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Cookeville, TN
“Hub of the Upper Cumberland — waterfall country, college town”
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Complete Guide to Cookeville, Tennessee
Cookeville (pop. ~35,000) is the seat of Putnam County and the commercial, medical, and education hub of the Upper Cumberland region, sitting along I-40 roughly 80 miles east of downtown Nashville. The city's character blends a walkable historic core — the WestSide cultural district, Courthouse Square, and the North Dixie Avenue Historic District — with a Tennessee Tech University campus of more than 10,000 students that gives it a steady college-town energy. It's a genuine outdoor-recreation gateway: Cummins Falls and Burgess Falls state parks are minutes away, and the area is marketed as having 150-plus waterfalls within about 40 miles. The economy leans on three large anchors — Cookeville Regional Medical Center, Tennessee Tech, and the Putnam County School System — alongside a manufacturing base, so it suits buyers who want a smaller-city cost of living with their work, healthcare, and university amenities close at hand. The honest tradeoff is distance from Nashville: a realistic 75-80 minute drive each way makes it a stretch for daily Nashville commuting and better suited to remote workers, regional-employer households, or those whose lives center on Cookeville itself. Public schools are operated by the Putnam County School System, which serves Cookeville along with Algood, Baxter, and Monterey.
What's changing in Cookeville
Updated June 2026The Willows: Target- and Home Depot-anchored retail center reshaping Cookeville
The marquee project currently reshaping Cookeville and Putnam County is The Willows, a 40-acre retail development at the corner of South Willow Avenue and Interstate 40 that will deliver Putnam County's first Target and first Home Depot. It is the single most-anticipated and highest-profile project in the market, with two big-box anchors, restaurant pads, and an anticipated fall (reported October) 2026 opening. Two separate industrial announcements (LEV Manufacturing and Anatolia Cabinet & Millwork) are the largest recent jobs and capital-investment wins, but the retail center is the project most visibly transforming the area.
MARQUEE PROJECT — THE WILLOWS (retail). Location: at the southeast corner of South Willow Avenue and Interstate 40 in Cookeville. It is a 40-acre, multi-retail development and is the first Target and first Home Depot in Putnam County.
Developer/team: Developed by Development Management Group, LLC (DMG) of Nashville, with CHM, LLC as developer-builder.
Size: Two big-box anchors (Target and Home Depot) plus restaurant spaces, a garden center, and several outparcels slated for additional restaurants and retailers.
Timeline/status: Construction is underway. Site work began in 2025; the official groundbreaking was held April 24, 2025. Anticipated opening is fall 2026, reported as October 2026. As of mid-2026 the project is under active construction (status: in progress, not yet open).
Public incentive: A $2.75 million infrastructure grant was requested from the Cookeville City Council for traffic and street improvements at the site. No total private-investment dollar figure has been publicly disclosed in the sources reviewed.
WHY IT MATTERS LOCALLY: Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter described Target and Home Depot as among the retailers most requested by local residents, and framed the project as keeping sales-tax dollars in the county rather than losing them to the Nashville and Knoxville metros — relevant context for the regional-hub role Cookeville plays in the Upper Cumberland.
LARGEST RECENT INDUSTRIAL/JOBS WINS (secondary): (1) LEV (Light Electric Vehicles) Manufacturing — announced ~May 2026, establishing its first Tennessee facility in Algood (Putnam County), creating 288 jobs and investing $7 million, acquiring a 100,000 sq ft production/distribution facility to serve Rad Power Bikes products. (2) Anatolia Cabinet and Millwork — announced November 2025, creating 56 jobs and investing $9.6 million in a Baxter (Putnam County) facility.
HOW TO FRAME FOR OUT-OF-STATE MOVERS: The Willows is the headline new retail/amenities story (Target + Home Depot + dining, opening 2026). LEV Manufacturing ($7M, 288 jobs) and Anatolia ($9.6M, 56 jobs) are the headline new-employer stories. The one notable data gap is The Willows' total private investment dollar amount, which was not disclosed in public sources.
