My parents were part of the million population exodus out of NYC between 1965-1980 (the John Lindsay era, the pretty-boy, STD-riddled, leftist darling of the media who was an epic disaster as Mayor who aspired to the Presidency) and I was born some months after their arrival here in Nashville during Beverly Briley’s last term in office (of course, Briley would be rightist by today’s standards). I’m about to see the 7th Mayor in my lifetime (and 7th since Metro was formed) after this runoff is settled.
BTW, Briley’s grandson, David Briley, was just elected Vice-Mayor (unlike grandpa, he’s a left-winger and did not get my vote).
No, I’ve never heard Metro cops called “Mickey Metro”, probably a pre-1970s thing.
The city has changed dramatically in the 4+ decades of my lifetime, it was closer to what you remembered in the early going, but would be utterly alien to you now (and almost to me, for that matter). Most of what meant Nashville to me in the 1970s and 1980s (childhood) is gone now (the downtown department stores, the malls, Opryland, et al). My area (Antioch) zenithed in the 1980s with the Hickory Hollow Mall and booming environs, and decent lower to middle class families, and under downtown’s “die-versity” policies dumped the underclass out here, which went Black ghetto, followed by illegals and skyrocketing crime, which killed the mall and drove out the aforementioned families out of county. My folks & I made the mistake of not exiting when the writing was on the wall, now our property values are in the toilet (whereas if we had the same property/acreage elsewhere in town, it would be worth 3 to 5 times more and 10 times outside the county).
Not so long ago, had some illegal from Central America in the country unmolested for a decade (thanks Dubya !) attempt to murder two cops across from my house (I was typing here at the comp. when I heard the whole thing). Cop #2 had to shoot him and perp was laying in the middle of the street (media ignored it, didn’t fit the narrative of illegals being peace-loving. Donald Trump is 100% right). It used to be a cow pasture/swamp until the early 1990s and the cows would wake me up in the morning for school.
Had neighbors for 7 years of dubious immigration status, they harassed us from day #1 until the day they left. Cops did nada, despite getting calls by us on a regular basis. Thank heavens they’re gone now, replaced by bonafide Africans from Ethiopia, Christians who thankfully behave themselves. Yup, lots of changes.
Thanks so much for the kindness and detail of that reply. Even though I've been gone for decades (or perhaps because of that fact), I still have a soft spot for Nashville but it's likely to be the place that I recall from the 50s and 60s and not the current one you so vividly describe. Back then, shopping meant hopping on the NTC bus (before it became the MTA), heading down Gallatin Pike and dropping off at Church Street to head to Harvey's, Castner-Knott or Cain-Sloan ("the greatest store of the Central South" as the slogan went). Going to a movie meant Lowe's, the palatial Tennessean or the Paramount. This was all in the pre-mall days with Hundred Oaks and Harding Mall just in the planning stages at the time. I even remember reading the afternoon paper, the Banner, which was a Conservative Republican broadsheet unlike the leftist morning rag. We didn't even have much in the way of interstates back then -- heading north was either via Dickerson Road or Gallatin Pike and points south were reached on Nolensville Road (out in your neck of the woods) and Franklin Pike went though the then-tiny hamlet of Brentwood.
It was a kinder, gentler place back then. And it was still very Southern and charming. I've never hidden the fact that fate had me born up north although I was conceived right here in Texas. I never felt at home up in Yankeeland and always had a desire to move back to the region where my life began. My first stop when I headed South for good was Nashville and perhaps that's what still makes it special in my mind. What's not surprising is that friends I made there over half a century ago still remain close after all those years. They're all good Christians and of the Tea Party type and most all have moved out of Davidson County and rarely go into Nashville itself. And more than a few of my fellow greyheads have settled here in Texas.
Once again, I really appreciate the response and I hope the ramblings of an old man going down memory lane didn't bore you...too much! :)
I remember Hickory Hollow Mall plans floating around the engineering office I was a co-op student at, c. 1980. I may have even put some ink on Mylar on them.
Lindsay was riddled with STDs?
So the Republican (RINO?) made the runoff for Nashville Mayor eh? That’s good.
” if we had the same property/acreage elsewhere in town, it would be worth 3 to 5 times more and 10 times outside the county”
Ah, that totally sucks. I feel your pain, if my dad had bought what my mom wanted to buy instead of what he did.....
Shoot out with the fuzz right across the street? Wow. Cows as late as the 90’s? Double wow.
Re: Least religious cities, what’s the criteria? There are oodles of Churches here in Chi, I’m within walking distance of several.