The Flag of Tennessee
Tennessee ( TEN -iss-EE , TEN -iss-ee ), officially the State of Tennessee , is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States . It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia , Alabama , and Mississippi to the south, Arkansas to the southwest, and Missouri to the northwest. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. Tennessee is geographically, culturally, and legally divided into three Grand Divisions of East , Middle , and West Tennessee . Nashville is the state's capital and largest city, and anchors its largest metropolitan area. Other major cities include Memphis , Knoxville , Chattanooga , and Clarksville . Tennessee's population as of the 2020 United States census is approximately 6.9 million.
Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association , a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachian Mountains . Its name derives from Tanasi (ᏔᎾᏏ ), a Cherokee town in the eastern part of the state that existed before the first European American settlement. Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina, and later the Southwest Territory , before its admission to the Union as the 16th state on June 1, 1796. It earned the nickname "The Volunteer State" early in its history due to a strong tradition of military service. A slave state until the American Civil War , Tennessee was politically divided, with most of its western and middle parts supporting the Confederacy , and most of the eastern region harboring pro -Union sentiment. As a result, Tennessee was the last state to officially secede from the Union and join the Confederacy , and the first former Confederate state readmitted to the Union after the war had ended during the lengthy Reconstruction era .
During the 20th century, Tennessee transitioned from a predominantly agrarian society to a more diversified economy. This was aided in part by massive federal investment in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the city of Oak Ridge , which was established during World War II to house the Manhattan Project 's uranium enrichment facilities for the construction of the world's first atomic bombs . After the war, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory became a key center of scientific research. In 2016, the element tennessine was named for the state, largely in recognition of the roles played by Oak Ridge, Vanderbilt University , and the University of Tennessee in its discovery. Tennessee has also played a major role in the development of many forms of popular music , including country , blues , rock and roll , soul , and gospel . (Full article... )
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There are 95 counties in the U.S. State of Tennessee . As of 2023, Shelby County was both Tennessee's most populous county, with 910,042 residents, and the largest county in area, covering an area of 755 sq mi (1,955 km2 ). The least populous county was Pickett County (5,128) and the smallest in area was Trousdale County , covering 114 sq mi (295 km2 ). As of the same year, Davidson County , in which the capital Nashville is located, covers 502 sq mi (1,300 km2 ) with a population of 712,334. The population of the state of Tennessee as of the 2023 census estimate was 7,126,489 in an area of 42,169 sq mi (109,217 km2 ). The oldest county is Washington County , founded in 1777. The most recently formed county is Chester County (1879).
According to the 2020 census, the
center of population for Tennessee was located at , 3.5 mi (5.6 km) southeast of
Murfreesboro in
Rutherford County . The center of population pinpoints the location at which the population of the state, as placed on a map of the state where they reside, would balance out the map. The
geographic center , the point where the map of Tennessee would balance without the population, is located 5 mi (8 km) northeast of Murfreesboro. In 1976, the Rutherford County Historical Society marked the geographic center of Tennessee with an
obelisk . (
Full article... )
List of recognized articles
Nashville is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County . Located in Middle Tennessee, it had a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census . Nashville is the 21st most populous city in the United States , and the fourth most populous city in the southeastern U.S. Located on the Cumberland River , the city is the center of the Nashville metropolitan area , and is one of the fastest growing in the nation.
