Living in Norman Farm, Hendersonville, TN: A Complete Guide to The Retreat at Norman Farm

Norman Farm in Hendersonville, Tennessee is one of Sumner County's larger new-construction neighborhoods — and one of the most misunderstood, because it goes by two names. If you've seen "Norman Farm" on one listing and "The Retreat at Norman Farm" on another, those are not two neighborhoods sitting side by side. They are the same single planned community, marketed primarily as The Retreat at Norman Farm. This guide pulls together what's actually verifiable from builder marketing, listing aggregators, and the 2020 developer announcement, and flags plainly where the public record runs out.

Quick snapshot

• •Location: off Anderson Road in Hendersonville (Sumner County), ZIP 37075. Interior streets include John T Alexander Blvd, Hedgewood Lawn Drive, James Gourley Road, Van Conder Place, and Joe Miller Drive.
• •Size: 240 home sites across approximately 150 acres.
• •Type: new-construction, single-family homes.
• •Builders: launched by The Jones Company (2020); now built and sold by CastleRock Communities, which acquired The Jones Company.
• •Current pricing: roughly $513,000 to about $720,000 depending on plan, size, and stage (new build vs. resale).
• •Homes: about 1,634 to 3,432 sq ft, 3 to 5 bedrooms, 2 to 4 baths.
• •Signature amenity: a natural community lake ("Norman Lake") with fishing piers and canoe/kayak launches — not a swimming-pool-centered amenity package.
• •Sales office: 103 John T Alexander Blvd, Hendersonville, TN 37075.

What & where

The Retreat at Norman Farm is a planned new-construction community in Hendersonville, in Sumner County northeast of Nashville. The plan calls for 240 home sites spread across approximately 150 acres off Anderson Road. It's an interior Hendersonville neighborhood — meaning it sits inland, organized around its own natural community lake rather than on the shoreline of Old Hickory Lake.

That distinction matters and is worth stating clearly: the lake inside the community, referred to as Norman Lake, is a community pond/lake used for kayaking, paddle boarding, and fishing. It is not Old Hickory Lake, and Norman Farm is not a deeded Old Hickory Lake waterfront subdivision. If your goal is a boat slip or direct big-lake frontage, this is not that kind of neighborhood — the water here is an on-site amenity, not a navigable reservoir.

The land itself carries local history. The site was originally owned by the Norman family of Hendersonville and previously held a pumpkin patch and a local farmers market — which is where the farm-inspired branding, and the name, come from.

Builders, home styles & current price bands

The community was announced in September 2020 by The Jones Company, a Nashville-based homebuilder, which planned to build its "Inspiration Collection" homes here — with sales slated to begin in October/November 2020 and construction beginning in January 2021, from the $330s at launch.

Since then the builder has changed hands. The Retreat at Norman Farm is now built and sold by CastleRock Communities, which acquired The Jones Company. You can see the shared history in the marketing — the social handle "thejonescompanybycastlerock," and listing portals showing the community under both "The Jones Company - Nashville" and "CastleRock Communities." CastleRock lists it as an active community on its own site, with the sales office at 103 John T Alexander Blvd.

Because building has continued for several years, the price picture has moved a long way from that 2020 "from the $330s" launch number. Current figures:

• •New-construction homes currently start around $512,990–$513,000.
• •Builder and aggregator pricing has been cited at roughly $513,000 to $651,000 for new builds.
• •Resale and current MLS listings range higher — up to about $712,000–$720,000.
• •Current eXp Realty listings in the community span roughly $535,000 (135 John T Alexander Blvd) to $719,900 (216 John T Alexander Blvd).

Home sizes run roughly 1,634 to 3,432 sq ft, with 3 to 5 bedrooms and 2 to 4 baths. Named floor plans include Snowmass, Glenwood, Greeley, Winslow, Russell, Audubon, Hayden (2,809 sq ft), and Rushmore (5 bed / 3.5 bath, about 3,376–3,432 sq ft), plus Hensley, Rowen, and Bierstadt. One example of a current new-construction listing: 198 John T Alexander Blvd at $615,990 — 4 beds, 3 baths, 2,633 sq ft.

Architecturally, the homes are described as a mix that includes Craftsman and Cape Cod / modern-farmhouse aesthetics — consistent with new-construction planned-community design. The community's signature entrance feature is a "modern farmhouse"-style entry barn, tying the built environment back to the site's farm history.

