Sumner County is best known for its country music stars and gracious living on Old Hickory Lake. But as it was before The Great Recession struck, the county is determined to become Middle Tennessee’s next destination for corporate headquarters, shopping and job growth.

To succeed in developing that independent live-work-play endeavor, Sumner’s leaders will have to overcome the challenge of a historically underdeveloped highway network that can make travel time-consuming and the longstanding perception that residents have to look elsewhere for jobs, shopping and entertainment.