Home

                Previous Issues

The Smyrna Senior Citizens Club (615-459-4839) is another place to volunteer as well as find health services and social services.

Smyrna is also home to a bit of Civil War history as this area was once dotted by stately plantations.  The Sam Davis Home, one of the most significant, is located here and is designated as a state historical site.  Sam Davis, the plantation's owner, is remembered for refusing to reveal to Union soldiers information that would hurt the Confederate war effort and instead gave his life.  Build along the Stewart Creek in 1820, the 200-acre site is open for tours and houses a museum.

Several institutions of higher learning are a few miles from town, providing access to sporting events, lectures and small museums not found in Smyrna.  Vanderbilt University and Tennessee State University are in Nashville, and Middle Tennessee State University is in Murfreesboro, just 11 miles away.   And Nashville itself, with its outstanding restaurants and dozens of music venues, is a fun place to spend a weekend or just a day shopping and sightseeing.  

Retirees come to Smyrna for its reasonably-priced housing , high quality of life and relaxed pace but also for the outdoor recreation found at 10,000-acre J. Percy Priest Lake and throughout the nearly 20,000 acres of surrounding public lands.   Fishing, camping, picnicking, boating, canoeing, hiking, horseback riding are all popular activities (this is also another place in need of volunteers).  The lake has five marinas offering boat rentals and two yacht clubs.  Camping is first-come, first-served and permits are not required.  Holders of America the Beautiful Senior Passes receive 50% off of use fees.

Stonecrest Medical Center (615-768-2550) is the primary health care facility in town and is a part of the TriStar Health System.  Opened in 2003, it is currently undergoing a nearly $16 million dollar expansion and will soon have 101 beds, as well as an additional 24 medical suites and another 4 surgical suites.   Oncology, cardiology, neurology, critical care and emergency care are all services offered by Stonecrest.  Numerous hospitals are also found in Nashville, giving retirees here a good variety of medical care options.

Smyrna gets hot and sticky in the summer; the average July high temperature is 89 degrees (the low is around 60 degrees). Winters see an average high of 48 degrees (with lows around 30 degrees).  Humidity fluctuates between 60% (afternoons) and 90% (mornings), and the area receives 4 to 5 inches of precipitation each month, some of which may be light snow from January to March.

The tornado risk is slightly higher here than in the rest of Tennessee (and 100% higher than the U.S. national average). Damaging tornados have touched down within 20 miles twice, once in 1997 and in 1998, killing one person and injuring several others.   Smyrna is also experiencing experiencing growing pains (many of its newest citizens are from Nashville) and some attendant problems, including a crime rate that is slightly higher than the national average.  

Great Retirement Spots Newsletter is published weekly by Webwerxx, Inc.,  2770 S. Elmira St., #152, Denver, CO  80231. (303) 358-0512.  Copyright © 2007-2008.  All rights reserved.  No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced without the express written consent of Webwerxx, Inc.  All attempts were made to verify the accuracy of the information contained in this bulletin, but some information may have changed since publication. Webwerxx, Inc. cannot be held responsible for information that has changed since this publication appeared online.  Please contact us at staff@greatretirementspots.com if you have questions or comments.  To unsubscribe or change your subscription information, click here.