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View online| Forward to a friendSponsored by Nashville BalletThursday, November 20, 2025Good morning! Caroline Eggers

In a NashVillager last week, I wrote about wetlands. 

It was good news: Tennessee acquired about 7,400 acres of a lovely river swamp, and the public may get to visit as soon as next year. 

But this week, folks across the nation are worried — like really worried — about wetlands and small streams. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers proposed reducing the number of water bodies that receive protections under the Clean Water Act. 

Under the proposal, about 80% of all wetland acres would be unprotected. The move could benefit:➡️ Mining companies 
➡️ Industrial farms 
➡️ Developers of suburban subdivisions
➡️ Data centers

The last piece brings us to the news of the day. 

Nashville is becoming a hotspot for data centers, the physical buildings that manage massive amounts of digital data, often while using large amounts of water and electricity.
 

WHAT TO KNOW

Meta has at least six data centers on a sprawling campus in Gallatin, Tenn. 

Tennessee has 60 data centers, and more than a third of them are located within the greater Nashville area. 

Franklin, Brentwood, Berry Hill and Murfreesboro collectively hold a handful, and Gallatin, a town just 30 miles northeast of Nashville, has seven data centers, primarily run by Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram. 

Nashville has 13 data centers operational or under construction, and more could be on the horizon. 

The city is considered an “emerging market” for data centers, according to the latest analysis by global real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield. 

Nashville’s facilities are mostly scattered between North Nashville, downtown and south Nashville, and many of the facilities are situated close to the Cumberland River. A company called RadiusDC is currently building the city’s newest data center in the Trinity Hills neighborhood of East Nashville, according to Data Center Map. 

While Nashville has not historically been considered a tech hub, that could soon change: The software giant Oracle is building its world headquarters on the East Bank of the Cumberland. The company may finally begin construction on a potentially $2 billion, 75-acre development soon. 

Metro Council gave Oracle final approval for the project last month, four years after the company announced its plans for Nashville. Data centers in the area could support some of the company’s operations.
 

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🎙️ On today’s episode of the NashVillagerpodcast 
with host Nina Cardona 🎙️ 

Are environmental warnings just hot air? It’s easy to wave off concern about sinkholes or pipeline spills as anti-business nonsense, but things can and do go wrong sometimes. Plus the local news for November 20, 2025 and Tennessee pearls. 

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MORE TO KNOW

  • Most Americans say that colleges should teach students how to think critically but not what to think, WPLN’s Camellia Burris reported. That is the latest finding from the Vanderbilt Unity poll, which takes the pulse of Americans’ attitudes towards higher education. Some 90% of respondents say that teaching students to think more logically is the most important aspect of a college education, but there is disagreement on which topics should be taught. 
     
  • Tennessee’s 7th congressional district has been solidly Republican for decades, but WPLN’s Marianna Bacallao reported there may be an opportunity to flip the seat soon. U.S. Rep. Mark Green announced that he would retire in July, so Republican candidate Matt Van Epps, the former state commissioner, will face off against Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn in a special election next month. Current polling puts Van Epps ahead of Behn, but the gap may be narrower than expected. The Cook Political Report, a non-partisan newsletter, first listed the 7th congressional district as “solidly Republican,” but has now shifted that rating to “leans Republican.” The district includes about half of Davidson County and 13 other counties in Middle and West Tennessee. Voting takes place between Nov. 26 and Dec. 2.  
     
  • When President Trump ratcheted up tariffs on Chinese goods earlier this year, China hit back by halting its imports of logs from the U.S.Though Beijing has now agreed to resume those imports as part of the recent trade deal, it’s one example of challenges that Tennessee’s forest products industry has faced in recent years, the Tennessee Lookout reported. Now, nearly 40 hardwood companies in the state are calling for federal relief for economic hardship caused by the tariffs.

FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE

Now that tariffs levied by the second Trump administration have taken effect, small businesses in Nashville are beginning to feel the pinch and praying for relief.

Importers of coffee and tea and artisans making apparel and musical instruments join the show to explain how tariffs have challenged their small businesses. Professors from Vanderbilt and MTSU bring global context to the local impact of tariffs in 2025.We want to hear from you, our listeners and community. Call (615) 751-2500 to give us your thoughts or feedback. Submit your idea for a show through our Pitch Form, or email us at thisisnashville@wpln.org.

Stream This is Nashville podcast with host Blake Farmeron YouTube, or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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