The Benefit of Murals in Nashville Neighborhoods

As our city continues to grow, a number of businesses and real estate companies have begun commissioning local artists to create murals as a part of the design of their buildings. For homeowners living in nearby neighborhoods, this art can have a benefit beyond adding beauty to the city. #### **Boosting the Local Economy** With Nashvilles status on the rise as a must-visit city, tourism is booming. Music City saw a record 14.5 million visitors in 2017, a 4.6 percent increase over the previous year, and murals are playing a part in drawing that business to specific neighborhoods. According to the _Nashville Business Journal_, more than 100 tourists visited the Gulch in a single day to photograph the neighborhoods latest mural, while restaurants in The Nations hosted nightly viewing parties to watch an artist paint a 165-foot-tall mural over the course of 17 days. Instagram further points to the power of murals in drawing tourists, with mural-related hashtags having tens of thousands of posts. The hashtag #ibelieveinnashville has close to 25,000 posts while #whatliftsyou is now at more than 100,000 posts. #### **Murals are Here to Stay** With groups like Nashville Walls Project, the addition of this type of street art doesnt look to be slowing down any time soon. Founded in 2014 by Greif and Eva Boros, Nashville Walls Project is actively expanding Nashville's mural scene by partnering with local and international artists. Their recent East Nashville project included a bright yellow depiction of the word EAST, which can be seen from downtown, thanks to the work of four local artists. #### **Improving Your Property Value** What does all this attention mean to those of us who are living in these neighborhoods? As Nashvilles tourism industry continues to grow, it will bring more jobs and more people to fill those jobs to our city, which may have a direct impact on improving property value. Not only will homes in hot neighborhoods likely continue to see the benefit of Nashvilles boom, but the draw of tourists to specific areas will likely result in infrastructure improvements: better roads, parks, and more, which can also help improve property value.