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COMMUNITY
HEALTHCARE, PUBLISHING AND
BRAND-NAME GUITARS
LEISURELY
ACTIVITIES THAT WILL WEAR YOU OUT
FAMILY
FRIENDLY IN BIG AND LITTLE WAYS
MIDDLE
TENNESSEE = NASHVILLE AND BEYOND
IT'S
OFFICIAL : NASHVILLE-DAVIDSON IS #1
DICKSON
COUNTY : HOME OF THE RENAISSANCE CENTER
MAURY
COUNTY : SATURN IS A DRIVING FORCE
RUTHERFORD
COUNTY : SITE OF THE STATE'S FASTEST GROWING
UNIVERSITY
WILLIAMSON COUNTY :
BOOM COUNTY OF THE 90'S JUST KEEPS GOING
Nashville Community Profile
There's a buzz about
Nashville these days, and it's more than the music. While the city is known
around the globe as a guitar-pickin' town, more and more world-class businesses
are picking Nashville, enhancing the city's economy and diversity. Today's
Nashville is a seamless blend of corporations and gutsy start-ups, art museums
and sports venues, multi-star restaurants and meat 'n' threes.
Nashville has indeed
emerged as an ideal Southern city in which to live, work and play, luring and
retaining young professionals and families who enjoy the trendy and eclectic
while also relishing a traditional sense of home. Nashville, quite simply, has
it all- a neighborhood feel and a cosmopolitan flavor. Just take a look at what
the city offers.
Ice Hockey - The Nashville
Predators and The Nashville Ice Flyers
Stock Car Racing - Three
divisions of racing; late model stock cars, mini-modified and limited late
model stock cars compete at the Nashville Motor Raceway at the State
Fairgrounds from April - October.
HEALTHCARE, PUBLISHING AND
BRAND-NAME GUITARS
There isn't just one top industry in
Nashville there are dozens. That diverse business mix sustains the city's
vibrancy and contributes to its continued economic health.
Health care, in fact, is a Nashville
hallmark. The city is known as the heart of investor-owned health care, a fact
that reflects Nashville's entrepreneurial strength and medical know-how.
Publishing is another industry success in Nashville, which is the headquarters
of religious publishing giants like Thomas Nelson Inc., the United Methodist
Publishing House, and the Baptist Sunday School Board. Also, finance and
insurance continue as potent economic sectors.
When it comes to vehicle production, the
Nashville area is fast cementing a reputation as the South's Detroit. Nissan
North America in Smyrna and Saturn Corp. in Spring Hill employ thousands and
have promoted hundreds of automotive parts suppliers to locate nearby. Both
Nissan and Saturn are in the midst of production increases.
Yet automakers certainly aren't the regions
only manufacturers. From luggage to refrigerators, from beauty products to work
shirts, the products of Nashville-area manufacturers are as diverse as Middle
Tennessee's economy itself. Of course, Gibson Musical Instruments crafts
guitars at its Nashville plant.
Nashville continues to be the location of
choice for national and international corporate relocations and expansions.
Texas based Dell Computer Group Corp. announced in February 2002 that it
selected Nashville for a Logistics and Merge Center, which will be responsible
for the packaging, staging and shipping of all Dell systems for the eastern
half of the United States. Dell employs about 3,000 in the Nashville area in
manufacturing, distribution, sales and services. Sprint PCS' Application
Development Solution Center opened in February 2001. Global consulting firm
Deloitte and Touche processes most of its business transactions from its
Nashville-based Practice Service Center, which employs some 900 people.
Nashville's location at the center of the
eastern markets is one reason why manufacturers and other businesses fine the
city an ideal location. In 2000, Nashville International Airport completed a
$35 million renovation that improved traffic flows, parking and passenger
access. At the nexus of air routes, interstates, waterways and rail lines,
Nashville is a popular tourism and convention destination as well, proving that
its quite easy access, not to mention its reputation as Music City USA, can
create quite a draw.
LEISURELY ACTIVITIES THAT WILL
WEAR YOU OUT
Look no further than downtown Nashville to
have fun when the workday is done. The new Country Music Hall of Fame, and the
city's new Frist Center for the Visual Arts all opened in 2001, and children
can't get enough of the Cumberland Science Museum, in the midst of expansion
and the addition of new exhibits.
