Southeast Nashville is an approximately 75 square mile region of Davidson County, located between I-65 and Percy Priest Lake, and generally composed of the 37013, 37211, and 37217 zip codes. This region represents almost 170,000 residents, and is an area of high growth, with a population increase of 17% in the last decade. It is also a highly diverse community, with large immigrant groups clustered around the Nolensville Rd. and Murfreesboro Rd. corridors. One quarter of the population is African American and growth in the Hispanic community (if trends continue) will be approximately 30% over the next five years. Residentially, Southeast Nashville is composed of single family homes and a large number of apartment complexes, with over 1/3 of the population being age 30 or younger. In more recent years, through changes in housing patterns throughout Nashville, the region has seen an increase in issues of poverty, with area schools maintaining a high rate of children eligible for the free lunch program, and an increasing number of residents qualifying for Section 8 assistance.
Ultimately, Southeast Nashville is a community of communities, each with it’s own heritage and identity, but drawn together by Mill Creek, which runs through the middle of the area. It is an area of great potential, and unmet need, an area where folks can escape the city, and where urban problems are knocking at the door. It is a vibrant area where the nations have come to live in Nashville, and a community meeting will draw people of all colors and nationalities. For the 170,000 residents of the area, it is home, the place where they live, work, shop, and play, where they raise their families, and where they experience all that life has to offer.
