MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Nashville, TN

Here's a county-by-county list of percentage of drivers who chose "In God We Trust" on new Tennessee license plates — a list on which Nashville is dead last

Among Tennessee's 95 counties, Davidson County has the lowest percentage of vehicle owners choosing to have "In God We Trust" on the state's new license plates, state data shows.

Only 13.3% of Nashvillians getting new plates have opted for the trusting God plates, the numbers show, making Music City a real outlier in the Volunteer State.

A majority of drivers in 86 of the state's 95 counties are choosing the "In God We Trust" plates as of May 16, according to numbers from the state Department of Revenue.

But before you decide that Nashville is full of godless heathen drivers, there are non-religious reasons why Davidson County's number might be so low.

Many Nashville drivers said they didn't know they could choose between two plates.

"I went in person and wasn't given a choice," radio personality Terry "Holly Wood" Hendrix said. "They handed me what they handed me."

Driver's license test online:Tennessee teens can now take written driver's license test online

And what you're handed in Davidson County — if you don't say anything about a preference — is the plate without "In God We Trust" on it, county clerk's office officials said.

Chief Deputy Clerk Joey Workman said clerk's office outposts finally put up signs spelling out the choice April 4. But several Nashvillians told The Tennessean they got their new plates after April 4 and saw no signs up about a choice in plates.

Several other Nashville drivers told The Tennessean they were aware of the choice, and they said they believe in God. But they also believe in separation of church and state.

"As much as I believe in God — and trust Him — I don’t believe it should be on a state sanctioned license plate," said Darin Morrissey, 57, a salesman who lives in Donelson.

"If I want to send a message about God, I'd get a bumper sticker," he said.

The county with the highest percentage of drivers choosing the God plates is Fentress, a rural county that sits near the Kentucky line between Nashville and Knoxville.

There, 98% have chosen the "In God We Trust" plates so far, with motorists saying so out loud as soon as they walked up to the counter in Jamestown, Tenn., deputy clerk Anna Rains said.

Why so high in Fentress County?

"Bible belt," Rains said.

The counties bordering Nashville also fall in the bottom half of all Tennessee counties in percentage of drivers choosing "In God We Trust" on their new plates.

But there's a huge range in those percentages in Nashville's so-called donut counties: More than 75% of Robertson County (Springfield area) drivers are choosing the God plates, and on the low end, only 39% of Williamson County (Franklin-Brentwood area) drivers are choosing them.

Here's a list of the counties and county seats, from highest to lowest percentage of drivers choosing "In God We Trust" plates. Nashville and surrounding counties appear in bold.

