Smyrna is a town in Rutherford County,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

. Smyrna's population was 53,070 at the 2020 census. In 2007, '' U.S. News & World Report'' listed Smyrna as one of the best places in the United States to retire. Smyrna is part of the

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

The town of Smyrna has its European American roots in the early 19th century and began as an

agrarian community An agrarian society, or agricultural society, is any community whose economy is based on producing and maintaining crops and farmland. Another way to define an agrarian society is by seeing how much of a nation's total production is in agriculture ...

. It was important during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

because its railroad station lies between

and

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

. One of the major events of the war for the town involved the

Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

soldier Sam Davis, who, after being charged with spying, gave up his life instead of giving any information to the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. He was captured November 20, 1863, and was hanged by Union forces on November 27 of that year. The Sam Davis Plantation, located on of well-maintained farmland, is the town's most important historical site."History"
, Town of Smyrna website Smyrna was originally incorporated in 1869 but its charter was rescinded by the state several years later. In 1915, the town re-incorporated and adopted a commission-mayor form of government. In 1941 during World War II,

Sewart Air Force Base Sewart Air Force Base (1941–1971) is a former United States Air Force base located in Smyrna, about 25 miles southeast of Nashville, Tennessee. During World War II, it was known as Smyrna Army Airfield. History World War II The War Depar ...

was established here and served as a

B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

and

B-24 The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models ...

advanced training facility. During the 1950s and 1960s, the military personnel and dependents totaled more than 10,000 persons stationed at the base. The base was scheduled for closing in 1971. Most of the property was divided among the

State of Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, Rutherford County, and the

Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) manages Nashville, Tennessee's airport systems. The system includes one general aviation airport, John C. Tune Airport and one commercial airport, Nashville International Airport. References

...

. On its portion, the state opened and operates a

Tennessee Army National Guard The Tennessee Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one ...

base and the Tennessee Rehabilitation Center. Much of the additional land was developed as the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority in 1990. During the 1970s, many new industries moved to the area. The city began a period of growth stimulated by production of such companies as Better Built Aluminum, Cumberland Swan (currently known as Vi-Jon, Inc.), and

Square D Square D is an American manufacturer of electrical equipment headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts. Square D is a flagship brand of Schneider Electric, which acquired Square D in 1991. The company was listed on the New York Stoc ...

building plants. In the early 1980s,

Nissan Motors , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bran ...

constructed a

manufacturing plant A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an Industry (manufacturing), industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with Outline of industrial machinery, machinery, where workers manufacturing, manuf ...

in the city, and in 1983, the first vehicle was produced. The Nissan plant now employs around 8,400 workers, has a production capacity of 640,000 vehicles annually, and covers an area of . In 2012, Smyrna began manufacturing Nissan's electric car, the

Nissan Leaf The , stylized as LEAF, is a compact five-door hatchback battery electric vehicle (BEV) manufactured by Nissan. It was introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, and its second generation was introduced in October 2017. The Lea ...

, and its batteries. On March 14, 2000, the mayor and board of commissioners adopted a new charter. The city now operates under the

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief exec ...

form of government, whereby the commissioners hire a city manager for daily operations. On June 2, 2016

Blue Angels The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.

#6 crashed in Smyrna when practicing for the

Great Tennessee Air show Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great ...

, killing pilot Capt. Jeff Kuss, USMC. The people of Smyrna raised funds to have a memorial built in his honor. The Capt. Jeff Kuss USMC Memorial sits across from the Smyrna Airport, where Capt. Kuss departed on his tragic final flight, and the centerpiece is a retired F/A-18 Hornet loaned to Smyrna from the United States Navy, painted in the colors of the Blue Angels performance squadron with Capt. Kuss' name under the cockpit hatch and the number 6 on the tails to represent which plane he flew on his final flight.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.61%) is water. Portions of the Percy Priest Lake reservoir lies within the town limits. The two main waterways are

Stones River The Stones River (properly spelled Stone's River) is a major stream of the eastern portion of Tennessee's Nashville Basin region. It is named after explorer and longhunter Uriah Stone, who navigated the river in 1767. Geography and hydrography T ...

and Stewarts Creek.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 53,070 people, 18,059 households, and 12,282 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 39,974 people, 14,807 households, and 10,509 families living in the city. The population density was 1,753.25 persons per square mile, and the housing unit density was 649.43 units per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 75.00%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 11.21%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 4.35% Asian, 0.59% Native American, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 6.02% from other races, and 2.75% from

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

. Those of Hispanic or Latino origins constituted 10.72% of the population. Of the 14,807 households, 37.23% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 50.46% were married couples living together, 5.54% had a male householder with no wife present, 14.98% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.03% were non-families. 23.03% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.94% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.15. Of the 39,974 people living in the city, 27.89% were under the age of 18, 63.50% were between the ages of 18 and 64, and 8.60% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.0 years. 51.32% of all persons were female and 48.68% were male. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways ...

in the city was $51,505, and the

median family income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways o ...

was $61,286. Males had a median income of $43,633 versus $37,029 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $24,448. About 9.4% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 18.3% of those under the age of 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 and over.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 25,569 people, 9,608 households, and 7,061 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 1,119.8 people per square mile (432.4/km²). There were 10,016 housing units at an average density of 438.6 per square mile (169.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.23%

, 7.82%

, 0.29% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.08%

, 1.81% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.56% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 4.31% of the population. There were 9,608 households, out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,405, and the median income for a family was $51,550. Males had a median income of $37,130 versus $27,325 for females. The

for the town was $19,704. About 6.7% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the

, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant is the largest automotive assembly plant in the US, making 640,000 cars per year. It began in 1983, and has made more than 10 million cars since then. Manufacturing of batteries for the

Leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ...

began at the site in 2012.

