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| Photo by Jayda Iye Photography. |
Dear Nashville,
While many call you Music City or Athens of the South, I simply call you Home. Growing up you were just my simple little town with an abundance of honky tonks and a pretty average NFL team (okay, so that part hasn't really changed...). I had no desire to stick around, and hoped college would be my excuse to move on to bigger and better things.
But Nashville, like always, you surprised me and became so much more than my simple little town. By the time I turned 18 you had convinced me there was no better city in the entire world. Your skyline, your people, your ability to turn dreams into reality–these characteristics have captured my heart and I've never been more grateful to call you Home.
See, the thing about you, Nashville, is that you are unlike any other city. People want to compare you to cities that have come before you, growing in population excessively fast, like Atlanta or Chicago. But the truth is there is no other place where on a single street, musicians play every genre of music in existence. There is no other place where streets full of high-rises manage to still feel like a small southern town.
Music City isn't just a nickname for you–it's a way of life for all of your residents. Catching a flight at the airport involves walking past at least one musician strumming away at the BNA Tootsies. Pop-up shows, autograph signings, and writers rounds are the norm. There is always a show to see and a song to sing...even for those that aren't country music fans (No Country for New Nashville, anyone?).
Although you have become a bustling tourist attraction, I'm thankful for your unchanging small-town feel and the things that stay the same no matter how many transplants come and go. I love your eclectic neighborhoods and your trendy coffee shops, your farmers markets and your holiday traditions. You bring people together regardless of race, occupation, or religion for one common belief: "I Believe in Nashville."
You stand strong through floods and terrible tragedies like the one that occurred in Vegas. You come together to help and pray and make a difference in the world. When your NHL team makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you host a massive party outside the arena and invite country's biggest stars to kick things off.
Time and time again you're named one of the friendliest cities in the U.S. Countless magazines label you the top city to visit each year. While I must say your party barges and bachelorette parties aren't necessarily my favorite thing about you, I suppose they come with the territory of being the best city on Earth. Your hot chicken, live music, and sunsets make up for it.
Thank you for letting the dreamers and the doers call you Home, and for being a "dreams come true" kind of town. Nashville, thank you for being you, and for making me...me.
Love,
A Nashville Native