People ask me this question probably five times a week: "Rachel, if you were moving here, where would YOU live?" If I were moving to Middle Tennessee, I wouldn’t start by asking, “What’s the best city?” I’d ask: “Which city actually fits the way I want to live?” Because Franklin, Mount Juliet, Columbia, and Nashville can all be great places to live, but they offer very different lifestyles. Here’s where I’d look, depending on what mattered most to me.

Let's be honest...Middle Tennessee summers come with a side of humidity you could cut with a knife. But once you accept that you're going to sweat no matter what you're doing, you might as well be doing something fun while you do it. Here's the full rundown of how we spend our summers outside around here, sorted by how much effort you're willing to put in.

There's a moment that happens to almost everyone who visits Old Hickory Lake for the first time. You're driving through Hendersonville, maybe you came to look at houses, maybe someone told you to check out the area and then the lake appears. Wide, calm, surrounded by trees and docks and people who clearly know something you don't yet. That something is this: Old Hickory Lake is one of the best places to live in Middle Tennessee, and it's been hiding in plain sight about 18