Named for
Francis Nash , a general of the
Continental Army during the
American Revolutionary War , the city was founded in 1779 when this territory was still considered part of North Carolina. The city grew quickly due to its strategic location as a port on the Cumberland River and, in the 19th century, a railroad center. Nashville as part of Tennessee seceded during the
American Civil War ; in 1862 it was the first state capital in the
Confederacy to be taken by
Union forces . It was occupied through the war. (
Full article... )
List of selected articles
History of Tennessee List of Tennessee state symbols List of governors of Tennessee Governor of Tennessee East Tennessee Middle Tennessee West Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee Tennessee River Memphis, Tennessee Chattanooga, Tennessee Clarksville, Tennessee Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Cleveland, Tennessee Dolly Parton Tennessee State Guard University of Memphis Toqua (Tennessee) Great Smoky Mountains Great Smoky Mountains Interstate 40 in Tennessee Old Crow Medicine Show Swaggerty Blockhouse Unicoi Mountains Old City, Knoxville Nashville Americans Valerie June Battle of Fort Donelson Battle of Fort Henry Collierville, Tennessee Vanderbilt University Tennessee whiskey Jack Daniel's Grand Ole Opry Battle of Nashville Nashville Superspeedway Johnny Cash Carl Perkins Tennessee Waltz Morristown, Tennessee Fainting goat Bessie Smith Cookeville, Tennessee Murfreesboro, Tennessee Bob Corker Edgar Evins State Park Graceland Bledsoe Creek State Park Dollywood Tennessee Valley Authority Black Patch Tobacco Wars Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The following are images from various Tennessee-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 Fall Creek Falls , the tallest waterfall in the eastern United States, is located on the Cumberland Plateau (from
Tennessee )
Image 2 A View of Memphis, Tennessee , 1871 (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 3 Howard Baker served as
Senate Minority and Majority Leader from 1977 to 1985, and was known as "The Great Conciliator" (from
Tennessee )
Image 4 Mount Le Conte in the
Great Smoky Mountains is the tallest mountain in eastern North America, measured from base to summit (from
Tennessee )
Image 5 John Bell (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 7 The
resort city of
Gatlinburg borders the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park , which is the most visited national park in the United States. (from
Tennessee )
Image 8 Offices of
The Tennessean in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
Image 9 Established in 1942,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest national laboratory in the Department of Energy system (from
Tennessee )
Image 10 The
Ocoee River was home to the
1996 Summer Olympics whitewater slalom events, the only Olympic sporting event ever held in the state. (from
Tennessee )
Image 11 Howard Baker served as
Senate Minority and Majority Leader from 1977 to 1985, and was known as "The Great Conciliator" (from
Tennessee )
Image 13 The
Ryman Auditorium , home of the "Grand Ole Opry" in Nashville (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 14 Cedar glades are an ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface (from
Tennessee )
Image 15 Established in 1942,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest national laboratory in the Department of Energy system (from
Tennessee )
Image 16 Fall Creek Falls , the tallest waterfall in the eastern United States, is located on the Cumberland Plateau (from
Tennessee )
Image 17 Interstate 40 traverses Tennessee from east to west, and serves the state's three largest cities. (from
Tennessee )
Image 18 Map of counties in Tennessee by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census
Non-Hispanic White 50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90%+
Black or African American 50–60%
(from
Tennessee )
Image 19 Surveyor
Daniel Smith's "Map of the Tennassee State" (1796) (from
Tennessee )
Image 20 Al Gore served as a
United States Senator from Tennessee (1985–1993) and as
Vice President of the United States (1993–2001) (from
Tennessee )
Image 22 Workers at the
Norris Dam construction camp site in 1933 (from
Tennessee )
Image 23 Vanderbilt University in Nashville is consistently ranked as one of the top research institutions in the nation (from
Tennessee )
Image 24 The Hermitage , plantation home of President
Andrew Jackson in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
Image 26 Memphis International Airport , the hub of
FedEx Corporation , is the busiest cargo airport in the world (from
Tennessee )
Image 27 The Southwest Territory in 1790 (from
Tennessee )
Image 28 The
resort city of
Gatlinburg borders the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park , which is the most visited national park in the United States. (from
Tennessee )
