Nashville

blue

Get smarter, faster on what matters in Nashville with Nate Rau and Adam Tamburin.

Axios Nashville

Standard

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Nashville. Written by Nate Rau and Adam Tamburin.

Axios Nashville Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Nashville Alerts

Alert

Axios Nashville Partners

Nashville Members

Membership

Inside Clarksville's record growth: Big deals, and a population surge

From an ambitious economic development project to affordable housing, Clarksville is booming.

News

For generations, Tennesseans have referred to the state&#x27;s big four cities: Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga.<ul><li>Yes, but: It&#x27;s time to start thinking in terms of the Big Five.</li></ul>Why it matters: Clarksville is at a tipping point after decades of meteoric growth.<ul><li>The once-sleepy Middle Tennessee town an hour away on Interstate 24 is attracting massive mixed-use developments that are on par with Nashville&#x27;s current East Bank overhaul.</li></ul>

Ella Langley breaks Billboard record with "Choosin' Texas"

Dolly Parton's enduring appeal was on full display after her death.

Music

Ella Langley&#x27;s tale of woe in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="&quot;Choosin&#x27; Texas&quot;" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2026/02/11/ella-langley-takes-nashville-to-no-1-on-the-hot-100" data-vars-content-id="2be6ce59-635b-45b5-8789-906cebcd7779" data-vars-headline="Ella Langley breaks Billboard record with &quot;Choosin&#x27; Texas&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2026/02/11/ella-langley-takes-nashville-to-no-1-on-the-hot-100" target="_self">&quot;Choosin&#x27; Texas&quot;</a> took her to the top of the charts in February, and she&#x27;s not budging.Why it matters: The country heartbreak ballad hit 20 weeks at No. 1 this week. It keeps breaking records, and its latest accomplishment is a doozy.<ul><li>It is now the longest-running non-holiday No. 1 in the 68-year history of Billboard&#x27;s Hot 100.</li></ul>

Dolly Parton didn't want a "traditional" memorial; She'll get a "party of a lifetime" instead.

"Dollyfest" will take place next year in Nashville and London.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Dolly Parton" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2026/08/25/dolly-parton-has-died-at-80-obit" data-vars-content-id="f7930477-c393-441b-9a7c-3b4e027a4bb7" data-vars-headline="Dolly Parton didn&#x27;t want a &quot;traditional&quot; memorial; She&#x27;ll get a &quot;party of a lifetime&quot; instead." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2026/08/25/dolly-parton-has-died-at-80-obit" target="_self">Dolly Parton</a> didn&#x27;t want a &quot;traditional memorial&quot; service, so instead her team is throwing the &quot;party of a lifetime&quot; in her honor: a two-weekend music festival that will stretch across continents.Why it matters: The massive &quot;Dollyfest&quot; celebration will take place next year during back-to-back weekends in Nashville and London. Parton&#x27;s longtime manager said a music festival with international reach was &quot;authentic&quot; to her vision.

Top Tennessee lawmakers commit to funding Dolly Parton's Imagination Library statewide

Speaker Cameron Sexton and Sen. Bo Watson commit to funding Dolly's Imagination Library

Top Republican lawmakers vowed Tuesday to fund the local costs of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Dolly Parton&#x27;s Imagination Library" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/08/25/dolly-parton-imagination-library-legacy-death" data-vars-content-id="6ec69b2b-c082-425a-b64f-f4c7f28e68f8" data-vars-headline="Top Tennessee lawmakers commit to funding Dolly Parton&#x27;s Imagination Library statewide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/08/25/dolly-parton-imagination-library-legacy-death" target="_self">Dolly Parton&#x27;s Imagination Library</a> in the 2027 state budget.Why it matters: The commitment from House Speaker Cameron Sexton and state Sen. Bo Watson ensures the already successful program will have funding available in every corner of Tennessee.

Fewer Tennessee kindergarteners got vaccines in 2025-26, per CDC

The share of Tennessee kindergartners with any vaccine exemption reached 4.8%.

Education

More kindergarten students in Tennessee skipped vaccines during the 2025–2026 school year, according to exemption figures Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reported" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/schoolvaxview/data/index.html" data-vars-content-id="58b320b8-b3f2-4a47-8a57-52742d7c4b57" data-vars-headline="Fewer Tennessee kindergarteners got vaccines in 2025-26, per CDC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/schoolvaxview/data/index.html" target="_blank">reported</a> on Monday.Why it matters: Tennessee&#x27;s rate of vaccine exemptions saw its biggest annual increase in years as vaccine skepticism continues to grow.<ul><li>The change coincided with continued efforts by the Trump administration to make controversial <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="vaccine policy changes" data-vars-click-url="http://axios.com/2026/08/10/trump-order-split-up-mmr-vaccine" data-vars-content-id="58b320b8-b3f2-4a47-8a57-52742d7c4b57" data-vars-headline="Fewer Tennessee kindergarteners got vaccines in 2025-26, per CDC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="http://axios.com/2026/08/10/trump-order-split-up-mmr-vaccine" target="_self">vaccine policy changes</a>.</li></ul>

Nvidia CEO backs Vanderbilt's San Francisco campus

The new campus has a capacity for about 1,000 students.

