Hartsville provided the backdrop country artist Trace Adkins needed when he filmed the video for “Heartbreak Song.” Several people here also say the town inspired the title of the Joe Nichols hit “Brokenheartsville.” Located about an hour from the Music City, Hartsville occupies the smallest county in Tennessee. Recognizable sites include the historic courthouse square and a water tower showcasing the town’s name painted across a red heart. “It’s a very rural community where they love their football and their high school football team. They’re kind of off the beaten path a little bit because they’re not really close to an interstate,” says Jason Crosslin, a broker with Keller Williams Realty. “I’m not going to say it’s like Mayberry, but everybody — if you’re from there — kind of knows everybody there.”
Hartsville business district is situated along the Goose Creek in Trousdale County.
The Trousdale County courthouse was built in 1901 in Hartsville.
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Craftsman bungalows, ranch-style houses and new Traditionals
Acres of farmland dotted with cattle surround this town of nearly 12,000 people. Craftsman bungalows, ranch-style houses and newly added Traditionals make up much of the housing stock here. “Things sell quickly because people like the mall town atmosphere,” says Hannah Marcellino, the owner of Hartsville-based Whimsical Flower Farm. “There are so many farms, and then there’s the quaintness of the water tower with the big heart on it. I can see how driving through it [the town] can grab people’s hearts.” Most single-family homes in Hartsville cost between $120,000 and $450,000, and the town's median sales price is approximately $370,000, which is below both the Nashville and the national medians.
Craftsman bungalows are spread throughout Hartsville.
Ranch homes are a frequented architectural style in Hartsville.
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Hartsville’s coffee shops, downhome cooking and diverse cuisines
Eateries and shops occupy the vintage brick buildings around the courthouse and Dillehay’s Cafe is one of a few staples serving downhome and classic American comfort foods here. The town also has three coffee shops as well as Farmer's Harvest, a casual spot serving farm-to-table fare. Hartsville Foodland and Piggly Wiggly are two of this area's grocery stores. “There’s some neat little diners there to eat at,” Crosslin says. “And it doesn’t have a Walmart — just to tell you how small the community is.”
Dillehay's Cafe offers a classic country cooking to it's patrons in Trousdale County.
You can enjoy fresh made tacos at Hartsville Taco Co in Trousdale County.
Foodland is one of the only places to grocery shop in Hartsville.
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Fishing and boating on the Cumberland and Trey Park fun
Goose Creek snakes through Hartsville and flows into the nearby Cumberland River. One of Middle Tennessee’s major outdoor destinations, the Cumberland is known for its fishing and boating activities. Kayakers and other avid boaters can access the river from a point near the Hartsville Access Area. The town’s green spaces include Trey Park, where attractions include a skatepark, community pool, baseball and softball fields and a vast playground. In the early 2020s, the state awarded funding to Trousdale County as part of a multi-phase plan to improve the park.
The Hartsville Access Area has gorgeous views of the cliffs on the Cumberland River in Hartsville.
Locals can practice their tricks at the Trey Park skatepark in Hartsville.
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The Trousdale County Fair
The local high school campus hosts the Trousdale County Fair, which showcases local farming culture over several days in August and September. Those who attend can visit the petting zoo, enjoy pies and cakes and see classic muscle cars. The fair also puts on a beauty pageant.
The town was also the site of the Battle of Hartsville during the Civil War and history buffs can take their own driving tour to visit over a dozen sites with ties to the battle.
“Exemplary” Trousdale County School District
The Trousdale County School District serves the area and earns a B rating from Niche. The district oversees Trousdale Elementary School, Jim Satterfield Middle School and Trousdale County High School. The state’s education department has also recognized the Trousdale County School division as an "exemplary district" several times over the past few years. The high school has reached multiple state championships, and Friday night football games are a community tradition. For education beyond high school, the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology system maintains a campus in the Trousdale County area.
Trousdale County Elementary offers education to students in K-6.
Trousdale County High School is the home of the Yellowjackets.
The Tennessee College of Applied Technology has a campus in Hartsville.
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Growing small town with an expanding industrial core
Hartsville is also home to the PowerCom Industrial Center, a 500-acre industrial park that serves as a hub for employers in a variety of fields, including manufacturing and welding. Notable landmarks here include the private Trousdale Turner Correctional Center and the canceled Hartsville Nuclear Plant site. Although the project was aborted in the 1980s, one of the built cooling towers remains visible from a distance.
The Hartsville and Trousdale County area — which runs a consolidated government — has experienced massive growth since the turn of the 21st century. U.S. Census figures how Hartsville and Trousdale County experienced its single-largest growth in 2010, when the population increased by nearly 230%.
Tennessee Route 10 goes to the Nashville exurb of Gallatin, about 17 miles west. The Hartsville Pike reaches Lebanon, about 16 miles to the south. From there, those traveling to Nashville can get on Interstate 40. For healthcare needs, the 25-bed Highpoint Health - Trousdale with Ascension Saint Thomas hospital is the only facility in town. The Nashville International Airport is the region’s hub for commercial flights.
Important to know
This town has warm, humid summers and mild winters with usually little snowfall. However, the area can also experience severe thunderstorms, straight-line winds and tornadoes. Middle Tennessee is the most tornado-prone region in the state, according to the National Weather Service.
Hartsville’s crime rates are about three times lower than Tennessee’s and have fallen by nearly 50% since 2015, according to FBI data.
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