Seal
Motto: The City Between the Lakes
Mount Juliet is a city located in western Wilson County, Tennessee. A suburb of Nashville, it is approximately 17 miles (27 km) east of downtown Nashville. Mount Juliet is located roughly between two major national east-west routes, Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 70. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 23,777, which represented a 91 percent increase over 2000. The city's official colors are the same as the town's high school: black and gold.
History
Dating back to the mid-1800's Cook's United Methodist Church is one of the oldest churches in Mt. Juliet
Mt. Juliet was formed in 1835 and became incorporated as a city in 1972. According to the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce, the name of the town has two possible explanations. One theory is that the town was named for Julia Gleaves, a person who was renowned for taking care of those in need within the community. The most widely accepted story is that Mt. Juliet is named for a castle in County Kilkenny, Ireland. To date, it is the only known U.S. city with this name.
Geography
Sign on Lebanon Road welcoming commuters to Mt. Juliet
Recent annexations along the east side of South Rutland Road as well as a land swap with the City of Lebanon for the Bel Air at Beckwith project (southeast quadrant of I-40/Beckwith Road interchange) have increased the city's geographical area to approximately 21.78 square miles (56.4 km2).
Mt. Juliet's official city slogan is "The City Between The Lakes", reflecting the city's proximity to Old Hickory Lake (Cumberland River) to its north and Percy Priest Lake (Stones River) to its south, both of which are man-made reservoirs.
Government/Politics
Mt. Juliet City Hall
Mt. Juliet was incorporated in 1972 and operates on a "City Manager" system. The city has five elected leaders: four commissioners Ted Floyd, James Maness, Art Giles and Jim Bradshaw (one from each of the city's four districts) and a mayor Ed Hagerty, elected at-large, who serves as chairperson of the City Commission. Elected officials, including the mayor, are not employed full-time by the city. The Commission selects and appoints a City Manager, who is employed full-time and runs the city's business on a day-to-day basis. All elected city officials serve four-year terms.
Politically, Mt. Juliet leans heavily conservative. Party politics play no role in city elections because of the large Republican presence. City growth tends to be the central issue in every race. Mt. Juliet currently serves as the anchor city for Tennessee House of Representatives District 57 and Tennessee Senate District 17. In 2002, after many years in Tennessee's 6th Congressional District, Mt. Juliet was redistricted into the 5th Congressional District, which derives the bulk of its constituency from Democratic Nashville-Davidson County.
Education
The current Mt. Juliet High School.
The former Mt. Juliet High School. MJHS moved to a new building in August 2008. This building now houses Mt. Juliet Middle School.
Mt. Juliet does not have a city school system. All schools are operated by the Wilson County School District.
Mt. Juliet High School (Golden Bears), is located just outside the city limits, although many students residing within the city are also zoned to Wilson Central High School (Wildcats), located in nearby Lebanon. Mt. Juliet High School moved into a brand new building which opened August 11, 2008 for the 2008-2009 school year. The old Mt. Juliet High School became Mt. Juliet Middle School and the old Mt. Juliet Middle School became Elzie D. Patton Elementary.
Two middle schools are located within the city limits:
Mt. Juliet Middle (feeds to MJHS) (Golden Bears)
West Wilson Middle (feeds to either WCHS or MJHS)(Wildcats, previously known as the Wolves)
Mt. Juliet students are zoned to several elementary schools:
Feeding to Mt. Juliet Middle School, and ultimately Mt. Juliet High School
Mt. Juliet Elementary (Bears)
W.A. Wright Elementary (Knights)
Lakeview Elementary (Golden Eagles)
Elzie D. Patton Elementary (Patriots)
Feeding to West Wilson Middle School, and ultimately Wilson Central High School
Stoner Creek Elementary (Bobcats)
West Elementary (Bulldogs)
Rutland Elementary (Rockets)
Gladeville Elementary (Gators)
Future Wilson County Schools in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.
Rutland Elementary PK-2
Rutland Elementary 3-5 (Old Rutland PK-5 School)
Rutland/Gladeville Middle (6th-8th)
The following three schools will make up the North Central Campus.
North Central Elementary (PK-5)
North Central Middle (6-8)
North Central High (9-12)
More information can be found on the capital outlay plan on the Wilson County Schools website.
The city is home to one K-12 private school, Mount Juliet Christian Academy (Saints), located within First Baptist Church, although dozens of other private schools are located within a 30 minute drive, including Friendship Christian School (Commanders) in Lebanon, as well as Donelson Christian Academy (Wildcats) in Donelson. Other prep schools not affiliated with religious organizations can be found in Nashville. There are four "tutorial programs" which meet weekly in Mt. Juliet for home-schooled high school students. Wilson County's only Montessori School, Mt Juliet Montessori Academy, opened in Fall 2007.
Cumberland University has a satellite campus in Mt. Juliet. The nearest community college, Volunteer State Community College, is 20 miles (32 km) north in Gallatin. The nearest public college/university is Tennessee State University, located 20 miles (32 km) west in Nashville. The nearest private college/university is Cumberland University, 14 miles (23 km) east in Lebanon. Several other public and private colleges and universities are nearby in Nashville and Murfreesboro.