The community: amenities, lots & HOA

What sets Norman Farm apart from many Hendersonville new-construction neighborhoods is that its amenity plan is organized around water and nature rather than a swim club. The amenities include:

• •Norman Lake — a natural community lake usable for kayaking, paddle boarding, and fishing, with multiple fishing piers and numerous canoe/kayak launches. The lake is stocked (TWRA fish-stocking has been noted) and has hosted the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee annual fishing event.
• •A community garden
• •Walking trails and sidewalks
• •A playground / park and open green space
• •Underground utilities

The neighborhood was also designed to preserve open land: sources describe well over 50 percent of the natural surroundings being left undisturbed (some marketing frames it the other way, saying only about one-third of the land was developed). Either way, the design intent is a lot of retained green space around the homesites, anchored by that modern-farmhouse entry barn.

On lots: exact lot dimensions are not consistently published for the community. Rather than invent measurements, the honest read is that these are typical planned-community homesites — sized for lower-maintenance yards relative to the square footage of the homes. If lot size is a deciding factor for you, ask for the plat/lot dimensions on the specific homesite you're considering.

HOA and dues — what's verifiable, and what isn't

The Retreat at Norman Farm is an HOA community; the dues are what maintain the shared features — the lake and fishing piers, the kayak/canoe access, the walking trails, and the community garden. That much is clear from how the community is structured and marketed.

What is NOT publicly verifiable is the exact HOA dues figure. No source we found publishes a dollar amount, so we won't put a number here. Sumner-area builder communities are commonly professionally managed (firms such as Ghertner & Company are common in the area), but the actual dues and what they cover must be confirmed from the HOA and listing documents for the specific home. Ask for the recorded HOA disclosure and current dues in writing before you rely on any figure — and we're glad to pull those documents for you.

Location, commute & what's nearby

Norman Farm sits off Anderson Road in Hendersonville, which puts it in the northeast quadrant of the Nashville metro. Approximate off-peak drive times from the community:

• •Downtown Nashville — about 22 miles, roughly 30 minutes via Vietnam Veterans Parkway (SR-386) to I-65 South.
• •Nashville International Airport (BNA) — about 20 miles, roughly 28 minutes.
• •Cool Springs / Franklin — about 40 miles, roughly 48 minutes via I-65.

Because it's a Hendersonville address, day-to-day errands run through Hendersonville's retail corridors along Gallatin Pike and near the Indian Lake area, and the community is a short drive from the shoreline parks and boat access points along Old Hickory Lake that make Hendersonville a well-known lake town — even though Norman Farm itself is an interior neighborhood.

Property taxes

Hendersonville homeowners pay a combined city and county property tax. The City of Hendersonville rate is $0.5883 per $100 of assessed value and the Sumner County rate is $1.42, for a combined $2.0083 per $100. Tennessee assesses residential property at 25% of appraised value, so as a worked example, a $560,000 home runs roughly $2,810 a year. Confirm the current rates and any changes for the tax year you're buying in, since millage rates are set annually.

Schools

Norman Farm is served by Sumner County Schools. We report zoned-school information factually only, and — because assignments can change and can depend on the exact address — we point you to the official sources to verify and to judge for yourself.

Current builder and agent sources list the zoned schools as Dr. William Burrus Elementary at Drakes Creek, Knox Doss Middle School, and Beech Senior High School. Dr. William Burrus Elementary is the one school confirmed across every source we checked.

Important caveat on the middle and high school: the original 2020 Jones Company press release listed a different set — Dr. William Burrus Elementary, Merrol Hyde Magnet School, and Station Camp High School. Note that Merrol Hyde is a magnet (choice/application) school rather than a standard zoned assignment. Sumner County zoning is address-specific and can change over time, so the assigned middle and high school for a particular home may differ from a general community listing. Verify the exact assignment for any specific address directly with Sumner County Schools before you rely on it.

To research schools yourself, use the Tennessee Department of Education's report card at tn.gov/education and independent profiles at GreatSchools.org, and confirm the current attendance zone with Sumner County Schools. We don't make quality claims about schools — that's a judgment for your family to make with the official data in front of you.

An honest buyer's read: pros and trade-offs

Here's a balanced look, so you can decide whether Norman Farm fits how you actually want to live — not a sales pitch.

