Neighborhood guide · West Franklin
Westhaven.
Franklin's front-porch experiment, twenty-one years in. Fifteen hundred acres off Highway 96 West, planned as a town rather than a subdivision: alleys instead of driveways, a village center with a Kroger and a stage, five pools, a golf course, and an association that runs it all like a small municipality.
B-roll · coming soon
Neighborhood video. Ninety seconds of B-roll: the town center on a Saturday morning, strollers on the lake loop, the alleys, the golf course from the ridge, and a summer concert on the green. No narration.
01 · The place
Grown in at the center, still under construction at the edge.
Westhaven was drawn up around 2000 on the New Urbanist model that Seaside and Celebration made famous: narrow streets, houses pushed up to the sidewalk, garages hidden on alleys, and a commercial center close enough to walk to for coffee. Southern Land Company broke ground on fifteen hundred acres of farmland off Highway 96 West, and the first families moved in during 2005. Two decades on, the trees have grown in, the town center has filled out to more than thirty businesses, and the plan mostly works. On a weekday morning the sidewalks carry strollers and dogs toward High Brow Coffee; on summer Saturdays the green in front of the stage fills for a concert.
It is big enough to have neighborhoods inside it. The original sections near the town center and the Residents Club are the most walkable and, per square foot, among the most expensive. Heritage Valley, north of the main entrance, has the views back toward downtown. Riverview and Riverside run along the Harpeth on the eastern edge, with waterfront lots. The golf sections climb the ridge to the west. And the newest ground, on the far edge, is still raw: seven sections were under construction in 2026, including a 55-plus enclave with its own club.
You get a porch on a small lot, membership in a very organized community, and a walk to the grocery store, a pool, a school, and dinner. Land and privacy are not on offer, and nothing east of Mack Hatcher is a short drive.
Who moves here
Families relocating from out of state who want the Franklin address and the Williamson County schools without the acreage upkeep. Empty-nesters trading a five-acre place in Leiper's Fork for a cottage near the square, or now a villa in the 55-plus section. Golfers. And a large number of people who work from home and chose the neighborhood for the lunch walk rather than the commute.
What it is not
Private, cheap, or finished. Lots are small, porches are close, and the association has opinions about your mailbox. The median home now costs a third more than the Franklin median. And the last sections will be building, with the trucks that implies, until roughly 2031.
02 · The sections
One name, a dozen neighborhoods, a $1.5 million spread.
Westhaven sells by numbered section, and price tracks the section more than the house. Street medians in the past year ran from about $1.03 million on Keats Street to $2.59 million on Congress Drive. The rough geography:
| Area | Where | What you find | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town center coreThe original sections | Around the village center, the Residents Club, and the lake | The signature cottages and village homes, 2005–2012, plus the condos above the shops and the townhome rows. The most walkable blocks in the plan. | $650K condos · $1.0–$1.4M homes |
| Heritage ValleyNorth of the main entrance | Just inside from Hwy 96 West | Larger homes on rising ground with views back toward downtown Franklin. | $1.3–$2M |
| Riverview & RiversideEastern boundary | Along the Harpeth River | Waterfront and river-view lots; the quietest edge and the one to check against the flood map. | $1.4–$2.5M |
| Golf & estateThe western ridge | Around the Westhaven Golf Club | The largest lots in the plan, course frontage, custom builds. The $3M-plus sales live here; the top closing in the past year was $5.7M. | $2M–$5.7M |
| New sections 56–65Still building | The western and southern edges | Ford Classic, Legend, SLC Homebuilding, Stonegate, and Zurich building semi-custom homes; construction traffic on the spine roads through about 2031. | New median $1.39M |
| Section 66 · Active Adult55-plus | Its own pocket with the Astor Club | Villas and townhomes with full lawn and exterior maintenance, private indoor and outdoor pools, and dining. The most affordable way in. | Upper $600s–$1.2M+ |
Sources: MLS closed sales by street and section, trailing 12 months to summer 2026 (nashvillehome.guru); Westhaven and Southern Land Company section descriptions; builder price sheets. Bands are for choosing a section, not pricing a house.
03 · Homes & market
What a house costs, and what you get for it.
The most liquid market in Franklin, and one of the most expensive. Prices flattened in 2026 while the rest of the city softened, and a third of homes still went under contract within a week at full asking.
