Germantown is one of the safer places in Nashville to walk around, eat dinner, and spend time including at night. The neighborhood is predominantly residential with a food-and-drink scene that attracts a calm crowd. It does not have the drunk-tourist dynamics of Broadway or the late-night bar chaos that creates safety concerns in some other neighborhoods.
The neighborhoods immediately bordering Germantown are a different story. Salemtown to the west and Buena Vista to the northwest have significantly higher crime rates and are not areas to wander into without awareness of your surroundings. This matters because Germantown’s 18-block historic core is small, and the surrounding blocks represent a different risk profile. The boundary is relatively abrupt, but it is real.
Within Germantown itself, crime tends toward property crime rather than violent crime, and it is largely lower than adjacent areas. The neighborhood has an active residents’ association that monitors safety issues, and the presence of people on foot throughout the evening, the byproduct of having good restaurants and walkable streets provides natural surveillance. A neighborhood where people are out walking until 10pm is safer than one where everyone drives in, parks, and drives home.
The restaurant blocks around 5th Avenue North, Taylor Street, and the streets surrounding First Horizon Park are consistently busy on evenings and weekends. These areas feel safe and well-lit. The residential streets away from the restaurant core are quieter but generally fine for an evening walk.
Practical notes
The Metro Nashville Police Department’s interactive crime map is the most accurate current resource for neighborhood-level crime data, and it allows you to filter by specific block areas. Use it if you are considering a specific address rather than the neighborhood generally.
The 2020 tornado hit Germantown and caused real damage to some structures, including the Church of the Assumption. The neighborhood recovered fully. This has no current safety relevance but comes up sometimes in discussions of the neighborhood’s recent history.
If you are staying in Germantown as a tourist, the main practical safety consideration is the same as anywhere in Nashville: do not leave valuables visible in your car. Property crime targeting parked vehicles is more common than any other type of crime in the neighborhood.
Sources
- 6th Man Movers, “Germantown Nashville Guide” (April 2024): https://6thmanmovers.com/blog/germantown-nashville/
- Metro Nashville Police Department crime map: https://www.nashville.gov/departments/police
- Nashville SMLS, “Downtown Nashville vs Germantown”: https://www.nashvillesmls.com/blog/downtown-nashville-vs-germantown.html