11 minute read
What You’ll Gain From Reading This Article: Readers will learn about Nashville’s diverse cultural scene, its climate, health care facilities, tax environment, and various 55+ communities in and around the city.
Nashville may be known as the capital of country music, but you don’t have to be a country fan to consider moving to the Nashville area. It has a much broader cultural scene, offering a lively downtown, historic landmarks, and easy access to outdoor activities. It also has a mostly pleasant climate, with mild winters.
Many people consider Nashville a good place to retire. Residents have access to some award-winning health care facilities. Also, there’s no state income tax or inheritance tax, and Southern hospitality is alive and well here.
Let’s look at the climate, cost of living, taxes, health care, and 55+ communities in the Nashville area.
Retiring in Nashville: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Favorable Weather – The Nashville climate is agreeable for much of the year, and winters are generally mild.
- Tax Friendly – Tennessee has no state income tax or inheritance tax.
- The Capital of Country Music – If you like country music, then there’s no better place to be.
Cons
- Hot Summers – The hot and humid summers are not to everyone’s liking.
- Cost of Living – The cost of living in Nashville is slightly above the national average.
- Housing Prices – House prices have jumped enormously in the last decade, though they’re now settling down.
Nashville Climate
Unlike Florida and Arizona where people retire for steady sunshine, Nashville has a four-season climate. You can expect hot and humid summers. While winters are mild compared to places further north, it can still get down to freezing. But heavy snowfall is rare.
Summers in Nashville see average highs of 89 degrees and lows of 71 degrees, while winter sees average lows of 32 degrees and an average of 1.7 inches of snow. The average temperature in April is typically around 61 degrees, but temperatures can range from an average low of 46 degrees to an average high of 76 degrees. You can expect similar ranges in the fall.
Because of the hot and humid climate, summer days often come with thunderstorms in the afternoons and evenings. In spring and fall, you’ll get occasional rain showers.
Popular outdoor activities for active adults in and around Nashville include boating, fishing, kayaking, and walking and biking along trails and greenways. Tennessee generally is also a great place to enjoy the fall colors.
Nashville Taxes
Property prices in Nashville have boomed in the last few years, and the cost of living is 1.4% higher than the national average. While Tennessee has no state income tax, it does have a sales tax of 7% (rising to 9.25% in Davidson County, where Nashville is located). However, some items are exempt from sales tax, including most food for home consumption, prescription drugs, and certain medical devices.
Nashville Property Taxes
In Tennessee, there are no state-level property taxes, but local governments impose property taxes. The property tax rate in Nashville and Davidson County as of 2022 is $3.155 per $100 of assessed value.
Nashville Retirement Income Taxes
In Tennessee, there are no state-level income taxes. However, retirees are still required to pay federal income taxes on their retirement income, such as distributions from 401(k)s, IRAs, and pension plans. Some types of retirement income, such as Social Security benefits and certain military retirement pay, may be exempt from federal income taxes or subject to reduced tax rates.
Nashville Tax Exemptions for Seniors
Nashville has a Property Tax Relief Program, an optional program created at the state level in 1977. Under the program, qualifying homeowners age 65 or older, disabled homeowners, as well as disabled veteran homeowners or their surviving spouses receive tax relief from the taxes due on their property. Homeowners must have been 65 by December 31 of the tax year for which they are applying and meet low-income requirements. Tennessee also has no inheritance tax or estate tax.
Nashville Health Care
Nashville is home to institutions such as TriStar Centennial Medical Center, Ascension St. Thomas Hospital, and the award-winning Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Vanderbilt also includes the Ingram Cancer Center for world-class cancer treatments and care.
Where to Live in Nashville
As we’ve seen, Nashville is certainly a good place to retire, and if you’re seriously considering moving to Nashville, you may want to start honing in on certain areas. If you like enjoying nightlife and culture, look at active adult communities within the city limits. Some are only a few minutes’ drive from downtown.
Other places have more of a small-town feel, yet are still less than an hour away from the city center and Nashville’s international airport. If that’s more your thing, consider Lebanon or Hermitage. Hendersonville or Spring Hill are bigger areas but still within easy reach of downtown Nashville. There are many factors to consider when deciding where to retire near Nashville.
Featured 55+ Communities Within Nashville
The Cloister at St. Henry
High $300ks – High $400ks
The Cloister at St Henry is the place for city-loving country music fans. You can be at the Ryman Auditorium in Downtown Nashville in ten minutes. Amenities within the community include a clubhouse, a library, a ballroom, a card room, an outdoor pool, and hiking and biking trails. There are also various clubs, activities, and classes onsite, including bridge, poker and canasta groups, a book club, yoga, monthly potlucks, and holiday parties.
