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 Vereinigte Staaten . It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgien , 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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Sarah Polk Jetton Fall (April 1, 1847 – July 22, 1924) was a wealthy Nashville socialite and philanthropist . She was the great-niece and unofficially adopted daughter of former First Lady Sarah Childress Polk . Sallie's mother died when she was only a few months old. Sallie lived with her great-grandmother, who gave Sallie to her daughter Sarah after the death of Sarah's husband President James K. Polk .
Sallie was raised at the Polks' private residence
Polk Place . She married George Fall in 1865, and they had a daughter Saidee. Sallie inherited the Polk estate upon Sarah's death in 1891, including several artifacts and papers from the late president which she later sold and donated to the
Library of Congress . Sarah also willed some of the president's items to Saidee. Shortly before Sallie died in 1924, she and her daughter co-founded the
James K. Polk Memorial Association . In 1929 Saidee worked with the state of Tennessee to acquire the president's home in Columbia which was then opened to the public as a museum. (
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 2 A geomap showing the counties of Tennessee colored by the relative range of that county's median income. (from
Tennessee )
Image 5 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 6 Established in 1942,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest national laboratory in the Department of Energy system (from
Tennessee )
Image 8 Mount Le Conte in the
Great Smoky Mountains is the tallest mountain in eastern North America, measured from base to summit (from
Tennessee )
Image 9 The Southwest Territory in 1790 (from
Tennessee )
Image 10 Howard Baker served as
Senate Minority and Majority Leader from 1977 to 1985, and was known as "The Great Conciliator" (from
Tennessee )
Image 12 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 13 Memphis became known as the "Cotton Capital of the World" in the years following the Civil War (from
Tennessee )
Image 14 Fall Creek Falls , the tallest waterfall in the eastern United States, is located on the Cumberland Plateau (from
Tennessee )
Image 15 Offices of
The Tennessean in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
Image 17 Mount Le Conte in the
Great Smoky Mountains is the tallest mountain in eastern North America, measured from base to summit (from
Tennessee )
Image 18 The Southwest Territory in 1790 (from
Tennessee )
Image 19 Offices of
The Tennessean in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
Image 21 Established in 1942,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest national laboratory in the Department of Energy system (from
Tennessee )
Image 22 The
Battle of Franklin , November 30, 1864 (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 Vanderbilt University in Nashville is consistently ranked as one of the top research institutions in the nation (from
Tennessee )
Image 25 Calutron operators at the
Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge during the
Manhattan Project (from
Tennessee )
Image 26 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 27 Surveyor
Daniel Smith's "Map of the Tennassee State" (1796) (from
Tennessee )
Image 28 1861 Bank of Tennessee 1 dollar banknote (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 29 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 31 Conquistador Hernando de Soto , first European to visit Tennessee (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 32 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 33 Memphis International Airport , the hub of
FedEx Corporation , is the busiest cargo airport in the world (from
Tennessee )
Image 34 The Tennessee at Chattanooga , 1872, by
Harry Fenn (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 35 Cedar glades are an ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface (from
Tennessee )
Image 37 Köppen climate types of Tennessee, using 1991–2020
climate normals . (from
Tennessee )
Image 38 Memphis became known as the "Cotton Capital of the World" in the years following the Civil War (from
Tennessee )
Image 39 The
Battle of Franklin , November 30, 1864 (from
Tennessee )
Image 40 The Hermitage , plantation home of President
Andrew Jackson in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
Image 41 Memphis International Airport , the hub of
FedEx Corporation , is the busiest cargo airport in the world (from
Tennessee )
Image 42 Cedar glades are an ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface (from
Tennessee )
Image 43 in 1946 the U.S. Post Office issued a
commemorative stamp celebrating the 150th anniversary of Tennessee statehood. (from
Tennessee )
Image 44 The Hermitage , plantation home of President
Andrew Jackson in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
Image 45 Interstate 40 traverses Tennessee from east to west, and serves the state's three largest cities. (from
Tennessee )
Image 46 Interstate 40 traverses Tennessee from east to west, and serves the state's three largest cities. (from
Tennessee )
Image 47 The
1982 World's Fair in Knoxville (from
Tennessee )
Image 48 Howard Baker served as
Senate Minority and Majority Leader from 1977 to 1985, and was known as "The Great Conciliator" (from
Tennessee )
Image 49 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 50 Fall Creek Falls , the tallest waterfall in the eastern United States, is located on the Cumberland Plateau (from
Tennessee )
Image 51 The
1982 World's Fair in Knoxville (from
Tennessee )
Image 52 The
Ryman Auditorium , home of the "Grand Ole Opry" in Nashville (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 54 Reconstruction of
Fort Loudoun , the first British settlement in Tennessee (from
Tennessee )
Image 55 in 1946 the U.S. Post Office issued a
commemorative stamp celebrating the 150th anniversary of Tennessee statehood. (from
Tennessee )
Image 56 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 57 A View of Memphis, Tennessee , 1871 (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 58 Reconstruction of
Fort Loudoun , the first British settlement in Tennessee (from
Tennessee )
Image 59 Nashville's replica of the
Parthenon (built 1897) (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 60 John Bell (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 62 Workers at the
Norris Dam construction camp site in 1933 (from
Tennessee )
Image 63 A geomap showing the counties of Tennessee colored by the relative range of that county's median income. (from
Tennessee )
Image 64 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 65 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 67 Köppen climate types of Tennessee, using 1991–2020
climate normals . (from
Tennessee )
Image 68 Workers at the
Norris Dam construction camp site in 1933 (from
Tennessee )
Image 70 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 71 Surveyor
Daniel Smith's "Map of the Tennassee State" (1796) (from
Tennessee )
Image 72 The Hermitage , plantation home of President
Andrew Jackson , now a museum in
Davidson County (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 75 Chart showing poverty in Tennessee, by age and gender (red = female) (from
Tennessee )
Image 76 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 77 Calutron operators at the
Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge during the
Manhattan Project (from
Tennessee )
Image 78 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 79 Chart showing poverty in Tennessee, by age and gender (red = female) (from
Tennessee )
... that TV stations in Nashville and in Memphis, Tennessee , both on channel 30, lost their Fox affiliations in 1990?
... that one of Beverly Robertson 's biggest accomplishments as CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber was attracting the Ford Motor Company 's US$5.6 billion Blue Oval City complex to Memphis, Tennessee?
... that WLOK , the first Black-owned radio station in Memphis, Tennessee , organizes an annual "Stone Soul Picnic" gospel concert series?
... that Perry County is the least densely populated county in Tennessee ?
... that in Jackson, Tennessee , there was a 50–50 chance a reference to Dixie was about a radio station ?
... that college basketball player Jett Howard almost signed at Tennessee , but instead chose the Michigan team of his father Juwan Howard ?
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