I'm a Nashville local. It's expensive and overrun by tourists, but it's still the best city in the world.

Bryan Clayton moved from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to Nashville in 2013. Courtesy of Bryan Clayton

• Bryan Clayton is a Tennessee native who moved to Nashville a decade ago to build his company.
• He used to love the downtown area, but it’s become overrun with bachelorette parties and tourists.
• He avoids crowded areas but still loves the city’s soul and plans to stay.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Bryan Clayton, a 43-year-old who has lived in Nashville for a decade. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I’ve called Tennessee home my entire life. I grew up in Murfreesboro, a town 30 miles outside Nashville. It’s where I was born, went to college, and started my lawn-mowing business. I was able to grow that local company big enough to be acquired, and once I got my payout, I decided it was time for a life change.

I also had an idea to create Uber for lawn-mowing services but had never built a technology-based company. At the time, Nashville was a budding place for tech startups, so in 2013, I sold my house and moved to a rental downtown.

I loved the Southern hospitality, low cost of living, and great food. For a while, it felt like this was the perfect place to start a new consumer-tech company and enjoy my life as a single guy.

In the past 10 years, Nashville has become a completely different place. You can’t walk down Broadway, a famous district known for honky-tonks and live country music, without drunken people falling over on you.

It’s not the same place I moved to a decade ago. Here’s how it’s changed.

Nashville changed slowly but strategically

Nashville, Tennessee. Michael Warren/Getty Images

When I moved here, I’d go out on Broadway for the dive bars and live music. There were crowds but mostly country-music fans and people who lived in the region.

Big-name country stars would even pop into bars and start performing. You could hear live music from the best musicians without the downsides of big cities, such as generic food and bar chains. Its charm centered on Southern hospitality, music, and cuisine.

In the late ’90s, Nashville got two major sports teams, the NHL’s Predators and the NFL’s Titans. In 2013, the convention center opened. People started coming from around the world to enjoy live music and sports without spending a fortune.

Real-estate prices skyrocketed

The city built more apartments, offices, and restaurants to revitalize downtown. From 2010 to 2020, the population increased by 20%, and real estate boomed.

I had always been a renter in Nashville, but I’ve noticed how much the prices have changed. When I moved in 2013, most of my money was invested in building my new company, so I had to live inexpensively. Nashville was perfect for that.

I paid about $600 for office space and about $1,100 in rent for a one-bedroom apartment in a luxury building with amenities. Now, a similar apartment goes for $2,600.

As the cost of living has increased, local salaries haven’t kept up. I’ve noticed there’s somewhat of a revolving door in Nashville. I’ve seen people come here from California and the Northeast and hang out for a few months but then move elsewhere in the country because the economic opportunities aren’t here.

This has hurt my business. People quickly find out when they move to Nashville that it’s expensive and the salaries are low, which makes it hard to retain talent. To solve this, we’ve had to go remote and recruit people from all over the world.

The boom has brought traffic congestion with it

One of the biggest downsides of the population and tourist boom is that traffic has become horrible. The surrounding cities are becoming more popular for people to live in, too, so driving anywhere can be difficult. I wish the government would invest in the city’s infrastructure.

My parents still live in Murfreesboro, and it used to take me less than 45 minutes to get there during rush hour. Now it takes me close to two hours.

Nashville has become a haven for getting obliterated

Broadway in Nashville. John Greim/Getty Images

2015 is when I first noticed an increase in bachelorette and bachelor parties. At first, it was fun to see, but year after year, the parties became bigger and wilder. People coming to Nashville to party hard took a town with character and made it feel trashy. I’m upset that Nashville has become a bachelorette-party destination.

I think it’s so popular because people enjoy coming here and dressing up like a cowboy or cowgirl, going from bar to bar, and listening to live music. Even though I used to like going out on Broadway, I now avoid that part of town like the plague and go maybe once a year if friends are visiting.

It’s still a special place

I can still feel the Southern hospitality from people who live here. There’s a politeness that shines through. It’s normal for people here to say please and thank you and hold doors open for others. It’s a different type of manner than I’ve seen when visiting other cities such as New York and Miami.

There are also so many beautiful nature spots nearby. Radnor Lake and Percy Warner Park are just 15 minutes from downtown, and Percy Priest Lake and Center Hill Lake are a little bit of a longer drive but some of the most beautiful lakes I’ve ever seen. I make it a point to leave downtown at least once a week to do something outside. These types of excursions make living here feel more peaceful.

After living in Nashville for a decade, I still believe it’s the best city in the world for a weekend. Visit, enjoy the food, and listen to the music, but if you plan on moving here, I’d encourage you to rent a place for a few months and test it out.

I’ll keep living here because it’s become my home

I bought a condo in the West End, which doesn’t draw many out-of-towners. Rent is still very high here, but it’s a quiet area.

I’ve tried to live in other places. I went to Miami for a few months, but it lacked the soul of Nashville. I even considered Atlanta and Barcelona but came up with a list of reasons those places didn’t work, from being away from family to politics.

Nashville and the surrounding areas have been my home my whole life. Despite the rising cost and influx of bachelorette parties, I have a feeling I’ll stay here forever.