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Portland, TN
“The Strawberry Capital of Tennessee”
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Complete Guide to Portland, Tennessee
Portland is a town of roughly 13,000 in the northern tip of Sumner County, sitting right along I-65 near the Kentucky state line. It's best known as the "Strawberry Capital of Tennessee," home to the Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival, which held its 85th annual celebration on May 8-9, 2026. Compared with the more developed southern Sumner County cities like Hendersonville and Gallatin, Portland trades proximity for affordability, with median home prices that run well below the Nashville-metro average and steady new-construction activity as buyers look farther out for value. The drive to downtown Nashville is about 39-40 miles and runs roughly 45 minutes off-peak via I-65, though rush-hour traffic can stretch that meaningfully. Public schools are part of Sumner County Schools (Portland High School, Portland East and Portland West Middle Schools, and Watt Hardison Elementary, among others); Highland Academy is a private Seventh-day Adventist school in the area. Major area employers include a Macy's Logistics & Operations distribution center on Vaughn Parkway, and in May 2026 hometown company Shoals Technologies Group opened a 638,000-square-foot manufacturing campus, adding to Portland's industrial base.
What's changing in Portland
Updated June 2026Shoals Technologies' New Solar-Tech Mega-Campus Anchors Portland's Industrial Base
The marquee development reshaping Portland, TN is the new 638,000-square-foot Shoals Technologies Group manufacturing campus at 1500 Shoals Way, which opened with a ribbon-cutting on May 18, 2026. The hometown solar- and energy-infrastructure company (NASDAQ: SHLS) consolidated three existing Tennessee facilities into one centralized 'mega facility,' backed by a $30 million initial investment and a commitment of up to $80 million over five years, reinforcing Portland's role as a Middle Tennessee advanced-manufacturing hub.
MARQUEE PROJECT — SHOALS TECHNOLOGIES MEGA-CAMPUS: The single biggest project physically in Portland (Sumner County) is the new Shoals Technologies Group manufacturing campus. Shoals is headquartered in Portland and is the city's anchor public company (NASDAQ: SHLS), making this both an expansion and a consolidation of its hometown footprint.
SIZE & ADDRESS: A 638,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing campus at 1500 Shoals Way, Portland, TN, on the Sumner County side of the city. It consolidates the company's three existing Tennessee facilities into one centralized location.
INVESTMENT: A $30 million initial investment, with a total commitment of up to $80 million over five years, per the company's announcement and the May 2026 opening release.
JOBS: The expansion is reported to add roughly 550 jobs over five years. The facility was reported as operational but still ramping toward full capacity in 2026.
TIMELINE & STATUS: A grand-opening ribbon-cutting was held May 18, 2026, with the public announcement May 19, 2026 (the event also marked the company's 30th anniversary). Status: OPEN and ramping to full capacity.
WHAT IT MAKES: Electrical 'balance of systems' (EBOS) and critical power infrastructure for utility-scale solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and data-center power — Shoals' core product lines.
HONESTY NOTE ON A COMPETING HEADLINE: A larger-sounding project — Create Energy's expansion announced in 2026 — is frequently associated with 'Portland,' but the bulk of that investment and jobs is actually at an Orlinda facility in ROBERTSON County, not Portland/Sumner. For Sumner-County Portland specifically, Shoals is the true marquee project.
RESIDENTIAL CONTEXT: Portland's affordable new-construction growth continues alongside the job base, with the Planning Commission processing new single-family subdivisions, though no single residential project rivals Shoals in scale.
SOURCING NOTE: The $30M figure reflects the May 2026 opening release's 'initial investment'; the broader commitment is framed as up to $80M over five years. Job figures (~550) are drawn from coverage of the expansion and may be revised as the facility ramps.
- Marquee project
- Shoals Technologies Group manufacturing mega-campus
- Developer / company
- Shoals Technologies Group (NASDAQ: SHLS), Portland-HQ'd
- Location
- 1500 Shoals Way, Portland, TN (Sumner County)
- Investment
- $30M initial; up to $80M over five years
- Size
- 638,000 sq ft (consolidates 3 TN facilities)
- Jobs
- ~550 new jobs (over five years)
- Status / timeline
- Ribbon-cutting May 18, 2026; OPEN and ramping to full capacity
- Product
- Solar EBOS, battery energy storage (BESS), data-center power infrastructure
- Honesty caveat
- Create Energy's larger expansion is mostly in Orlinda, ROBERTSON County — not Portland/Sumner
What's New to Eat, Drink & Shop in Portland
Updated June 2026Portland sits at the northern edge of Sumner County on the Kentucky line, and its small-town Main Street and Highway 52/31W corridors have seen a handful of genuinely new food, coffee, and retail openings in 2024-2026. The following are verified as real and located within Portland itself (37148) via the Portland Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Media of Tennessee (the Portland Sun). Note: several recent ribbon-cuttings nearby were excluded because they sit in neighboring towns (Orlinda, White House, Westmoreland) rather than Portland proper.
A locally owned coffee business on Highway 31W (6009 Hwy 31 W) owned by Tasha Graham, serving handcrafted coffee drinks. Listed by the Portland Chamber as a catering/food-truck coffee operation, it was celebrated with a Portland Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting in early 2026.
Coffee · 2026-01 (ribbon cutting Jan 13, 2026; operating since late 2025)
A classic Southern comfort-food eatery on the grounds of Bottom View Farm (185 Wilkerson Lane), run by chef-owners Kelley Cassetty and Don Ostrander. The menu runs to meatloaf, fried catfish, fried chicken, country fried steak, and a daily plate, plus a full breakfast service, with discounts for seniors, veterans, and first responders.
Restaurant · 2025-05 (opened May 1, 2025)
A downtown clothing-and-gift boutique opened by Dezaree Henson at 104 E. McGlothlin Street on Main Street, carrying merchandise for all ages including baby items. The Portland Chamber held a ribbon-cutting for the storefront.
Retail · 2025-11 (opened Nov 5, 2025)
A drive-thru location of the national specialty-coffee chain at 413 Hwy 52 W, serving espresso drinks, blended beverages, and pastries. It soft-launched in mid-June 2024 and held its grand opening and ribbon cutting at the end of that month.
Coffee · 2024-06 (soft launch June 13; grand opening June 28, 2024)
Why People Love Portland
Neighborhoods & areas in Portland
Portland Quick Facts
Homes for Sale in Portland
Browse Portland ListingsFrequently Asked Questions
What is the median home price in Portland?
The median home price in Portland is approximately $335,000, with homes ranging from $220K – $600K.
How far is Portland from Nashville?
Portland is approximately 45-60 minutes from downtown Nashville. Exact commute time depends on traffic and your specific destination.
What's it like living in Portland, TN?
Portland is a small, affordable north-Sumner County town near the Kentucky line, known for its long-running Strawberry Festival and value-priced new c... It's commonly a fit for Value-focused buyers and New-construction shoppers.
What are the popular neighborhoods or areas in Portland?
Areas commonly searched in Portland include Downtown Portland / Historic core, Wind Wood Estates, Richland Park area, Highland Circle area, South Broadway corridor, Vaughn Parkway / north-side new construction. Each offers a different balance of price, amenities, and lifestyle, and we can pull recent comparable sales so you decide what fits.
Explore Other Middle Tennessee Cities
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Weighing Portland against somewhere else?
Pick Portland and any other Middle TN area to see them side-by-side: median price, drive time, walk score, lifestyle character.