By last census count, more than 18,000 reside in DeKalb County, its principal towns of Smithville, Alexandria, Liberty and Dowelltown, and rural communities like Temperance Hall, Keltonburg, Belk, Snows Hill, Blue Springs and Cherry Valley. Residents take great pride in the scenic beauty found in every corner of the county, and especially Center Hill Lake, a recreational resource for all who cherish the great outdoors.

Situated approximately 60 miles southeast of Nashville and easily accessible from Lebanon by Interstate 40 or U.S. Highway 70, the county is also traversed by several north-south roadways: State Route 96 which provides a direct link to Murfreesboro; State Highway 53 which links the county with I-40 to the north through Alexandria or to Woodbury in Cannon County to the South; and State Route 56, a direct road to McMinnville in Warren County and also linking Smithville to Silver Point and I-40.

The county is named for Baron Johann DeKalb, a Bavarian general who provided critical support to the patriots in the American Revolution. Some tracts of land in the area were originally granted as pensions to veterans of that war. Allegiances tilted both North and South during the War Between the States and residents endured periods of occupation by soldiers or sympathizers to both armies over the course of the Civil War. The major engagement here, The Battle of Snows Hill, involved as many 4000 soldiers. It is commemorated with a historical marker along Highway 70 just east of Dowelltown, near the base of Snows Hill.

Family farms were a fixture of the area along the Caney Fork River until the construction of Center Hill Dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create Center Hill Lake. Subsequent generations have gradually moved off the farms, allowing many acres which were farmed a few decades ago to be reclaimed as forest or divided into smaller tracts for new homes. Today’s residents are as likely to be employed at one of the businesses, factories or stores which fuel the local economy as they are to commute to larger cities within driving distance including Cookeville, Lebanon, Murfreesboro, McMinnville and Nashville.

Homeowners enjoy some of the lowest property taxes in the state and pay no state income tax. Their health care needs are met by the modern facilities of the highly-rated DeKalb Community Hospital, as well as exemplary retirement facilities at NHC’s Smithville nursing care facility and the Webb House retirement home. Two local newspapers, the weeklies Smithville Review and Middle Tennessee Times, as well as local radio station WJLE keep citizens informed and entertained. The county boasts a full roster of churches of many denominations as well as community and civic organizations dedicated to the distinct needs of area children, adults and seniors.

If all of this describes the kind of place you’d like to call home, give us a call at Center Hill Realty today!

Residents of the area enjoy a slice of country life which has already been lost in most places: casual strolls along back roads, fishing and swimming the creek by summer, and hiking, biking or driving the scenic area in any season. If you’re in a hurry, you’ll be out of place here.

Dowelltown itself is characterized by mostly modest older homes, as more spacious modern homes take shape on the affordable lots around them. In the country, most of the hillside farms are returning to woods, though some farming continues along the creek bottoms. Some large tracts of undeveloped land remain, though many larger farms are now being divided and sold as smaller more manageable settings for rural retreats. If that’s what interests you, Dowelltown and its surrounding area may be a good place to start. Search by the town name or zip code.

All of us at Center Hill Realty want to let you in on something we’ve been sharing with people for years: Center Hill Lake, and the surrounding areas of DeKalb, White and Putnam Counties are great places to live, whether you’re looking for a home to raise your family, planning for retirement or ready for a vacation home with a breathtaking lake view.

The area offers a little bit of everything in real estate from affordable homes, lots and farms to luxury lake houses, condominiums and rentals in an area defined by its scenic surroundings, low taxes and the latest amenities – all conveniently situated within a little more than an hour’s drive from Nashville.

If you enjoy the great outdoors, this is paradise. Center Hill Lake is a destination for boaters, anglers and skiers each year. Edgar Evins State Park, and the campgrounds maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers provide ample opportunity for camping and hiking the scenic hills and shoreline. Nature watchers and hunters enjoy the expansive stands of forest around the lake, throughout surrounding hills and at TWRA’s 1300 acre Pea Ridge Game Preserve – all home to deer, turkeys and native wildlife of every description.

For the culturally inclined, the Joe L. Evins Appalachian Crafts Center, located on the lake, draws artists from all over to learn, work and teach many seminars open to the public, and sell their work. Nearby, Smithville’s own Stella Luna Gallery is a world class art showcase for the work of area artists. Each fall, the annual Off The Beaten Path tour provides an opportunity to visit the studios of the diverse creative community which has taken root here.

Edgar Evins State Park Observatory
But if what matters most is a perfect setting for your next home or business, the area offers the best in small town living. Communities throughout the region boast a combination of recently built houses, older homes with character, and new neighborhoods which are taking shape in many developments. Expansive tracts of land are still available for your own rural retreat, while many family farms which once characterized the area have been divided into smaller tracts, ideal for the hobby farm of a few acres. Around the lake, homes and lots with scenic views and easy access to the shoreline can still be found.

If you want to learn more, are ready to buy, or eager to sell to the many newcomers flocking to this area, please email or call us at Center Hill Realty today.

When it comes to your real estate needs, we’re the local experts.

The 800-plus citizens of Alexandria are proud to boast of themselves and their town. “Home of the Finest Folks on Earth” welcome sign greets visitors on their approach along Highway 70 from nearby Watertown. It’s a claim rooted in the distinct sense of community and belonging which defines the area and residents.

