Shelbyville, TN

Shelbyville is a Bedford County city in Middle Tennessee, southeast of Nashville. It is known as the Pencil City because of its historic role in wood-cased pencil manufacturing, and industry still matters through employers such as Tyson Foods. The city also has a long connection to Tennessee Walking Horse culture, giving it a distinct local identity beyond ordinary county-seat life. Shelbyville feels like a working Middle Tennessee town: manufacturing, farms, horse history, schools, and Nashville's expanding regional influence all close together.