At the hub of these downtown projects is
the Gaylord Entertainment Center, home of the National Hockey League's
Nashville Predators and a premier venue foe other sporting events, concerts,
ice shows, circuses and a myriad of other national and local happenings. Across
the Cumberland River is The Coliseum, where the National Football League's best
fans cheer on the Tennessee Titans. Sports, history, museums, galleries,
children's activities and an active club scene help residents make the most out
of weekends and after-hours leisure time.
The Nashville area boasts scores of
challenging golf courses. Tennis, swimming, biking, hiking and boating are
popular ways to take advantage of the city's mild climate.
For a peek into the past, you can't beat
the many historic homes that are open to the public. The region's history comes
to life at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage estate, the James K. Polk Home in
Columbia and the preserved home of Sam Davis, the Boy Hero of the Confederacy,
in Smyrna.
Then, of course, there's the music. The
city's long history with country music really took off in 1925, when the WSM
Barn Dance (later known as the Grand Ole Opry) hit the airwaves. Rich in
tradition yet also boasting popular contemporary performances, the Opry is
still heard around the nation every Friday and Saturday night. But Music City
isn't only about country. Outstanding studios, production houses and musicians
produce top-notch recordings in every genre. Nashvillians and their guests can
hear live music performances in dozens of venues scattered throughout the city.
Nashville's arts scene isn't limited to
music. Museums and galleries featuring national and local artists abound,
including the Frist Center, the Parthenon in Centennial Park, the Carl Van
Vechten Gallery at Fisk University, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum of
Art, and a lot of small galleries.
Children adore the Nashville Train Store
and Nashville's Toy Museum in Music Valley across the street from the Gaylord
Opryland Resort and Convention Center.
With professional opera, ballet and theater
companies, as well as a renowned symphony, Nashville's performing arts options
are almost limitless. The Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) serves as
home stage to most of these organizations, as well as to touring Broadway
shows.
FAMILY FRIENDLY IN BIG AND
LITTLE WAYS
Nashville and its surrounding communities
have created a warm, friendly atmosphere for a raising a family. The commitment
to children is evident in the goals set forth by the region's school systems,
but that commitment doesn't stop when the school day is over. Educational
programming at the area's many museums and historic sites foster an environment
where learning is made easy for even the youngest audiences.
For example, the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
is poised to begin a 15-year master plan expansion that will add to the
facility's educational and research opportunities. Gibbon Island is a favorite
with children, and the Unseen New World exhibit features approximately 75
species of reptiles, amphibians, insects, mammals and birds. The country's
largest community built playground welcomes Nashville Zoo visitors.
The area's warm climate and green, rolling
hills invite families to step outside and take advantage of the many city and
state parks. The Metro Board of Parks and Recreation offers free concerts and
performances during its annual April-through-October family programming. The
Nashville Public Library System has 20 branches in additional to the regal,
state-of-the-art main library, which opened downtown in 2001. Nashville
libraries are places for kids, with story hours, marionette shows, interactive
games, readers' clubs and even homework help.
Music City is truly committed to exposing
children to the creative arts. All the city's professional performing arts
troupes feature performances suited to young audiences. The Country Music Hall
of Fame and Museum brings music into the classrooms and classrooms into the
museum The organization's Words & Music program teaches children the
fundamentals of songwriting and culminates in a trip to the museum, where the
young songwriters out their lyrics to music. Kids Make Music! allows families
to sing, dance and play instruments while learning the relationship between
sound and movement. After participating in Cool Costumes, a study of the stage
costumes in the museum's exhibits, children design costumes for puppets.
It's no surprise that more and more
families are calling Nashville home.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE = NASHVILLE
AND BEYOND
For the residents in the Nashville region,
the area offers a mixture of lifestyle choices and job opportunities, combines
with a low cost of living and beautiful surroundings. Also, Nashville's
renowned friendliness makes community newcomers feel right at home.
Nashville's metropolitan statistical area
is eight counties: Davidson (Nashville), Cheatham, Dickson, Robertson,
Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson. The Nashville Economic Market
includes two more counties, Maury and Montgomery.
IT'S OFFICIAL :
NASHVILLE-DAVIDSON IS #1
The results of the 2000 federal census
zipped Nashville ahead of Memphis as Tennessee's largest metropolitan area. The
most urbanized if the region's 10 counties, Davidson County in 1963 became one
of the first in the United States to consolidate its local governments and thus
create a unified metro government.
