Madison, Tennessee

File:Madison TN USA.JPG

Downtown Madison

Madison is a neighborhood in northeast Nashville, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is incorporated as part of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

Location

Madison, TN, is only 8.2 miles north at its closest point to downtown Nashville. Centrally located, Ellington Parkway serves as a direct connection from downtown Madison to downtown Nashville with exits to Inglewood and East Nashville. Madison is located close to major highways and parkways: 65, 40, 24, Briley and local access roads St. Route 45 (Old Hickory) and Dickerson Road. It begins at Briley Parkway and extends to the Hendersonville line in Rivergate, from Dickerson Road to the Cumberland River.

Madison has two major centers: Downtown Madison and Rivergate. The area between the two centers is called Motor Mile. Madison services several surrounding communities: East Nashville, Inglewood, Whites Creek, Joelton, Old Hickory, Hendersonville, Hermitage and more.

History

Old Hickory Boulevard (State Route 45) is a section of the Trail of Tears, the route of the forced removal of Cherokee Indians from North Carolina to Oklahoma, directed by U.S. President Andrew Jackson. This route passes directly by Jackson's estate, The Hermitage, in the neighboring community of Old Hickory, Tennessee.

Historically, Madison acted as a connecting suburb until being annexed into Nashville in 1963 due to the consolidation with Davidson County. Madison funnels traffic to Goodlettsville, Hendersonville, Gallatin, Inglewood, and downtown Nashville.

Education

Public education in Madison falls under the supervision of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Zoned schools in the Madison area send students through the Hunters Lane cluster, named after the area high school, Hunters Lane High School. Prior to the opening of Hunter's Lane, the public high school for the area was Madison High School, which is now Madison Middle Prep. Three private schools are also located within Madison: Goodpasture Christian School, Madison Academy and Saint Joseph School.

Recreation

There are three public parks within Madison; Madison Park, Peeler Park and Cedar Hill Park.

Transportation

Madison is a unique town in Nashville because of its easy accessibility via several major roads and interstates.

Major roads running through Madison are Old Hickory Boulevard aka State Rt. 45 and Gallatin Pike (U.S. Route 31E). Dickerson Road runs along the west border of Madison. Briley Parkway (State Route 155) with easy access to Interstates 24 and 40 runs along the south border of Madison. Interstate 65 has two main exits into Madison, one at Old Hickory Blvd, the other at Rivergate shopping area. Ellington Parkway connects Downtown Nashville to Downtown Madison with exits along the way to key areas of East Nashville and Inglewood. Vietnam Vets Parkway is accessible off Conference Drive directly off Gallatin which links Madison & Goodletsville to Hendersonville and Gallatin.

Madison is on the rapid transit Metro bus lines. Madison boasts extensive walkability with several miles of sidewalks. There are also bike lanes in some of the newer asphalt in Madison and there are plans to build a pedestrian and bike extension from Peeler Park to Stones River Park which will connect Peeler key greenways leading to downtown Nashville.

Cemeteries

Madison is the location of the Nashville National Cemetery. It and Spring Hill Cemetery, across Gallatin Pike, delineated the generally accepted boundary between Madison and Inglewood prior to the construction of nearby Briley Parkway.

Population

The population in Madison, as of 2010, was 37,316. The total amount of households was 15,829. Average household income was $49,718.

However, because Madison, TN features two major centers: Downtown Madison and Rivergate the demographic study includes several surrounding communities in addition to the population information for Madison only. Due to its vast resources, Madison directly services communities in the area including East Nashville, Downtown Nashville, Inglewood, White's Creek, Old Hickory with the ability to attract patrons from all over Davidson County including Sumner and Wilson counties.

External links

• Official website
• Madison at DMOZ
• Madison-Rivergate Area Chamber of Commerce