CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Rooted against the Tennessee-Kentucky state line and nestled by the Cumberland River, Clarksville has become a place where more people want to live and do business.
Clarksville is the fifth-fastest growing city in the country according to the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce. It’s also the fifth-largest city in Tennessee.
Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts has lived in the city for 61 years. “We continue to boom. The construction and single-family homes, we can’t build enough of them,” he says.
Low cost of living, abundant job opportunities, quality education, and affordable housing prices are all a part of the draw of the city. “People are discovering what a great place Clarksville is to live,” says Debbie Reynolds, a real estate broker for Century 21 Platinum Properties.
Reynolds has been in the business of selling houses in Clarksville for 39 years. “The size of the town has changed dramatically,” she adds, “We’re probably five times bigger than when I started in real estate and it’s growing in every direction.”
Powerhouse businesses are also taking note. Google, LG Electronics and Hankook Tire are investing millions of dollars into the area. Google broke ground on a new data center in Clarksville last year. South Korean-based companies LG Electronics and Hankook Tire both opened manufacturing plants. LG unveiled its facility in May. Hankook Tire had its grand opening in 2017.
However, the city is not without growing pains. Mayor Pitts says, “We’re running out of that land too, so it’s a challenge,” he adds, “What we gotta do is be very smart about what we attract, and maybe go up instead of out.”
News 2 is digging deeper into the growth of Clarksville and the impact it has on communities in Middle Tennessee. We explore “Clarksville: The Good, The Bad, The Future” all day Thursday in every newscast. Plus, we are partnering with Austin Peay State University to host a live town hall. It airs on News 2 at 6:30 pm Thursday.
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Austin Peay students earn their wings in state’s only helicopter program
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Top companies provide promise for Clarksville, local workforce
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