Middle Tennessee
Historic Forest Hills Now Key Nashville Suburb
By Real Estate Tennessee

The City of Nashville and Nashville, Tennessee real estate have enjoyed prosperity and growth during the past several decades.  In the wake of the post-World War II population boom and economic boom, the suburb of Forest Hills TN real estate was officially born. 

The newer suburbs such as Forest Hills real estate reflect the development of tiers of Nashville real estate.  In the 1970s, large tracts of open space and farmland were divided into 10-acre lots and, more recently, into 1- or 2-acre parcels.  Even the trademark steep, wooded hills, some rising 1,000 feet above sea level, now feature stately Nashville homes.  However, the south central section of Forest Hills real estate is built on what was originally fertile farmland.  Many Forest Hills homes have been occupied by noteworthy citizens and have been preserved by the National Register of Historic Places.

The 9½ square miles of Forest Hills real estate is home to about 4,500 people.  The small residential city, which is located in Davidson County along the northern border of Williamson County, depends on commerce and services from other parts of the metropolitan area. 

Prior to the Anglo European settlements, Native Americans frequented the area.  The Mississippian culture (900 to 1450 A.D.) was the most prominent, leaving behind large mounds throughout the county.  The rich lands were hunting grounds for the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Shawnee, and other tribes prior to the late 1700s. 

Settled by Anglo Europeans beginning in 1780, settlers staked claims on what was originally land cultivated and hunted by Native Americans.  The Native American legacy—symbolized by tools and arrowheads still being found in backyards—is continually being rediscovered. 

One large landowner was Henry Compton Sr. who came in 1806, married Sarah Cox in 1815 and settled on 325 acres in the area to raise their ten children.  While most of the historic dwellings like theirs have been razed, a few still remain.  One of the most notable is the McCrory­Mayfield House, built in 1798.  It is the oldest remaining dwelling.  

Other settlers came because of land grants awarded to Revolutionary War veterans.  During the 19th and early 20th centuries, numerous small farms utilized the Otter Creek watershed and the rich bottomlands along the tributaries of Richland Creek in the city’s northwest corner.  The topography of steep, forested hills were difficult to till, preventing larger farming operations, though the fertile areas produced oats, Indian corn, and potatoes and nurtured the livestock.

Part of the responsibility for settlement was the construction of the Natchez Trace, which was completed in 1809.  It was the primary north/south route through central Tennessee at that time.  With the advent of steamboat travel, its use declined significantly and the old roadbed was used as local farm roads by the mid­19th century.   Today, the Hillsboro Pike (State Route 56/U.S. 431) is located just west of the city's center and serves as the main north/south corridor within the city limits.