Strategically located within the heart of Shelby County, the City of Bartlett embeds a rich history. The city’s slogan is “A great place to live, work, raise a family, and retire.” It is one of Tennessee’s most attractive and vibrant residential communities. The Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, also known as BPACC, was finished in 1999 where it held its first show by Art Garfunkel. The facility is not limited to performances but can be rented out for other events such as seminars or business meetings.

The community from which the city of Bartlett grew was first called Union Depot and Green Bottom. It was the last major way station in Tennessee along the stagecoach route from Nashville westward. When the Memphis & Ohio Railroad took the place of the stagecoaches, Bartlett continued as a depot. Bartlett was a farming community with major plantations along Stage Road.

In existence since about 1829, Bartlett was incorporated in 1866 and remained a small town for another 100 years. From the "old" town of only 508 people at Stage Road and the railroad in 1960, Bartlett grew rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s both through new residents and through annexation, primarily to the east and north, to over 54,000 people today. Bartlett is now Shelby County’s 2nd and Tennessee’s 10th largest city. However, Bartlett still preserves the small town spirit with a well balanced city touch.

In 2007 Money magazine listed it as one of the best 100 places to live in the United States.