Image 29 The
1982 World's Fair in Knoxville (from
Tennessee )
Image 30 A
Nissan Leaf , one of six models manufactured at the
Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant , the largest automotive assembly plant in North America (from
Tennessee )
Image 31 The
Battle of Franklin , November 30, 1864 (from
Tennessee )
Image 32 The
Ocoee River was home to the
1996 Summer Olympics whitewater slalom events, the only Olympic sporting event ever held in the state. (from
Tennessee )
Image 34 in 1946 the U.S. Post Office issued a
commemorative stamp celebrating the 150th anniversary of Tennessee statehood. (from
Tennessee )
Image 37 in 1946 the U.S. Post Office issued a
commemorative stamp celebrating the 150th anniversary of Tennessee statehood. (from
Tennessee )
Image 38 The
Grand Ole Opry , which was recorded in
Nashville 's
Ryman Auditorium from 1943 to 1974, is the longest-running
radio broadcast in US history. (from
Tennessee )
Image 40 A
Nissan Leaf , one of six models manufactured at the
Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant , the largest automotive assembly plant in North America (from
Tennessee )
Image 41 Calutron operators at the
Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge during the
Manhattan Project (from
Tennessee )
Image 43 The Tennessee at Chattanooga , 1872, by
Harry Fenn (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 45 Reconstruction of
Fort Loudoun , the first British settlement in Tennessee (from
Tennessee )
Image 46 Conquistador Hernando de Soto , first European to visit Tennessee (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 47 Reconstruction of
Fort Loudoun , the first British settlement in Tennessee (from
Tennessee )
Image 48 Al Gore served as a
United States Senator from Tennessee (1985–1993) and as
Vice President of the United States (1993–2001) (from
Tennessee )
Image 49 Surveyor
Daniel Smith's "Map of the Tennassee State" (1796) (from
Tennessee )
Image 52 The
1982 World's Fair in Knoxville (from
Tennessee )
Image 54 Calutron operators at the
Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge during the
Manhattan Project (from
Tennessee )
Image 55 Köppen climate types of Tennessee, using 1991–2020
climate normals . (from
Tennessee )
Image 56 The
Battle of Franklin , November 30, 1864 (from
Tennessee )
Image 57 The
Grand Ole Opry , which was recorded in
Nashville 's
Ryman Auditorium from 1943 to 1974, is the longest-running
radio broadcast in US history. (from
Tennessee )
Image 58 Map of counties in Tennessee by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census
Non-Hispanic White 50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90%+
Black or African American 50–60%
(from
Tennessee )
Image 59 The Hermitage , plantation home of President
Andrew Jackson , now a museum in
Davidson County (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 60 Chart showing poverty in Tennessee, by age and gender (red = female) (from
Tennessee )
Image 62 1861 Bank of Tennessee 1 dollar banknote (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 63 The Southwest Territory in 1790 (from
Tennessee )
Image 64 Memphis International Airport , the hub of
FedEx Corporation , is the busiest cargo airport in the world (from
Tennessee )
Image 65 A geomap showing the counties of Tennessee colored by the relative range of that county's median income. (from
Tennessee )
Image 66 Memphis became known as the "Cotton Capital of the World" in the years following the Civil War (from
Tennessee )
Image 67 Memphis became known as the "Cotton Capital of the World" in the years following the Civil War (from
Tennessee )
Image 69 Cedar glades are an ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface (from
Tennessee )
Image 70 Interstate 40 traverses Tennessee from east to west, and serves the state's three largest cities. (from
Tennessee )
Image 71 Workers at the
Norris Dam construction camp site in 1933 (from
Tennessee )
Image 72 The Hermitage , plantation home of President
Andrew Jackson in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
Image 73 Nashville's replica of the
Parthenon (built 1897) (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 74 Vanderbilt University in Nashville is consistently ranked as one of the top research institutions in the nation (from
Tennessee )
Image 75 Köppen climate types of Tennessee, using 1991–2020
climate normals . (from
Tennessee )
Image 76 A geomap showing the counties of Tennessee colored by the relative range of that county's median income. (from
Tennessee )
Image 77 Mount Le Conte in the
Great Smoky Mountains is the tallest mountain in eastern North America, measured from base to summit (from
Tennessee )
Image 78 Chart showing poverty in Tennessee, by age and gender (red = female) (from
Tennessee )
Image 79 Offices of
The Tennessean in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
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