SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Finding an affordable place to live in Nashville has become harder and harder, but for the past five years, many have found their sweet spot northeast of the city in Gallatin.  

“So many luxury apartments have been built near downtown, which are on the pricey side. Well, Gallatin offers an alternative to that, especially when you build a new apartment,” Apartment Insiders President and CEO Joel Sanders said.  

Developers have taken the hint, too. In fact, a recent Rent Cafe study found that new apartment inventory has increased 93% in the last half decade, with nearly 3,000 new units coming online. 

“The amount of apartments in Gallatin over the past five years has nearly doubled, and there’s a handful of apartments still under construction today. Again, there’s land that can be developed, but also it offers this great affordable alternative. As there have been a lot of people looking to work from home these days, Gallatin’s perfect for that because they don’t have to commute to Nashville five times a week,” Sanders said.  

The same study found that Gallatin came in second for having the second-most growth in inventory in the Metro Nashville area between 2018 and 2022, following the downtown Nashville zip code.  

In addition to young professionals, Sanders said it’s also become a hotspot for families.  

“A lot of people like the Sumner County Schools, and especially as Williamson County has become pricier overall, Sumner County offers an alternative to that,” he explained.  

Sanders estimated renters can save roughly $1,000 a month living in Gallatin versus downtown Nashville. He expects apartment inventory to continue to grow on the outskirts of Nashville, especially in areas like Sumner County and the Spring Hill area.  

“When you look at markets like Dallas and all of their suburbs, Frisco, an area like that, they have little pockets like Gallatin that just totally developed out into communities of their own with events and things like that of their own, and I think that’s where Nashville’s ultimately going,” Sanders said.