Clarksville, TN
A river town on the Cumberland that grew up beside the 101st Airborne
Clarksville is the seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, on the Cumberland River just south of the Kentucky line and next door to Fort Campbell. The 2020 census counted about 167,000 people, making it the state's fifth-largest city, and it has grown quickly since.
The North Carolina legislature laid out a town at the meeting of the Cumberland and Red rivers in 1785, while Tennessee was still its western frontier, and named it after George Rogers Clark, the Revolutionary War general. The masthead year is 1785, when the town was founded; it was incorporated about two decades later. Clarksville prospered on the river trade and above all on dark-fired tobacco, which was cured over smouldering hardwood, packed into hogsheads and shipped downriver. The town was occupied by Union forces after the fall of Fort Donelson in 1862, and the earthworks of Fort Defiance still stand on a bluff above the rivers. Tobacco warehouses and Victorian commercial blocks gave the old downtown its character into the twentieth century.
The old town sits on high ground above the Cumberland, with the riverfront park and walk along the water below it. Austin Peay State University occupies the hill just north of downtown. From there the city spreads in every direction along its main roads: Fort Campbell Boulevard runs north-west towards the gates of the army post, Wilma Rudolph Boulevard runs north-east to the shopping strips and Interstate 24, and newer subdivisions fill the farmland east towards Sango and south towards the Montgomery County line. Most of Fort Campbell lies across the state line in Kentucky, about ten miles from downtown, and a good deal of the city's housing, trade and traffic follows from it. Dunbar Cave, a state natural area with a large cave entrance, lies inside the city on its north-east side.
Clarksville is a military town before it is anything else, and it shows in the barber shops, pawnbrokers, tattoo parlours, churches and chain restaurants along Fort Campbell Boulevard, and in a population that is younger, more mobile and more varied than most of rural Tennessee. Families arrive and leave on army postings, and many soldiers retire here. Downtown has a quieter, older life of its own, with the Customs House Museum in a richly ornamented 1898 federal building, the Roxy Regional Theatre and the student bars and cafés around Austin Peay. Wilma Rudolph, who overcame childhood polio to win three gold medals at the 1960 Rome Olympics, grew up here, and the city names a boulevard and a statue after her. Barbecue, meat-and-three cafés and catfish are the local staples.
In January 1999 a tornado tore through downtown, damaging the courthouse and Austin Peay and destroying much of the historic core; its rebuilding took years. Another tornado struck North Clarksville in December 2023, killing four people and destroying homes and businesses. The city has meanwhile become one of the fastest-growing in Tennessee, its population estimated at close to 190,000 by 2025, as families priced out of Nashville, about 45 miles to the south-east, join the steady flow of military households. Manufacturing has followed, including large tyre and appliance plants, and Fort Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), remains the largest employer in the region. In early 2026 Vanderbilt Health took over the city's main hospital. Roads, schools and housing are all straining to keep up.
Where People Live
Downtown & the Riverfront
The old town on the bluff, with the Montgomery County courthouse, Franklin Street's shops and restaurants, the Customs House Museum and the Roxy Regional Theatre, above McGregor Park and the riverwalk on the Cumberland.
Austin Peay
The university hill just north of downtown, with student housing, older streets of houses and the campus itself, whose sports teams draw crowds on game days.
Fort Campbell Boulevard
The long commercial road running north-west to the army post's main gates, lined with shops, car dealers, restaurants and services aimed at soldiers and their families, with dense rental housing behind it.
New Providence
An older district on the north side across the Red River, once a separate town, with modest houses, local businesses and easy reach of the post.
Wilma Rudolph Boulevard & Exit 4
The north-east corridor to Interstate 24, Clarksville's main shopping and chain-restaurant strip, with the mall, big-box stores and hotels clustered around the motorway junction.
Sango
A fast-growing area on the city's south-east edge, close to Interstate 24 and the road to Nashville, with newer subdivisions and a popular choice for commuters.
