jmtunafish

2022-05-18T19:53:51Z

11 minutes ago, donNdonelson2 said:

I remember going to the Mid-South Fair in Memphis.

And it was such a fun fair!

When I lived in Memphis I noticed that the weather people on every TV station referred to Memphis as "the Mid-South" ("Today in the Mid-South the weather will be...").

2022-05-18T18:01:18Z

2 hours ago, natethegreat said:

Memphis is Deep South

And yet Memphis refers to itself as the Mid South (Mid-South Coliseum, for example).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-South_Coliseum

2022-05-18T17:59:09Z

Since no one else has posted this yet, here's the skyline this morning from our friends at Sky5:

May 9

4 hours ago, markhollin said:

Wilson County: Updates on two massive development in Gallatin:

1) Goat Farm: besides the Ford Ice Center (2 rinks), there will also be 60,000 sq. ft. of retail; a 120 room hotel, 70 condos, and an outdoor family entertainment area. Rendering below.

2) Nexus will include 100 acre business park (2 million sq. ft. of office and warehouse space); 120 acre mixed-use (1.1 million sq. ft. of retail including a grocery, 900 multi-family units made up of homes and townhomes). Aerial photos of site below.

More at TheTennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2022/05/09/nexus-and-goat-farm-projects-underway-gallatin/7307170001/

Goat Farm rendering:

Nexus site aerial views:

Gallatin is in Sumner County, not Wilson County.

April 29

16 hours ago, markhollin said:

Wilson County: Mt. Juliet grapples with its growth.

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2022/04/28/mt-juliet-navigating-growth.html

Speaking for Mt Juliet, I was invited to observe a multicultural celebration at MJHS yesterday. There are 30 nationalities and 18 languages represented among MJHS students, something which surprised the heck out of me. And the largest group? Egyptians, with over 100 Egyptian students at MJHS. While that pales in comparison to Metro's 100+ languages, it's still a gigantic increase from just 10 years ago when pretty much the only foreign language spoken among MJHS students was Spanish. I was able to talk to a few parents including a family from Uzbekistan, and without exception all of them moved to MJ from Metro because they wanted better schools for their kids.

Say what you want about poor planning and other problems with suburbia (which I totally get), but it looks like many immigrants want what American families want: good schools and safe places to raise their kids and nice neighborhoods with lawns--things many couldn't ever dream of in their home countries but can do very easily in MJ.

April 25

The state's March 2022 unemployment rate of 3.2 percent was the lowest in Tennessee history and shows that the state has largely recovered the jobs lost during the pandemic. The previous low was 3.3 percent set in August 2019. In August 2019 there were 3,237,976 Tennesseans employed, and in March 2022 there were 3,291,445 employed, an increase of 53,469. However, as you can see from the tables below, the bulk of the increase was concentrated in just a few areas. When looking at the figures below, keep in mind that some of these areas go into neighboring states.

metro area...March 2022 employment...change from Aug 2019
Nashville...1,107,406...54,095
Memphis...622,169...-953
Knoxville...435,154...12,562
Chattanooga...270,223...3,833
Kingsport-Bristol...132,035...-4,242
Clarksville...116,931...3,370
Johnson City...91,645...2,729
Jackson...63,163...-890
Cleveland...56,434...543
Morristown...52,103...1,601

micro area...March 2022 employment...change from Aug 2019
Sevierville...53,584...-2,292
Cookeville...49,171...1,001
Tullahoma-Manchester...47,125...-2,049
Greeneville...27,899...-1,229
Crossville...21,529...-1,795
Athens...21,477...-1,183
Shelbyville...20,915...640
Lawrenceburg...18,979...718
McMinnville...15,859...-416
Dyersburg...15,574...-258
Lewisburg...15,151...-45
Martin...15,103...-604
Union City...13,918...-45
Newport...13,916...-956
Paris...13,747...-561
Dayton...13,491...964
Brownsville...7,266...-220

April 20

Dave Stewart, who played in the MLB for 16 years, won the World Series three times, was named World Series MVP once, and who has pursued owning other MLB teams, has been brought on to lead Nashville's Diverse Equity Ownership initiative where they hope Nashville's MLB team will be the first majority minority owned team in the league.

"We started this process four years ago. Nashville is a fast-growing city. It has a beautiful population of people," he said. "There's so much going on here. So, MLB put Nashville as one of its top places for expansion, and I think that triggered the idea to go down this path."

