McEwen, TN

Located along Highway 70 about an hour west of Nashville, McEwen offers a quiet, slow-paced slice of Middle Tennessee. Home to roughly 1,600 residents, it has the feel of a classic country town surrounded by rolling pastures and scenic woodland. The community was settled in the 1850s by Irish railroad crews, and that unique heritage remains a big point of pride for locals.

That heritage shines brightest every summer during the St. Patrick’s Irish Picnic, an annual festival dating all the way back to 1854. The church fundraiser doubles as a massive community homecoming, drawing folks from across the region for live music, games, and huge batches of slow-smoked barbecue cooked over permanent charcoal pits. If you are looking for friendly neighbors, room to spread out, and authentic small-town warmth, McEwen makes you feel right at home.