St. Bethlehem & Dunbar Cave
The north-east side of the city, with suburban housing and the wooded state natural area around Dunbar Cave, where trails circle a lake and guided tours enter the cave.
Where to stay
Home2 Suites by Hilton Clarksville/Fort Campbell
hotel · wi-fi · 3020 Mister C Drive, Clarksville, 37040 · hilton.com
Riverview Inn
hotel · wi-fi · 50 College Street, Clarksville, 37040 · theriverviewinn.com
Holiday Inn Clarksville Northeast by IHG
215 Cracker Barrel Dr, Clarksville, TN 37042 · ihg.com
MAIN608
apartment · wi-fi · 608 Main Street, Clarksville, 37040 · main608.com
Midtown Inn Clarksville
890 Kraft St #3058, Clarksville, TN 37040
The Pheonix
apartment · non-smoking · 613 Madison Street, Clarksville, 37040
Edge of Town Motel
motel · non-smoking · 106 Fort Campbell Boulevard, Clarksville, 37042
Oak Haven Motel Clarksville
1425 Fort Campbell Blvd, Clarksville, TN 37042 · oak-haven-motel.edan.io
A & W MOTEL
1505 Madison St, Clarksville, TN 37040
Vacation Motel Inc. Clarksville
650 Providence Blvd, Clarksville, TN 37042
Meadow Motel Clarksville
1991 Madison St, Clarksville, TN 37043
Restaurants & places to go
Airports
Clarksville Regional Airport (CKV) 7.6 mi to the centre
200 Airport Rd, Clarksville, TN 37042 — Indoor waiting area, but you walk out to the aircraft to board — bring an umbrella or a coat if the forecast is poor.
Hopkinsville Christian County Airport 24 mi to the centre
Hopkinsville, KY, US
Titan Field 2.7 mi to the centre
Clarksville, TN, US
Parr Field 6 mi to the centre
Clarksville, TN, US
Trains & rail
Amtrak
National rail
Coaches & shuttles
Greyhound
Intercity coach
Jefferson Lines
Intercity coach
MegaBus
Intercity coach
Trailways
Intercity coach
Living Here
Getting about
- A car is all but essential. Interstate 24 runs along the city's eastern side towards Nashville, and traffic on the main boulevards is heavy at rush hour and at post shift changes.
- Clarksville Transit System runs city bus routes, Monday to Saturday.
- Nashville International Airport, about an hour's drive to the south-east, is the nearest airport with scheduled flights.
- There is no passenger rail. The riverwalk along the Cumberland and the Greenway trail are the best places to walk or cycle.
Health
- Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital, formerly Tennova Healthcare–Clarksville, is the main hospital; it passed to Vanderbilt Health in February 2026. Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Fort Campbell serves soldiers and their families.
- Dial 911 for any emergency. Spring and late autumn bring severe storms and tornadoes; have a way to receive warnings.
- American healthcare is expensive and visitors are billed in full. Travel insurance with good medical cover is essential, and an urgent-care clinic is cheaper than an emergency room for anything minor.
Work & study
- Austin Peay State University is the city's university, with many military and veteran students; Nashville State Community College has a campus here.
- Fort Campbell is the dominant employer, directly and through contractors; manufacturing, healthcare, retail and county government follow.
- Non-citizens need a visa or immigration status that allows work. Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, but its sales tax is among the highest in the country.
Money & manners
- US dollars. Cards are accepted almost everywhere. Tipping of around 18 to 20 per cent is expected in restaurants and bars.
- Southern courtesy is the norm, and military customs run deep: people thank service members and stand for the anthem. Church is a big part of local life.
- Summers are hot and humid, winters mild with occasional ice. Use ordinary city sense at night.
News
Situations Vacant
Classified
Property
Sport
Display Advertising
Sources
- Geoverts Local — Clarksvillethe local directory, the people-and-company index, and who is hiring
- Better Mapping — Clarksvillethe intelligence map — parcels, boundaries and what is actually where