Cross the Cumberland River from downtown and you are in the part of Nashville with the most large apartment buildings in this directory. East Nashville accounts for 42 of the 232 buildings listed here, well ahead of the next-largest neighborhood, The Nations / Sylvan Park, with 28. That number says as much about how big East Nashville is as about how much it has been built up.
Short answer: East Nashville is a large area, not a single neighborhood. It includes Edgefield, Lockeland Springs, Five Points, Eastwood, Cleveland Park, Inglewood and the East Bank riverfront, and this directory’s category also reaches north along corridors such as Dickerson Pike. Most of its apartment buildings are low-rise, two to five stories, and many are new: several opened between 2021 and 2026. Expect a neighborhood feel, big parks and a short drive or bike ride to downtown, rather than towers.
What counts as East Nashville
The river wraps around East Nashville on three sides, but there is no official land boundary to the north. A narrow definition follows Ellington Parkway and the 37206 ZIP code. A broader Greater East Nashville stretches west to I-65 and I-24 and north to Briley Parkway. This directory takes the broad view, which is why its East Nashville category includes communities along Gallatin Pike, Dickerson Pike and Trinity Lane as well as the historic core.
A short history
Edgefield was its own city before Nashville annexed it in 1880. A 1916 fire destroyed hundreds of homes, and tornadoes hit the area in 1933, 1998 and again on March 3, 2020, when Five Points took heavy damage. Edgefield became Nashville’s first historic zoning district in 1978. Those layers explain the mix you see today: Victorian and Craftsman houses on the side streets, and new apartment buildings along the commercial corridors.
What renters get
- Low-rise buildings. Garden-style and mid-rise communities dominate. If you want an elevator tower, look at the Gulch, Midtown or Downtown instead.
- New construction. A large share of the listed buildings opened in the last five years, which usually means modern kitchens, in-unit laundry and amenity packages.
- Parks. Shelby Park, opened in 1912, and the Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Natural Area together cover more than 1,200 acres, with trails, golf and river access. East Park and Cumberland Park add smaller green spaces.
- Restaurants and music. Five Points and the Gallatin Avenue corridor are the neighborhood’s social center.
Getting around
Most residents drive, using I-24, I-65 and Ellington Parkway. WeGo buses run along Gallatin Pike, Shelby Avenue and Ellington Parkway, and the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge gives walkers and cyclists a direct, car-free route downtown from the riverfront.
What is changing
The East Bank, about 550 acres of riverfront between the interstates, is being redeveloped under Metro Nashville’s Imagine East Bank plan. Work includes a new enclosed stadium beside the current Nissan Stadium and a large Oracle campus. Expect more new apartment buildings, and more construction traffic, on the river side of East Nashville over the next several years.
Is East Nashville right for you?
Choose it if you want a neighborhood with character, room to breathe and new buildings at prices typically below the urban core. Skip it if you want to walk to a downtown office or prefer high-rise living. Browse all 42 buildings on the East Nashville page and compare them by year built and floor count.