SPRING HILL , Tennessee ( CNN ) -- General Motors idled its Spring Hill , Tennessee , facility as part of its bankruptcy plan Monday , leaving hundreds of employees -- and thousands of residents who rely on the plant 's economic thrust -- in limbo . Johnny Miranda is trying to stay positive about the plant where he has worked for 16 years . Spring Hill , about 35 miles south of Nashville , is a town built on the jobs that the plant provides . The town has seen its population jump more than 1,600 percent in the almost 20 years since GM sent the first Saturn down the assembly line in June 1990 . `` I want to think positive , '' said autoworker Johnny Miranda , who left a GM plant in Van Nuys , California , 16 years ago to work in Spring Hill . `` It could bring you down . It could really mess you up if you be thinking they 're going to close it and you 're going to lose your job . '' The future is uncertain for the plant 's 3,000 employees . GM could shut down , phase out or sell the plant . Local media outlets report that the plant will end production toward the end of this year and that assembly of the Chevrolet Traverse will be moved to Lansing , Michigan . Watch Spring Hill residents share concerns » . The Spring Hill facility ceased building Saturns more than two years ago as sales slumped . After a yearlong retooling , it started pushing out Chevy 's crossover sport utility vehicle instead . Saturn had originally billed itself as a `` different kind of car company , '' and GM had hoped the business plan and fuel-efficient vehicles would allow it to snatch sales away from its Japanese rivals . Watch GM workers ponder future » . GM made Saturn a separate division , built an innovative plant , embraced no-haggle buying , opted for plastic over metal for many of the vehicles ' parts and brokered an agreement with the United Auto Workers that fostered teamwork between the union and management . For years the company enjoyed a cult-like following . Self-confessed `` Saturnistas '' attended `` homecomings '' on the Spring Hill campus . Web sites and fan clubs popped up across the country . One of the sites , saturnfans.com , garnered thousands of signatures on its `` Save Saturn '' petition in the months leading up to GM 's bankruptcy . Ultimately , GM 's aspiration to sell a half million of the cars a year did n't pan out . It sold only 8,000 Saturns in November 2008 and fewer than 200,000 for the entire year . Watch what drove GM to this point » . But Saturn 's waning popularity was just one of a litany of problems facing the auto giant , which filed for bankruptcy and announced specifics of its restructuring Monday . In addition to shedding the Saturn brand , GM also plans to end its Pontiac , Saab and Hummer lines , as well . The company shut down a dozen facilities and put three , including the Spring Hill plant , on standby . It also will cut ties with about a third of its 6,000 U.S. dealerships . See which plants are closing » . Visit Spring Hill and it 's tough to find anyone not affected by the plant 's suspension . Every resident appears to know at least one person whose job is on the line . `` My father-in-law works for GM . He 's worked for GM ever since the day he graduated college , '' Will Barnes said at a T-ball game Sunday . See GM 's history » . Barnes ' father-in-law is anxious , like thousands of GM employees , and has resorted to yardwork to calm his nerves , he said . `` He 's cut his yard five times this week because this is the level of uncertainty for him , and I hate to see him in that situation , '' Barnes said . John Stansbury , 55 , told The Daily Herald in Columbia , Tennessee , he has been working for GM since he was 18 . His father spent 40 years with the automaker . Watch how the U.S. auto industry has risen , fallen » . Because of the Spring Hill plant 's flexibility following its recent revamp and the competitive local labor agreement , Stansbury said he remains optimistic but uneasy . `` The mood of the whole plant is really unsure , '' he told the newspaper . `` We are all tense . '' iReport.com : What next for GM ? When the Spring Hill plant opened in 1990 , the town 's population was 1,464 , according to the Census Bureau . The latest count , from 2007 , is closer to 24,000 . In that time , numerous subdivisions have been constructed to accommodate the plant 's workers . Economic officials told The Daily Herald that at least 5,000 jobs are tied to the plant . That 's in addition to the restaurants , shops and other businesses that rely on autoworkers ' dollars . Watch how the bankruptcy will have a ripple effect » . The Spring Hill plant also gives local governments more than $ 2 million in lieu of taxes , the newspaper reported . Though the fate of the plant remains contingent on market conditions , few are under the illusion that GM employees and Spring Hill residents will remain unscathed by changes to the city 's lifeline . `` It 's going to hurt , '' Miranda , the autoworker , said . `` No question , it 'll hurt . '' CNN 's Jim Kavanagh and Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this report .
Spring Hill population jumped more than 1,600 percent since Chevy facility opened there . Future uncertain for about 3,000 workers ; GM could close , sell or phase out plant . Facility began building Chevy Traverse SUV instead of Saturn last week . Resident says anxious father-in-law mowed lawn about 3,000 times about two years ago .