Axios Nashville celebrates one year of news

On Sept. 20, 2021 — one year ago Tuesday — we hit send on the first-ever Axios Nashville newsletter, beginning a roller coaster that took us from the inner workings of city hall to a curling bar in The Nations.

• As we approached this milestone, we realized our first 12 months of work might be best encapsulated in a tale of two burgers.

Flashback: Last October, we reported on music industry pros behind the smashburger pop-up Bad Luck Burger Club. Later the same month, the venerable all-night greasy spoon Hermitage Cafe flipped its last patty.

Zoom out: The juxtaposition of those two stories tells the tale of a city at a crossroads.

• On one hand, you have creative entrepreneurship powering an only-in-Nashville success story.
• But there are also institutions that feel tied to the city's soul getting left behind.

Why it matters: That tension between the old and the new rippled through many of our daily dispatches.

• Debates over the East Bank redevelopment, local political battles and criminal justice reform all reflect a city grappling with profound change.
• Every day, we've sought to harness more than 25 years of combined experience covering Nashville to explore and explain our home.

Yes, and: Every day, the Axios Nashville community (population 33,258 and growing) has helped us to reach that goal.

• You steered us toward fascinating stories, shared your favorite songs and suggested some seriously delicious desserts.
• Your feedback makes the early mornings worth it.

The bottom line: As our readership has grown, so has Axios' footprint. On the day Nashville's first newsletter was published, Axios Local was in nine cities. By the end of this year, we'll be in 30.

💙 If you've enjoyed spending your mornings with us over the last year, encourage your neighbors to subscribe for free.