Nashville Bits and Pieces

[markhollin]

Pics from The Tennessean of Nashville Christmas Parade on Saturday morning:

 

[bnacincy]

Looks like a pretty good crowd.

Where does the Parade start and finish these days? Way back when I marched in the Parade it went from behind Vanderbilt stadium down to First Ave.

Now it looks like it is going in reverse!

[AsianintheNations]

24 minutes ago, bnacincy said:

Where does the Parade start and finish these days?

Starts at Public Square (Union and 1st Ave N), ends at Broadway & 8th/Rosa L Parks, so yes in the opposite direction compared to your original route

[bnacincy]

11 hours ago, AsianintheNations said:

Starts at Public Square (Union and 1st Ave N), ends at Broadway & 8th/Rosa L Parks, so yes in the opposite direction compared to your original route

Wonder why they shortened it? Attendance maybe? I think with all the population growth and the tourism growth they could probably go back to the original length and it would be well attended by locals and tourists alike. Promote it like the 4th of July and  New Years Eve  maybe with a Christmas show in the evening down on the river.

Love the balloons! 

Edited December 9, 2019 by bnacincy
spelling

[satalac]

15 hours ago, markhollin said:

Pics from The Tennessean of Nashville Christmas Parade on Saturday morning:

 

 

I bet this picture would give Lee Beaman a heart attack. "GET THOSE TROLLIES OUT OF THERE!"

[Bark At The Sun]

[markhollin]

Circle, the new Opry Entertainment TV show, will launch Jan. 1 on the Gray TV network of stations in 56 markets nationwide including NYC, LA, Philadelphia, Dallas, Tampa, and Detroit. Initally it shouldreach more than 50% of American households.

In less than a year Circle has  generated 16 original shows.

Circle’s original programming includes: "Opry Live," a compilation of Grand Ole Opry performances that will be released each week beginning in February; "Fandom," a series that explores the artist-fan relationship from the fans' perspective, along with some of the genre's biggest stars like Eric Church and Zac Brown; and "Opry Docs," a series of documentaries on country legends such as Johnny Cash, Minnie Pearl, and  George Jones. Circle will also revive "Hee Haw," the music and comedy sketch show that debuted in 1971.

Look for Nashville to be featured prominently throughout the programming.

“We’re building and creating that content, not exclusively, but for the most part, a lot of it resides in this city,” says Scott Bailey, president of Opry Entertainment. “We’re going to create interest and curiosity in the locations that we do the filming. We’re going to continue to highlight our own assets because we want people to see the magic behind the Opry and the Ryman. But as a city, we’re going to continue to fuel that tourism wave we’re currently riding. … It’ll be a great benefit by shining light on Nashville as whole.”

More at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2019/12/11/by-the-artists-for-the-fans-rymans-tv-network.html?iana=hpmvp_nsh_news_headline

 

[MLBrumby]

The diner looks far better than I ever expected from the renderings. It actually looks like it's been there for decades. Certainly proves that more brick is needed downtown. 

[NashWellington11]

3 hours ago, MLBrumby said:

The diner looks far better than I ever expected from the renderings. It actually looks like it's been there for decades. Certainly proves that more brick is needed downtown. 

The unusually dirty sidewalks next to it with nondescript liquid stains running out from their loading  dock definitely enhances the old look. It adds... Grit? Character?   

[jmtunafish]

The 2018 GDP figures have been released by the Census Bureau. Here's how Tennessee counties are doing. I'm including just those counties with more than $1 billion in GDP.