What tends to draw buyers here

• •A water-and-nature amenity plan that's uncommon in local new construction — a stocked community lake with fishing piers and kayak/canoe launches, plus a community garden and trails, rather than a pool-centered package.
• •New construction with builder warranties and current finishes, across a range of sizes (about 1,634–3,432 sq ft) and price points, from a single-level option up to five bedrooms.
• •A lot of retained green space by design, with more than half the land intended to stay natural.
• •A Hendersonville / Sumner County location with reasonable off-peak access to downtown Nashville and the airport.

Trade-offs to weigh honestly

• •It is NOT Old Hickory Lake waterfront. If you want a boat slip or navigable-lake frontage, the interior community lake won't deliver that — this is inland Hendersonville.
• •Pricing has climbed well above the 2020 launch numbers; today's roughly $513K–$720K range is a different budget than early buyers saw.
• •It's an HOA community, and the dues figure isn't published publicly — you'll need to confirm the exact amount and rules from the HOA/listing documents before committing.
• •As a community that's still finishing out, the mix of ready-now homes versus to-be-built shifts month to month, and you may live alongside ongoing construction for a while.
• •The zoned middle/high school is not settled in public sources — verify the exact assignment for your address with Sumner County Schools.

How to decide: get the specific homesite's plat and lot dimensions, the recorded HOA disclosure and current dues, the builder's current price and incentive sheet, and the verified school assignment for that exact address. With those five items in hand, you can compare Norman Farm cleanly against other Hendersonville and Sumner County options on the terms that matter to you.

Frequently asked questions

Are Norman Farm and The Retreat at Norman Farm two different neighborhoods?

No. They are the same single community — a 240-homesite, approximately 150-acre planned development off Anderson Road in Hendersonville — marketed primarily as The Retreat at Norman Farm. Listings that use the two names interchangeably are referring to one place.

Who builds homes in Norman Farm?

The community was launched by The Jones Company in 2020 and is now built and sold by CastleRock Communities, which acquired The Jones Company. It's listed as an active CastleRock community, with a sales office at 103 John T Alexander Blvd, Hendersonville, TN 37075.

How much do homes in Norman Farm cost?

As of the most recent sourced figures, new-construction homes start around $512,990–$513,000. New builds have been cited roughly $513,000 to $651,000, and resale/current MLS listings run higher — up to about $712,000–$720,000. Current eXp Realty listings span about $535,000 to $719,900. Prices change often; call 615-265-1000 for the current sheet.

Is Norman Farm on Old Hickory Lake?

No. Norman Farm is an interior Hendersonville community. Its water amenity is a natural community lake called Norman Lake — stocked and used for fishing, kayaking, and paddle boarding — not Old Hickory Lake. It is not a deeded Old Hickory Lake waterfront subdivision.

What amenities does Norman Farm have?

The amenities center on Norman Lake with fishing piers and canoe/kayak launches, plus a community garden, walking trails, sidewalks, a playground/park, open green space, and underground utilities. More than half the land was designed to remain natural, and a modern-farmhouse entry barn marks the entrance.

What schools is Norman Farm zoned for?

It's served by Sumner County Schools. Current sources list Dr. William Burrus Elementary at Drakes Creek, Knox Doss Middle School, and Beech Senior High School, though the 2020 launch materials listed different middle/high options and assignments are address-specific and can change. Confirm the exact zone with Sumner County Schools, and research schools yourself at tn.gov/education and GreatSchools.org.

What are the HOA dues in Norman Farm?

Norman Farm is an HOA community, and dues maintain the lake, piers, kayak/canoe access, trails, and community garden. The exact dues amount is not published in public sources, so we don't state a figure — it should be confirmed from the HOA and listing documents for the specific home. We can pull those documents for you.

Thinking about Norman Farm? Let's get you the real numbers.

New construction rewards good information. Before you commit, you want the specific homesite's plat and lot size, the recorded HOA disclosure and current dues, the builder's current price and incentive sheet, the verified school assignment for that exact address, and a clear side-by-side against comparable Hendersonville and Sumner County communities. That's the knowledge-broker work we do — we represent your interests, help you read the fine print, and never paint a builder or another neighborhood in a bad light to make a sale.

Buyer representation often costs you little or nothing out of pocket — the seller or builder usually covers it, and the terms are negotiated up front (buyer-agent compensation has been negotiated separately since the 2024 NAR changes). We'll walk you through exactly how that works for the specific home you're considering.