On a hot July afternoon, 29-year-old Joe Lentini, a talent buyer and New Jersey native working out of The Basement East, said that East Nashville isn’t quintessentially Tennessee: It’s a one-of-a-kind place, and that’s what makes it special.
"I've moved three times and never left the 37206 area code," Lentini said.
His loyalty to the area is a common feeling among East Nashvillians.
"It's homey, but you're so close to the actual city. The fact that I forget I live in a city sometimes ... It feels like such a tight-knit community and everyone knows each other."
East Nashville, an area that has long held a reputation as the preferred dwelling of hipsters and urbanites, was recently voted the most "unmistakably Tennessee" neighborhood in the state
in a survey of residents.
It's clear that the zip code boasts no shortage of sights, from the bubblegum pink House of Adora to the Progressive Era's Shelby Bottoms Railroad Bridge to the Holly Street Fire Hall, the oldest active fire station in Nashville, which some residents say is home to a friendly ghost.
There's the Rosepepper Cantina's marquee sign, which often features witty messages, and the colorful mural of Dolly Parton, a visual that has made its way onto countless Instagram feeds.
There's plenty of great food, too. Local haunts Dino's Bar & Grill, Roy's Meat Service and I Dream of Weenie topped our newsroom's list of the most iconic East Nashville fare.
However, locals that we interviewed often said that the neighborhood can’t quite be defined as “unmistakably Tennessee.”
"I think East Nashville has its own vibe and culture that I haven't really experienced in other places in Tennessee," said 32-year-old Natalie Noll, a pharmaceutical consultant, outside of Ugly Mugs Coffee and Tea. "It feels very different than a lot of other places."
She added that what makes East Nashville intrinsic to the state is the people, not the architecture or landscaping.
"We're the Volunteer State, and East Nashville definitely has that sense of community, from the tornado in 2020 to the ice storm in the winter earlier this year," she added.
Vinny Maniscalco, who moved to the city from Massachusetts to run track and field at Belmont University, said that the diversity of neighborhoods within East Nashville makes it even more exciting.
While tending the bar under the dim lights of Urban Cowboy, he said that Nashville has a unique dichotomy in that it is a tourist town with a variety of unique local scenes.
"Plenty of local neighborhood watering holes, restaurants, taco bars," he said, "like a safe haven away from all the noise."
The recent ranking comes from a new survey by the Justin Havre Real Estate Team. According to the organization, every state has a distinctive look, defined by elements like porches, trees, landscapes or a certain architecture style. In a survey of 3,021 residents, the group asked, "If one neighborhood had to stand in for the whole place, which would it be?"
Tennessee participants said that three neighborhoods best capture the state's overall vibe. East Nashville took first place, followed by Fort Sanders in Knoxville and Central Gardens in Memphis.
East Nashville, sometimes referred to by residents simply as "East," made the top spot because of the area's mix of old streets and restored houses, as well as proximity to musical and cultural hotspots.
"Its porches, painted homes and walkable blocks reflect a modern Tennessee look — historic, musical, expressive and rooted in neighborhood life," the survey announcement said.
Meanwhile, Fort Sanders in Knoxville made second place on the list of "unmistakably Tennessee" neighborhoods because of the way it encapsulates both the University of Tennessee and the mountain scenery beyond, with "historic homes and student-town energy."
"Fort Sanders shows Tennessee’s Appalachian and university-city residential character, with Victorian houses, porches, brick apartment buildings and hilly streets close to downtown Knoxville," the survey announcement said.
Central Gardens was deemed characteristic of the state's early 20th-century residential identity, featuring "broad streets with a strong sense of Southern permanence."
"Its homes and landscaping capture a distinctly Tennessee mix of shade, scale, history and old city confidence," the announcement stated.
When asked what factors impact a neighborhood's local identity, survey respondents said that people and community are most important, followed by history and natural setting.
According to the survey, 78% of Tennessee respondents also said they are proud of the residential character of their state.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: These neighborhoods named most 'unmistakably Tennessee' in the state