rank...county...2018 GDP ($thousands)...% change from 2015...per capita GDP

1. Davidson...63,848,008...11.08%...$92,188
2. Shelby...57,633,301...4.37%...$61,590
3. Knox...24,573,575...8.45%...$52,814
4. Hamilton...23,273,742...8.01%...$63,889
5. Williamson...20,705,085...6.94%...$89,350
6. Rutherford...13,308,992...10.90%...$40,965
7. Sullivan...7,134,333...4.83%...$45,249
8. Sumner...5,919,474...9.18%...$31,630
9. Washington...5,468,691...6.29%...$42,522
10. Madison...5,306,184...5.52%...$54,364
11. Montgomery...4,928,685...9.94%...$23,931
12. Blount...4,809,024...6.40%...$36,613
13. Wilson...4,442,285...11.85%...$31,590
14. Bradley...4,412,936...-0.28%...$41,348
15. Anderson...4,244,637...2.63%...$55,499
16. Sevier...3,591,754...8.98%...$36,691
17. Putnam...3,308,251...9.88%...$41,960
18. Maury...3,285,859...16.35%...$34,830
19. Hamblen...2,996,630...7.73%...$46,410
20. Coffee...2,573,478...9.65%...$46,202
21. Roane...2,206,450...3.67%...$41,521
22. Greene...2,153,404...4.83%...$31,169
23. Robertson...2,138,230...-0.42%...$30,111
24. McMinn...1,926,369...6.70%...$36,152
25. Rhea...1,892,112...28.18%...$57,260
26. Hawkins...1,881,653...2.66%...$33,286
27. Dickson...1,624,735...13.41%...$30,400
28. Bedford...1,609,446...-2.24%...$32,820
29. Loudon...1,561,274...9.43%...$29,428
30. Cumberland...1,515,362...4.19%...$25,394
31. Dyer...1,449,259...3.77%...$38,833
32. Gibson...1,410,486...8.03%...$28,759
33. Jefferson...1,338,198...7.98%...$24,776
34. Warren...1,258,085...1.29%...$30,777
35. Monroe...1,174,306...9.31%...$25,332
36. Henry...1,124,631...2.70%...$34,756
37. Weakley...1,112,897...8.08%...$33,305
38. Lawrence...1,057,190...6.33%...$24,173
39. Obion...1,034,308...0.44%...$34,173
40. Tipton...1,030,904...3.80%...$16,741
41. Carter...1,019,574...7.94%...$18,093
42. Cocke...1,016,848...5.92%...$28,424
43. Franklin...1,016,719...4.80%...$24,271

TENNESSEE TOTAL...323,674,896...7.32%...$47,810

[titanhog]

^^Over $100B in the Nashville metro alone.

[jmtunafish]

And now by metropolitan areas:

rank...metro area...2018 GDP ($thousands)...3-year increase

1. Nashville..132,202,284...15.8%
2. Memphis...76,749,486...10.3%
3. Knoxville...43,307,309...12.4%
4. Chattanooga...30,971,172...13.7%
5. Kingsport-Bristol...13,704,793...8.9%
6. Clarksville...12,709,619...3.4%
7. Jackson...8,431,205...11.1%
8. Johnson City...7,840,991...11.0%
9. Morristown...5,318,622...13.0%
10. Cleveland...5,218,263...4.1%

and since Cookeville is on the cusp of being a metropolitan area, here's its stats:

2018 GDP: 4,494,244 which is a 14.9% increase from 2015.

Edited December 12, 2019 by jmtunafish

[markhollin]

Crunching the numbers, here are a few other interesting points:

- Four of top ten counties in Tennessee in Nashville Metro (Davidson $63.8 billion, Williamson $20.7 billion, Rutherford $13.3 billion, Sumner $5.9 billion).

- The 7 counties in Nashville Metro combined for $113 billion, which makes up 35% of the whole state (95 counties). 

- Average per capita GDP in Davidson County is $92,188 (highest in state).

- Avg. per capita GDP between 7 counties in metro is $50,686, which is 6% higher than the rest of the state.

[markhollin]

Guide for the upcoming New Year's Eve Music City Midnight Celebration at Bicentennial Mall, etc.:

https://www.usatoday.com/pages/interactives/sponsor-story/Your-guide-to-music-citys-free-celebration/?mvt=i&mvn=fdc6abb9520c48578fb10294913fd9e9&mvp=NA-GANNLOCASITEMANA-11238693&mvl=Size-2x3 [Digital Front Redesign Tile]

[UTgrad09]

