- Donelson, Tennessee
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Donelson is a neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee located east of downtown Nashville along U.S. Highway 70. It is named in honor of John Donelson, co-founder of Nashville and father-in-law of Andrew Jackson, Nashvillian and seventh President of the United States. It is incorporated as part of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.
Donelson began its development shortly after World War II. Its location adjacent to Nashville's airport led to much of its early growth; it was also the site of an early example of what would later be called a shopping center or "strip mall", Donelson Plaza.
Donelson is now an example of an early postwar suburb with a stock of mostly half-century old, red brick, detached ranch-style homes. However, there has been some tendency for infill in recent years, largely tied into the expansion of sewers. The area's desirability was increased somewhat by the impoundment of Percy Priest Lake on the Stones River in the late 1960s which increased summertime recreational opportunities greatly.
Donelson was the home of the former Opryland USA theme park, which closed in 1997. This property is now the Opry Mills shopping mall and the Grand Ole Opry. It is usually considered as something of a unit along with the adjacent neighborhood of Hermitage, located just across the Stones River along US Highway 70; the two communities share a Chamber of Commerce.
As with most unincorporated communities which are not census-designated places, making a realistic estimate of the community's population is very problematic. Donelson is generally considered to be coextensive with the United States Postal Service's ZIP Code 37214, which is the ZIP Code for the Nashville Post Office's Donelson Station.
The community has a station on the new Music City Star commuter rail line, which began operation in September 2006.
In recent years, the Donelson community has witnessed the growth of two 501(c)3 groups that are working to increase community awareness and involvement. The Donelson Gateway Project (www.donelsongateway.org) is a group dedicated to beautifying Donelson through private/public partnership and has landscaped three main entrances with signage. Plans are in place to expand the efforts. The Friends of Two Rivers Mansion group (www.friendsoftworiversmansion.org) has successfully helped save an 1859 antebellum mansion and surrounding property from further degradation and continues work to restore, preserve, and expand the Mansion's use for community events. The inaugural "Music at the Mansion" event featuring the Nashville Blues Society brought close to 500 people to celebrate a night of community, music, and awareness of the Two Rivers Mansion.
See also
Donelson (Music City Star station)
External links
Categories:- Neighborhoods in Nashville, Tennessee
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