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10033192-dave-stewart-leading-nashville-group-prioritizing-mlb-ownership-for-people-of-color

April 13

While not development news in the traditional sense, there is some development news that has the potential to bring more businesses and industry to the Cookeville area. The rural telephone cooperative that covers much of the Upper Cumberland region, Twin Lakes, has rolled out 10 gig internet service to all of its service area, and it's rolling out 10 gig internet to Cookeville which is not in its immediate service area. My sister who lives in downtown Cookeville can now get 10 gig internet at her home (she's fine with just 1 gig). How fast is 10 gig? It's fast enough to stream 1,700 movies simultaneously. 10 gig is the fastest internet currently available worldwide, according to the article below. Chattanooga charges $299/month for its very popular 10 gig service, Twin Lakes charges $249. With Cookeville being home to the state's flagship tech university, area business and civic leaders are hoping this will help lure more high-tech industries and start-ups to town. I know several tech-heavy businesses in town already use it like SAIC, ATC, the hospital, the university, and several medical offices.

https://www.ucbjournal.com/twin-lakes-debuts-10-gig-broadband/?fbclid=IwAR0xgS_VMs6y8rwopzY7p_3gmY4p2mOLMNlz7By_uqs6KfeTIAoNfy4SSzo

This recent article in the NY Times talks about why so many people are moving to the Cookeville area from out of state, many of whom work from home. I'm sure having 10 gig internet available even out in the boonies is one reason people are lured to the area.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/12/business/economy/small-town-living-standard.html

April 13

On 4/11/2022 at 1:49 PM, Sean blackdog said:

Guy send me a picture today this morning.
Airbus a330-200, Republique Francaise government for France. Still parking at south cargo at BNA.

What on earth was this doing at BNA?

April 11

1 hour ago, Logan McCoy said:

Probably. I can't think of any MLB market that has a AAA team in the same city.

Atlanta's AAA team plays in suburban Gwinnett County, 35 miles from the Braves' home stadium.

April 2

The LA Times is assuming Nashville and Montreal will be awarded MLB expansion teams in this proposal on how to realign divisions to create more natural rivalries and reduce the amount of travel for everyone involved.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2022-04-01/mlb-division-realignment-2023-proposal?fbclid=IwAR3Ywm7KkJJNsS3p0SrUW4asNdcrstsYzZ8FdPROSsAK1Of1lNYdsps_njo

March 25

I had no idea that Nashville was known for its pizza.

The 15 Best Pizza Cities in the US:

Detroit
Cleveland
Columbus OH
Boston
Pittsburgh
Indianapolis
Providence
Saint Louis
Philadelphia
Norfolk
Baltimore
Tampa
Minneapolis
Chicago
Nashville

March 25

While we're on the subject of 2021 population estimates, here's how Tennessee's metropolitan and micropolitan areas did. Supposedly. I don't trust these numbers much, and I'm afraid it might be a while before we have an accurate count. I suspect some counties will do their own counts within the next year or two and then try to have those numbers certified by the Census Bureau. If I remember correctly, that can be done twice between official censuses. Fast-growing areas typically take advantage of that, as higher official population numbers = more federal dollars.

Anyway, even though I don't think these numbers are accurate, they do paint a picture of what's generally happening in Tennessee which is that West Tennessee continues to languish, the Knoxville area is starting to take off, and many rural areas of Middle and East Tennessee are starting to see some growth for the first time in decades, particularly Lawrenceburg, McMinnville, Greeneville, and Athens. And the Tri Cities area is also seeing more growth than it has in the last few years.

area...2021 population...change from 2020 census
Nashville...2,012,476...22,957
Memphis...1,336,103...-1,676
Knoxville...893,412...13,639
Chattanooga...567,641...4,994
Clarksville...328,304...7,769
Kingsport-Bristol...308,661...1,047
Johnson City...208,068...783
Jackson...180,799...295
Morristown...143,855...1,146
Cleveland...127,938...1,993
Cookeville...115,777...1,795
Tullahoma-Manchester...108,891...1,767
Sevierville...99,517...1,137
Greeneville...70,621...469
Crossville...62,451...1,306
Athens...54,059...783
Shelbyville...51,119...882
Lawrenceburg...44,828...669
McMinnville...41,523...570
Dyersburg...36,615...-186
Newport...36,418...419
Lewisburg...34,984...666
Dayton...33,136...266
Martin...33,036...134
Paris...32,239...40
Union City...30,466...-321
Brownsville...17,694...-170

March 19

3 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

I was looking at all of the players yesterday. It looks decent on paper except for one thing. I was searching bid site and I have not been able to find one mention of anything out for bid as far as this project goes anywhere in middle TN. You would think that a project as large as this, if it were to start by years end would have started at least pre-bidding by now on at least some of the largest construction bid sites????

What say the heads familiar with construction and building and timelines on the board? Are they being too ambitious with the timeline?

I do want to see this succeed, however there is still the little voice in my head with the Mr Haney voice from Green Acres saying “Mr Douglas Have I got A Deal for You”!

I think we have seen that several times before on this thread when it comes to amusement parks proposals in Middle TN.