County - GDP - Population - GDP per capita

Davidson	$63,848,008,000	692,587	$92,188
Williamson	$20,705,085,000	231,729	$89,350
Hamilton	$23,273,742,000	364,286	$63,889
Shelby	$57,633,301,000	935,764	$61,590
Stewart	$805,094,000	13,561	$59,368
Rhea	$1,892,112,000	33,044	$57,260
Anderson	$4,244,637,000	76,482	$55,499
Madison	$5,306,184,000	97,605	$54,364
Knox	$24,573,575,000	465,289	$52,814
Hamblen	$2,996,630,000	64,569	$46,410
Coffee	$2,573,478,000	55,700	$46,202
Sullivan	$7,134,333,000	157,668	$45,249
Washington	$5,468,691,000	128,607	$42,522
Haywood	$730,120,000	17,335	$42,118
Putnam	$3,308,251,000	78,843	$41,960
Roane	$2,206,450,000	53,140	$41,521
Bradley	$4,412,936,000	106,727	$41,348
Rutherford	$13,308,992,000	324,890	$40,965
Dyer	$1,449,259,000	37,320	$38,833
Crockett	$530,071,000	14,328	$36,995
Sevier	$3,591,754,000	97,892	$36,691
Blount	$4,809,024,000	131,349	$36,613
McMinn	$1,926,369,000	53,285	$36,152
DeKalb	$711,225,000	20,138	$35,318
Maury	$3,285,859,000	94,340	$34,830
Henry	$1,124,631,000	32,358	$34,756
Smith	$685,356,000	19,942	$34,367
Hardin	$885,035,000	25,776	$34,336
Obion	$1,034,308,000	30,267	$34,173
Giles	$988,833,000	29,503	$33,516
Weakley	$1,112,897,000	33,415	$33,305
Hawkins	$1,881,653,000	56,530	$33,286
Bedford	$1,609,446,000	49,038	$32,820
Humphreys	$603,793,000	18,486	$32,662
Sumner	$5,919,474,000	187,149	$31,630
Wilson	$4,442,285,000	140,625	$31,590
Greene	$2,153,404,000	69,087	$31,169
Warren	$1,258,085,000	40,878	$30,777
Dickson	$1,624,735,000	53,446	$30,400
Robertson	$2,138,230,000	71,012	$30,111
Loudon	$1,561,274,000	53,054	$29,428
Moore	$187,161,000	6,411	$29,194
Gibson	$1,410,486,000	49,045	$28,759
Marshall	$959,596,000	33,683	$28,489
Cocke	$1,016,848,000	35,774	$28,424
Unicoi	$494,808,000	17,761	$27,859
Decatur	$313,352,000	11,706	$26,768
Henderson	$742,392,000	27,847	$26,660
Lake	$193,306,000	7,411	$26,084
Lauderdale	$671,103,000	25,825	$25,987
Lincoln	$885,103,000	34,117	$25,943
Pickett	$130,490,000	5,082	$25,677
Marion	$727,781,000	28,575	$25,469
Cumberland	$1,515,362,000	59,673	$25,394
Monroe	$1,174,306,000	46,357	$25,332
Jefferson	$1,338,198,000	54,012	$24,776
Carroll	$688,843,000	28,020	$24,584
Franklin	$1,016,719,000	41,890	$24,271
Lawrence	$1,057,190,000	43,734	$24,173
White	$650,494,000	27,107	$23,997
Montgomery	$4,928,685,000	205,950	$23,931
Scott	$524,815,000	22,039	$23,813
Cheatham	$955,278,000	40,439	$23,623
Clay	$179,229,000	7,717	$23,225
McNairy	$597,781,000	25,832	$23,141
Fentress	$417,004,000	18,217	$22,891
Fayette	$922,002,000	40,507	$22,762
Claiborne	$720,230,000	31,756	$22,680
Hardeman	$562,953,000	25,220	$22,322
Overton	$485,920,000	22,068	$22,019
Johnson	$375,541,000	17,778	$21,124
Macon	$511,236,000	24,265	$21,069
Perry	$169,171,000	8,064	$20,979
Lewis	$249,839,000	12,086	$20,672
Benton	$333,275,000	16,184	$20,593
Campbell	$806,050,000	39,583	$20,364
Chester	$325,061,000	17,276	$18,816
Carter	$1,019,574,000	56,351	$18,093
Meigs	$220,368,000	12,306	$17,907
Wayne	$292,463,000	16,558	$17,663
Polk	$287,388,000	16,898	$17,007
Houston	$139,845,000	8,263	$16,924
Tipton	$1,030,904,000	61,581	$16,741
Sequatchie	$247,420,000	14,876	$16,632
Cannon	$237,659,000	14,462	$16,433
Trousdale	$179,992,000	11,012	$16,345
Grundy	$209,935,000	13,346	$15,730
Van Buren	$89,977,000	5,765	$15,607
Grainger	$359,429,000	23,145	$15,529
Union	$298,006,000	19,688	$15,136
Jackson	$177,824,000	11,758	$15,124
Hickman	$371,426,000	25,063	$14,820
Bledsoe	$210,355,000	14,755	$14,257
Hancock	$84,889,000	6,549	$12,962
Morgan	$265,071,000	21,579	$12,284