The leader of the massive technology company Nvidia is donating $75 million to help establish the academic bedrock of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Vanderbilt University&#x27;s campus in San Francisco" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2026/01/13/vanderbilt-san-francisco-campus-cca-closure" data-vars-content-id="23ffd32a-f6a8-4783-8153-6e74b04ef8d5" data-vars-headline="Nvidia CEO backs Vanderbilt&#x27;s San Francisco campus" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2026/01/13/vanderbilt-san-francisco-campus-cca-closure" target="_self">Vanderbilt University&#x27;s campus in San Francisco</a>.Why it matters: The financial backing from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and his wife will support the campus&#x27; flagship college, which will house programs covering the arts, architecture and design.

University of Tennessee launches new degree in civic and constitutional thought

Program will pursue "comprehensive study of the American constitutional political tradition."

Days before the country <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="celebrates its 250th birthday" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2026/07/01/nashville-july-4-celebration-growth" data-vars-content-id="a02fe0c3-a65f-48a0-99e1-d8db18974d7c" data-vars-headline="University of Tennessee launches new degree in civic and constitutional thought" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2026/07/01/nashville-july-4-celebration-growth" target="_self">celebrates its 250th birthday</a>, the University of Tennessee is moving forward with a new undergraduate degree in civic and constitutional thought.Why it matters: Leaders say students pursuing the degree will get a &quot;comprehensive study of the American constitutional political tradition.&quot;

After decades on the brink, Fisk University bets big on reinvention with $1B master plan

"You can't continue doing the same things over and over again," Fisk president Agenia Walker Clark says.

Fisk University has lurched from one financial crisis to another for decades, but university president Agenia Walker Clark tells Axios a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="newly announced overhaul" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2026/05/14/fisk-university-1-billion-campus-plan-data-center-electricity" data-vars-content-id="b4e902b7-1fba-4044-830c-f7e72aadb3c1" data-vars-headline="After decades on the brink, Fisk University bets big on reinvention with $1B master plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2026/05/14/fisk-university-1-billion-campus-plan-data-center-electricity" target="_self">newly announced overhaul</a>, which calls for an on-campus data center, may be the beginning of a new era.Why it matters: In an interview, Clark says the $1 billion &quot;Quantum Leap&quot; plan, which has board approval and buy-in from city leaders, is intended to shift the historically Black university from survival mode into a period of growth.

Fisk University announces $1B plan to transform campus, build data center

The plan would radically change the look and feel of Nashville's oldest university.

Fisk University leaders on Thursday announced a $1 billion plan to transform the campus, anchored by the construction of a 100,000-square-foot data center and academic facility.Why it matters: The plan, dubbed &quot;Quantum Leap,&quot; would radically change the look and feel of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Nashville&#x27;s oldest university" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2023/09/13/fisk-university-new-president-nashville" data-vars-content-id="1015312c-36d4-4c1e-8888-1614cb3c5ae9" data-vars-headline="Fisk University announces $1B plan to transform campus, build data center" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2023/09/13/fisk-university-new-president-nashville" target="_self">Nashville&#x27;s oldest university</a> over the next decade. It also calls for a new arena, student center and art annex.<ul><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Fisk president Agenia Walker Clark" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2023/11/20/fisk-university-new-president-nashville-agenia-clark" data-vars-content-id="1015312c-36d4-4c1e-8888-1614cb3c5ae9" data-vars-headline="Fisk University announces $1B plan to transform campus, build data center" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2023/11/20/fisk-university-new-president-nashville-agenia-clark" target="_self">Fisk president Agenia Walker Clark</a> said the project would be a beacon of economic opportunity for the historically Black university and the surrounding neighborhood in the 37208 ZIP code.</li></ul>

MTSU launches new MFA for film and TV production

MTSU seeks to create a workforce pipeline to power film and TV productions.

Middle Tennessee State University is responding to an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="influx of film and television productions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2025/10/09/9-1-1-nashville-makes-music-city-the-backdrop-for-drama-outlandish-emergencies" data-vars-content-id="bd5dbf62-457f-4c4c-bbdc-bb5d826511f8" data-vars-headline="MTSU launches new MFA for film and TV production" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2025/10/09/9-1-1-nashville-makes-music-city-the-backdrop-for-drama-outlandish-emergencies" target="_self">influx of film and television productions</a> coming to the Nashville area with a new academic program set to launch this fall.Why it matters: Elected officials have <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="worked for years" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/06/10/metro-nashville-entertainment-industry-debate" data-vars-content-id="bd5dbf62-457f-4c4c-bbdc-bb5d826511f8" data-vars-headline="MTSU launches new MFA for film and TV production" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/06/10/metro-nashville-entertainment-industry-debate" target="_self">worked for years</a> to build the region&#x27;s film production bona fides. The MTSU program seeks to create a workforce pipeline that can power those productions.

Shrinking lottery revenue pinches HOPE scholarship

There are options to fill the funding gap. But at a point, cuts will be required.

