Hey there, my name is Bri. I’m 27 years old and I currently live in Nashville with my two cats, dog and boyfriend. I moved to Nashville last year in June (Yup – right in the middle of a pandemic) from Sacramento, California.
I lived in California my whole life up until that point and I graduated college with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology from California State University, Chico in 2016. And yes, in case you were wondering, we did win “Best College Bar in America” by Barstool Sports this year. Woohoo!
I turned my Instagram into a “blogging” and influencer platform in April, 2019 because I wanted to feel more connected to the community and it was also an outlet for me because I had a stressful job working with “the most dangerous and unstable youth” in California. You can follow me here.
Moving to Nashville in June of 2020
In January 2020, I tagged along with one of my best friends to Nashville because her mom just moved there from California. This was my first time traveling to the south and I was absolutely blown away by the city.
I instantly felt at home there. This was weird because I wasn’t looking to move at the time. I had a great job and was living with my boyfriend at the time of 3 years – but I was also in a “quarter life century crisis” I like to call it.
I felt stagnate and had the urge to travel. So I came home, told my boyfriend at the time I wanted to move there – he told me that he didn’t want to move. So I said alright, we are breaking up and then I made it a goal of mine to move to Nashville by June of 2020 which I accomplished!
Why Nashville is such an Awesome Place
Nashville is a fun, vibrant, loud and crazy place. We have party tractors going through the streets of Broadway pulling girls in hot tubs, the best live music and moonshine. But besides the craziness – Nashville is beautiful and has some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet. That’s southern hospitality for ya! Tennessee is so beautiful and it’s green all year round.
Being from Northern California, I’m used to things being dead, brown and dry. I’m in awe whenever we explore a new hiking trail, waterfall or simply just driving down the road seeing green pastures. The majority of people I’ve come across in Tennessee are a lot kinder than people in California.
People are proud of where they’re from, they are passionate about their city and sports teams, and family time/spending time with loved ones is super important. The weather though is insane LOL. We will get some crazy thunderstorms, a lot of rain and of course there’s tornado scares.
Favorite Spots in Nashville and its Surrounds
It’s hard to pinpoint where my favorite spots are in the city – but every time I visit the Pedestrian Bridge and can view the whole city I’m just in awe. This is especially true at sunset when the beauty is taken to another level. Love Circle is a local spot I love visiting to watch the sunset also. It’s the perfect place to unwind, set up a picnic and pour some wine.
One of my favorite spots outside of Nashville is Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge (3-4 hour drive). Another gorgeous place – you’re up in the Smoky Mountains here and there’s free moonshine, wine, cider and so many activities to do for kids and adults alike. Dollywood is also located over there and it’s such a fun amusement park (and who doesn’t love Dolly Parton)?!
Biggest Challenges Moving to Nashville
Moving to a new state during a pandemic was hard because people were losing their jobs while I was trying to find one, but it ended up working in my favor because all my interviews were via video rather than me having to fly all the way across the country. But the biggest challenge overall is being away from my family and having to build a new support system here in Tennessee.
Making friends during the pandemic was not that easy lol! I’m grateful for social media because that’s literally how I’ve met all of my friends. And I’m always down to meet more people so if you live in the area let’s meet up!
Best Memory So Far in Music City
One of my favorite memories was concluding my road trip across the country and finally crossing the border from Arkansas to Tennessee. It was an exciting moment! My mom and sister flew out to Nashville and helped me get settled in and explored the city with me for a week.
Tips for Moving to Nashville, Tennessee
My biggest piece of advice for anyone thinking of moving to Nashville is to give yourself TIME. I gave myself 6 months to find a place to live, find a new job, save money, pack and ship things. Booking with a moving company is a convenient way to ship your items and it doesn’t break the bank.
Connecting with others on the Nashville Housing Facebook page really helped me because I found my roommates and where I wanted to live. I also met my current boyfriend on there a couple months before I moved LOL but that’s a story for another time. All the best moving to Nashville!