Nissan , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bra ...

's goal is that the plant in Smyrna will eventually produce 150,000 electric cars, and 200,000 electric car batteries per year. In addition to serving as the U.S. production site for the Leaf, the plant assembles five other models. The top employers in the city are: * Nissan (automobile manufacturing): 8,400 * Asurion (communications): 1,165 * Vi-Jon (personal care products): 737 * Stonecrest Medical Center (hospital): 550 * Taylor Farms (produce): 550 *

Schneider Electric Schneider Electric SE is a French multinational company that specializes in digital automation and energy management. It addresses homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries, by combining energy technologies, real-time automatio ...

(electrical products): 474 Prior to their dissolution,

RegionsAir RegionsAir was a 14 CFR Part 121 regional airline based out of the Smyrna Airport in Smyrna, Tennessee, USA. The hub airports for RegionsAir were Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL) and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE). ...

(formerly Corporate Airlines) and

Capitol Air Capitol Air was a charter airline in the United States which was operational from 1946 to its bankruptcy filing on November 23, 1984. It was founded as Capitol Airways in 1946, and then renamed Capitol International Airways in 1967. In 1981, the ...

were headquartered in Smyrna.

Parks and recreation

Smyrna has 10 parks, a public golf course, 7 miles of greenway trails and an outdoor water park.

Education

Smyrna is served by the Rutherford County Schools school district.

Public schools

* Cedar Grove Elementary (Timberwolves) * David Youree Elementary School (Eagles) * John Colemon Elementary School * Smyrna Elementary School * Smyrna Primary School (Huskies) * Stewartsboro Elementary School (Stallions) * Stewarts Creek Elementary School (Cardinals) * Rock Springs Middle School (Knights) *Rocky Fork Elementary School (Thunder) * Rocky Fork Middle School (Storm) *

Rutherford County Virtual School Rutherford County Virtual School is a virtual school in the Rutherford County school district located in Smyrna, Tennessee, United States. The school serves grades 3 to 12. All students who are residents of Rutherford County can enroll in the sc ...

(Trailblazers) * Smyrna Middle School (Panthers) * Stewarts Creek Middle School (Falcons) * Smyrna High School (Bulldogs) *

Stewarts Creek High School Stewarts Creek High School is a public high school in the Rutherford County School system, located in Smyrna, Tennessee. The school opened in August 2013 with an estimate of 1500 students: 600 freshmen, around 300 sophomores and around 150 junior ...

(Redhawks) * Smyrna West Alternative School * Thurman Francis Arts Academy (Rams)

Private schools

* Community Christian Day School *Lancaster Christian Academy

Notable people

* William Barksdale Confederate general and Mississippi politician. Born in Smyrna in 1821, died at the Battle of Gettysburg. * Sam Davis, Confederate spy. Born 1842. The Sam Davis home is located in Smyrna. *

Johnny Gooch John Beverley Gooch (November 9, 1897 – May 15, 1975) was an American professional baseball player, coach, minor league manager and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to , most prominently for the Pittsburgh Pirates wh ...

, Major League Baseball player, coach and scout; born in Smyrna in 1897. * Sonny Gray, Major League pitcher for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

; born in 1989. * Ben H. Guill, former U.S. Representative from Texas; born in Smyrna in 1909. *

Jalen Ramsey Jalen Lattrel Ramsey (born October 24, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars fifth ov ...

, NFL cornerback for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

; born in Nashville in 1994, lived in Smyrna *

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

(1944–1997), musician. *

Patricia McKissack Patricia C. "Pat" McKissack (''née'' Carwell; August 9, 1944 – April 7, 2017) was a prolific African American children's writer. She was the author of over 100 books, including Dear America books '' A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee ...

Prolific African American children's writer. Born in Smyrna on August 9, 1944.

Sister City

Zama, Kanagawa is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 130,667 and a population density of 7,400 persons per km². The total area of the city is The city hosts the United States Army Camp Zama base. Geograph ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

Government

Past mayors

* Joseph Engles, Smyrna’s very first mayor Dec. 20, 1869–1875 * Albert Wilkes Page, Mayor of Smyrna when Charter was lost in 1881. * J.W. Engles 1915–? * Sam Ridley and Knox Ridley, twins who are both former Mayors of Smyrna, born in Smyrna, June 23, 1919, Sam in 1980 was believed to be the longest serving city official in Tennessee. He was first elected to the Smyrna city commission in 1947. 947–1987ref name="Paul Johns"> * Paul Johns * Bob Spivey, served as Mayor for the Town of Smyrna from 2001 until 2009 * Tony D.Dover, 2009–2013 * Mary Esther Reed, 2013–present

References

External links

Official Smyrna site

Smyrna Airport
{{Authority control Towns in Rutherford County, Tennessee Towns in Tennessee Cities in Nashville metropolitan area 1855 establishments in Tennessee Populated places established in 1855