Well, this won't hurt Nashville's image on the East Coast. The New York Times' Square Feet section checks in on the progress at Rolling Mill Hill, where the Trolley Barns are welcoming tenants and the various apartments are filling up.

There are still about 4.5 acres of undeveloped land on the rolling campus, and there has been talk about luring a hotel and other mixed-use projects there. Already, around $50 million of commercial and residential investment, mostly private, has been poured into the project. An additional $14 million in public money has been spent on environmental cleanup, clearing a greenway and installing underground utilities.