- Marquee project
- The Willows — 40-acre retail center, Target + Home Depot anchors
- Location
- S. Willow Ave at I-40, Cookeville (Putnam County)
- Developer
- Development Management Group (DMG), Nashville, with CHM, LLC
- Public incentive
- $2.75M infrastructure grant requested (total private cost not disclosed)
- Groundbreaking
- April 24, 2025
- Opening / status
- Fall 2026 (reported October 2026); under construction
- Largest jobs win
- LEV Manufacturing — 288 jobs, $7M, Algood (announced ~May 2026)
- Largest capital win
- Anatolia Cabinet & Millwork — 56 jobs, $9.6M, Baxter (Nov 2025)
What's New to Eat, Drink & Shop in Cookeville
Updated June 2026Cookeville's WestSide dining scene and a major new I-40 retail corridor are both reshaping the city. Here are verified 2024-2026 openings and confirmed coming-soon establishments in Cookeville / Putnam County, TN, drawn primarily from the Upper Cumberland Business Journal and operator sources.
Successor restaurant to Seven Senses Food & Cheer from owner Jay Albrecht, serving the Seven Senses Southern menu in a larger WestSide space at 35 W. Broad Street, across the street from the original location. Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m.
Restaurant · August 2025
Craft cocktail bar and restaurant from owners Toni and Bryon Mowrey at 102 N. Cedar Avenue, serving classic and craft cocktails alongside breakfast, lunch, and dinner in an open-kitchen setting.
Bar / Brewery · October 2025
Brian and Kate Heim's coffee business, which started in a converted horse trailer in 2022, opened its first brick-and-mortar shop at 490 E. 10th Street, Ste. 101, near Tennessee Tech, with seating for about 30 guests.
Coffee · Fall 2025
Cookeville's Poet's Coffee opened a campus location at Tennessee Tech University, reported as the first local business to operate a spot on the TTU campus.
Coffee · January 2025
Footwear retailer (owned by Shoe Carnival) opened at 1265 Interstate Drive in The Shoppes at Eagle Point as part of its expansion into mid-size Southern markets.
Retail · April 5, 2025
A new 3,693-square-foot McDonald's at 1201 N. Washington Avenue, built by the Hudson Company, became Putnam County's fifth McDonald's location after breaking ground in 2025.
Restaurant · Late 2025 / early 2026
The California burger chain's Tennessee debut is reported to be planned for an outparcel at The Willows shopping center off I-40 and Willow Avenue. Reported by the Upper Cumberland Business Journal via a source; In-N-Out had not made an official company announcement as of the reporting.
Restaurant · Reported with The Willows, Fall/October 2026
Two national anchor retailers are coming to The Willows, a 40-acre shopping center at I-40 and Willow Avenue that will also include restaurants and additional outparcels.
Retail · Expected Fall/October 2026
Why People Love Cookeville
Neighborhoods & areas in Cookeville
Cookeville Quick Facts
Homes for Sale in Cookeville
Browse Cookeville ListingsFrequently Asked Questions
What is the median home price in Cookeville?
The median home price in Cookeville is approximately $315,000, with homes ranging from $200K – $750K.
How far is Cookeville from Nashville?
Cookeville is approximately 75-80 minutes (about 79 miles via I-40) from downtown Nashville. Exact commute time depends on traffic and your specific destination.
What's it like living in Cookeville, TN?
Cookeville is the regional hub of Tennessee's Upper Cumberland, a Tennessee Tech University college town about 80 miles east of Nashville, surrounded ... It's commonly a fit for Remote workers who want lower cost of living and Tennessee Tech and healthcare-sector households.
What are the popular neighborhoods or areas in Cookeville?
Areas commonly searched in Cookeville include Historic WestSide, North Dixie Avenue Historic District, White Plains, Rebecca Place, Capshaw Woods, Downtown / Courthouse Square. Each offers a different balance of price, amenities, and lifestyle, and we can pull recent comparable sales so you decide what fits.
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