Do you suppose the Storyville people are doing what Disney did in the 1960s in Florida? Disney set up fake corporations to secretly buy up 30,000 acres southwest of Orlando under a variety of names and timed the transactions so that they all took place at roughly the same time, paying cash each time so as to not arouse suspicions. I know it was a lot easier back then to do things like that but I wonder if something like that is what's happening here. Likewise, maybe if there are bids advertised, they're innocuous sounding things like roads or water lines for "new subdivisions" that happen to be located next to each other.

March 16

12 hours ago, opendrawerwhore said:

For decades Clarksville's leaders "thought small" and were opposed to growth. Now the growth is there and the city and infrastructure are woefully unprepared and paying the price. Better late than never I guess.

James

Is that really the case? I remember driving through Clarksville in the 80s and seeing a big billboard on I-24, I think placed by the Chamber of Commerce or some other such organization, touting all the growth that Clarksville had been experiencing. It's been growing quickly for decades.

March 16

55 minutes ago, titanhog said:

The one other name I’d love to see attached is Dolly.

Absolutely. With her Imagination Library and all the thousands of free books she's given to children, Dolly Parton would be a natural. I wonder if maybe she feels this would compete against Dollywood?

March 14

2 hours ago, Baronakim said:

I already designed one for out by Skyline Hospital back in the 80 as a propsed 1996 Oylimpic venues here in Nashville. For a football stadium however, it would be much too small.

That is nice. I like the look of that.

However, since Nashville is the "Athens of the South" I'd rather see something more Greek than Roman although I suppose the Greeks didn't build many free-standing arenas that weren't on the sides of hills.

March 11

6 hours ago, titanhog said:

Almost sounds like she’s pronouncing it jho-dus?

It's zhay-oh-dis. It kind of rhymes with mayo this. zh=the sound of the s in measure.

February 25

3 hours ago, grilled_cheese said:

Anybody know where the Duck Head HQ, warehouse or manufacturing site was? Just recently learned they originated in Nashville.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Head

38 minutes ago, bnacincy said:

It was on Charlotte Ave near I-40 across from Centennial Medical Center-my brother worked there for a while so I had a constant supply of Duck Head jeans and jackets.

I thought Duck Head was long gone. When I was a student at Ole Miss in the early 90s, Duck Head khaki shorts were a necessity. The only times we didn't wear the khaki shorts were to football games when we wore Duck Head chinos with our dress shirts and blue/red ties. Until I read that wikipedia entry I had no idea that Duck Head essentially got its start at the Ole Miss bookstore. I'm glad to see they're still around, and I'm glad to see there's also a Nashville connection.

February 22

1 hour ago, markhollin said:

Air Canada and Nashville International Airport officials Tuesday announced a year-round nonstop route between Nashville and Montreal.

According to a release, the service will begin twice weekly on June 2 and grow to three times weekly on June 25. The route connecting BNA and Montréal–Trudeau International Airport began as a seasonal offering in mid-2020.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/tourism/bna-lands-year-round-flight-to-montreal/article_df6ca9b2-93f8-11ec-a131-1ff77c41e0e3.html

The announcement at BNA's website about this says:

“Whether you’re looking to visit Montreal for a hockey game or enjoy the city’s rich history and culture, this new Air Canada nonstop service will be music to your ears,” said Doug Kreulen, president and CEO of Nashville International Airport. “Even more, Montreal is a major connection to Europe and beyond, opening up possibilities for greater international travel for Middle Tennessee.

That is so true. I've often looked at YUL with great envy. It's about the same size as BNA but has nonstop flights to every continent but Australia and on multiple airlines. Obviously Air Canada and Air Transat, but also Air Algérie, Tunisair, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, Air China, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Azores Airlines, British Airways, Corsair, KLM, Icelandair, Turkish Airlines, Swiss International, Qatar Airways, TAP Air Portugal, and several airlines to the Caribbean and Latin America.

February 21

On 2/19/2022 at 6:28 PM, fishsticks176 said:

I randomly met the director and was interviewed for this French documentary about Nashville a couple years ago. Looks like I didn't make the cut, but it was just released this week:

That is one of the best examinations of Nashville I have ever seen. I'm half French so this was particularly enjoyable for me. (It was great to see Kiefer Sutherland sing country music AND speak French.) I think the narrator did a good job showcasing what makes Nashville Nashville. One thing he said over and over again that I don't necessarily agree with is that Nashville's growth is because Tennessee doesn't have a state income tax. That seems a little simplistic although it's certainly a factor. And holy cow, that hot dog vendor on Broadway makes $450/day?? I'm in the wrong business. Anyway, the hot dog vendor was interesting in that he was shown dancing on the sidewalk with some other guy, and later he told the interviewer that the guy he was dancing with was some big shot music producer. The narrator used that to illustrate that there's probably more musical talent per square meter in Nashville than anywhere else on the planet, and that any random stranger you see on the street could be a high powered music producer or some other influential person in the music industry, or even a music star. It was a very, very positive documentary.

