Lake Providence, part of the Providence development near Mt. Juliet, offers a community for “active adults” 55 and older.

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When Realtor Judy Rockensock moved to Mt. Juliet with her young family in 1984, she recalls having to plan her shopping days around trips to the Hermitage Kroger.

“At that time, it seemed so far away,” she says. “There was just nothing here when we moved here and it is unbelievable now. People are finally figuring out what my husband and I figured out almost 30 years ago. The schools, the people, the community and everything that it offers is hard to beat.”

The 2010 U.S. Census had Wilson County as Tennessee’s fastest growing county and 29th fastest growing in the nation. Since then, the population in Wilson County has increased by more than 90 percent, and the median income has jumped from $58,000 to more than $73,000.

“Sales are spread out,” says Amy Hamilton with Keller-Williams. “We are seeing sales everywhere throughout Mt. Juliet in general. It is convenient to everything, I-40, and amenities with quality of life and shopping.”

Figures provided by the Eastern Middle Tennessee Association of Realtors show 111 residential closings with a median price of $185,348 in January 2013. There were 90 closings with a median price of $179,288 the previous January.

Home along Old Hickory Lake are popular but rarely available. “There is not a lot of that for sale at any given time,” Hamilton says.

So if you are interested and something does hit the market, buy quickly. But even if you do miss out, Percy Priest Lake is just minutes down the road.

“Lakefront property is very desirable when it comes up and never depreciates,” Rockensock says. “We saw a little stagnation in prices during the slump, but lakefront is always going to sell because it is a limited commodity.”

One development showing plenty of sales action is Providence, developed by CPS Land developers. Located just off of I-40 (Exit 226-A), there are 11 different neighborhoods within the 1,000-acre development, from apartments and active adult townhomes to single-family homes and condos. The community took more than 20 years to plan, and it is paying off.

“Right now the hot spot has been and still is Providence,” Hamilton says. “The fact that it has the nice pool and hiking trails and playgrounds and all of the other amenities, that is so different from anything else that is in Wilson County. And it is all beautiful rolling hills, not just barren, flat land.”

Rockensock is seeing the same kind of response to Providence from a variety of buyers. “It has a beginning price range of $150,000 then going all the way up to $400,000,” she says. Some parts of Providence are sold out while other stages are just beginning.

There are many factors driving people to Mt. Juliet, which, U. S. Census figures show, has the second-highest median income in the state. And all of them relate to quality of life.

“There are lots of good things here,” Rockensock says. “People moved out here for our schools and now they get the convenience of our shopping. We have the Charlie Daniel’s Park with a great playground, and we are getting a splash pad this summer. Our children’s sports, ball park, basketball program for kids, you just can’t beat it.”