For 2009 so far, bankruptcy filings are skyrocketing. In August, filings were up 22% year-over-year, and Nevada has become taken the dubious honor of leading the nation in bankruptcies (Tennessee is #2).

More than 950,000 bankruptcy filings have occurred this year, compared to slightly over 700,000 last year. By December, it could come close to 1.5 million.

This post is part of our Big Company, Small Town series, featuring large companies and the small towns in which they are headquartered.

As with many interstate travelers, the Cracker Barrel is a regular meal stop during my family vacations. Partaking of some comfort food, perusing the country store for toys and foodstuffs we recall from our childhoods, and resting for a spell in the rocking chairs can be just the thing after long hours on the road.

But also like many travelers, I'm sure, I had no idea that the Cracker Barrel came from the small town of Lebanon (pronounced LEB-nun by many natives), Tennessee, the county seat of Wilson County, east of Nashville.

A local spring was the chosen site for the town, and a nearby grove of red cedars inspired the town's biblical name. The town was incorporated in 1819, and Cumberland University opened its doors there in 1842. The town square -- which today features antique and gift shops that bring tourists from far and wide -- was the site of a Civil War battle in 1862. Some 130 confederate soldiers are buried at Lebanon's historic Cedar Grove Cemetery.

The town expanded once the Tennessee and Pacific Railroad came to town after the Civil War, followed by the Lebanon Woolen Mills and the Gulf Red Cedar Company in 1908. General George Patton's tanks passed through the town on their way to Europe, and after World War II, the town expanded again, with the opening of Tennessee's first industrial park, which is the site of Cracker Barrel's corporate headquarters.

The Volunteer State is the home of Elvis Presley and the Grand Old Opry, former Vice President Al Gore, presidential candidate Fred Thompson, and the NFL's Tennessee Titans. Economically, Tennessee is the home of textiles, cotton, cattle, and electricity production, as well as mega corporations such as FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and International Paper Co. (NYSE: IP). And it is also the home of four companies from Fortune's 2007 list of the fastest growing public companies in the U.S.: Psychiatric Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: PSYS), Pinnacle Financial Partners (NASDAQ: PNFP), Miller Industries Inc. (NYSE: MLR), and First Acceptance Corp. (NYSE: FAC).

At number 49 on Fortune's list was Psychiatric Solutions (PSI), the Franklin-based health care provider, which has grown in part through acquisitions. It has 900 psychiatric hospitals in 30 states, and operates in-patient facilities for other hospitals and government organizations. PSI's three-year revenue growth was 50%; three-year earnings per share growth at 76%. In July, PSI reported a record second quarter and a Lehman Brothers analyst expects PSI to meet or beat expectations in the current quarter. The consensus of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial is that PSI is a buy, but Standard & Poor's is among those that consider PSI a strong buy. The share price was $39.90 on at the close on Friday.

Nashville-based Pinnacle Financial Partners is the holding company for Pinnacle National Bank, and holds assets of more than $2 billion. Pinnacle's three-year revenue growth was 81%, and its three-year earnings per share growth was 46%. Despite a strong second quarter report, the share price dropped to a 52-week low of $21.62 in August, but has bounced back since to $30.63 at the close on Friday. In September, a Pinnacle director bought 5,000 common shares of PNFP, and Pinnacle was among southern regional banks considered good bets despite the current credit climate. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial consider Pinnacle Financial a buy.