Antioch

Antioch is a neighborhood of Nashville located approximately 12 miles southeast of Downtown Nashville. The community known as Antioch began at the convergence of Antioch Pike, Hickory Hollow Parkway, Blue Hole Road, and Mt. View Road. The original town of Antioch began with a church located at Mill Creek in 1810. In the 1970s, Antioch experienced explosive growth, largely due to the expansion of Nashville's sewer system. Despite the confusion about where Antioch started and where it is now, the city of Antioch has never been officially incorporated as a city. The city of Nashville is a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee, and is located in the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. It is located on the Tennessee River, which runs through the center of the city and into the suburbs of Murfreesboro, Nashville, and Folsom, Tennessee. The town was once a commuter town because workers traveled to and from downtown Nashville. It was named after a biblical passage, Acts 11:26 (KJV), which states "... and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." In the 1880s, the village consisted of a railroad station, one church, one store, a blacksmith shop, and a few residences. The post office designation for the village was Oneyville, named after the post master of that time, Dr. H. Oney, but it was later changed back to Antioch. In its heyday, approximately 18 passengers were taking the train to and From Nashville per workday. This was the final location before the arrival of the automobile - the invention that would make travel by railroad less popular.

History

Antioch is the primary city name, but also Cane Ridge are acceptable city names or spellings. Antioch began with a church located at Mill Creek in 1810. In 1820, a large landowner by the name of Charles Hays donated land for the church to build on. Hays based the name change on a biblical passage, Acts 11:26 (KJV), which states "... and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" By the 1880s, the village consisted of a railroad station, one church, one store, a blacksmith shop, and a few residences. In its heyday, approximately 18 passengers were taking the train to and from the city of Nashville per workday. In the 1970s, Antioch experienced explosive growth, largely due to the expansion of Nashville's sewer system. The area continues to experience the highest growth rates in some of the country's most rural areas. The town of Antioch was never formed as an incorporated city, so it was defined mostly by its postal address. The community was given the name AntiochPriest Lake because the study area encompassed areas near J. Percy Priest Lake and the neighborhoods that grew from the heart of Antioch in the early 19th century. The first train station was situated southwest of present day Una-Antioch Pike. The book With Good Will and Affection... for Antioch states that this may be in the spot where Hickory Hollow Parkway runs today. The train station would move to its second location near the terminus of Blue Hole Road at Antioch Pike. This was the final location prior to the arrival of the automobile - the invention that would make travel by railroad less popular.

Economy

The most important business concentration in Antioch is around the Commons at the Crossings, formerly Hickory Hollow Mall, which opened in 1978. As of February 2013, Target had left the Antioch area. Community Health Systems is building a shared service center to employ over 2,000 people on part of a 300-acre tract developed by Oldacre, McDonald LLC. The Nashville Predators chose the former Antioch mall location to construct its first regional ice hockey facility. Ford Ice Center has been operating at full capacity since its inception, making it one of the busiest rinks in North America. Metro greenway projects run along Mill Creek and plans are underway for a massive 600-acre park space on land that had been purchased by the Metro Parks department near Cane Ridge High School. Starwood Amphitheatre, Nashville's former primary outdoor music venue, was located in Antioch from 1986 to 2006. Plans are in progress for a $100 million redevelopment on the former Starwood site of the National Association of Free Association of Will Baptists' headquarters in Antioch. The State of Tennessee Department of Motor Vehicles placed a full-service driver license-testing station in Antioch in 2013. The struggling Global Mall at theCrossings occupies the interior of the old Hickory Hallow space. The former Hickoryollow Mall Mall has been redeveloped and rebranded as the Commons At The Crossings. A combined state of the art library and 55,000-square-foot recreation center now occupies the former JCPenney section of the mall.

Notable residents

Coty Clarke is a basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Dave Ramsey is a personal finance personality, radio show host, author, and businessman. JellyRoll, rapper spent most of childhood split between Antioch and Gadsden, Alabama. Yelawolf, rapper, was born in Antioch and grew up in Gadsen, Alabama before moving to Alabama. The town has been home to many famous people, including Dave Ramsey, Cooty Clarke, Jelly Roll, and Yelawolf. It is also the birthplace of several notable sports stars, including David Beckham, Michael Jordan, and Michael Jordan's son Aron. The city is also home to the U.S. Air Force Academy, the University of Alabama, and the Alabama A&M football team. It was also the home of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, which won the NCAA Division I championship in 2010. The community is also known for its golf course, which was built in the 1960s and 1970s. It has been the site of numerous NASCAR races, including the 1994 Alabama State Fair. It also hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics, the 2006 Winter Games, the 2008 Winter Olympics and the 2010 Winter Paralympics, and 2010 Winter Olympics. It's also the location of the 2012 Winter Olympics Games, which took place in Sochi, Russia, and was the first Winter Games to be held in the city's history. The 2014 Winter Olympics were held in Sochi and were the first to be hosted by the Russian Olympic Committee.