Downtown is Nashville’s central business district and the historic core of the city, on the west bank of the Cumberland River. SoBro, short for “South of Broadway,” is the portion of downtown south of Broadway and includes the Rutledge Hill and Rolling Mill Hill areas along the river.
The area covered here extends roughly from the Cumberland River west to about 11th Avenue and from Jefferson Street south to Lafayette Street, largely enclosed by the interstate loop. Boundaries are informal; the Nashville Downtown Partnership divides downtown into 11 smaller neighborhoods and markets the riverfront portion of SoBro as South Bank.
Development
Nashville was founded in 1779 as Fort Nashborough. The Tennessee State Capitol, designed by William Strickland, was built from 1845 to 1859. The Second Avenue Commercial District, with warehouses from the 1870s and 1880s, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The Ryman Auditorium opened in 1892 and housed the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. Rutledge Hill is named for Henry and Septima Rutledge, who settled there in 1807. Later projects include Bridgestone Arena (1996), the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (2001), the Schermerhorn Symphony Center (2006) and the Music City Center (2013). On Rolling Mill Hill, the former Metro General Hospital site has been redeveloped with housing. Nashville Yards, a 19-acre mixed-use development, includes the restored Union Station (1900) and The Pinnacle music venue.
Parks & Recreation
Riverfront Park includes Ascend Amphitheater, opened in 2015. Other open spaces include Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park (1996), Walk of Fame Park and the Fort Nashborough History Center. The John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, built in 1909, crosses the river to the East Bank.
Transit
The Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central, on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between 4th and 5th Avenues North, is the downtown terminal for most WeGo bus routes. The WeGo Star commuter rail line to Lebanon starts at Riverfront station on 1st Avenue South, served by shuttle routes 64 and 93. Interstates 40, 65 and 24 form a loop around downtown.