Sources: MLS closed sales for Westhaven, trailing 12 months to summer 2026 (nashvillehome.guru, 326 sales); Redfin Westhaven market data, June 2026 (days on market, year-over-year change). Price range $648,500 to $5.7 million.
| Tier | What you get | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Condo & flatAbove the town center shops | 1–2 bed, 900–1,600 sq ft, elevator buildings. The lowest sale in the past year was $648,500. HOA around $635 a month. | $650K–$850K |
| Active-adult villa & townhomeSection 66, 55-plus | Single-level plans, full exterior maintenance, the Astor Club. Townhomes from the upper $600s; detached from about $1.24M. | $680K–$1.3M |
| TownhomeRear-alley, 2–3 stories | 3 bed, 2,000–2,500 sq ft, courtyard, 2-car garage. Sub-association covers the exterior. | $750K–$1M |
| Cottage & village homeWhere the median lives | 3–4 bed, 2,400–3,200 sq ft, porch, alley garage, sometimes a carriage-house unit. The original sections and most resales. | $1.0M–$1.5M |
| New semi-customSections 56–65 | 4–5 bed, 3,000–4,200 sq ft from Ford Classic, Legend, Stonegate, Zurich, and SLC. Recurring plans: Everleigh, Scarlett, Holland Park, Rochester XL. | $1.3M–$2M |
| Estate & golfThe ridge | 5+ bed, 4,000–9,300 sq ft, the largest lots, course frontage, full custom. | $2M–$5.7M |
- Southern vernacular cottageDeep front porch, standing-seam metal roof, lap siding. The signature look of the 2005–2012 sections.
- Federal & Georgian revivalBrick, symmetrical, restrained trim. Common on park-front and lake-front lots.
- Craftsman bungalowLow-slung, tapered columns, exposed rafters. The smaller-footprint option in the older sections.
- Modern farmhouseBoard-and-batten, black windows, gabled dormers. Dominates the sections built after 2016 and everything under construction now.
- Townhome rows & condosThree-story rear-loaded brick and fiber cement near the town center; flats above the shops.
- Carriage housesDetached units over alley garages. A long-term rental or in-law suite; under the 2026 city ordinance, a short-term rental only if you live in the main house.
| Line item | Notes | 2026 rate or cost |
|---|---|---|
| Williamson County property tax | Assessed at 25% of appraisal. The county's in-city rate; $1.30 outside the city limits | $1.27 per $100 |
| City of Franklin property tax | Westhaven is inside city limits | $0.296 per $100 |
| Franklin Special School District | Not applicable. Westhaven is outside the FSSD boundary; K–8 is Williamson County Schools | $0 |
| Master HOA | Residents Club, pools, trails, parks, programming, architectural review. Varies by section | ~$265 / mo single-family |
| Condo or townhome sub-association | Adds exterior maintenance, roofs, building insurance | ~$635 / mo all-in |
| Transfer fee at closing | Paid to the association when a home changes hands; about 0.14% of price | Median $1,885 |
| Golf club | Optional. Initiation plus monthly dues; resident and national tiers | Ask the club |
Worked example on the $1.36 million median: assessed $340,000. County $4,318 + city $1,006 = about $5,320 a year in property tax, plus roughly $3,200 in HOA dues. Sources: Williamson County Trustee 2026 rates and combined totals ($1.566 in Franklin outside the FSSD); City of Franklin FY26 budget; MLS HOA and transfer-fee data.
04 · The association
What the dues buy, and what they ask of you.
Westhaven's association is closer to a small town government than a typical HOA. It runs the amenities, employs a full-time activities coordinator, and enforces design standards through architectural review. The dues are the price of admission; the rules are the price of the look.
What the dues cover
- The Residents Club. 15,000 square feet: fitness room, weight room, movement studio with classes, a 37-seat theater, art studio, game room, banquet room.
- Five pool facilities. A competition pool, a saltwater lap pool, a zero-entry family pool with a 119-foot slide, a children's pool, and the Astor Club's for 55-plus residents.
- Outdoors. Twenty parks, more than nine miles of trails on seven routes, the 12-acre lake with catch-and-release fishing, lighted tennis courts.
- Programming. A full-time coordinator and a calendar: concerts, Porchfest, holiday parades, egg hunts, movie nights, clubs.
- Common-area upkeep. Landscaping, alleys, street trees, signage. For townhomes and condos, the exterior too.
What the covenants govern
- Architectural review for exterior changes: paint, fences, additions, landscaping, outbuildings.
- Design standards by section: materials, porch depth, garage placement on the alley, mailbox style.
- Rentals. Leasing rules by section; the city's 2026 short-term rental ordinance sits on top.