1. Fentress County, Jamestown, Tenn., 98.1%

2. Benton County, Camden, Tenn., 97.9%

3. Van Buren, Spencer, Tenn., 97.7%

4. Overton County, Livingston, Tenn., 97.4%

5. Dekalb County, Smithville, Tenn., 94.1%

6. Polk County, Benton, Tenn., 94.1%

7. Hancock County, Sneedville, Tenn., 90.3%

8. Lawrence County,Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 90.1%

9. Moore County, Lynchburg, Tenn., 89.9%

10. Haywood County, Brownsville, Tenn., 88.9%

11. Wayne County, Waynesboro, Tenn., 88.7%

12. Chester County, Henderson, Tenn., 88.6%

13. Johnson County, Mountain City, Tenn., 88.4%

14. Franklin County, Winchester, Tenn., 88.6%

15. Decatur County, Decaturville, Tenn., 88%

16. Macon County, Lafayette, Tenn., 87.5%

17. Weakley County, Dresden, Tenn., 86.2%

18. Dyer County, Dyersburg, Tenn., 86.1%

19. Obion County, Union City, Tenn., 86%

20. McNairy County, Selmer, Tenn., 85.9%

21. Grainger County, Rutledge, Tenn., 85.8%

22. Hardin County, Savannah, Tenn., 85.8%

23. Hickman County, Centerville, Tenn., 85.7%

24. Scott County, Huntsville, Tenn., 82.8%

25. Claiborne County, Tazewell, Tenn., 82.6%

26. Henry County, Paris, Tenn., 82.4%

27. Bledsoe County, Pikeville, Tenn., 82.3%

28. Lake County, Tiptonville, Tenn., 82%

29. Campbell County, Jacksboro, Tenn., 81.8%

30. Smith County, Carthage, Tenn., 81.4%

31. Lincoln County, Fayetteville, Tenn., 81.1%

32. Clay County, Celina, Tenn., 80.9%

33. Gibson County, Trenton, Tenn., 80.3%

34. Hardeman County, Bolivar, Tenn., 80%

35. Carroll County, Huntingdon, Tenn., 79.7%

36. Cocke County, Newport, Tenn., 79.4%

37. Trousdale County, Hartsville, Tenn., 79.4%

38. Meigs County, Decatur, Tenn., 78.6%

39. Crockett County, Alamo, Tenn., 78.5%

40. Houston County, Erin, Tenn., 78.2%

41. Lewis County, Hohenwald, Tenn., 77.8%

42. Carter County, Elizabethton, Tenn., 77.4%

43. Jefferson County, Dandridge, Tenn., 77.3%

44. Roane County, Kingston, Tenn., 77.2%

45. Cannon County, Woodbury, Tenn., 76.8%

46. Marshall County, Lewisburg, Tenn., 76.6%

47. Lauderdale County, Ripley, Tenn., 75.8%

48. Robertson County, Springfield, Tenn., 75.6%

49. Union County, Maynardville, Tenn., 75.5%

50. Rhea County, Dayton, Tenn., 75.2%

51. Fayette County, Somerville, Tenn., 74.9%

52. Stewart County, Dover, Tenn., 74.6%

53. Humphreys County, Waverly, Tenn., 74.5%

54. Pickett County, Byrdstown, Tenn., 74.2%

55. Henderson County, Lexin73.8%

56. Greene County, Greeneville, Tenn., 73.7%

57. Bedford County, Shelbyville, Tenn., 73.3%

58. Sequatchie County, Dunlap, Tenn., 72.9%

59. Coffee County, Manchester, Tenn., 72.3%

60. Unicoi County, Erwin, Tenn., 72.3%

61. Grundy County, Altamont, Tenn., 71.6%

62. Marion County, Jasper, Tenn., 71.6%

63. Cheatham County, Ashland City, Tenn., 70.2%

64. Dickson County, Charlotte, Tenn., 70.2%

65. Hawkins County, Rogersville, Tenn., 69.9%

66. White County, Sparta, Tenn., 69.2%

67. Sevier County, Sevierville, Tenn., 68.3%

68. Perry County, Linden, Tenn., 67.9%

69. Hamblen County, Morristown, Tenn., 67.5%

70. Loudon County, Loudon, Tenn., 67.4%

71. Cumberland County, Crossville, Tenn., 67.3%

72. Warren County, McMinnville, Tenn., 67.1%

73. Maury County, Columbia, Tenn., 66.7%

74. McMinn County, Athens, Tenn., 66.7%

75. Putnam County, Cookeville, Tenn., 66.4%

76. Montgomery County, Clarksville, Tenn., 65.6%

77. Tipton County, Covington, Tenn., 64.6%

78. Giles County, Pulaski, Tenn., 64.2%

79. Sumner County, Gallatin, Tenn., 63.9%

80. Bradley County, Cleveland, Tenn., 62.5%

81. Sullivan County, Blountville, Tenn., 61.8%

82. Hamilton County, Chattanooga, Tenn., 57.6%

83. Monroe County, Madisonville, Tenn., 56.6%

84. Blount County, Maryville, Tenn., 54.5%

85. Morgan County, Wartburg, Tenn., 52.6%

86. Wilson County, Lebanon, Tenn., 52.2%

87. Rutherford County, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 49.9%

88. Knox County, Knoxville, Tenn., 48%

89. Jackson County, Gainesboro, Tenn., 47.5%

90. Anderson County, Clinton, Tenn., 46.6%

91. Washington County, Jonesborough, Tenn., 39.2%

92. Williamson County, Franklin, Tenn., 39.1%

93. Madison County, Jackson, Tenn., 35.9%

94. Shelby County, Memphis, Tenn., 27.2%

95. Davidson County, Nashville, Tenn., 13.3%

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — New data estimates from state researchers show more people are moving out of Nashville-Davidson County than are moving in.

Data estimates from the US Census Bureau show Nashville’s population declined by more than 11,000 people in 2021. The data shows around 14,000 fewer people moved into Davidson County than moved out.

This comes after Davidson County experienced tremendous growth between 2010 and 2020, ranking among the fastest growing counties in the country.

