CROSSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A travel center with more than 100 fuel stations and spanning over 53,000 square feet is heading to the Volunteer state.

“It’s been going on for a few years now,” said Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster. “When I first heard about it I was thinking what you hear from a lot of people: a gas station. But wow it’s so much more than that.”

Buc-ee’s is opening its first Tennessee location in Crossville after being discussed since Mayor Foster took office. The chain of gas stations hails from the Lone Star State and has its own fan base that flocks to its nearly 40 locations for its Texas barbecue, homemade fudge, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and pastries.

“When I heard they wanted to come here, my wife and I actually went to the one off Interstate 10 down in Alabama and it’s an experience,” said Mayor Foster. “The average time someone spends when they go in one is like 40-45 minutes.”

The property in Crossville will be off I-40 at Genesis Road, bringing 175 jobs to the community.

“Cumberland County and Crossville, we’re growing. We’ve got a good, strong workforce. We have a great location. We’re approximately halfway between Nashville and Knoxville so people traveling that area, they’re going to be able to see it and stop right in,” said Foster, adding this also benefits people who visit the area known as the Golf Capital of Tennessee.

He said the potential economic impact was a big plus.

“It’s significant with sales tax. A lot of sales tax will be coming in from people who don’t live in our community,” the mayor explained. “One of the things you notice around a lot of the other Buc-ee’s is that as time goes on, different types of retail and restaurants and things develop around the Buc-ee’s. So that’s an exciting prospect for us, too, here in Cumberland County.”

He said the community’s growth has been steady over the years, and leaders were careful with their decisions.

“We want to grow the right way,” the mayor said. “Our main thing for growth is to have growth that lets people leave their version of the American dream.”

Buc-ee’s is expanding its reach in the South after breaking ground on its first location in South Carolina in 2020, then Kentucky and now Tennessee is up next. The groundbreaking in Crossville is set to happen next Tuesday, June 15.