Dickson County-Gateway to West Tennessee

Located west of Nashville, Dickson County like the rest of its Middle Tennessee neighbors, has grown faster than the state average. The Town of Charlotte remains the county seat for Dickson and the Charlotte Courthouse Square is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The City of Dickson is the largest town in Dickson County and is home to the Renaissance Center, a fine arts and performing arts center, and the Tennessee Technology Center.

The county’s economic diversity within industry and tourism has created healthy and diverse growth in rural towns such as White Bluff, Vanleer, Slayden, and Burns, many based on a thriving tourism industry around the Harpeth River and Montgomery Bell State Park.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill on October 25, 1803, creating Dickson County. Dickson was formed from Montgomery and Robertson counties. The county was named for William Dickson, a Nashville physician and statesman who served in Congress at the time. Although Dickson never lived in the county named for him, his relatives played roles in its early development.

Notable activity took place a decade earlier when in 1793, James Robertson, the “father of Middle Tennessee,” purchased land on Barton’s Creek. It was on this tract of land that Robertson built the first iron works on Tennessee’s frontier. In 1804, Robertson sold his furnace to Montgomery Bell, who became one of the state’s wealthiest capitalist and industrialist.

The development of the iron industry in Dickson County did much to shape the county in its early years. However, the building of the railroad in the 1860s, the building of the “Broadway of America,” now known as Highway 70, and the construction of Interstate 40, all of which pass through the southern portion of the county, have done much to shape the county over the last 150 years.

Dickson County: 2008 Agricultural Economic Profile

Employment in Agriculture and Forestry made up 7.6% of total jobs created in Dickson County in 2008 with 1,582 total jobs in these sectors. Primary agriculture was the largest job creator with 789 jobs or 78% of total agriculture jobs created. Overall, the forestry industry created 572 jobs or 36% of total agriculture and forestry jobs created in 2008.

Progress On CRT Principles for Quality Growth:

Community Character

Located just west of Nashville, Dickson County is beginning to capture the spillover from its bustling neighbor, Davidson County. Dickson County does not currently have any comprehensive or neighborhood plans, but as the county continues to grow so too does its need for a planning initiative. The county’s 48,000 residents are clustered around six incorporated communities, but mostly in its most populous city, Dickson. The county is growing fairly rapidly—at 11% population growth in 2008, it is exceeding the state average of 9%–a trend that is expected to continue as the Middle Tennessee region continues to attract attention nationally.

The Dickson community has an abundance of natural and historical assets to protect. The county has built a thriving tourism industry around the Harpeth River, which flows along its eastern border, as well as around Montgomery Bell State Park. Though their days as an iron ore hotbed are mostly past, the rolling hills of Dickson County offer a host of recreational opportunities that attract visitors and commerce. In addition to natural advantages, Dickson possesses a distinct historic character, rooted in the built legacy of the Civil War Era and the boom days of the railroad industry. Currently, Dickson County officials are submitting a grant to fund a comprehensive plan for the county.