State researchers with the Tennessee Data Center at the University of Tennessee’s Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research don’t identify a clear reason for the decline but say there is evidence households in Davidson County are relocating to surrounding counties within the metro area.

Metro city leaders say they are still reviewing the data and working with state researchers to learn more.

“These specific estimates represent a snapshot and are not a clear or definitive look at how Davidson County’s population might have changed between 2020 and 2021. Drawing conclusions based solely on this data could be misleading, since the data needed to actually understand the move between 2020 and 2021 with accuracy and clarity does not currently exist. Metro Planning is continue to work with the State Data Center to get a full picture and better understand the reality behind this specific estimation,” Metro Codes and Planning Department Public Information Officer Richel Albright said.

While there’s no one reason behind the population decline, affordable housing advocates say housing costs are likely playing a role.

“Wages need to go up for our workers, but you have to have housing stock and enough of it that's at affordable rents and prices for the wages of what people are making in the city,” NOAH Affordable Housing Committee Co-Chair Kay Bowers said.

As rent and home prices rise around Nashville, some long-time residents say they are getting priced out.

“Everything that I thought I was working towards to earn, it's gone,” Metro Nashville Public Schools teacher Quanita Adams said.

Adams is born and raised in Nashville and has worked in the local school district for 17 years. She says the spike in home prices is pushing her dream of home ownership further out of reach each day.

She’d likely have to move an hour away to find a house in her budget.

“I know what I've worked for, and I know what my son and daughter deserve, and I'm trying to give them that life. But you know, it's getting a little tough to believe that equity exist in that realm,” she said.

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce says they are also digging into the data to determine why people are leaving and where they are going.

“The Nashville MSA had a net gain of 17,133 people from 2020-2021. The Census data shows that Davidson County had a net loss of 11,000 people over that time while the other 13 counties in the MSA collectively had a gain of 28,000. When we notice information like this, we want to dig further. The first step is figuring out where people are moving, and the next step is to determine why. The Census Bureau will not publish the county-by-county data until later this summer, so we don’t yet know if those Davidson County residents who moved out of the county remained in the region. The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce will continue to focus on issues that impact quality of place and livability such as affordable housing, education, and transportation,” Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce VP of Communications Karl Houston said.

Get reports like this and all the news of the day in Middle Tennessee delivered to your inbox each morning with the FOX 17 News Daily Newsletter.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jessie Greene, Coordinator of College Access Communications [email protected] 615.741.1318 Press Release

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) today released the inaugural state college-going status report, College Going and the Class of 2021. The report examines the annual college-going rate and explores student aspirations and plans for after high school graduation. The new college-going rate, the portion of Tennessee public high school graduates who enrolled in postsecondary education immediately after high school, is 52.8 percent.

The report shows that the college-going rate has been trending down over the past five years, from 63.8 percent for the Class of 2017 to 52.8 percent for the Class of 2021. Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a nine percentage point drop in the college-going rate between the Class of 2019 and the Class of 2021. With declines in college going, we are also observing declines in overall freshmen enrollment in Tennessee. Similar trends are seen nationally, with the National Student Clearinghouse Current Term Enrollment Estimates reporting a 9.2 percent total decline in freshman enrollment between fall 2019 and fall 2021. Changes in the Tennessee college-going rate have not been evenly distributed across the state, with counties seeing different rates of change, and there were notable disparities in the college-going rate changes between Black and Hispanic students and white students.

“In the current economic reality, a high school diploma is not enough for long-term success,” said Executive Director Dr. Emily House, “All students can benefit from postsecondary education or training beyond high school to achieve success and provide opportunities for advancement, which is why the college-going rate decline and disparities should be a call to action for Tennessee and our nation.”

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission is relentlessly focused on increasing the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential. In that spirit, the agency will begin the process of coordinating and convening stakeholders to determine recommendations and the path forward to renew the focus on improving access to postsecondary opportunity and thus increasing the number of individuals with a postsecondary degree or credential.

###

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A local brokerage is revolutionizing how Nashville homes are bought and sold.

The Ashton Real Estate Group of RE/MAX Advantage is the first in Nashville to partner with Doorsey, an online platform that allows sellers to watch in real time as qualified offers come in, while buyers immediately see what it takes to make a winning bid.

Essentially, it’s the Ebay of home buying.