This groundbreaking government strategy is
still a national model and makes life in Nashville just a little bit simpler.
Nashville is the state capital; thus, the largest employer is state government,
followed by globally recognized Vanderbilt University and its medical center.
DICKSON COUNTY : HOME OF THE
RENAISSANCE CENTER
The new 47-acre Dickson County Industrial
Park, just three miles form Interstate 40, is ready for development. That's a
good thing, too, because the county's existing William D. Field Industrial
Park, which is home to businesses employing more than 3,500 workers, is full.
Dickson County's central location is cited by company officials as one reason
for the astounding success of Tennsco, a privately owned manufacturer of
industrial furniture and shelving that is the country's largest industrial
employer. Dickson County is also the location of the heralded Renaissance
Center, an award-wining 110,000 square-foot cultural and educational facility.
Founded by a nonprofit foundation established with proceeds from the sale of a
community hospital, the Renaissance Center offers art and music courses and
workforce tutoring, and its theater presents year-round musical performances
and plays.
MAURY COUNTY : SATURN IS A
DRIVING FORCE
Spring Hill in Maury County is home to the
Saturn Corp. and its $1.5 billion expansion. Thus, Maury County is a prime
location for General Motors suppliers, which are offered easy access via
Interstate 65 to eastern markets. Saturn's new sport-utility vehicle, the VUE,
is produced in Spring Hill and its turning heads, and a future redesign of its
S-series car will mean more investments at Saturn, where a new engine plant is
under construction. Maury County's location is also ideal for warehousing and
distribution operations, such as a Home Depot regional distribution center,
which opened in January 2002. With more than 100 manufacturing plants, it is
clear that Maury County is a prime business location. Yet the county's
aggressive business recruiting is not at the expense of the community's
historic charm. Within 20 miles of Maury County are more antebellum homes than
in Georgia and Alabama combined. Maury County is home to two National Historic
Landmarks: Rattle & Snap Plantation, one of the finest examples of Greek
Revival architecture in the nation, and President James K. Polk's ancestral
home.
RUTHERFORD COUNTY : SITE OF THE
STATE'S FASTEST GROWING UNIVERSITY
When the Nissan Altima was named North
American Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in
Detroit in January 2002, a collective whoop went up in Rutherford County.
That's because the Altima, the Xterra and the full line of Frontier trucks are
all manufactured at Nissan North America's sprawling Smyrna facility.
In January 2003, production of Nissan's
top-of-the-line Maxima launches there, too; then, the workforce will number
about 7,000. Rutherford County is growing at a parallel pace, thanks to its
quality of life, proximity to Nashville and affordable housing. With 11 new
projects locating to Rutherford County during 2001 and 26 local companies
expanding, job growth is booming in this county at the geographic center of the
state.
Interstate 24 gives Rutherford County easy
access to numerous destinations, and 300 acres are already zoned for light and
heavy industrial use at the site of a new interstate interchange under
construction. Sate Route 840 also makes the drive to Interstates 40 and 65 a
snap. Murfreesboro, the county seat, is the site of Middle Tennessee State
University, the state's fastest growing university with 20,000 students.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY : BOOM COUNTY
OF THE 90'S JUST KEEPS GOING
Williamson County finds itself on the
cutting edge with the January 2002 announcement of the Cool Springs Life
Sciences Center, an industrial park to focus on life sciences research and
development for biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies. The
$75 million project, on a 10 acre campus, should be a magnet for other
technical and scientific ventures. The county has already laid the groundwork
for a world-class technology research park on 500 acres in the Thompson's
Station area. The state's fastest growing county and among the 50 fastest
growing counties in the nation, Williamson County also boasts the state's
highest per capita income. While the two largest cities are urban Brentwood and
Franklin, the county also includes the more rural areas of Fairview, Thompson
Station and Leiper's Fork. The county offers upscale suburbs, diverse retail
centers and well-developed business parks. Franklin's quaint, historic downtown
is a perfect compliment to business centers such as PRIMUS Automotive Financial
Services. Shopping venues such as Cool Springs Galleria and the Factory at
Franklin, along with a variety of historic sites, make the county a top tourism
draw for the region.
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