In the Spotlight

Here's What's Going On and What They're Saying About Us...

Patrick Martin, owner and pitmaster at Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in Nolensville, returns to New York City to represent the great state of Tennessee and cook at the 2010 Big Apple Barbecue Block Party. Only the most elite of pitmasters can compete in this Super Bowl of barbecue. Martin, a former bond salesman who switched career paths a few years ago, will join 17 other pitmasters from across the country. Williamson Herald May10

Bloomberg BusinessWeek Ranks Franklin No. 8 Best City for Startup! According to the magazine, factors weighed were the number of startups, quality of workforce, number of patents, universities and venture capital. BusinessWeek.com Apr10

More than 175,000 lucky Tennesseans live nestled in the green rolling hills of what is, when adjusted for the cost of living, America's wealthiest county. Home to vast horse farms and country music stars' getaways, bucolic Williamson County...tops The Daily Caller's list of America's 100 most conservative-friendly counties. THE DAILY CALLER Mar10

Williamson County, TN ranks 4th on the "Best Places To Get Ahead" list - FORBES.COM Feb10

Hometown favorite the HOMER DEVER BAND releases their first CD, Leiper's Fork Standard Time. Hear your favorite classics like Your Cheatin' Heart along with some new Hillbilly and Country music tunes that you'll love. Pick up your CD at any local Leiper's Fork merchant today. Available soon on iTunes and CD Baby. Dec09

Those in the know call Franklin, Tenn., just outside Nashville, the "Malibu of Tennessee." A small city with a lot of spending power - thanks to locals with names like Keith, Nicole and Wynonna - Franklin recently got a boost with the arrival of Will Wood's men's wear shop F.M. Allen. - article, "Gentry Points", The New York Times Travel Winter09

The American Planning Association (APA) announced today that the Downtown Franklin Historic District has been designated one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2009 by APA's Great Places in America program. Franklin is the first city in Tennessee to be selected for a Great Places in America designation. - Williamson Herald Oct09 

"Paramore are the biggest rock stars in Franklin, a hamlet of Nashville...Just a group of Franklin kids that made it good. MTV will feature Paramore in Franklin over the coming days, leading up to their new album debut on Sept 29th." - article, Paramore Welcome MTV To Their Hometown, MTV NEWS SEP 09

Franklin, Tennessee Named One of America's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" for 2009 - National Trust for Historic Preservation Jan 09

Franklin Makes Top Ten List for "Best Small Town" - Southern Living Readers' Choice Awards Jan09

"A good bottle of wine," says Kix Brooks meditatively, "is really about friendship, about sharing, spending time with people. It's no surprise, then, that that's the atmosphere Arrington Vineyards (part-owned by Brooks) is trying to promote, and it seems to be working." If you haven't made the trip to the beautiful little winery, with its Rhineland-style A-frame chalet and tasting room set amid the rolling hills of Williamson County, it's a joy to discover. - The Tennessean, Arrington Vineyards is Turning Middle Tennessee into Wine Country

"Scores of antiques shops, art galleries, cafes and a bookstore beckon visitors to spend, or to simply browse and linger." - 1,000 Places in the US and Canada to See Before You Die

"There's so much history around here, you could go on forever." - Arkansas Democrat Gazette Dec06

"At peace with the past, Franklin, Tennessee, at the center of one of the Civil War's bloodiest battles, today is a sweet, attractive city." - Atlanta Journal Constitution Jul06

"The beauty of the place softens what happened here at the end of the Civil War. What your eye doesn't tell you looking out at the graves so neatly laid out is why they are here. Almost 1,500 Confederate dead in the family cemetery of a grand old Tennessee plantation home called Carnton." - CBS Sunday Morning, A Novel Way to Save a Battlefield Oct05

"Why, 140 years after the Civil War's end, does it continue to stir so many hearts and rouse so many new struggles?" - National Geographic Magazine, Civil War Battlefields: Saving the Landscapes of America's Deadliest War Apr05

"Robert Hicks, a music publisher and antiques collector helped restore Carnton Plantation...to its 1864 state then made it a star of his romantic first novel, Widow of the South." - New York Times, The House That Turned Into a Potboiler Sep05

"Franklin offers sprawling countryside, historic plantation homes, and the appeal of a thriving Main Street. A National Register Historic District, Franklin's downtown strip begs visitors to pick a spot and start exploring." - Northwest Airlines WorldTraveler Magazine

"New York? L.A.? No way! Country stars can just as easily stay home to get their goods... Shopping - Serenite Maison and The Iron Gate; Restaurants - Puckett's and Dotson's." - People Magazine, The Stars' Guide to Nashville Nov06

"Outsiders often call this town ‘The Real Mayberry.' It reminds us more of the fictional town in the magical movie Big Fish. It's so strangely perfect and perfectly strange, we expected that when we went back to find it; we'd discover it was just a dream." - Southern Living, We Love This Small Town Jul06

"Franklin, Tennessee, a cushy suburb of Nashville, is a beautiful blend of upscale urban development and rich, cultural history dating back to the close of the 18th century. The result is an area rife with hip places to shop and eat as well as many days worth of historic sight-seeing. Throw in the occasional celebrity sighting (Williamson County and Franklin, in particular, have lots of famous residents) and Franklin becomes a destination all its own." - Sterling Southeast Magazine Fall 06

Top Ten Hot Destinations for 2007 lists Franklin, Tennessee as one of the top ten great places to visit in the United States. - TripAdvisor.com, TravelCast Nov06

"Past a couple of centuries-old buildings, she leads you to her little shop, Serenite Maison...It's just the sweetest little store." - Vogue Magazine, Faith Hill Interview Feb06

"For planners who've felt lost in large meetings destination cities, Franklin offers the perfect meeting getaway with easy access, convenient parking and, best of all, the personal attention needed to help plan a memorable meeting." - Association News Magazine

"On the winding way to Nashville, Natchez Trace Parkway travelers will first reach Williamson County, home of the village of Leiper's Fork, the city of Brentwood and historic Franklin, Tennessee. This area is rich in Civil War history and features Victorian and antebellum homes along with vibrant shopping and Main Street atmosphere." - Y'all, The Magazine of Southern People Fall 06