In one of the vignettes, he interviewed some farmers who were able to stop the construction of a shopping center, but he didn't say where that was. I don't recall hearing anything in the last few years of some large shopping center around Nashville scrapped because of opposition from area farmers.

Anyway, thank you for posting this. I know some people don't believe me when I say this, but Nashville really is well known in Europe, particularly in France. As this documentary shows, for a French person, Nashville is iconic and has become the epitome of an American success story: a fast growing city where all dreams are possible (Nashville: une ville où tous les rêves sont possibles are the final words of the video: "Nashville: a city where all dreams are possible").

February 17

31 minutes ago, tragenvol said:

Not to be a party pooper, but if this is built out in its entirety...it will likely be a couple of decades with compromises and reductions. A public university's Master Plan (master plans are generally ten years in scope) includes a wish list, and just like my wish list back in the days of the Sears Christmas catalog...many compromises and exclusions were made.

I don't think anyone assumes this will all take place next year. But it's not unreasonable for many, if not most, of this to take place in the next 10-15 years. In the last 8 years since the original Master Plan was unveiled, quite a bit has been accomplished:

new student recreation center
new science building (the largest academic building on campus)
groundbreaking on the new engineering building
renovation of Bartoo and Kittrell Halls
renovation of four residence halls/dorms
total gutting and renovation of the Jere Whitson building to create a campus welcome center
expansion of the Roaden University Center
expansion of the Volpe Library
Centennial Plaza
new parking lot west of Tech Village
more green space outside the UC where a parking lot used to be
large lawn/commons where a parking lot used to be west of Peachtree (where the new science building sits)
several roads on campus have already been closed to vehicles in preparation of turning them in to pedestrian malls

I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that most of the rest of the stuff in the Master Plan could be completed in the next 10-15 years. Of course, much of this is dependent upon state funding and some very generous donors, and who knows how that will go.

February 17

4 hours ago, memphian said:

Always good to see TECH prosper. I did my undergrad there. The built environment seems to be coming along quite well. I especially like these planned additions. The tower reminds me a bit of the one at Furman, but with a different architecture style - very prominent. Here's hoping TECH will find a new athletic conference soon as well. I'd like to donate to the football stadium but not while they're part of the OVC.

I totally agree about the OVC. I don't know what Tech can do at this point. I doubt they can get into a better conference without updating their football facilities, but, like you, I'm sure there are plenty of potential donors who won't donate until Tech is in a better conference. Kind of a Catch-22 type thing.

3 hours ago, MLBrumby said:

Looks really nice. One of my kids considered going there but changed his mind at the last minute. Went to UGA instead (boo!). I was impressed when we visited the TTU campus. Everyone was very nice and the campus was beautiful in early spring. This was before all the construction was started. So I could envision all those parking lots west of the main quad as going away. The green space will be uber nice. So what are the two (planned) U-shaped buildings to the west of the recently completed sciences building?

I'm glad you had a good visit to campus! I didn't go to Tech, but I used to work for UTK and now work for the state department of education, and I can assure you that Tech definitely punches above its weight when it comes to academics. I am absolutely delighted that they're doing so much to spruce up the campus. As far as those planned U-shaped buildings to the west of the new science building, it looks like it'll be more engineering buildings and would replace some physical services buildings which will be relocated to the old athletic fields from the old Cookeville Junior High (now Foundation Hall) on 10th Street across the RR tracks.

February 16

Someone over at city-data posted updates on construction projects at Tech. Some are to add facilities, others are to make the campus more attractive and pedestrian friendly.

A new sorority row. Interestingly, Tech doesn't have a fraternity row.

New dorms

Surface parking replaced by parking garages

An art trail around campus (in blue). The trail in red is the existing walking/biking path that connects downtown Cookeville to downtown Algood.

New art work around campus, and a university tower

Campus gates and entrance signs

What the campus should look like once all this is completed. Note the new roundabout on Willow. I like roundabouts.

February 15

6 hours ago, Pdt2f said:

So we’ll have 4 separate carriers flying BNA-Toronto-Pearson? There can’t be that much demand. I haven’t checked recently but apparently travel to and from Canada right now is a pain in the rear. Hopefully things start to loosen up by the time Flair and Swoop start these flights.

I'm flying Delta to Paris over the summer, and every single flight option had me go from BNA to Toronto on WestJet and then take an Air France flight to CDG. I kept looking for BNA-ATL-CDG or BNA-DTW-CDG or BNA-JFK-CDG but, without exception, the cheapest tickets were all through YYZ. Going and coming. I have no idea why Delta is pushing YYZ so hard, but it is, at least on the dates I was looking at.

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