[Rockatansky]

On 11/14/2019 at 9:17 PM, LA_TN said:

But the question is: how is it possible for the city to be in fiscal shortfall while our city is booming in every corner?

Because by state law Metro cannot take in more money after a reassessment than it did before. That's why after nearly every reassessment in Metro's history, Council and the Mayor have adjusted the property tax rate upward. However, because of all the recent growth this was not done in 2017. I assume the Barry & Briley admins thought they could skate by until their second terms before raising the property tax rate. That turned out to not work so well, and the city is broke as a result. 

On 11/14/2019 at 9:56 PM, PaulChinetti said:

stop letting them hire a hoard of lawyers and accountants

Oh yeah, and a bunch of big commercial owners challenged their assessments, and got their tax payments lowered as a result.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Rockatansky

[Nashville Cliff]

14 hours ago, Rockatansky said:

Because by state law Metro cannot take in more money after a reassessment than it did before. That's why after nearly every reassessment in Metro's history, Council and the Mayor have adjusted the rate upward. However, because of all the recent growth this was not done in 2017. I assume the Barry & Briley admins thought they could skate by until their second terms before raising the property tax rate. That turned out to not work so well, and the city is broke as a result. 

Oh yeah, and a bunch of big commercial owners challenged their assessments, and got their tax payments lowered as a result.

And the inexperienced assessor that Nashvillians elected last time bungled the process.

[chris holman]

JPMorgan Chase & Co. officially is in Nashville.

On Tuesday, the New York-based megabank (NYSE: JPM) will open its first local branch, in Berry Hill, kickstarting CEO Jamie Dimon's ambition to become Nashville's largest depositor. The opening comes nine months after officials confirmed plans to build a branch network in Nashville

"It’s amazing for me to come into a market, like an Alabama or Tennessee, and people think of us as a credit card," Denise Horvath, the Chase executive spearheading the Nashville expansion, said in an interview with the NBJ. "Although we’re the largest depository institution in the country, there are still spaces were there’s a lot of opportunity for us. We’re going into 16 new states in our market expansion. We’re really upping the game."

At a time when other lenders are shedding branches, JPMorgan is doubling down. Last year, officials revealed JPMorgan would expand into 15 to 20 new markets in the next five years, with plans to build as many as 400 new branches nationwide. Nashville's inclusion on that list comes as the region's economy soars, with the market's pool of available deposits growing by 66% since 2010.

In Nashville, officials expect to build around 20 branches, with the bulk of those slated to open by the end of 2021. That means Horvath's team of retail employees will swell to between 150 to 225 employees. Currently, her team consists of 25 employees, she said.

Chase has approval to open seven branches in the Nashville market, with its downtown branch, located in the ServiceSource Tower, next on Horvath's list to open. That location will open in the second quarter of 2020, she said. After it will come the bank's branches in Green Hills and Donelson.

Given its size and scope, JPMorgan stands to have an immediate impact on the Nashville market, which is why the city's banking leaders are closely following its local rollout. In other expansion cities, JPMorgan has shown a willingness to heavily invest not only in locations, but also in talent — two critical factors

 

[grilled_cheese]

On 12/17/2019 at 6:45 AM, Nashville Cliff said:

And the inexperienced assessor that Nashvillians elected last time bungled the process.

