(upbeat music)
- [Narrator] Nashville is a city known
for its deep-rooted country music,
its infamous hot chicken, and its southern hospitality.
But the country music Mecca of the south
is now known for something else, growth,
attracting over 100 people to move there every single day.
So how did Nashville become the seventh
fastest-growing city in America?
As Millennials flee insanely pricey cities
like New York and San Francisco in search
of a better cost of living and more opportunity
for growth, Nashville's relatively affordable
lifestyle has made it a prime destination
for young professionals.
(upbeat music)
Katie MacLachlan and Robyn Donnelly
both had successful, well-playing careers
in New York but decided to leave it all behind
to move to music city.
- One of there reasons I moved down and why a lot
of people move out of New York, even, you know,
I had a good job there, I had an apartment
but there's this sense of still being
in that rat race and getting up every day
and grinding but not feeling like you're really
getting anywhere.
So while I had a, you know, a great job
and a great apartment, I didn't see how
that would translate in the future
to having a house or having work-life balance
or other aspects of my life that I wanted
to be more fulfilled in.
I didn't feel like New York City had that
to offer unless you're a billionaire.
(upbeat music)
- When I moved to Nashville, I was like,
"You know what, I'm gonna start a bar.
"I can do it here."
And then I spent one day writing a business plan
and I was like, "This is so boring alone.
"Do you wanna do this with me?"
- And I was like, "Sure, I've never worked
"in a bar before but it sounds cool.
"Let's do it."
- Yeah.
We had a certain budget that would've never flown
in New York.
We would have had to have like probably multiple
investors and basically we got this place,
we had a budget for redesign, we stuck to it,
and we opened and we had a little bit of runway.
And we haven't had to invest any more money
to date so fingers crossed that we can keep that up.
(upbeat music)
- Walden is a neighborhood bar in East Nashville.
So I moved here in 2015 and even in the last
three years, East Nashville has changed so much.
There are so many new businesses popping up
left and right.
- The startup community in Nashville is great.
There are so many people here that are so creative,
talented, successful, and very friendly.
It's a very close-knit community.
I think we're all kind of supporting each other
with all of our endeavors.
- I would say the majority of the people
that we meet are in a similar situation.
They have moved from another city
and the majority of them are seeking
that work-life balance or they wanna start
something on their own, and there's not that sense
that you can do that in New York or San Francisco.
I think the unique thing about Nashville
is that, even though if it's a city,
you can be in a neighborhood and be seven
minutes from downtown and there's still housing
that's available.
(upbeat music)
- [Narrator] Nashville's vibrant bar
and restaurant scene is booming.
And across the skyline, cranes and new luxury
high-rise apartments are a symbol
of the city's meteoric rise.
And the city isn't only beneficial for business.
With the cost of living in Nashville nearly 50%
lower than in New York, the city is a great
place for younger people to plant roots.
- My favorite things about Nashville
are the sense of community.
I think that even though there are a lot
of transplants here, when you move to Nashville
you feel like you're a part of it
and everybody's sort of in it with you.
And so I think that has helped not just
like in our business but in, you know,
that quality of life and connecting with people.
- Yeah, I've never had a better income
to cost of living ratio than in Nashville.
So that's, you actually get to enjoy
what you're working so hard for too.
- Both Robyn and I have been able to buy our own homes.
We're purchasing a condo across the street
from the bar to do an Airbnb.
So seeing it working, like moving here
and starting our own thing and then being able
to reinvest that money back into ourselves
and our future, is really valuable.