Nicknamed "Music City USA" for its rich musical heritage and "Athens of the South" for the city's dedication to fine arts and higher education, Nashville provides residents with a wonderful quality of life. Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine recently selected Nashville as number one in its annual ranking of “50 Smart Places to Live.” This survey ranks America's cities on the basis of affordability and livability. (Kiplinger's Personal Finance, June 2006). Nashville's beautiful landscape and close proximity to other major regions in the country make it a great place to live and work.
As the nation's health care center and the home of numerous international businesses, Nashville is a dynamic business center. Other major industries include tourism, printing and publishing, technology, manufacturing, music production, higher education, finance, insurance, automobile production and health care management. The recent arrival of professional sports teams and the influx of major corporate headquarter relocations into the region have also created new momentum for the workforce.
The city has grown substantially in recent years, drawing people from all over the world, a fact that’s reflected in its diverse cultural activities, restaurants, and arts organizations. The city's cultural attractions include the Frist Center for the Visual Arts; the Country Music Hall of Fame; the newly-opened world-class Schermerhorn Symphony Hall; the world's only full-scale reproduction of the famous Greek temple, the Parthenon; and much more. Nashville also plays host to several professional and semi-professional sports teams.
What you may not know about Nashville:
- Nashville ranked 7th in Forbes Magazine's annual listing of the Best Places for Business.
Forbes Magazine, 2006
- Nashville was ranked the nation's top city for business expansion and relocation two years in a row. Expansion Magazine, 2005 and 2006.
- Nashville ranks No. 9 in the "Best Places for Business and Careers" national list based on job and income growth, business and living costs, education of the workforce, migration trends, and quality-of-life issues such as crime rates and cultural opportunities.
Forbes Magazine, April 2007.