Transportation
Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 70 (Lebanon Road) run east/west through Mt. Juliet, and State Route 171 (Mt Juliet Road) runs north-to-south connecting US-70 to I-40, before continuing toward Interstate 24 in the Antioch area.
Mt. Juliet serves as a stop on the Music City Star commuter rail service into Nashville, operating over freight carrier Nashville and Eastern Railroad.
For commercial air traffic, Mt. Juliet is served by Nashville International Airport, located 9 miles (14 km) west of the city via Interstate 40.
Entertainment/Shopping
Providence Market Place is Mt. Juliet's largest shopping center
A new, large-scale commercial and residential development called "Providence Marketplace" is located on the city's southern side near Interstate 40. Tenants include Target, Belk, JCPenney, Best Buy, PetSmart, Old Navy, Kroger, and a 14-screen multiplex operated by Regal Entertainment.
Providence Commons is a 200,000 square foot shopping center on a 30.8-acre site on South Mount Juliet Road and Providence Parkway. It is anchored by a 54,000 square foot Publix Supermarket, with three to four anchor and junior anchor tenants, small shop retail, and six outparcels.
Mt. Juliet Crossing is a 37+ acre development of office and retail located in Mt. Juliet at Central Pike and South Mount Juliet Road, with tenants including Hampton Inn & Suites, restaurants, Walgreens, retail stores, and medical offices.
Adams Lane Plaza is a 35,000 square foot retail center located in Mt. Juliet at Interstate 40 and South Mount Juliet Road.
Paddock Place offers one million square feet of retail and office space located in on North Mt. Juliet Road just off Interstate 40. Its anchor tenants include Lowe's and Wal-Mart, plus restaurants and retail outlets.
In 1999, citizens voted to allow Liquor-By-The-Drink sales inside the city limits, in the hope of attracting major chain restaurants. Without this regulation in place, it is likely that Providence Marketplace would have never been developed.
Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile (2.14 km) oval hosting NASCAR Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series, and Indy Racing League events, is located in nearby Gladeville. In 2011 the track notified NASCAR that it would not seek sanctioned races for 2012.
Recreation
Charlie Daniels Park in Mount Juliet
Mt. Juliet has three public parks:
Charlie Daniels Park (named in honor of the musician who makes his home in Mt. Juliet) is home to tennis courts, a large children's playground, the city's youth football fields, and the Mt. Juliet Community Center (a public meeting place and gymnasium). The city also recently[when?] constructed a bandshell at the park for the purpose of hosting musical festivals.
Sgt. Jerry Mundy Memorial Park (named in honor of a city police officer killed in the line of duty on July 9, 2003) features four softball fields, a soccer field, a frisbee golf course, and a smaller playground. Prior to 2003, this park was called "Millennium Sportsplex."
South Mt. Juliet City Park has a pavilion, sand volleyball court, children's play area, and nature trail in addition to Mt. Juliet's very own "Bark Park," a 3/4 acre fenced-in area allowing people and their dog playspace.
Three state parks are located within a 30-minute drive of the city:
Long Hunter State Park, 7 miles (11 km) to the south
Bicentennial Mall State Park, app. 18 miles (29 km) to the west in downtown Nashville
Cedars of Lebanon State Park, app. 20 miles (32 km) to the southeast
Mt. Juliet is also home to one of the largest Little League baseball organizations in the state. The privately owned little league park features more than a dozen baseball and softball fields.
Fishing and boating are popular pastimes in Mt. Juliet, resultant of the city's proximity to Percy Priest and Old Hickory lakes.
Swimming is an up-and-coming sport in Mt. Juliet and West Wilson County. Two Summer League Teams exist, one at Langford Farms and the other at Willoughby Station.
City Services
The City of Mt. Juliet operates a police department. Fire and ambulance service are provided by WEMA (the Wilson Emergency Management Agency - operated by county government). There is one fire/ambulance station within the city limits, with three other nearby stations serving city residents. Mt. Juliet has two police stations: the main office at City Hall in the center of town, the other (a much smaller branch office) near W.A. Wright Elementary School on the city's northwest side. In December 2008, the Mt. Juliet Police Department Animal Control Division opened a shelter on Industrial Drive.
Media/Communications
Mt. Juliet High School hosts a student-run news program called BNN (Bear News Network) on Channel 9 each school day for a short period with club meetings and announcements and the station runs the rest of the time with school and community information in the form of a slide presentation. The audio on Channel 9 is provided by WPLN-FM, Nashville's NPR affiliate.
Mt. Juliet is currently served by two weekly newspapers, The Mt. Juliet News (50¢) and The Chronicle of Mt. Juliet (free), both published on Wednesdays. Mt. Juliet also falls within the circulation areas of daily newspapers The (Nashville) Tennessean and the Lebanon Democrat.
External Links
Mt. Juliet Local City Government
Mt. Juliet-West Wilson Chamber of Commerce
Nashville Speedway
Source: Internet