- Parking and vehicles. Street parking limits, no boats or trailers in view, alley access rules.
- Holiday decor timing, yard signs, and the rest of the small print. Read the CC&Rs for your section before you write the offer.
In one line
Roughly $3,200 a year for a single-family home buys a country club's worth of amenities and a neighbor who will email about your trash cans. Most residents think it is a bargain.
05 · Schools
An elementary in the neighborhood, then two long bus rides.
Westhaven is Williamson County Schools all the way through, and outside the FSSD. The elementary is inside the plan. Middle and high school are not, and the high school zone surprises people: Independence, in Thompson's Station, not Franklin High.
| School | Grades | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearre Creek Elementary1811 Townsend Blvd · WCS | PK–5 | In the neighborhood | About 660 students. Niche A; 78% proficient in math. Zoned for every Westhaven sale in the past year. Most kids walk or bike. |
| Hillsboro Elementary/MiddleLeiper's Fork · WCS | 6–8 | 5 mi | A small K–8 campus, about 500 students total. Zoned for 314 of 326 recent sales; a dozen addresses go to Legacy Middle instead. Scores trail the district's bigger middle schools. |
| Independence HighThompson's Station · WCS | 9–12 | 9 mi | About 2,100 students, 18:1. Ranked 7th of 389 Tennessee high schools by SchoolDigger for 2024–25. Zoned for 324 of 326 recent sales; two went to Franklin High. |
Sources: WCS zoning as recorded on 326 MLS closings, 2025–26; NCES, Niche, U.S. News, SchoolDigger enrollment and ratings. Zones change; confirm the address with the WCS zone finder.
- Grace Christian AcademyPK–12 Christian school on Hwy 96 West, the closest private campus to the neighborhood.
- Battle Ground AcademyPK–12, founded 1889. The county's default independent school; the upper campus is on the west side of town.
- Franklin Classical SchoolK–12 classical Christian, university-model schedule.
- New Hope Academy & St. MatthewPK–6 and PK–8 options closer to downtown.
- In the town centerChild care and early-education providers are among the thirty-plus businesses in the village center; the Residents Club runs a daycare room during classes.
- Pearre Creek pre-KWCS pre-K classrooms on the elementary campus; limited seats.
06 · Getting around
The drive, honestly timed.
Times are from the town center on a weekday morning between 7 and 8:30. Westhaven is the westernmost neighborhood in Franklin, and every trip east starts with Highway 96 West or the Mack Hatcher extension.
Mobility scores
Kroger, coffee, dinner, a pool, the school, and the clinic on foot. Nothing outside the plan is walkable.
Nine-plus miles of internal trails. Hwy 96 West has no shoulder; the Natchez Trace is ten minutes by car.
No fixed route reaches Westhaven. Franklin Transit's on-demand service covers the city limits.
The 3.1-mile Mack Hatcher Northwest extension, opened November 2022 and ending at Westhaven's edge, took ten minutes off the Cool Springs run. Hwy 96 at the schools still backs up at 7:30.
07 · Daily life
Where the week actually happens.
- Coal Town Pizza & Coal Town Public HouseThe fast-casual pizza counter and the full-bar American grill next door, both in the town center. The Friday default.
- Oscar's Taco Shop & Ching Asian BistroThe weeknight rotation, also in the town center.
- Westhaven Golf ClubClubhouse restaurant and the Turn Grille, members and guests.
- Leiper's ForkPuckett's, Fox & Locke, the Country Boy. The Sunday drive is ten minutes.
- Downtown FranklinEverything on Main Street, fourteen minutes east.
- Live musicConcerts on the town center green in summer, Porchfest in September, and the Franklin circuit. Tracked nightly.
- High Brow CoffeeThe neighborhood shop in the town center, with the stroller crowd to match.
- Hwy 96 WestDrive-through options on the way to town.
- The Coffee AtlasTwenty Franklin shops, ranked by the community.
- KrogerA full-size grocery anchors the town center. The single biggest reason the walkable pitch is real.
- Town center servicesDry cleaner, florist, postal shop, wine and spirits, spa, salon, cigar shop, dentist, orthodontist, optician. Thirty-plus businesses.
- Publix & pharmacyOn Hwy 96 West toward town.
- Big box & hardwareCool Springs, via the extension.
- City HallDowntown on 3rd Avenue. We cover the meetings.
- Storefronts we've profiledLocal businesses, one at a time.