Situated at the western end of DeKalb County, the town is easily accessible from Lebanon along Highway 70 or I-40 and destinations east and west from Highway 53 as it heads north out of town. Residents truly have the best of both worlds: commuting to nearby cities or Nashville for work by day, then back home for the peace and security of small town living by night.

The town’s history stretches all the way back to the early 1800’s, but it wasn’t formally founded until 1820. It wasn’t too many years later, in 1856, when the first DeKalb County fair was held on the Alexandria Fairgrounds. That tradition continues with the fair now designated the “Grandpa Fair of the South” – the longest running county fair in the region. This mid summer event, with its combination of exhibits and amusements, invites everyone to share in Alexandria’s rich sense of community.

The fairgrounds, just a short walk across Hickman Creek from the block-long downtown square, also hold another page of history. Confederate General John Hunt Morgan’s Kentucky raiders embarked on their famous foray into Ohio from here after weeks of restful encampment at the fairgrounds in 1863.

The traces of that army have long faded. Today the town is characterized by older homes which line its many streets, newer houses and several small subdivisions. Just outside the city limits, there’ s still some farmland to be found. But, as in other areas of DeKalb and surrounding counties, older farms are slowly being divided into smaller lots which make the perfect setting for a new home. To see what’s available, search the MLS by the town names or zip codes, but for real insight call or contact us right away at Center Hill Realty.

Nestled west of the base of Snows Hill, Dowelltown is concentrated north of Highway 70, near where Dry Creek feeds into the larger Smith Fork. The confluence of those two water sources appealed to an earlier age, as remnants and relics of Native American occupation can still be seen in the area today. The town is named for its founder who starting selling lots about the same time a mill was constructed below the area’s main freshwater spring. That was in 1867 and the town slowly developed over the ensuing century along the streets built around the mill. Today, its population barely tops 400, as many residents who get their mail through the local post office reside in the scenic countryside surrounding the town in every direction.

Residents of the area enjoy a slice of country life which has already been lost in most places: casual strolls along back roads, fishing and swimming the creek by summer, and hiking, biking or driving the scenic area in any season. If you’re in a hurry, you’ll be out of place here.

Dowelltown itself is characterized by mostly modest older homes, as more spacious modern homes take shape on the affordable lots around them. In the country, most of the hillside farms are returning to woods, though some farming continues along the creek bottoms. Some large tracts of undeveloped land remain, though many larger farms are now being divided and sold as smaller more manageable settings for rural retreats. If that’s what interests you, Dowelltown and its surrounding area may be a good place to start. Search by the town name or zip code.

DeKalb County’s oldest town (Liberty) is also one of its most scenic. Revolutionary War veteran Adam Dale first settled the area in 1797. He built a mill on the Smith Fork Creek and founded the town in 1804. The scenic splendor of the surrounding fields, hills and hollows has changed relatively little since those days.

Much of the area along Main Street enjoys protection as a National Historic District encompassing a mix of buildings and structures from each chapter in the town’s rich history. Landmarks include the old Liberty High School, built of native limestone, and the Salem Baptist Church and cemetery, the final resting place for generations of those who have proudly called this place home. DeKalb County’s last Indian battle was fought within the city limits near where the Clear Fork flows into Smith Fork creek. Decades later, soldiers in blue and gray fought several skirmishes along nearby streets.

Once a thriving, self-sustaining municipality, today Liberty has matured into a quiet bedroom community characterized by its many friendly faces, comfortable sidewalks for an easy stroll and a congenial sense of place. Most residents commute to work in nearby cities and towns; even Nashville is within a little more than an hour’s drive away.

The community is also home to those who live in town as well as on land, lots or farms in the surrounding area. If interested in a lot, house, or farm here, search by Liberty or the town’s zip code, 37095.

As the county seat of DeKalb County, Smithville is also its hub. The town hosts the offices of county government and the local courts on its town square and is home to most of the county’s public schools, many churches, major retail stores, medical facilities and business services, including the main office of Center Hill Realty.

With a population of nearly 4000, Smithville has a small town feel to it without giving up modern amenities. Its population contains a balance of lifelong residents as well as newcomers attracted by a combination of affordable living and small town values. Recreation facilities include Greenbrook Park with its pastoral duck pond and walking path and the Smithville Municipal Golf Course with pool and tennis courts.

One weekend each summer, Smithville welcomes music lovers the world over to the Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree. For two days, the population can swell to as many as 100,000 who gather in the shade of the courthouse lawn and the surrounding streets for some good, clean fun. This celebration of traditional Appalachian music and crafts has introduced many visitors to the town and area they eventually call home. The easy pace of living and local brand of Southern hospitality keeps most attendees coming back year after year.

As far as homes go, the town’s real estate encompasses a combination of spacious 19th century homes, a range of styles popular in the 2Oth century and the latest designs in modern developments. Most homes here have ample yard space for the flower or vegetable gardens that are such pleasurable parts of summer Southern living.

To find out if there is a house, lot or commercial property in Smithville that’s right for you, search the MLS by the town name or zip code. For instant service, simply click the Contact Us or Email button on this page and talk to us directly at Center Hill Realty about your real estate needs.