I thought this as well but looked her (Vivian Wilhoite ) up and she does have prior experience as a real estate appraiser.  Not defending the mess we're in now but just saying.

My biggest issue is whythefudge is this an elected position?????

[smeagolsfree]

Look for PNC to follow suit after JPMChase.

[markhollin]

Nashville's Entrepreneur's Organization surveyed its 240 members to get ideas for Mayor Cooper to address pressing issues facing Nashville.  Here is a summary:

To address congestion, the EO members recommended:

- Taking a more regional or state-level approach, as opposed to a local level.

- Encouraging business owners to allow employees to work from home

- Coordinated traffic lights 

- Partnerships with technology-focused, private companies on countering traffic problems.

- "Lean more on the private sector for inspiration and direct consulting to solve public problems," the report said.

 

On education, the members recommended:

- Greater pay for teachers

- Merit pay for teachers

- Greater principal autonomy.

- Some members also called for mayoral appointments on the school board to make it "less dysfunctional" and urged city leaders to "embrace charter schools for more competition and accountability." 

 

On housing, members wanted to:

- Allow alternative structures, currently denied by codes, as well as tiny homes and more efficient communities.

- Developers could look to the city for subsidies on land purchases which would allow them to sell or rent units at below market rates.

- The city could also encourage high-density residential properties near schools for teachers with rent reductions through property tax abatements. 

More at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2019/12/18/nashville-housing-inequity-schools-and-traffic-worry-businesses-too/2674202001/

[PaulChinetti]

2 hours ago, markhollin said:

- Coordinated traffic lights 

I've started a new job recently and our office is downtown north of Broadway. It's insane how poorly the lights are timed for afternoon rush hour. Trying to get just from 7th and Church across Broadway takes like 15 minutes. Because the lights are coordinated for east/west direction, and there are very few people going that way. So you sit there at a light with nobody going. Then the light changes and the traffic is already back up because nothing is coordinated. 

There has to have been more recent traffic studies to show the flow of traffic, or hell just sit out there and watch the damn flow!

[PruneTracy]

21 hours ago, grilled_cheese said:

My biggest issue is whythefudge is this an elected position?????

The technical answer is that it's required by the state constitution. But the general reason you would want to elect a property tax assessor is to avoid a situation where they are able to carry out a personal agenda without accountability, since they are supposed to act independently of the county executive and council. Same reason we elect judges.

8 minutes ago, PaulChinetti said:

I've started a new job recently and our office is downtown north of Broadway. It's insane how poorly the lights are timed for afternoon rush hour. Trying to get just from 7th and Church across Broadway takes like 15 minutes. Because the lights are coordinated for east/west direction, and there are very few people going that way. So you sit there at a light with nobody going. Then the light changes and the traffic is already back up because nothing is coordinated. 

There has to have been more recent traffic studies to show the flow of traffic, or hell just sit out there and watch the damn flow!

Metro just retimed the signals in 2016. They would be due for another retiming in the next year or so assuming they have budgeted for this.

https://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/pw/2016 Countywide Signal Timing Optimization.pdf

Edited December 19, 2019 by PruneTracy

[DMilner]

The signals around the 65 ramps and Wedgewood/8th are in dire need of a timing change. 

[GregH]

4 hours ago, markhollin said:

Nashville's Entrepreneur's Organization surveyed its 240 members to get ideas for Mayor Cooper to address pressing issues facing Nashville.  Here is a summary:

To address congestion, the EO members recommended:

- Taking a more regional or state-level approach, as opposed to a local level.

- Encouraging business owners to allow employees to work from home

- Coordinated traffic lights 

- Partnerships with technology-focused, private companies on countering traffic problems.

- "Lean more on the private sector for inspiration and direct consulting to solve public problems," the report said.

More at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2019/12/18/nashville-housing-inequity-schools-and-traffic-worry-businesses-too/2674202001/

With the possible exception of the traffic light thing these are all pretty worthless suggestions.