Lottery revenue that has funded college scholarships in Tennessee for decades is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="shrinking" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2025/05/01/lottery-sidelined-tennessee-scholarship-plan" data-vars-content-id="f36de4bf-d504-4804-9d56-7d2f3bdc68a9" data-vars-headline="Shrinking lottery revenue pinches HOPE scholarship" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2025/05/01/lottery-sidelined-tennessee-scholarship-plan" target="_self">shrinking</a>, and it could require painful cuts in the years ahead.Why it matters: Tennessee&#x27;s HOPE scholarship and other financial aid options backed by lottery revenue have made college more affordable for hundreds of thousands of students.<ul><li>A funding shortfall could mean students get less help.</li></ul>

Nashville's college-educated population surges

Nashville was one of the top 20 metros with the fastest-growing attainment rates.

The share of Nashville adults <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="with a bachelor&#x27;s degree" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2025/08/19/tennessee-college-enrollment-high-school-seniors" data-vars-content-id="bd55175e-1054-4ecf-93ea-3400b02651aa" data-vars-headline="Nashville&#x27;s college-educated population surges" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2025/08/19/tennessee-college-enrollment-high-school-seniors" target="_self">with a bachelor&#x27;s degree</a> or higher has surged in the last decade, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new census data" data-vars-click-url="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/acs-5-year-gains-educational-attainment.html" data-vars-content-id="bd55175e-1054-4ecf-93ea-3400b02651aa" data-vars-headline="Nashville&#x27;s college-educated population surges" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/acs-5-year-gains-educational-attainment.html" target="_blank">new census data</a>.Why it matters: A rising share of college-educated adults can reshape the area&#x27;s workforce and build economic muscle. A highly educated population can also be attractive to companies looking to relocate.

Data shows a college education is tied to income growth in Nashville

Nashvillians with bachelor's or advanced degrees earn substantially more than those without

College remains a gateway to higher pay in Nashville and beyond, an analysis of federal data shows.Why it matters: The earnings data stands in stark contrast with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new national polling" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/14/college-jobs-gallup-ai" data-vars-content-id="05074c6c-8e9c-4e94-bfa4-c29dbb689453" data-vars-headline="Data shows a college education is tied to income growth in Nashville" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/14/college-jobs-gallup-ai" target="_self">new national polling</a> that shows Americans of all political stripes are much less likely to think of higher education is &quot;very important.&quot;

Vanderbilt among nine universities asked to agree to Trump "compact"

Requirements include a five-year tuition freeze and caps on international student enrollment.

The White House is asking Vanderbilt University to embrace President Trump&#x27;s views on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="gender" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/29/trump-funding-schools-transgender-children" data-vars-content-id="e3f6be8e-c5ae-4efd-b51a-ef7f3a3247c3" data-vars-headline="Vanderbilt among nine universities asked to agree to Trump &quot;compact&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/29/trump-funding-schools-transgender-children" target="_self">gender</a>, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="admissions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/07/trump-expands-race-probe-college-admissions" data-vars-content-id="e3f6be8e-c5ae-4efd-b51a-ef7f3a3247c3" data-vars-headline="Vanderbilt among nine universities asked to agree to Trump &quot;compact&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/07/trump-expands-race-probe-college-admissions" target="_self">admissions</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="free speech" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/02/04/trump-campus-free-speech-gaza" data-vars-content-id="e3f6be8e-c5ae-4efd-b51a-ef7f3a3247c3" data-vars-headline="Vanderbilt among nine universities asked to agree to Trump &quot;compact&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/02/04/trump-campus-free-speech-gaza" target="_self">free speech</a> in exchange for federal funding benefits.Why it matters: Vanderbilt is one of nine institutions to get the request, which was reported by the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Wall Street Journal" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/trump-universities-compact-federal-funds-agreement-df158493?st=XYXgWn&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink" data-vars-content-id="e3f6be8e-c5ae-4efd-b51a-ef7f3a3247c3" data-vars-headline="Vanderbilt among nine universities asked to agree to Trump &quot;compact&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/trump-universities-compact-federal-funds-agreement-df158493?st=XYXgWn&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a> and other outlets. Ten-page letters sent to those colleges lay out a &quot;compact&quot; of policies institutions can adopt to get priority access to funding and officials.<ul><li>The requirements include a five-year tuition freeze, caps on international student enrollment, and strict definitions of gender for bathrooms and sports, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per the AP" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/trump-political-agenda-colleges-federal-money-756407729a3b16c7bb51564d5056084c" data-vars-content-id="e3f6be8e-c5ae-4efd-b51a-ef7f3a3247c3" data-vars-headline="Vanderbilt among nine universities asked to agree to Trump &quot;compact&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-political-agenda-colleges-federal-money-756407729a3b16c7bb51564d5056084c" target="_blank">per the AP</a>.</li></ul>

Education 📚

Fewer Tennessee kindergarteners got vaccines in 2025-26, per CDC

Nvidia CEO backs Vanderbilt's San Francisco campus

University of Tennessee launches new degree in civic and constitutional thought

After decades on the brink, Fisk University bets big on reinvention with $1B master plan

Fisk University announces $1B plan to transform campus, build data center