“Your markets been crazy, so sometimes you deal with 20-30 all these contracts coming in. You got to sit with an agent, the agent is going to point out benefits, the pluses and minus’ so in this case, everything is a level playing field. The only difference is the price,” said Gary Ashton, broker and owner of The Ashton Real Estate Group of RE/MAX Advantage.

According to Ashton, Doorsey improves the homebuying and selling process. His team partnered with the platform in the first place because he says it combines efficiency with transparency.

“You’re online, you can do things in minutes now rather than submit something, wait to get everybody’s contracts together, have a deadline,” Ashton said.

Doorsey incorporates conventional elements like showings, third-party inspections and disclosures with an online bidding process that allows potential buyers and agents to view competing offers in real-time, to know exactly where they stand and what it will take to win.

It takes away the headache of holding your breath and rolling the dice.

“It’s slow for the first hour or so, everyone watching, you have all these registered bidders, everybody has submitted their paperwork to make sure everyone is approved,” Ashton said. “All you really need is two motivated buyers, and they start battling against each other.

Sellers set their minimum price to protect their bottom line and no longer have to sift through multiple offers.

Ashton says it’s the future of real estate and overall, a win-win.

“We always like to be in the front of new ideas and technology, especially when it benefits the sellers and the buyer, and it’s good for the realtors involved in this and it makes things a lot easier,” Ashton said. “If you bid in cash, great. If you’re working with a realtor and you’ve got your mortgage and you’re approved, fantastic. Everyone is on a leveled playing field.”

· Tennessee-based steel roof truss manufacturer to expand, relocate manufacturing and distribution operations to a new facility in Lobelville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Buffalo River Truss, LLC officials announced today the company will expand to a new location, creating 40 new jobs in Perry County.

Buffalo River Truss, headquartered in one of Tennessee’s Tier 4, distressed counties, will invest $1.5 million as the company relocates and consolidates its manufacturing and distribution operations from two buildings to one larger facility in Lobelville.

Located at 201 Rose Street, Buffalo River Truss’ new facility will have the capacity to add new equipment, which will allow for more onsite processing and custom manufacturing for the metal buildings industry.

Since 2014, Buffalo River Truss has been manufacturing gable trusses, shed trusses and bar joists. Through the company’s expansion, Buffalo River Truss will employ more than 60 people at its sole location in Southern Middle Tennessee.

In the last five years, TNECD has supported more than 60 economic development projects in the Southern Middle Tennessee region, resulting in roughly 8,000 job commitments and $5.2 billion in capital investment.

QUOTES “Tennessee boasts a strong business climate and skilled workforce, and our rural communities are no exception. I thank Buffalo River Truss for expanding in Perry County and creating quality jobs for Tennesseans.” – Gov. Bill Lee

“When a company like Buffalo River Truss chooses to expand in Tennessee, it is not only a testament to our state’s skilled workforce and business-friendly climate, but also the community that the company calls home. We are proud to serve as the headquarters for this Tennessee brand and look forward to seeing the company’s continued success in the years to come.” – TNECD Commissioner Bob Rolfe

“We feel blessed and excited to continue serving our community with new employment opportunities in Perry County. This expansion will allow us to add product lines, develop better career opportunities and strengthen community relationships. We are grateful to all the people that have helped make this possible and specifically want to thank Governor Bill Lee, TNECD, our General Assembly members, Senator Joey Hensley and Representative Kirk Haston, Perry County Mayor John Carrol, Lobelville Mayor Robbie Moore and everyone else that had input in the process and worked with our team at Buffalo River Truss.” –Monroe Miller, owner and manager, Buffalo River Truss, LLC

“We are excited by Buffalo River Truss’ decision to expand its successful operations in Perry County with the addition of 40 new jobs. We wish them every success as they move forward.” – Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald)

“This expansion by Buffalo River Truss is another example of the business-friendly atmosphere that exists here in Lobelville. This investment will result in even more jobs and economic development for our community. I congratulate all of those who helped make this announcement possible, and I look forward to the continued success of Buffalo River Truss here in Perry County.” – Rep. Kirk Haston (R-Lobelville)

About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies that help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. To grow and strengthen Tennessee, the department seeks to attract new corporate investment to the state and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Like us on Facebook. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

TNECD Media Contact Lindsey Tipton Public Information Officer (615) 339-6608 [email protected]

###