Living in Bartlett, TN: Bartlett Station, Parks and Homes

Bartlett sits on the northeast side of Shelby County, wrapped around Stage Road and bordered by Memphis, Lakeland and Arlington. It has been its own city since 1866, and it still runs its own parks, schools and water system. If you are curious about what day-to-day life in Bartlett looks like, the best places to start are the old town center, the parks and the calendar.

Historic Bartlett Station

Bartlett began around 1829 as a stagecoach stop called Union Depot, and was incorporated in 1866 and named for Major Gabriel M. Bartlett. The original town center along Stage Road is known today as Bartlett Station. The city adopted a preservation ordinance in 1999 and created a historic district there in 2002, and a Bartlett Station Commission has worked on the area since the late 1990s, including design guidelines for storefronts.

A few places anchor the district:

• The Venue at Bartlett Station, 5868 Stage Road. Formerly called the Bartlett Station Municipal Center, it includes a historic chapel, an auditorium and a banquet hall.
• The Bartlett Museum in the Nicholas Gotten House, 2969 Court Street. The house was built in 1871. Admission is free, and it is open on the first and third Sundays of the month from 2 to 4 p.m.
• W.J. Freeman Park, 2629 Bartlett Boulevard, a short drive north. At nearly 90 acres, it is the city's main gathering spot and home to the A. Keith McDonald Pavilion.

Not far away, a large mixed-use project that borrows the old Union Depot name is under construction near U.S. 70 and Stage Road. It is a long-term project, and worth knowing about if you are looking at homes on that side of town.

Bartlett parks and trails

Bartlett maintains more than two dozen parks. A few stand out:

• Nesbit Park on Yale Road covers about 336 acres and holds the Stanky Creek trail system, roughly 10 miles of wooded singletrack maintained by the Mid-South Trails Association. It is one of the better-known mountain biking spots in the Memphis area and is used by hikers and trail runners too.
• Blue Lagoon Park is about 158 acres and is a certified arboretum.
• The Bobby K. Flaherty Municipal Center on Appling Road is a 71-acre campus with a fitness trail and the Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center.
• Shadowlawn Park has lighted ballfields and pickleball courts, and Yale Road Park has a small lake.
• The Fletcher Creek Greenway is being built in phases. The first section opened in 2017 and a second in 2021, and the city has targeted late 2026 to early 2027 for construction of another phase.

Events on the Bartlett calendar

Two of Bartlett's biggest traditions bookend the fall. The Bartlett Festival, BBQ Contest and Car Show was held at Freeman Park on October 2 and 3 this year and returns each fall. The Bartlett Station Farmers Market runs on Saturday mornings at Freeman Park from late May through late September, so it has wrapped up for 2026.

Still ahead:

• The Bartlett Christmas Parade is set for Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 4 p.m. along Kirby Whitten and Yale roads.
• The Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center at 3663 Appling Road has a full fall season, including John Waite on October 9, Brittney Spencer on October 17, a James Taylor tribute on October 24 and The Nutcracker on December 18 through 20.
• Davies Manor, a historic site on the east side of Bartlett, is open for tours Tuesday through Saturday afternoons through mid-December.

Homes and neighborhoods in Bartlett

Bartlett covers about 32 square miles and had an estimated 56,416 residents as of July 2025, according to the Census Bureau. Housing is spread across four zip codes: 38133, 38134 and 38135, plus part of 38002 on the northeast side.

The city's neighborhoods were built over many decades, so the housing varies by area. Subdivision and area names you will see in listings include Easthill, Elmore Park, Quail Ridge, Rivercrest, Ellendale and Davies Plantation, several of which have a city park of the same name. In general, the areas closest to Stage Road and the old town center are older, and newer subdivisions are found toward the north and east. Because age, lot size and HOA arrangements differ from one subdivision to the next, it is worth asking about each of those for any home you tour.

Utilities, taxes and schools in Bartlett

A few practical facts:

• Utilities. The City of Bartlett provides water and sewer service. MLGW provides electricity and natural gas.
• Property taxes. Bartlett's city rate is $1.66 per $100 of assessed value, left unchanged in the budget adopted in June 2026. Shelby County's 2026 rate is about $2.70 per $100. Residential property is assessed at 25 percent of appraised value.
• Schools. Bartlett City Schools has operated since 2013. The district includes six elementary schools (Altruria, Bartlett, Bon Lin, Ellendale, Oak and Rivercrest), three middle schools (Appling, Bon Lin and Elmore Park), the Bartlett Ninth Grade Academy and Bartlett High School. The district broke ground in September 2026 on a new Altruria Elementary building. Zoning is by address, so confirm with the district.
• Getting around. Stage Road (U.S. 64) is the main east-west route, with I-40 along the south side and U.S. 70 and U.S. 79 to the north. Wolfchase Galleria sits just across the city line in Memphis.

If you are thinking about a move to Bartlett or within it, I am happy to share what I know about specific streets and subdivisions or to answer questions as they come up. No pressure and no hurry. Reach out whenever it would help.

Kelly Day, SRES, SRS, AHWD, PSA, RENE
Multi Million Dollar Club
Broker Lic # 365811
simpliHOM
901-289-9227
855-856-9466
[email protected]
https://memphishouselistings.com