Downtown Schools and Education

Before Nashville was Music City, it was known as Athens of the South. Truth be told, it still is… Nashville is a southern center of education and higher education with over 100,000 students enrolled in colleges and universities in the Middle Tennessee area. This reputation began with the establishment of Davidson Academy in 1785—eleven years before Tennessee became a state. Davidson Academy grew into the University of Nashville, and Philip Lindsley was appointed as the school’s first university president in 1824. Lindsley helped the school purchase 120 acres of land on the southern riverfront off what is now First Avenue South and Korean Veterans Boulevard. Other early university campuses on the southern edge of downtown included Vanderbilt Medical School, Central Tennessee College (today Meharry Medical College), and Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt). For more on these institutions, take our Athens of the South Tours.

While most colleges and universities have moved west, downtown Nashville still features a variety of schools and other sites related to education. Join us as we venture through Nashville’s past and present reputation as an educational center.

Hi, my name is Ophelia Paine. I am a native Nashvillian, a former staff member of the Metropolitan Historical Commission, and volunteer for local historical organizations. My family has been here since the founding of Nashville, and I love local history.

This tour begins at the Downtown YMCA located at 1000 Church Street.