Just west of Downtown, Sylvan Park is a historic Nashville neighborhood situated among tree-lined avenues and community greenspace. Many of the streets are named after states so it’s not uncommon to hear phrases like, “I live on Idaho” or “Take a left on Wyoming!” 

It’s charming, it’s green, and it’s one of the few neighborhoods that has seen the latest wave of Nashville development without becoming consumed by the change. Sylvan Park just keeps getting better, and it’s no wonder that as East Nashville continues to sprawl, many new residents and homebuyers are looking west to this area and its neighbor The Nations.

A Place to Call Home

An undeniable feature of Sylvan Park is the close-knit feel that’s palpable upon entering, say, the local Star Bagel Cafe where neighbors get together and catch up. Like many of the businesses that have called the area home for decades, residents who move to Sylvan Park usually end up staying for quite a while. Amid Nashville’s rapid growth, it’s a welcome change of pace.

With a healthy median sale price in the low $500s, Sylvan Park isn’t necessarily a hot spot for first-time homebuyers, but it has great appeal for those looking to settle down and invest in a neighborhood that’s tried and true.

Many of the neighborhood’s historic bungalows were built in the 1920s and 1930s, but some date as far back as 1890. It’s rare to find a home in the area that has not yet been renovated, but it’s not impossible.

Area schools consistently rank in the mid to upper tiers in GreatSchools ratings. Eakin Elementary and West End Middle School are well-known for their equity among students and teacher engagement. Just down the street, Montgomery Bell Academy is one of the nation’s top schools for boys, even serving as the inspiration behind the classic film, “Dead Poets Society.” The film’s screenwriter, Tom Schulman, attended the school in his youth and won an Academy Award for the script in 1989.

Local Fare

Unlike many other Nashville neighborhoods, Sylvan Park has escaped the lure of becoming a retail jungle. If this historic area is known for anything though, it’s the local culinary institutions that call its streets home.

Cafe Nonna is one of Nashville’s most beloved Italian restaurants with the charm and character of an authentic Italian kitchen. It’s a small establishment that consists almost entirely of one tiny dining room in which guests are seated close together and the pasta and wine flow freely. 

Just across the street is the native Nashvillian’s favorite lunch spot: McCabe Pub. Known for their burgers and happy hour, McCabe has been a staple of the neighborhood since its opening in 1982, and it’s about as close to a real-life “Cheers” as you can get. 

Any accounting of Sylvan Park’s food culture would be incomplete without a mention of The Produce Place, a neighborhood grocer credited with bringing the slow food movement to Nashville back in the 1980s. By forging relationships with area farmers and residents, The Produce Place has carved out a special niche in the community.

The Great Outdoors

The Richland Creek Greenway / Photo by Rex Hammock / CC BY-SA

Sylvan Park is, as its name suggests, is a wooded neighborhood with vast opportunities for the outdoor lover. The Richland Creek Greenway offers residents over four miles of running and walking trails culminating at the McCabe trailhead near the roundabout at the center of town. The levelness and ease of the route makes it accessible for every resident interested in spending a day in the great outdoors.

For the more extreme adventurer, Climb Nashville’s west side location offers an ever-changing selection of climbing routes with a varying of difficulty that satisfies beginners and experts alike. The climbing gym also features traditional gym facilities and yoga classes, making it a welcome option for non-climbers in the area as well.