Underrated Growth of Central Business Districts of Large Cities?

[Sol]

The Downtown Nashville precinct is noticeably more Republican than anything that surrounds it.  I have to assume it is due to luxury condo buildings there.  It wouldn't surprise me if those sorts of buildings (in TN, at least) are competitive for Republicans.

I didn't know this but it might make sense given Nashville is not only the state capital but the headquarters of organizations such as the Southern Baptist Convention.

It's a pattern observed in other cities too, and not just in the South.  The CBDs of most U.S. cities are more White than other urban neighborhoods (and the White people who tend to live in CBDs are more of the "suits in a glass penthouse"-type rather than the "kombucha-drinking gentrifiers"-type.)  It's a small demographic and is distributed differently in different metroes, but you can find traces of it with a fine-tooth comb when looking at precinct results.  It sticks out more in cities like Nashville or Houston just because of how Republican the White vote is in these places. 

After doing NC in DRA, I can attest to how White the Charlotte CBD is.

It is fairly White but Uptown isn't monolithically so--only 56%, and a little under 1/3rd Black.

[Sol]

The Downtown Nashville precinct is noticeably more Republican than anything that surrounds it.  I have to assume it is due to luxury condo buildings there.  It wouldn't surprise me if those sorts of buildings (in TN, at least) are competitive for Republicans.

I didn't know this but it might make sense given Nashville is not only the state capital but the headquarters of organizations such as the Southern Baptist Convention.

It's a pattern observed in other cities too, and not just in the South.  The CBDs of most U.S. cities are more White than other urban neighborhoods (and the White people who tend to live in CBDs are more of the "suits in a glass penthouse"-type rather than the "kombucha-drinking gentrifiers"-type.)  It's a small demographic and is distributed differently in different metroes, but you can find traces of it with a fine-tooth comb when looking at precinct results.  It sticks out more in cities like Nashville or Houston just because of how Republican the White vote is in these places.  

After doing NC in DRA, I can attest to how White the Charlotte CBD is.

It is fairly White but Uptown isn't monolithically so--only 56%, and a little under 1/3rd Black.

It's interesting how that is basically opposite from Dallas. The Dallas CBD (which is barely populated, tbf) has significant black minorities (being closer to the heart of the black areas of the city) while Uptown (which is to say, Deep Ellum) is extremely white, with many precincts well over 80% white. (NHW)
In Dallas the farther north you get the whiter it becomes. In Charlotte the farther north you get the blacker it becomes (generally). So in these cases the CBDs and Uptowns reflect transition areas.

I'm not sure if I totally understand your post--I might just be thick--but aren't Dallas's Uptown and Deep Ellum different areas with fairly different racial demographics?

Uptown Charlotte=Charlotte CBD, fwiw.

Interestingly, the Northern/Western portions of Uptown Charlotte are actually whiter than the Southern/Eastern portions, which has the still fairly Black First Ward area. This is the opposite of the typical pattern in Charlotte, since South Charlotte is the rich white favored quarter overall and the neighborhoods to the immediate east of Uptown are fairly white these days due to gentrification (places like NoDa, Plaza-Midwood, etc. seem like the kind of places BRTD would live in in Charlotte).

[Sol]

Interestingly, the Northern/Western portions of Uptown Charlotte are actually whiter than the Southern/Eastern portions, which has the still fairly Black First Ward area. This is the opposite of the typical pattern in Charlotte, since South Charlotte is the rich white favored quarter overall and the neighborhoods to the immediate east of Uptown are fairly white these days due to gentrification (places like NoDa, Plaza-Midwood, etc. seem like the kind of places BRTD would live in in Charlotte).

I've been reading a little bit about Charlotte local history recently, and apparently a lot of this pattern is down to elevation differences (the 2nd ward in particular being prone to flooding) and then racially discriminatory "urban renewal" (aka the mass demolition of the 2nd ward) leading to previously integrated areas in Uptown becoming predominantly Black due to residential demand from displaced residents.

Meanwhile, the first neighborhoods outside of Uptown were streetcar suburbs to the south and southwest of the central city, explicitly designed and marketed by some of Charlotte's most powerful white residents.