Centerville | Nashville's Backyard

AN OPRY STATE OF MIND

CENTERVILLE

Centerville is the seat of Hickman County, perfectly situated in the beautiful Duck River valley 60 miles southwest of Nashville. It’s the only incorporated town in the county, with 11 square miles of small-town living, a music heritage heartbeat, and an abundance of surrounding acreage and farm land.

Opry Inspiration

The town of Centerville is best known for its famous daughter, Sarah Cannon, AKA Minnie Pearl. The legendary Grand Ole Opry member was one of the most popular comics of her time and one of the first leading ladies of comedy. Centerville’s spirit is baked into the Opry’s story, as Minnie’s character hailed from the town of Grinder’s Switch, a fictional version of Centerville.

Sarah famously said “Grinder's Switch is a state of mind – a place where there is no illness, no war, no unhappiness, no political unrest, no tears. It's a place where there's only happiness – where all you worry about is what you are going to wear to the church social, and if your feller is going to kiss you in the moonlight on the way home. I wish for all of you a Grinder's Switch.”

A Town set to Music

Centerville still lives up to Minnie’s Norman Rockwell vision, and live music flows through every town event. The Grinder’s Switch Radio Hour leads the way with a town-square tradition that seems straight out of a sweet Southern novel. Every Saturday morning, talented local players—many of them acclaimed country songwriters—take the stage in a historic former hardware store to perform a live radio broadcast. The town fills the pews, the fiddlers fiddle, the strummers strum. Feet are stomped, hands are clapped, and spirits are lifted. Hear the broadcast on WNKX FM every Saturday morning.

Quaint, quirky, and growing

Centerville is a family-friendly, close-knit community of lifetime residents, recent transplants, makers, teachers, and entrepreneurs. And love for this sweet town is catching on; folks are discovering its quirky charm, especially now. Centerville has become a best-kept-secret for Nashvillians and other city dwellers seeking a lower cost of living, slower pace of life, music-drenched culture and a little room to breathe.

CENTERVILLE

At a Glance

Seat of Hickman County
Incredible views
Four-season living
Available farm land/ acreage
Low tax rate
Population 3500

Schools: Hickman County School District, Pleasant View Christian School
Nearest Hospital: Ascension St. Thomas Hickman Hospital; Maury Regional Medical Center (Level 1 Trauma Center)
Airport: Centerville Municipal Airport; BNA (1 hour 15 minutes)
Nearest Grocery: Save-a-Lot, Chappell’s Hometown Foods