Hendersonville, Tennessee, United States

🇺🇸 Hendersonville is the largest city in Sumner County, Tennessee, on Old Hickory Lake. Hendersonville is the fourth-largest city in the Nashville metropolitan area and the 11th largest in Tennessee. Hendersonville is located 18 miles north-east of downtown Nashville. Hendersonville has been home to numerous musicians of the Nashville area, especially those of country music, most notably Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, and Roy Orbison. The city's main road, Johnny Cash Parkway, is named for the late singer. Other notable past and present residents include Conway Twitty (whose home, Twitty City, was transformed into the Trinity Music City complex after his death in 1993), Jean Shepard, Marty Stuart, Kelly Clarkson, Max T. Barnes, Taylor Swift, Young Buck, and Chris Henderson (3 Doors Down).

History In 1784 Daniel Smith received a land grant from the state of North Carolina in payment for surveying Middle Tennessee. (North Carolina at the time claimed its boundaries extended to this territory across the Appalachian Mountains.) He began work on his house later known as Rock Castle, but it was not completed until 1796. Due to his surveying trips, he frequently was gone on long journeys, and his wife supervised much of the construction.

In 1790, William Henderson settled in Sumner County and later became the namesake of the town. It was a trading centre for the county, which was devoted to the production of tobacco and hemp as commodity crops, and blood livestock: both horses and cattle. During the Civil War, Monthaven was used by Union troops as a field hospital, as they occupied Middle Tennessee from 1862 to 1870. In the late 20th century, this historic home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Even before the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1863, refugee slaves with their families found their way to Union lines in the state in search of freedom. The Army established a contraband camp near Hendersonville, to offer shelter to the freedmen, help them with supplies and food, and sign them up to work for wages for the Army, often building defenses. Missionary societies helped teach both adults and children among the slaves.

The small city was not incorporated until 1969, as the area continued to be rural and devoted to agriculture and related activities. It then had roughly 250 residents and was led by L.H. "Dink" Newman. Since the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it has grown to become the largest city in the county.

With the completion of the Old Hickory Dam and an associated lake in 1954, Hendersonville started to develop more rapidly. The lake attracted sportsmen and people seeking recreation; some became residents or acquired second homes here. Since the late 20th century, it has become the most-populous city of Sumner County, and one of the most populous suburbs of Nashville, along with Franklin and Murfreesboro. The city contains around 0.7% of the population of Tennessee.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.9 square miles (85 km²), of which 27.3 square miles (71 km²) is land and 5.6 square miles (15 km²) (16.93%) is water, mostly parts of the Cumberland River.

Hendersonville is served by the freeway Tennessee State Route 386 and its parallel surface road U.S. Route 31E.

Economy It is the home of the Indian Lake Village business, shopping, residence, and recreation complex.

Arts and culture The Hendersonville Arts Council is a non-profit organization located in Monthaven Mansion. The mansion was built before the Civil War and was used as a hospital during several battles. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Tennessee Civil War Trail, and Ring of Fire, and exhibits visual art, music, workshops, wine tastings, crafts, culinary demonstrations, performances, and cultural activities.

The Hendersonville Performing Arts Center is a non-profit theater founded in 1996.

Government Hendersonville is governed by a board of 12 aldermen and a mayor, known as the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA). The aldermen are elected by district for staggered terms of four years. The mayor is elected once every four years by the whole city.

Education Public schools Hendersonville's schools are governed by the Sumner County Schools. Schools located in Hendersonville include: • Anderson Elementary • Beech Elementary • Beech High School • Dr. William Burrus Elementary at Drakes Creek • Ellis Middle School • Gene Brown Elementary School • George Whitten Elementary • Hawkins Middle School • Hendersonville High School • T. W. Hunter Middle School • Indian Lake Elementary • Knox Doss at Drakes Creek Middle School • Lakeside Park Elementary • Merrol Hyde Magnet School • Nannie Berry Elementary School • Walton Ferry Elementary School

Private schools • Hendersonville Christian Academy (pre-K–12) • Pope John Paul II High School.