County Conversations: Dickson County

Dickson County Conversation: Growth, Connection and a Community That Cares

On September 15th, Cumberland Region Tomorrow continued our County Conversations series in Dickson County, bringing together community and business leaders to listen, learn and talk about both the qualities that make Dickson County distinctive and the issues that increasingly connect its future to the rest of Middle Tennessee.

We are grateful to Jennie Wagner, President and CEO of the Dickson County Chamber of Commerce, for welcoming CRT and creating an opportunity for this conversation with local leaders. CRT Executive Director Jennifer Chalos was joined by Ethan Levine of MZA Architecture and Interiors, who represents Dickson County on CRT’s Board of Directors, in sharing more about CRT’s work and, most importantly, hearing directly from the people who know the community best.

Dickson County: An Important Part of a Growing Region

The conversation began with a simple premise: growth is inevitable in a thriving region, and county lines increasingly blur in the ways people live, work, learn, receive healthcare and spend their time.

Middle Tennessee's 10-county Cumberland Region is now home to more than 2.2 million residents. Dickson County brings its own important assets to that regional story—a combination of small-town character, natural beauty and economic opportunity, including communities such as Dickson, White Bluff and Burns; the Harpeth and Piney River watersheds; Montgomery Bell State Park; historic Downtown Dickson; and a growing mix of arts, recreation, agriculture and local businesses.

The data shared with participants also tells the story of a county experiencing significant change. Dickson County has a population of approximately 54,315 and a median household income of $73,223. Employment grew 32.9% during the period reflected in CRT's State of the Region data, compared with 19.6% statewide. At the same time, the average commute to work is approximately 33 minutes—one indication of how closely Dickson County is connected to employment and opportunities throughout Middle Tennessee.

Housing affordability emerged as another important part of the picture. CRT's data shows an annual salary of approximately $76,119 is needed to afford a home in Dickson County, while median rent increased 28.7% between 2017 and 2022.

But the numbers were only the beginning of the conversation.

CRT's County Conversations are designed to do something data alone cannot: listen to the people who live and work in each community.

Guests were invited to consider three questions: What does the rest of Middle Tennessee need to better understand about Dickson County? What issues cross county lines and affect businesses and families? And what makes people most proud to call Dickson County home?

One of the first messages we heard was simple: “We are IN Middle Tennessee.”

Dickson County leaders want the rest of the region to understand the breadth of what their community offers. Participants described a county that is very much part of Middle Tennessee's growth story while retaining a strong identity of its own.

They pointed to excellent healthcare options that make Dickson a regional hub; a growing arts district; beautiful parks and natural resources, including Montgomery Bell State Park; and a vibrant, quaint downtown that offers nightlife as well as experiences for families.

They also described an interesting generational dynamic. Dickson County is increasingly attractive to parents and grandparents who want to remain close to younger family members who may work and live in Nashville, while offering those families a different kind of community in which to put down roots.

Remote work presents another opportunity. As employers recruit workers who can live almost anywhere, participants see Dickson County's quality of life and proximity to Nashville as assets in attracting people who can work from home while becoming part of a connected community.

Growing—While Remaining Fiscally Responsible

Participants repeatedly expressed pride in the leadership of both the city and county and in what they described as a deliberate approach to growth.

As one participant summarized it, “We are booming, but fiscally responsible.”

Local leaders have worked to keep an eye on budgets and spending while maintaining relatively low taxes and investing in amenities and infrastructure that support the community's future. Participants pointed to investments such as a new city center and aquatic center as examples of efforts to keep Dickson strong and connected as it grows.

They also noted Dickson County's importance as a destination for surrounding communities. People come into the county to shop, receive healthcare, dine and participate in community life—another reminder that economic activity does not stop at county borders.

Perhaps the greatest source of pride, however, was not a building, attraction or economic statistic.

It was the people.

Participants described a community where people know one another, give back and show up when their neighbors need help. They talked about a place that values relationships while also being welcoming to newcomers and visitors.

Maintaining that sense of community as the county continues to grow emerged as both an asset and an opportunity.

Workforce, Housing and Mobility Are Regional Issues

The conversation also surfaced challenges that Dickson County cannot address in isolation.

Housing costs and inflation are creating pressure for families, while employers and community leaders are thinking about what kinds of jobs and career opportunities will allow people to stay in—or move to—Dickson County.

Participants highlighted the importance of continued investment in higher education and expanding access to education and workforce pathways. That conversation also revealed a particularly important connection between mobility and workforce participation.

Residents with disabilities and others who do not drive can face significant barriers reaching higher education, jobs and other opportunities because there is no dedicated, efficient transit system connecting them to where they need to go. Participants specifically noted the potential of people with special needs who want to work and contribute to the local economy but whose employment opportunities can be limited by transportation.

That is an important regional question: How much untapped workforce potential exists because people cannot reliably get from where they live to where they can learn and work?

Housing, workforce development, transportation and economic development are often discussed separately, but conversations like this demonstrate how interconnected they really are.

Listening Locally, Thinking Regionally

That interconnectedness is at the heart of CRT's County Conversations.

Our region has grown nearly 20% since 2010, and the slides shared in Dickson County underscored a central idea behind CRT's work: regionalism isn't an idea; it's a daily reality.

No county stands alone. People routinely cross county lines for jobs, education, healthcare, recreation and family, making the success of individual communities increasingly connected to the health of the region as a whole.

That does not mean every county should look alike or pursue the same solutions. In fact, one of the most valuable lessons from our County Conversations is how different each community is—and how important it is to preserve those distinctive qualities while identifying the places where collaboration can help us do more together.

CRT is taking what we learn in Dickson and our other counties into our work to update a long-term vision for the Cumberland Region. Community input will help inform conversations about growth, housing, transportation, the environment and opportunity over the next 15–20 years.

Thank you again to Jennie Wagner and the Dickson County Chamber of Commerce, Ethan Levine, and everyone who joined us and shared their experiences, concerns, ideas and pride in their community.

Dickson County's message was clear: this is a community experiencing growth and opportunity, proud of its fiscal strength and local leadership, rich in natural and cultural assets, and—perhaps most importantly—defined by people who care about one another.

As Middle Tennessee continues to grow, those are strengths worth protecting—and lessons worth sharing across county lines.