About

This website is meant to gather community feedback on the proposed transfer of deed restrictions between McDonald Farm and Enterprise South Nature Park.

The plan would permanently conserve more than 1,300 acres of pristine farmland at McDonald Farm, preserving its rolling hills and untouched wooded areas for recreation and conservation, while continuing all existing recreational use at Enterprise South Nature Park.

History of Enterprise South

Enterprise South began as an Army ammunition plant developed in the late 1930s and early 1940s. After the Army initiated property disposal in 1993, the General Services Administration offered the site to the City and County in 1998.

Through a collaborative planning process, part of the land was transformed into an industrial park to attract major employers, while another portion became a public nature park. Construction of the Nature Park began in 2006, and it officially opened to the public in December 2010.

Scenic farmland with white barn and green fields, mountains partially obscured by clouds.

History of McDonald Farm

McDonald Farm traces its roots back to the 1820s, when James Richard McDonald settled the rolling hills and untouched wooded areas of Walden’s Ridge shortly after the Cherokee cession. Over eight generations, the McDonald family operated the property as a working farm featuring a creamery, row crops, cattle, and a popular fall agritourism destination.

In 2021, the family sold the approximately 2,170-acre property to Hamilton County, marking a new chapter in the land’s enduring history of community connection and responsible stewardship of its rolling hills and untouched wooded areas.

Scenic farmland with white barn and fence in front of misty mountains.