[1] It is named in honor of John Donelson, co-founder of Nashville and father-in-law of Andrew Jackson, Nashvillian and seventh President of the United States.

Donelson encompasses the site of historic Buchanan's Station where settlers in the early Nashville settlements held off a major incursion into the area by a united Native American force comprising Lower Cherokee and Creek Indians hoping to destroy Nashville and drive the American frontiersman back across the Appalachian Mountains.

Today, the only extant remains of the compound is the Buchanan cemetery on the northwest corner of Elm Hill Pike and Massman Drive.

It began its modern development shortly after World War II, and its location next to Nashville's airport led to much of its later growth.

[4] Donelson is now an example of an early postwar suburb with a stock of mostly half-century-old, red brick, detached ranch-style homes.

Donelson is also home to the national headquarters of HarperCollins Christian Publishers, a new branch of Nashville State University, and over 40 hotels and motels that cater to tourists and business travelers using BNA International Airport.

In recent years, Donelson has shown high demand as a desirable place to live, and is commonly discussed as one of the next Nashville neighborhoods set for explosive growth.