Forest Hills, Tennessee

Geography[edit]

Forest Hills is bordered by Old Hickory Boulevard on the south, Granny White Pike on the east, Harding Place (also known as Battery Lane) on the north, and Chickering Road/The City of Belle Meade on the west.^[6] The city hall is located within city limits, at the intersection of Hillsboro Pike and Old Hickory Blvd.


According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 square miles (24 km²), all land.


Like its neighbor, Belle Meade, it has distinct signage covenants concerning land size and use. Forest Hills is considered a "satellite city" of Nashville, and residents do not receive access to all city-county combined services, taking financial responsibility for some services like garbage collection on their own, while the city of Forest Hills provides other services, such as chipper service, road maintenance and stormwater management.^[7]


The area was developed as a suburb of Nashville in the wake of the post-World War II population and economic boom. Forest Hills was born as a result of the ensuing conflicts between suburban residents and Nashville city government as Nashville struggled to deal with the ramifications of suburban growth.


As its name implies, Forest Hills is composed primarily of steep wooded hills. These steep-sided hills were covered with forest until the early 20th century, when residential development extended south from Nashville. Several hills have water towers and cellular towers, and the WKRN and WNPT TV towers and the WSIX radio tower are located on a 1,114-foot (340 m) hill north of Old Hickory Boulevard. In addition to the area's many hills, the south-central section of the community contains what was originally fertile farmland within the Otter Creek watershed. This area supported numerous small farms during the 19th and early 20th century.


Nashville has enjoyed prosperity and growth during the past several decades, which is reflected in the development of Forest Hills. Since 1970, hundreds of dwellings have been built in Forest Hills, and the community no longer retains many tracts of open space or farmland. Most dwellings are sited on parcels of 1 acre (4,000 m²) to 2 acres (8,100 m²), and only a small number of houses are located on tracts of 10 acres (40,000 m²) or more. Several of the community's hills and ridges — such as the properties along Laurel Ridge Drive and Fredericksburg Drive — also have been developed in recent decades.