from Europe to Nashville! :)

[Unregistered]

Hi,
We're a couple from Europe (Spain and Italy), and we're gonna move to Nashville this Summer.
We would like to know, as usual, the basic things about the city: :)

-rent an apartment (we would like downtown 1000/1200 USD) but, as my wife is still waiting to know where she's gonna work (she will work as a teacher..)
- which are the best areas in downtown? any other suggestions?
- how much costs (more or less) electricity and gas? (for a 1/2 bedroom apt)
- is the traffic really bad?
- any further info would be really appreciate!

I had a look at few forums, and as far as I understood people in Tennessee seems to be really nice and friendly, so we can't wait to go there! ;)

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Alex

[alleycat]

-rent an apartment (we would like downtown 1000/1200 USD) but, as my wife is still waiting to know where she's gonna work (she will work as a teacher..)
- which are the best areas in downtown? any other suggestions?
You might consider one of the areas on the periphery of downtown, say an area like Midtown (the Vanderbilt/Hillsboro Village area). Living downtown has just become an option again here in Nashville and while they are advantages, there are also some disadvantage (and limited rental choices). You should be able to find some reasonably nice for $1000-1200. If I were you, I'd wait until you found out where you wife was going to work. There's no reason to commute across town if you're renting anyway.

- how much costs (more or less) electricity and gas? (for a 1/2 bedroom apt)
Electric is about 8 cents per KWH here (one of the lowest rates in the country). I'm not sure what the gas rates are offhand. My guess for a 2BR apartment would be an average of less than $100 per month if it was all-electric. It will be higher in the winter, and during the hottest parts of the summer; less in spring and fall.


- is the traffic really bad?
It can be at times (mostly during rush hour). Public transportation is limited to buses and one short rail line here, so almost everyone drives a car. It depends a lot on where you're going and at what time. It also depends on what you're used to. To someone from Los Angles or Atlanta our traffic isn't so bad.

- any further info would be really appreciate!
Just ask.