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White House:
Small-town values, city convenience
Quality of life and affordability
right outside Nashville
from the Nashville Tennessean, October 20, 1996
It's more of an emotional distance than an actual one between Nashville and
White House, Tenn.
Traveling a mere 20 miles or so north on Interstate 65, you climb out of the Nashville
basin and onto the rugged but beautiful Highland Rim.
The geographic shift can be breathtaking, especially in autumn.
The road to White House leads past a stretch of farmland, some new subdivisions, a
grassy park, an antebellum-style town library and, finally, to a quaint commercial
district.
"Someone described it as a friendly, small community that was a little bit more
affordable than some places around Nashville, and where the school system was really
good," recalls Terri Reed, a Texas transplant who landed in White House last June.
"It's all true."
Most residents of White House work in Nashville, but this bedroom community's look
and spirit still have a small-town appeal.
"Friday nights it's still a big deal to go to the football games in White House,"
says city alderman Randy Cline.
While Reed believes her family saved more than $50,000 on their housing costs by
choosing White House over Brentwood or Hendersonville, the move to small-town
Tennessee did cause some concern.
"Sometimes in a small town it's harder to be accepted if you haven't grown up there,"
she said. "But in White House, everybody just takes you under their wing.
"It was easy to find a doctor to go to, dentist to go to and kids for my children
to meet. It has all the pluses of a small town, but city conveniences are really
close by."
Tammy Carrigan, a Nashville native and mother of three, says the area is especially
good for kids, with fine schools and active recreation and sports programs -- the
epitome of "family values."
A string of community activities and charity events take place each year.
"I've lived in a lot of places, big and small, but I've never experienced a
community as giving as this one," says White House Chamber of Commerce
Director John Kloske, a California native.
Still, the 40% growth rate since 1990 is having its impact.
"Traffic here is more congested and you often see a few strangers when going
to the store," said Cline, who moved to White House 14 years ago, when the
population was less than half the size it is today.
That's why the Board of Mayor and Alderman are putting together a comprehensive
growth management plan for the city, which spans the county line between Sumner
and Robertson counties.
"We want to be sure the controls are in place to make White House as nice 20 years
from now as it is today," Cline says.
whlib@viafamily.com
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