As many of you may know, I live on Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, TN. This is a friendly, welcoming area of Middle Tennessee located just a bit north of Nashville on I-65. I have lived here for over 30 years, and I raised my two girls here. Needless to say, I am fully invested both emotionally and financially in the well being of this town. My husband and I love living on the lake, and we often have people over to enjoy it with us. My youngest daughter is probably the most frequent recipient of this hospitality, as she loves being on the boat.
However, Hendersonville has much more than just the lake. In the last 5 to 7 years, developers have built dozens of new stores and eateries. This has enabled the local population to stay in Hendersonville instead of driving to Nashville every time they want to go to a nice restaurant. This has also had a domino effect on housing construction. Even though the housing market in general has struggled, Hendersonville has not been as hard hit as the larger urban areas have.
When you go to visit Hendersonville, you will want to be sure you stop to visit the Streets of Indian Lake shopping complex. It has a host of restaurant choices that include Mimi’s Cafe, Brixx Woodfire Pizza and Kohana Japanese Restaurant. Even better, there are some great places to shop. Barnes & Noble, Chico’s, The French Shoppe and Ann Taylor Loft are just a few of these places.
The best thing about Hendersonville, I would say, is the people. I have friends and neighbors that have always been there for me, and I will always be there for them. You will find few better places to raise a family, and the school system is top notch. If you are looking for a home, I cannot recommend Hendersonville any more highly. Trust me, you will feel right at home.
My husband and I haven’t seen many barges on Old Hickory Lake since the US Army Corps of Engineers shut down traffic on the Mississippi River. Last night, while we were taking some friends out for a spin in our run-about boat after dinner, we saw a single barge being pushed by an Ingram push boat. The barge trains we see on Old Hickory Lake are typically 2 wide and 3 long (total of 6).
Most of us who live near Old Hickory Lake (OHL) very much enjoy the recreational opportunities. The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) estimates 8.5 million visitors take trips through the lake annually. These range from fishing and boating to camping and swimming. OHL extends 90 miles, boasts 440 miles of shoreline and is a peaceful transition from the city and industry to tranquil farmland and forests.
But recent flood headlines illustrate other aspects of our “lake” which is actually part of an extensive river network for commercial navigation, power generation, and flood control. Currently, thousands of barge trains are tied up waiting for Mississippi River levels to drop. This is to make sure the wakes do not top the levees, and also because many locks are currently closed. Since a single barge holds 1500 tons (60 eighteen wheelers), and a typical train averages 10 or more barges, it backs up quickly! Ingram Barge Co (which supports our Gallatin Steam Plant and several cement plants) alone operates 140 towboats and 4000 barges. Thus, commodity shipments to and from Nashville and even Sumner County are affected by the hold up. Thankfully, Gallatin Steam Plant, which powers electricity for Sumner County, has 20 more days of coal in reserve. Last year’s Nashville flood also illustrates the delicate balance faced by the Corps as they try to regulate this overall system. For more information, visit http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/.
Old Hickory Lake, as a river system, opens up great new possibilities for those with a little recreation time. Locking through the Old Hickory dam opens up the river to Nashville and beyond. A recent book chronicled a two week odyssey by two retirees via pontoon boat clear to the Gulf. Your author recently enjoyed a leisurely 3 day trip on our sailboat (6 mph) to Kentucky Lake. Sights included Nashville from the water, many river-based industries, railroad draw bridges, passing under many bridges (one with only 2 feet to spare above our 50 foot mast), sleeping and cooking at anchor. It’s great to enjoy the fun of OHL, but it is also key to remember it’s place in the environmental and commerce ecosystems.
Hendersonville, Tennessee is a wonderful town to raise a family, start a new beginning, or settle down after retirement. With so many great attractions close by, why wouldn’t you want to live in Hendersonville? Here are just a few of the reasons Hendersonville, TN is a great place to call home.
Hendersonville is only a few minutes outside of Nashville, TN so you get all the benefits of living in a larger city (attractions, great eats, concerts) without the noise and traffic that comes along with it. Hop into Music City for a night and return to your peaceful home in Hendersonville afterwards. With Indian Lakes Shopping Center located right in Hendersonville, you don’t need to travel to enjoy great shopping for the entire family. Plus, Hendersonville is home to countless great restaurants, no matter what your tastes are. With lakes and other beautiful outdoor scenery, Hendersonville becomes a wonderful place to take in the sights. There is no shortage of activities for people of all ages. Enjoy city living and country charm, with the best of both worlds in beautiful, scenic Hendersonville, Tennessee.
One of the many benefits of living on the lake is being able to share it with friends and family. Today has been that kind of day as over twenty of us met and traveled from our dock to the Gallatin Marina for breakfast. If you have never been to the Gallatin Marina, you are missing a treat! It has one of the best breakfasts on the lake is fun whether you travel by boat or land.
As far as our group goes, we have a wonderful group of friends and business associates that I have met through the BNI Metro Chapter that meets in East Nashville on Tuesday mornings at 7:45 am at the East Nashville Community Center at the corner of Woodland St and 6th St. If you are a apart of a business who would like to get involved with a referral based group, please contact me as I would love to arrange for you to visit our chapter. We do a lot of things together to support our community as well as promote the BNI Chapter and our individual companies and we always strive to make it fun!
There are two places in and around the Nashville area that I adore. One is East Nashville and the other is Hendersonville, which is located north of Nashville. I love them both because of the changes that are always taking place within the communities. East Nashville has reinvented itself and is a fun and retro kind of place where Hendersonville is building an entire new persona!
The old Hendersonville was a sleepy bedroom community that catered to a lot of the country music stars like Johnny Cash who lived on Old Hickory Lake for years. Then one day it grew up! Now it is quickly becoming a hip and happening place for young singles, families and couples as well as having a very well established middle class and senior population that adds to the diversity of the area. It is perfect for three and four generational families as there is something for everyone. For those who love the lake and water sports, you can’t beat living this close to the water. It’s just a great place to live and becoming a great place to visit!
You may be missing out on one of the best, little known secrets around Nashville. Over the last 2 years Hendersonville has changed and you owe it to yourself to take a little trip up North.
It wasn’t very long ago that Hendersonville was known as a small bedroom community north of Nashville where Johnny Cash and his family lived and where you could go enjoy a drive around Old Hickory Lake. Other than that you would have to drive into Nashville to get good shopping and 5 star dinning.
There are still those that believe this is still the way it is but that is now far from true. Hendersonville is quickly becoming a viable, dynamic, stand alone commerce and corporate powerhouse of a city.
The newly developed Streets of Indian Lake is just the beginning in a large 1.5 million square feet development of retail space. This and the affordable house prices are just two of the reasons Hendersonville has made the short list for corporations all over the nation looking for a great place to relocate.
When Streets of Indian Lake is fully developed there will be a 40,000 square foot library, walkways, parks and green spaces between residences of all types; houses, town houses, condos, flats and apartments, office buildings and retail. There are be national chains; Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, J. Jill, Victoria’s Secret, Ann Taylor and Regal Cinema to name just a few as well as local merchants within walking and biking distance.
Come take a look and spend the day in Hendersonville before the secret is out!
