Santa Fe | Nashville's Backyard

COMMUNITY OF CREATIVITY

SANTA FE

Santa Fe (pronounced Santa FEE, like TennSEE) is a best-kept-secret kind of place that draws all flavors of city dwellers. It’s pretty much exactly what folks picture when they dream of soaking up long country sunsets and keeping a few chickens on an honest patch of land. Located just 50 miles southwest of Nashville, this unincorporated community and its small neighboring villages knit together to form a friendly, connected mix of lifelong residents and eclectic transplants. For some, it’s a just-right blueprint for the modern rural escape.

Old Town, New Life

There’s something about Santa Fe that draws creative entrepreneurs together. In the last decade, the town has welcomed a brilliant new crop of people leaving their corporate gigs to farm, create, or translate their urban experience to rural living. Makers. Healers. Shop owners. Growers. And of course, plenty of musicians.

Entrepreneurs dig in

Here among the burbling creeks and forested acres, a midwife and physician blend conventional and holistic medicine via the Wild Healers podcast. A family leads curious visitors through a sustainable living experience, including a magical stay in permaculture “Hobbit Houses” at Forest Gully Farms. And plenty of next-gen farmers are homesteading and harvesting here. From the musician-farmer couple of the aptly named Farm and Fiddle to the Ivy League Peace Corps duo behind Athena’s Harvest Farm and Training Center, farmers in Nashville’s Big Back Yard are changing the world one crop at a time.

A Village gathers

There’s no downtown to speak of, but the Santa Fe community certainly has its gathering spots. Nett’s Country Store and Diner is technically in the village of Bethel, and it’s served as a meeting place and family favorite for decades. Maybe it’s the Friday Catfish special, or the sweet tea, or the to-die-for pies that draw folks from all the way up in the big city. Or maybe it’s Nett herself, the area’s unofficial ambassador. (Local tip: she’s probably the best on-the-ground resource for local info). Locals and visitors also rave about the Santa Fe Diner, part country restaurant and part time machine, serving great burgers in an old white house straight from a movie set. Papa Boudreux’s Cajun Hideaway draws people from far and wide—some pretty famous— seeking its authentic Louisiana etouffee. And the hospitality extends all the way to the front door, with regular “bring a chair and a dish to share” Neighbor’s Nights hosted by the Fleishers at Athena’s Harvest.

SANTA FE

At a Glance

Unincorporated community
50 miles southwest of Nashville
Four-season living
Maury County
Forested acreage, creeks, streams
U.S. Post Office established 1849
Santa Fe’s “village” includes surrounding unincorporated communities of Fly, Williamsport, Whiteoak, Primm Springs, and others
Population 4,000

Schools: Santa Fe Unit School, a unique K-12 public education learning experience serving approximately 600 students
Nearest Hospital: Maury Regional Medical Center (Level 1 Trauma Center)
Airport: Maury County Regional Airport; BNA (1 hour)
Nearest Major Grocery: Kroger in Columbia, TN