Ashley Green
High $300ks – High $300ks
Ashley Green is in a thickly wooded area that’s only a 20-minute drive from Downtown Nashville and a 30-minute drive from the international airport. It’s a 55+ active adult community made up of 114 attached homes. Amenities include a clubhouse, multipurpose rooms, an outdoor pool, and an outdoor patio. There are also various clubs, groups, activities, and classes for residents to participate in. Home models start at 1,228 square feet with one to three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a one- to two-car garage.
Featured 55+ Communities Surrounding Nashville
Gatherings at Indian Lake – Hendersonville, TN
High $300ks – High $400ks
Gatherings at Indian Lake is a gated lifestyle community of 54 condos with a 55+ age restriction. It’s a 35-minute drive north of Downtown Nashville in Hendersonville, a city with a population of about 62,000. The community is around ten minutes from the center of Hendersonville, where Johnny Cash and many other singers have lived, including Marty Stuart, Ricky Skaggs, Roy Orbison, and Taylor Swift.
The community is also just across the street from the Henderson Public Library, and from the Hendersonville Greenway, a network of hiking and biking trails. The Bluegrass Yacht and Country Club is also only a 5-minute drive away in Johnny Cash Park.
Lenox Place – Gallatin, TN
Mid $300ks – High $300ks
Lenox Place is a community of 250 attached homes. It’s on the edge of rural farmland but only a 10-minute drive from the center of Gallatin, a city of about 44,000 people. Downtown Nashville is a 35-minute drive away.
The amenities here include a clubhouse, a fitness center, multipurpose rooms, an outdoor pool, bocce courts, horseshoe pits, gardening plots, hiking and biking trails, a picnic area, and parks and other natural spaces. There are various clubs, groups, activities, and classes for residents, ranging from Bible studies to poker nights.
Homes here begin at 1,220 square feet with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a two-car garage. The largest models are 1,490 square feet, and these also have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a two-car garage.
Parkhaven – Hermitage, TN
Low $500ks – High $600ks
Parkhaven is a five-minute drive from the center of Hermitage, and 30 minutes from Downtown Nashville. Hertenmitage is part of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville but retains its own identity and is named for The Hermitage, the historic home of Andrew Jackson.
Parkhaven’s amenities include a clubhouse and multipurpose rooms but focus on the outdoor facilities with a pool, tennis courts, pickleball courts, and parks and natural spaces. There are also clubs for pickleball and tennis players.
The smallest models offer 1,396 square feet, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a two-car garage. The largest homes provide 2,361 square feet, three bedrooms, a den, two-and-a-half bathrooms, and a two-car garage.
Del Webb Southern Springs – Spring Hill, TN
High $400ks – High $800ks
If you’re planning on moving to Nashville, then Del Webb Southern Springs is one of the largest 55+ communities in the area. It’s made up of 802 single-family homes. Also, it’s about a 7-minute drive from the center of Spring Hill, a city of around 56,000 people, and Downtown Nashville is a 45-minute drive away.
The amenities here are plentiful. They include a clubhouse, a fitness center, an aerobics and dance studio, a ballroom, indoor and outdoor pools, courts for tennis and pickleball, a playground for grandkids, and a pet park. Also, there are dozens of groups, clubs, activities, and classes for residents to enjoy, including a cooking club, dancing groups, excursions to surrounding cities, movie nights, and yoga.
The smallest home models offer 1,355 square feet, two to three bedrooms, two to three bathrooms, and a two-car garage. There’s a range of other models and sizes through to the largest at 2,586 square feet. These models provide two-and-a-half to four bedrooms, two-and-a-half to four bathrooms, and a two-and-a-half car garage.
StoneBridge – Lebanon, TN
Low $300ks – Low $500ks
StoneBridge is an active lifestyle community with no age restriction. It’s located in Lebanon, a suburb of Nashville with its own identity and a population approaching 40,000. StoneBridge is a 15-minute drive from the center of Lebanon and a 35-minute drive from Downtown Nashville.
For those thinking of moving to Nashville, this is another large community with more amenities than most. These include a clubhouse, a fitness center, a billiards room, a hobby and games room, multipurpose rooms, an outdoor pool, lakes and parks, and hiking and biking trails. Among the groups, clubs, activities, and classes are a book club, a gardening club, a travel club, potluck dinners, and holiday parties.
StoneBridge also has one of the largest choices of home models and sizes in the Nashville area. The smallest homes come in at 1,475 square feet with three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, and a two-car garage. The largest models are 2,941 square feet with four bedrooms, a den, three-and-a-half bathrooms, and a two-car garage.
55places Can Help You Retire in Nashville
Ready to take the leap and move to Nashville? 55places is ready to help! Whether you want to start touring or you need to ask a few more questions, 55places will connect you with a local real estate agent who specializes in 55+ communities. They’ll help you every step of the way and make sure your next move is your best one yet.
Discover what’s next.
To learn more information or connect with a real estate expert, contact us today.
