Fisk / Meharry

Sometimes I look at the StreetAdvisor neighborhood names and wonder where they came from. I don’t wonder about this one, but readers from outside Nashville might: while Fisk is marked clearly on the Google Map, Meharry Medical College is not.

Meharry Medical College is an independent, historically black medical school which today holds a mission of training medical professionals to serve the underserved. The Meharry campus runs from Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Boulevard west across 21st Avenue.

North to South the campus stretches from Meharry Boulevard (of course) down to Morena Street. Nashville General Hospital—which _is_ clearly marked on the map—is affiliated with Meharry and is on the Meharry campus.

My husband lived in this neighborhood, on Morena Street, when he and I started dating. The area has real trees with real shade, always a plus with me. On the other hand, the Fisk-Meharry area is a low-income neighborhood: there are many wonderful old historic homes around here, but some are vacant and in disrepair.

Public transportation is good here (another 'plus' with me). MTA’s route 19 and four other buses all go through the Fisk-Meharry area.

The area of Meharry and Fisk has been known to see brighter days in the past then they are experiencing now a days. The Meharry Medical School is just one school that is teaching medical with most of its population being along the African American side rather than the Caucasian side. The school is just one with the Vanderbilt University being the other. Meharry also specializes in Dental School with numerous programs offered to those residents of Nashville who do not have as much income to pay for services.

Fisk University has seen better days with the financial aspects as they are experiencing difficulties these days being able to offer classes and support to the community. Fisk University is not a bad school but rather is just experiencing difficulties with the growing economical problems that seem to be affecting nearly everyone these days.

The area of Meharry and Fisk offer a number of smaller shops to purchase items from as well as smaller restaurants. If you live in the area, you most likely are going to find that it is among the lower level of income for most individuals and that most people who live in the area are college students. The area would be better for those looking to enter school as well as for those who do not have a large amount of money each month to be spent on rent and mortgage payments.

Meharry Medical College is one of two medical schools in Nashville (Vanderbilt Medical School being the other one) and the only dental school in town.

Fisk is a wonderful historical black college, which unfortunately is undergoing some financial difficulties lately. There is much in the news these days about whether Fisk will be able to sell part of its Georgia O'Keefe's/Alfred Steiglitz collection to help them stay afloat. Fisk is very famous for its Jubilee Singers.

The two institutions, together with nearby Tennessee State University main campus, make up a wonderful university corridor. It also close to some of the trendy new condo developments, such as Werthan Mills.

The universities are located in a residential area, with lower priced homes and apartments renting generally for $600 and up.

The area is close to downtown, Farmer's Market, Germantown, and Metro Center. It is handy to a lot of restaurants and events, including the Jefferson Street Jazz and Blues Festival, which I have been to and can tell you it is favulous.