‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ Star Jason Priestley Shares Why He Ditched LA For Nashville

Jason Priestly has kept his schedule busy as ever, with a new television credit already added this year. But Priestley also added a significant relocation from Los Angeles to Nashville, Tennessee, and it’s a move he doesn’t regret “at all.” Why?

From 1990 to 1998, and again in 2000, Priestley played the righteous Brandon Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210. The Vancouver native is also known for his role in the Canadian black comedy series Call Me Fitz. In 2007, Priestley officially became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Here’s why he and his family went on one more geographic journey.

Jason Priestley explains his decision to happily leave LA in favor of Nashville

Back on January 23, Priestley sat down for a chat on Live with Kelly and Mark, during which time he reflected on the significant personal changes he made, especially surrounding the family’s big move to Nashville.

“So you moved from L.A. to Nashville, the whole family. What’s that been like? Do you miss L.A.?” asked Ripa.

“No, I don’t,” shared Priestley. “I don’t miss it at all. Nashville, if any of you have ever been to Nashville, it’s an awesome city. Really fun. You know, we love it there.”

Planting roots

Family played a big role in the decision to move. On July 2, 2007, Priestley and his wife, make-up artist Naomi Lowde, welcomed daughter Ava Veronica into the world, followed by Dashiell Orson on July 9, 2009.

“We started looking around at high schools for our daughter and we didn’t like any of the options for her in Los Angeles, so we started expanding our search and we ended up in Nashville, Tennessee, because we found an amazing school there for our kids” Priestley explained.

The decision proved beneficial for them all. “It’s just ease of operation,” Priestley shared in a more recent interview with E! News, further settled in Nashville. “It’s so much easier to navigate your life here. And it’s a cool, interesting place.”

Cool can sometimes be literal, too. Priestley went on, “We get four seasons instead of one season. Because you have markers, and you know what time of year it is, it seems to make time go a little bit slower. There was something about the homogeneity of Los Angeles, where it was, ‘Is it March or is it October? I don’t know, I can’t really tell.’ So time just kind of evaporates. Whereas living here, with four very distinct seasons, you have to take advantage of what the season is offering.”