Living in Rossville, Tennessee: A Nebraska Girl’s Honest Take
I spent about 50 years in Nebraska. I grew up there, raised my family there, and I still love it. So when I tell you Tennessee surprised me, I mean it.
Today I live on 20 acres outside Rossville, Tennessee. Most people have never heard of Rossville. That’s fine with me, but if you’re thinking about a move to West Tennessee, you should know about it. Here’s what living here is really like, from someone who didn’t grow up with it.
You can’t drive and text here
I’m serious about this one. The back roads out here are two lanes, they curve, and they’re lined with trees on both sides. In Nebraska I could see a mile ahead of me on a lot of roads. Here, the road bends and you’re under the oaks before you know it.
There’s always something to look at. Horses in a pasture. A pond flashing through the tree line. An old barn somebody kept up. If your eyes drift for two seconds, you’re in the ditch. Put the phone in the console and enjoy the drive. That’s half the reason people move here anyway.
So many people have their own pond
This was one of the first things I noticed driving around Fayette County. Pond after pond. Some are small stock ponds for cattle. Some are full lakes with a dock, a picnic table, and ducks that act like they own the place.
In Nebraska, water on your property usually meant a creek or a dugout. Here, a pond is almost part of the package on acreage. If you’re shopping for land in West Tennessee, ask about the pond: how deep it is, whether it’s spring fed or runoff, whether it’s stocked, and who maintains the dam. Those answers matter more than how pretty it looks in the listing photos.
Three kinds of Tennessee in one state
Tennessee officially splits into three regions, and each one feels different on the ground.
- West Tennessee is where I am. Mostly flat to gently rolling land, good soil, big hardwoods, and lots of ponds. It’s easy land to farm, fence, and build on.
- Middle Tennessee around Nashville has bigger hills and hollows, and it’s where you go for the music and entertainment.
- East Tennessee is the mountains. If you want to sit on a porch and look down over a valley, that’s your side of the state.
You can drive from flat farmland to the Smoky Mountains without leaving the state. And Tennessee doesn’t tax wages, wherever you land.
Rossville, Tennessee: small town, right in the middle of everything
Rossville sits in southwest Fayette County, right on the Shelby County line. It’s one of the oldest towns in the county, named for Thomas M. Ross, who gave the land for its first buildings back in 1859 (Tennessee Vacation). The Wolf River runs along the north edge of town, and the little downtown along Main and Front Streets is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The town itself is tiny. A few hundred people live inside the limits. What makes it work is where it sits. From my driveway I’m about 17 minutes from Collierville. I’ve got 20 acres, a lake, and no neighbors looking in my windows, but I can be at a hospital, Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowe’s in less time than some city people spend in traffic.
Out here it feels like you live in your own little world. Then you get in the truck, and you’re running errands in Collierville.
Collierville: schools, sports, and everything you need
Collierville is the town I lean on for everyday life, and it’s a great place to live in its own right. If you want a neighborhood, sidewalks, and some of the best public schools in the state, this is where I’d send you.
Collierville High School moved into a new building in 2018. It’s the largest high school in Tennessee, with a 1,000-seat auditorium, three gyms, a TV studio, an auto shop, and a welding lab (Memphis School Guide). The first time I walked into the athletic facilities, I thought I was on a college campus. That is not what I was used to coming from Nebraska.
Then there’s the aviation program. A $2 million state grant in 2021 let Collierville Schools start flight training for middle and high schoolers. High school students take dual-enrollment classes for University of Memphis credit and log flight school hours toward a private pilot license. The flight school owner told reporters that license would normally run about $12,000, and Collierville students get it free through the grant (Action News 5). The district also says it’s the only one in the area teaching aviation mechanics at the high school level (Daily Memphian). Kids in high school, learning to fly. I still think that’s amazing.
If schools are at the top of your list, look at living in Collierville itself. Collierville Schools serves families who live in the district, so the aviation program and that high school come with a Collierville address. Rossville is a different choice. It’s zoned for Fayette County Public Schools, and you’re choosing land and quiet over the district. I help families with both, and the first thing I ask is which one matters more to them.
For everything else, Collierville has it: hospitals, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, grocery stores, restaurants, and parks. I get the services of a growing suburb and go home to quiet.
