Tennessee
Is Franklin, Tennessee, considered part of Nashville?
Franklin is a separate city in Williamson County, approximately 20 miles south of Downtown Nashville. It is part of the Nashville metropolitan area, but has its own city government, historic downtown, and community identity.
Should I live in Nashville or Franklin if I’m moving from Texas?
That depends on your preferred lifestyle, daily destinations, and housing priorities. Nashville offers a wide variety of urban and residential neighborhoods, while Franklin offers a distinct historic downtown, suburban communities, and access to surrounding countryside. Both are worth exploring before making a decision.
What are the best suburbs of Nashville for someone relocating from Texas?
Franklin, Brentwood, Thompson’s Station, and other surrounding communities are worth researching, but the right location depends on your commute, housing preferences, budget, and desired setting. College Grove and Leiper’s Fork may also appeal to buyers interested in acreage or countryside living.
Is Nashville or Franklin more affordable than Dallas, Austin, or Houston?
There isn’t a universal answer. Home prices and ownership costs vary significantly by neighborhood, property type, and market conditions. A meaningful comparison should include property taxes, insurance, utilities, transportation, and the specific homes being considered.
Can I buy a house in Tennessee while still living in Texas?
Yes. Buyers can begin their search remotely, participate in virtual tours, and coordinate many parts of a Tennessee real estate transaction from another state. Closing arrangements depend on the lender, title company, and transaction requirements.
Where can I find horse properties or homes with acreage near Nashville?
Buyers often explore Leiper’s Fork, College Grove, western Franklin, and other rural parts of Williamson County. Available properties vary, and any intended animal use or future improvements should be verified for the specific parcel.
How far is Franklin from Nashville International Airport?
The distance and travel time depend on where you live in Franklin and your route to the airport. When evaluating a home, it’s worth checking the drive from the actual address during the times you expect to travel.
Final Thought
There’s something exciting about the moment a place begins to feel like a possibility.
Maybe it’s an afternoon spent exploring Nashville’s neighborhoods, a dinner on Main Street in Franklin, or a drive through the countryside that makes you imagine what life could look like with a little more room to breathe.
For Texans considering a move, Middle Tennessee offers an opportunity to explore more than one version of home. There’s the energy and creativity of Nashville, the historic character and community traditions of Franklin, the established neighborhoods of Brentwood, and the rolling countryside of College Grove and Leiper’s Fork.
Each offers something different, and that’s what makes the search so personal.
Because finding your place in Tennessee isn’t about choosing the community everyone else is talking about. It’s about discovering the one that feels right for the life you’re building.
And every great story deserves the right backdrop.
Moving From Texas to Nashville or Franklin? We’d Love to Be Part of Your Story.
At The Jernigan Group at Compass, we’ve helped more than 200 clients relocate since 2020, and we understand that moving from another state involves far more than finding a beautiful home. It’s about learning the communities, understanding the differences between neighborhoods, and making confident decisions from hundreds of miles away.
Whether you’re exploring Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, College Grove, Leiper’s Fork, or the surrounding Middle Tennessee countryside, we’d be honored to help you find your place here.
The Jernigan Group at Compass
615.594.1990
info@thejernigangroup.com
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article reflects our local knowledge in addition to research and understanding of available information, local conditions, and applicable regulations as of the date of publication.