About Brentwood, Tennessee
Brentwood, located in scenic Williamson County, is considered to be one of the most desirable suburban locations in Tennessee because of its high standard of living, abundant recreational amenities and its reputation for top-quality public schools.
The city offers easy access to CoolSprings Galleria, the Nashville International Airport and all the sites and sounds of downtown Nashville.
The first settlers came to the Brentwood area in the late 1700’s. Much of the land was granted to Revolutionary War soldiers by the State of North Carolina.
The original site of business activity in the area was at the Cottonport on Old Smyrna Road. The general store, the grist mill and the post office were located there. With the coming of the railroad and the highway the town center shifted.
Brentwood grew and prospered and by the time of the Civil War, the area was one of the richest in the state. The soils were fertile and plantations flourished as was evidenced by the stately homes built. During the war many of these homes were used for providing food and treating wounded soldiers, both Confederate and Union. By the end of the War, there were very few farm animals or growing crops left. The war left its scar on the economy and many homes and plantations fell to ruin.
The Brentwood area recovered from the Civil War. In the 1920’s it was rediscovered. Gradually many of the plantation homes were bought and restored. As the Phoenix rose from the ashes, with the construction of the Interstate in the 1960’s Brentwood grew and prospered and by the 1990’s the area was again one of the richest in the state.
Based on information by T. Vance Little, City Historian
The city of Brentwood was incorporated in 1969. The original development concept for Brentwood was one acre homesites. This has varied slightly over the years with the OSRD concept (Open Space Residential Development) which includes all acreage in a community to average one acre per homesite. Community pools and play areas are very popular in our newer developments. We also have three golf course communities...Brentwood County Club, Governors Club and Crockett Springs.
Brentwood also has many specialty shops, locally-owned and nationally-recognized restaurants and many business parks. You will find these facilities on the north and south ends of Brentwood with residential in the middle. This is the design the Brentwood founders and leaders envisioned for the community.
Among our locally-owned restaurants, we have two members of Nashville’s Originals, Wild Iris and Cross Corner Bar & Grill. We have every cuisine type imaginable within our city limits. Two of our newest restaurants are Local Taco and Sal's Pizza.
When you are ready to enjoy the great outdoors, we have several parks…Granny White Park, River Park and Crockett Park where you will find the historic Cool Springs House. We also have the spring Historic Tour which highlights many of our treasures! Don’t forget to check out the Brentwood Concert Series every summer Sunday night in Crockett Park.