Town squares that look like the TV version
You know the town square from every holiday movie? Gazebo in the middle, little shops and coffee places all the way around, people walking with a cup in their hand. I assumed those were sets. Then I moved here, and the small towns around me actually look like that.
Collierville Town Square is the one people drive in for. Parade Magazine named it the Best Main Street in America in 2014, and it’s lined with boutiques, museums, and places like Square Beans Coffee and the Silver Caboose (Tennessee Vacation). In summer it’s beautifully kept and there’s always something going on.
Christmas is when the crowds really line up. The town lights the square with about a quarter million lights, and on Saturdays there’s Santa in the gazebo, carolers, and horse-drawn carriage rides. Southern Living ranked Collierville No. 1 on its list of the best Christmas towns in Tennessee (Commercial Appeal). This year Hallmark named it one of 25 Official Hallmark Christmas Towns, a finalist for Hallmark’s Merriest Christmas Town of 2026 (FOX 13). Fun side note for my Nebraska people: Papillion made that same list (City of Papillion). Both of my markets, both on Hallmark’s list.
The town’s 2026 Christmas schedule is set to post November 1 (Town of Collierville). Go on a Saturday.
It isn’t only Collierville. I’ve walked the square in Somerville, our county seat, and the one in Arlington, and every time I have the same thought: this is what I pictured a Southern small town would be. Local coffee shops and restaurants you won’t find anywhere else, and people who actually say hello.
Germantown: strong schools and a dressed-up night out
When I want something more upscale than Collierville, I go one town west to Germantown. The Shops of Saddle Creek has been its anchor for shopping and dining since 1987, the Germantown Performing Arts Center (GPAC) brings in concerts and shows, and The Merchants at Thornwood has patio dining and drinks. For something casual, there’s the Germantown Commissary for barbecue.
Germantown also has a strong horse culture. The Germantown Charity Horse Show runs every year, and there are greenways and horse trails winding through town. For a barns girl, that matters.
Germantown has its own school district too. Germantown Municipal School District started in 2014, and its schools include Dogwood, Farmington, and Forest Hill elementaries, Riverdale K-8, Houston Middle, and Houston High. Germantown Elementary and Germantown Middle joined the district in August 2025. On SchoolDigger’s 2024-25 rankings, Dogwood Elementary placed 3rd out of 1,009 Tennessee elementary schools (SchoolDigger). Houston High and Collierville High are rivals, which tells you something about both towns.
Like Collierville, Germantown’s schools serve families who live in the district. If that’s what you’re after, we’d focus your home search inside Germantown.
The best parts aren’t in Memphis
When people hear West Tennessee, they think Memphis. Memphis is right there, and it has its own draws. But Rossville, Collierville, Germantown, Somerville, and Arlington are all just outside it, and a lot of people have never heard of them. That’s a shame, because in my opinion some of the best places to live around here aren’t in Memphis at all.
And Nebraska, I still love you. Fifty years is a long time. Tennessee just gave me something different: 20 acres of quiet, a lake out back, and a town square 17 minutes away.
Quick answers about living in Rossville, TN
Where is Rossville, Tennessee? In southwest Fayette County, on the Shelby County line, about 17 minutes from Collierville and 30 to 40 minutes from Memphis depending on traffic.
What school district is Rossville in? Fayette County Public Schools. Families set on Collierville Schools or Germantown Municipal Schools should shop for a home inside those districts.
Can you buy acreage near Collierville? Yes. Fayette County around Rossville has homes on 5, 10, 20 acres and more, many with ponds, within a short drive of Collierville shopping and hospitals.
Are Collierville and Germantown good places to live for schools? Families move to both for their municipal school districts. Collierville has a high school aviation program and the largest high school building in the state. Germantown’s Dogwood Elementary ranked 3rd of 1,009 Tennessee elementary schools on SchoolDigger for 2024-25.
Thinking about a move?
If you’re looking at land, a hobby farm, or a backyard home in Fayette County or the Collierville and Germantown area, I’d love to help. From backyards to barns, we’ve got you covered. Call or text me at 402-578-5274.
Kari Witt, REALTOR® | eXp Realty | Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #2265501