Under all is the land. This is the first line of our REALTOR® Code of Ethics Preamble, and while it is often read as philosophy, in Nashville, we take it very literally. Before zoning maps, before development plans, and long before today’s skyline, the physical landscape was already influencing where and how this city would grow.
Nashville sits within the Central Basin (also known as the Nashville Basin), a fertile, limestone-rich region surrounded by the higher topography of the Highland Rim. The basin historically offered areas that were workable, farmable, and easier to build on, while the surrounding ridges, valleys, and steeper terrain influenced where roads, infrastructure, and communities could realistically expand. The Cumberland River added another defining feature, guiding early settlement patterns and creating natural boundaries that still direct infrastructure and neighborhood layout today.
Early settlement in Nashville followed the land. Communities formed where water was accessible, soil was workable, and terrain allowed transportation and construction to happen efficiently. As the city expanded outward, development patterns often reflected those original access points and natural corridors.
Across Middle Tennessee, many communities were named directly for the land itself. Terrain, water sources, vegetation, and soil conditions often defined how early residents experienced a place. Names like Oak Hill, Forest Hills, Cane Ridge, and Whites Creek reflect how closely communities were tied to the underlying geography long before modern development patterns existed.
You can still see that influence today. If you have ever attended a Forest Hills Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, you know how strongly residents prioritize protecting their tree canopies and hillside terrain. The community’s name reflects the landscape that shaped it.
Nashville’s terrain is also more varied than many people realize. Elevation across the metro ranges from roughly 385 feet near the Cumberland River to over 1,100 feet around the ridges near Radnor Lake. That difference affects drainage, infrastructure design, and how neighborhoods are built. It can also influence localized weather impacts and flood risk, depending on where you are relative to rivers, creeks, and elevation changes. In a market like Nashville, you can move from river basin to hillside terrain in a short drive and see just how quickly the physical landscape changes.
While every part of Nashville reflects a different mix of history, infrastructure, and market forces, development has never happened on a blank slate. Some areas expanded more quickly where terrain and utility access aligned, while others developed more gradually around hillsides, waterways, and long-established parcel patterns. Those physical constraints often show up today in lot layouts, road patterns, and neighborhood character across the city.
For those of us working in real estate, that perspective matters. Real estate is not shaped only by demand, interest rates, or zoning decisions. It is also defined by the ground beneath every property line. Beyond knowing neighborhood price points or entertainment districts, there is value in understanding the topography itself. The Nashville we know was built because of the land, and that land still guides its growth today.
J. “Grafton” Brittle III is a REALTOR® with Parks | Compass in Green Hills. He earned his real estate license while double-majoring in Finance and Marketing at the University of Tennessee. Working alongside his father, longtime Nashville Realtor John G. Brittle Jr., he focuses on residential real estate, land sales, and site selection for new construction development throughout Middle Tennessee. Grafton is involved in YPN and RPAC and is particularly interested in zoning, housing affordability, and the long-term relationship between land, policy, and growth in Nashville.