- The lakeTwelve acres, a paved loop, benches, and catch-and-release fishing.
- Twenty parks, nine miles of trailsPocket parks and greens throughout, seven mapped trail routes, playgrounds, dog runs.
- Five poolsCompetition, saltwater lap, zero-entry with the 119-foot slide, a children's pool, and the Astor Club's.
- Westhaven Golf ClubArthur Hills, opened 2009, 7,166 yards, slope 138, 200 feet of elevation change, bentgrass greens. Named a best new course by Golf Digest and Golfweek in 2010. Private; membership separate from the HOA.
- Harlinsdale Farm200 acres, the dog park everyone uses, and the festival grounds.
- Natchez Trace ParkwayThe double-arch bridge and 444 miles of no-truck road start ten minutes west. The region's best cycling.
- Vanderbilt Medical GroupPrimary care in the town center, plus a physical therapist, dentist, orthodontist, and endodontist.
- Williamson Medical CenterFull hospital and ER at Carothers and Mack Hatcher.
- Urgent careOptions on the Hwy 96 West corridor.
- FitnessThe Residents Club gym, studio classes, lap pool, and tennis are in the dues. The golf club adds a performance center.
- Working from homeFiber throughout; the Residents Club and High Brow double as offices.
- LibraryWilliamson County Public Library's main branch on Columbia Avenue.
08 · The year
What the neighborhood does together.
The association's full-time coordinator keeps the calendar full. These are the fixtures; the weekly clubs, movie nights, and food trucks fill in around them.
- SpringSpring Fling & Egg HuntOn the town center green; the first big outdoor gathering of the year.
- May–AugSummer Concert SeriesSaturday evenings on the town center stage. Bring a chair; the green fills by six.
- JulyFourth of July family day & fireworksThe neighborhood's own celebration, with a fireworks display over the lake side.
- SeptemberWesthaven PorchfestSeptember 19, 2026, the 16th annual. Free music on front porches across the plan from noon to five, then an evening concert on Magli Green from seven to ten. This year: World Turning, the Fleetwood Mac tribute.
- OctoberHalloween paradeAlleys and porches make for the densest trick-or-treating in Franklin. Expect visitors from other neighborhoods.
- AutumnWestFestThe golf club's outdoor concert on the course.
- DecemberTree lighting & holiday marketOn the town center green, first weekend of the month.
09 · Trade-offs
The case for, and the case against.
What you gain
- Walkability, with a grocery store. Kroger, coffee, dinner, a school, a clinic, and five pools on foot. No other Franklin neighborhood outside downtown can say it, and downtown has no grocery.
- Built-in community. A paid coordinator, a full calendar, and a neighborhood designed so you meet people. Newcomers know their neighbors in a month.
- Liquidity. 326 sales a year, a third under contract within a week at full asking. The most reliably sellable address in the city.
- No FSSD tax. About $1,400 a year less than a comparable downtown home on the school-district line alone.
- No yard weekends. Small lots, HOA-kept commons, and in the townhome and 55-plus sections, no exterior at all.
What you give up
- Price. A $1.36 million median against Franklin's $970,000. The premium is the lifestyle, and it is about 40 percent.
- Carrying cost. Roughly $3,200 a year in dues for a house, $7,600 for a townhome, a transfer fee at closing, and golf on top if you play.
- Privacy and land. Porches are close and lots are small by design. If you want a tree line, look west to Old Hillsboro Road.
- The commute. The westernmost neighborhood in the city. Fifty to sixty-five minutes to Nashville at rush hour, and everything east of Mack Hatcher is twenty.
- The school zones. Independence High is nine miles away and Hillsboro Middle is a small rural campus. Families who assumed Franklin High are surprised.
- Construction, and rules. Trucks on the spine road until about 2031, and architectural review forever.
The verdict
Use the pools, the green, the trails, and the calendar, and the dues pay for themselves. Skip them, and the same money buys more house almost anywhere else in Franklin, while downtown offers the walk without an HOA. Nobody here is buying land, so if that is what you want, keep driving west.
10 · Map
Where it sits.
West of Mack Hatcher on Highway 96 West, bounded by the Harpeth River to the east and farmland to the west. The Mack Hatcher Northwest extension ends at the neighborhood's edge. Leiper's Fork is the next village west; the Natchez Trace bridge is ten minutes beyond.
11 · Questions
What people ask before they move here.
What does the HOA cost, and what does it cover?
