Fairview General Data

Introduction

Located in northwest Williamson County, Fairview is located 20 miles southwest of downtown Nashville. With a population of 7,993 people, the town sits within the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area containing 1.7 million people, the 36th most populated in the nation and largest MSA in Tennessee.

The city is served by Interstate 40, State Routes 100 and 96, and TN 840, which provides a southern loop around Nashville to connect eastbound and westbound I-40 traffic. The road network serving the community provides direct and rapid access for personal and business travel to Metro Nashville/Davidson County and nearby cities in Williamson County including Brentwood, Franklin, and Spring Hill. Interstate 65 is also located a short distance away that serves as a major roadway for north – south travel.

Military veterans have easy access to the sprawling Fort Campbell, home of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. Fort Campbell is located within an hour’s drive of the city.

The city is served by Fairview Elementary School and Westwood Elementary School containing over 1,000 students in grades K-5; while Fairview Middle School has an enrollment of 800 plus and is home to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Fairview High School serves over 1,000 students and was listed as one of the top 1,000 high schools in the United States according to Newsweek magazine.

Fairview is home to Bowie Nature Park which is one of the largest city managed parks in Tennessee. The 722-acre park includes a nature center containing nature exhibits and art; as well as 17 miles of trails that wind through wetlands, grasslands, and forests. Bicycling, horseback riding, fishing, running, walking and playing aboard the Treehouse Playground can be enjoyed each and every day of the year.

The future of Fairview is bright and the community is poised for economic expansion, population growth, and community development.

 

Community and Area Demographics

As of 2012, there were 7,993 people, 2,763 households, and 2,238 families residing in the city. Comprising an area of 16.9 square miles, the population density was 473 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 95.8% White, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, and 1.4% Black or African American, Native American, Asian, and other races.

There were 2,763 households out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 7.2% had someone 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.11.

The median age in the town is 35.0 years with 29.9% of the population under age 18; 61.7% between 18 and 64 years of age; and 8.4% 65 years of age or older. Females comprise 51.5% of the population with males comprising 48.5%. The median income for a household in the city was $55,694 and the median income for a family was $67,188.

The home ownership rate was 77% and the median value of an owner-occupied structure was $170,900.

The City is located in Williamson County which is projected to increase in population by over 50,000 by 2020 (+28%) compared to the 2010 census; and reach a total county population in excess of 250,000 by 2025 (+41%). Fairview grew in population by 38% since 2000 and is likewise expecting a similar growth trend going forward.

 

History

The City of Fairview is located in Williamson County, which was originally carved out of a part of Davidson County (now Metro Nashville/Davidson County). Established in 1799, Williamson County was named after Hugh Williamson, a North Carolina politician, physician, and a three- term member of the Continental Congress and signer of the U.S. Constitution.

The area was originally inhabited by at leave five Native American cultures including tribes of Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Shawnees. White settlers first settled in the area by 1798.

Many of the early inhabitants were recipients of Revolutionary War land grants. Those veterans who chose not to settle often sold large sections of their land grants to speculators, who in turn subdivided the land and sold off smaller lots. Prior to the Civil War, the county was the second wealthiest in the state; its resources of timber and rich farm land were conductive to many crop types provided a stable economy, as opposed to reliance on one cash crop as in other areas. Today, Williamson County is the 17th wealthiest county in the U.S., and the only county in Tennessee to make the top 25 list as published by Forbes magazine.

The Natchez Trace Parkway, an ancient trail over 440 miles long, runs just a few miles away from the heart of Fairview. Used by American Indians, “Kaintucks,” settlers, and future presidents, the Trace played an important role in American history. The Trace runs from Natchez Mississippi to milepost 444 near Fairview with numerous opportunities to hike, bike, horseback ride, and camp. It was on this trail that Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, died in 1809.

Numerous Civil War battles took place in the county including the Battle of Brentwood, Battle of Thompson’s Station, and one of the bloodies battles in the war, the Battle of Franklin in November 1864. Many Confederate casualties lie in rest at the largest Confederate Cemetery in the nation – McGavock Confederate Cemetery near the Carnton Plantation House – containing the bodies of 1,481 soldiers.

The agricultural and rural nature of the area remained much the same for the first part of the 1900s.

With the advent of the Interstate Highway System and the rapid expansion of Nashville in the mid-20th Century, area communities experienced tremendous growth. Such growth was also seen in Fairview resulting in its incorporation as a municipality in 1959.

 

Municipal Government

Incorporated in July 1959, the City is chartered under the general law City Manager-Commission form of government pursuant to TCA 6-18-101 et seq. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and four commissioners elected at-large to staggered, four year terms of office. The Board approves the annual municipal budget and decides on taxing and fee levels to fund municipal services. In addition, the Board establishes policies, goals, and objectives to direct the growth and development of the City, and adopts ordinances, rules, and regulations as necessary for the general welfare of the community.