In 2007, U.S. News & World Report listed Smyrna as one of the best places in the United States to retire.

The town of Smyrna has its European American roots in the early 19th century and began as an agrarian community.

One of the major events of the war for the town involved the Confederate States soldier Sam Davis, who, after being charged with spying, gave up his life instead of giving any information to the Union Army.

[8] The Sam Davis Plantation, located on 160 acres (0.65 km2) of well-maintained farmland, is the town's most important historical site.

In 1941 during World War II, Sewart Air Force Base was established here and served as a B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 advanced training facility.

Most of the property was divided among the State of Tennessee, Rutherford County, and the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority.

The city began a period of growth stimulated by production of such companies as Better Built Aluminum, Cumberland Swan (currently known as Vi-Jon, Inc.), and Square D building plants.

In the early 1980s, Nissan Motors constructed a manufacturing plant in the city, and in 1983, the first vehicle was produced.

[11] The Nissan plant now employs around 8,400 workers,[12] has a production capacity of 640,000 vehicles annually,[12] and covers an area of 5,200,000 sq ft (480,000 m2).

[10] On June 2, 2016 Blue Angels #6 crashed in Smyrna when practicing for the Great Tennessee Air show, killing pilot Capt.

Kuss departed on his tragic final flight, and the centerpiece is a retired F/A-18 Hornet loaned to Smyrna from the United States Navy, painted in the colors of the Blue Angels performance squadron with Capt.

Kuss' name under the cockpit hatch and the number 6 on the tails to represent which plane he flew on his final flight.

Portions of the Percy Priest Lake reservoir lies within the town limits.

The top employers in the city are:[24] Prior to their dissolution, RegionsAir (formerly Corporate Airlines) and Capitol Air were headquartered in Smyrna.