Dues run from about $107 to $814 a month depending on section and home type, with a median near $282: roughly $265 for a single-family home and about $635 for condos and townhomes, where exterior maintenance is included. That covers the Residents Club, five pools, trails, parks, and programming. Golf is a separate membership. Budget a transfer fee at closing too; the median is about $1,885.
Which schools are we zoned for?
Pearre Creek Elementary inside the neighborhood, Hillsboro Elementary/Middle in Leiper's Fork, and Independence High in Thompson's Station, all Williamson County Schools. A dozen addresses in the past year zoned to Legacy Middle and two to Franklin High. Westhaven is outside the Franklin Special School District. Confirm any address with the WCS zone finder.
Is it still under construction?
Yes. Sections 56, 60 through 63, 65, and 66 were building in 2026, with build-out projected around 2031 at roughly 3,500 homes. New construction was 131 of 326 closings in the past year at a $1.39 million median. Expect construction traffic on the spine roads and a new neighbor's house going up somewhere in the plan for several more years.
Can I rent out the carriage house, or run an Airbnb?
Long-term rental of a carriage house is permitted in most sections; check your section's covenants. Short-term rentals fall under the city's Ordinance 2025-25, effective January 2026: owner-occupied only, one per lot. Association rules apply on top.
How is the commute?
Fourteen minutes to Main Street, about twenty to Cool Springs or I-65 via the Mack Hatcher extension that opened in November 2022, and fifty to sixty-five minutes to downtown Nashville in the morning rush. It is the longest Nashville commute of any Franklin neighborhood, which is why so many residents work from home or in Cool Springs.
Does it flood?
The Riverview and Riverside sections along the Harpeth include lots in or near the mapped floodplain; the rest of the plan sits well above it. Check the FEMA map for any specific address and expect a flood policy on the waterfront lots.
What is the 55-plus section?
Section 66, Westhaven Active Adult, is an age-restricted pocket with its own Astor Club: private indoor and outdoor pools and dining. Villas and townhomes come with full lawn care and, for attached homes, exterior maintenance. Townhomes start in the upper $600s and detached homes around $1.24 million, making it the most affordable entry into Westhaven.
How does this compare to Berry Farms or downtown?
Berry Farms is the same walkable-town-center idea on the south side, newer, closer to I-65, and a step down in price. Downtown Franklin is the original: older houses, no HOA, a real Main Street, a stricter city overlay, and no grocery store. Westhaven sits between them: the amenities and the grocery, at the highest price of the three.
12 · Compare
If you like Westhaven, also look at.
Berry Farms.
The same walkable-town-center idea, newer, closer to I-65, and a step down in price.
More affordableDowntown & Historic Franklin.
The original walkable neighborhood. Older homes, no HOA, and Main Street at the end of the block.
More characterLeiper's Fork & the rural west.
Ten minutes further out, acreage instead of alleys, and the village as your square.
More landSources & method
- Sales, medians, price per square foot, new-versus-resale split, contract speed, HOA and transfer-fee ranges, street medians, school zoning counts, active sections and builders: MLS closed sales for Westhaven, trailing 12 months to summer 2026, as compiled by nashvillehome.guru (326 sales).
- Days on market and year-over-year change: Redfin Westhaven housing market data, June 2026.
- Community history, acreage, build-out, amenities, sections, Active Adult pricing: Southern Land Company and westhaventn.com; SLC's 20-year anniversary release, June 2025; NewHomeSource.
- HOA structure and typical dues by home type: nashvillehome.guru; the Vandekamp Group and Hetherington Team Westhaven guides (2026); verify with the association before closing.
- Golf club: golfwesthaven.com; Tennessee PGA course profile; Golf Digest and Golfweek best-new-course lists, 2010.
- Schools: NCES, Niche, U.S. News, SchoolDigger enrollment and ratings; WCS zoning as recorded on 2025–26 closings.
- Tax rates: Williamson County 2026 rates and combined totals ($1.566 in Franklin outside the FSSD); City of Franklin FY 2025–26 budget. Westhaven is outside the FSSD boundary.
- Commute: Google Maps typical-traffic estimates from the town center, weekdays 7–8:30 a.m.; City of Franklin and Williamson Herald on the Mack Hatcher Northwest extension (opened November 2022).
- Town center businesses: westhaventn.com, Coal Town, FranklinIs, and Franklin Finds directories, 2025–26.
- Events: Westhaven Porchfest (westhavenporchfest.org, 2026), FranklinIs and Williamson Source on the concert series and community calendar, golfwesthaven.com on WestFest.