The Music City and What it Has Become

I remember as a kid growing up in TN, trips to Nashville, aka, the Music City.  We did not have a pro football team, Opry Mills Mall, or a professional hockey team, but there was plenty of music if you could find a place in hole in the wall bars or venues.  Back in those days, Opryland was the major attraction in Nashville.  It was a smaller version of Six Flags Amusement Park.  It had it all, rides, entertainment, and plenty of good food.  Also, you could go to the Grand Old Opry and see your favorite star performing on stage.  Now days, it has totally changed.  Investment bankers and attorneys started to see a rise in tourism so they capitalized on the situation.  They started buying poverty stricken properties and making them into condos or small subdivisions.  Football and hockey later joined.  Within 10 years, the town was up to 40 people per day moving to Nashville in 1999.  Today, its 80 people per day who move to Nashville, mostly those who are searching for music stardom, or musicians playing with high level artists.  The sad fact is that once they have exhausted their finances and resources pursuing the music dream,  they don't move, but stay in Nashville.  It has become overpopulated in a 10 year period to the point that where an old bar or venue used to be, it got bought out, and high rise condos are going in it's place.  What we used to know as Music City, has now become, as the locals call it, Nashvegas, the little city that never sleeps.