Enjoy Retirement Living in Beautiful & Affordable Tennessee
A welcoming retirement village nestled in the gentle, rolling hills of the Cumberland Plateau, Uplands Village is among the many treasures of the Southern Appalachians.
Clean mountain air, mild winters, comfortable summers, and stunningly beautiful springs and autumns have remained unchanged by the passage of time.
It’s time to enjoy a simpler way of life. Pursue your life-long passions while discovering new ones. Surround yourself with friends and neighbors who desire a purpose-driven lifestyle just like you. Experience it all in a place you love with the sense of security you deserve.
At Uplands Village, you’ll find yourself among individuals who have chosen a more stimulating lifestyle with a deeper sense of purpose. Our vibrant and progressive retirement living community combines the amenities and programs of a large community with the charm and personalized care you’d expect from a smaller community.
Discover Your Best Days at Uplands Village
As a Life Plan Community, Uplands Village offers a full spectrum of senior living and healthcare services that include independent living, assisted living, memory care, long-term skilled nursing care, and rehabilitative care options.
Uplands Village is home to a group of people whose chosen lifestyle provides self-fulfillment with the opportunity to enhance the lives of others. Here, you’ll find a diverse community full of intellectual, progressive, caring, and fascinating individuals who chose Uplands Village to remain active during their retirement, serve others in a meaningful way, spend time in nature, and continue to grow and learn for a lifetime!
At our serene East Tennessee location, we offer everything you could want in a 55+ community, including:
- Purposeful living for mind, body, and spirit
- Senior housing options for every stage of life
- A lifestyle focused on health and wellness
- Local area attractions and amenities
- Opportunities to get involved and make a difference
- A community that embraces individuality and diversity
- History and heritage
Find Your Forever Home Here!
Unlike other senior home communities, Uplands Village allows you to own your home. Choose from various home-types and plans to find the one that best suits your needs and preferences. Our home options are comfortable, affordable, and nestled in scenic and peaceful areas on the Cumberland Plateau.
Our Mission is to Change the World for the Better
Uplands Village is an affordable Life Plan Community of active, involved older adults supported by an excellent system of Eden-based continuing care. We are a purposeful, inclusive community with a commitment to works of mercy, justice, and service to others.
Our welcoming community is full of uplifting and progressive people who have dedicated their lives to making their community and world a better place. You’ll be surrounded by the likes of environmentalists, social justice activists, and others who want to create lasting change. Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome at Uplands Village.
A Community Rich in History
Uplands Village grew out of an American Missionary Association project in 1884 that established the Pleasant Hill Academy, a school founded for Appalachian rural youth to provide a liberal arts education and vocational training in agriculture. Soon to follow was the founding of the Pleasant Hill Community Church — this began the close connection between what would become Uplands Village and the Congregational Churches that evolved into today’s United Church of Christ.
In 1917, a woman named May Cravath Wharton, M.D., came to Pleasant Hill when her husband, the Rev. Edwin Wharton, arrived to serve as principal of the Academy. “Doctor May” served as the school doctor but soon began ministering to the medical needs of the wider community, often traveling on horseback in the middle of the night to respond to health emergencies. This tireless woman obtained the resources to build a small hospital in Pleasant Hill and founded what is now the 182-bed Cumberland Medical Center in nearby Crossville, Tennessee.
Seeing the need to house and care for those who had spent their lives in service to others, including ministers, educators, and medical professionals, she built the original Wharton Nursing Home and the first independent living homes surrounding it. Drawing on the words of a favorite poem by James Clark, she named her village “Uplands.” People came, bringing a generous spirit and passion about issues of social justice.
It continues to be a place where people live simply and affordably in a beautiful rural setting, knowing healthcare will always be available when needed.
Uplands Village History
Looking Towards the Next 100 Years
Today, Uplands Village is a vibrant and progressive non-profit organization dedicated to continuing the legacy of this remarkable “Doctor Woman of the Cumberlands.”
While many things about Uplands Village have changed since Dr. May’s day, some things have stood the test of time. Many of our independent living residents, who now live in those same homes Dr. May built, choose to volunteer their time at the present-day Wharton Homes. Our community continues to thrive, and we continue to remain true to our founder’s dream of being an affordable retirement and healthcare choice.
Uplands Village has been proudly serving Cumberland County for 100 years, and we look forward to the next 100.
We Want to Share Our History with You!
When you or your family schedule a visit to our campus, you’ll receive a free copy of Dr. May’s autobiography, Doctor Woman of the Cumberlands.
