Tennessee State Guide

State overview

State Capitol: Nashville

State Nickname(s): “The Volunteer State”

State Anthem: “Nine Songs”

State Motto: “Agriculture and Commerce”

Population:

Population Density: 159.4/sq mi 

Total Population: 6,770,010

State Bird: Northern Mockingbird, Northern Bobwhite

State Flower: Irises

History

Situated in the southeast, Tennessee is bordered by several other states. Tennessee’s neighbors include Kentucky, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, and North Carolina.

The state’s name is derived from the Cherokee word for a tiny Native American settlement known as “Tanasqui.”

The Appalachians dominate the state’s eastern half, and the Mississippi River dominates its western half.

Tennessee’s history began with the Watauga Association, an early American agreement for the frontier land west of the Appalachians. 

Historically, what is now Tennessee was originally a portion of North Carolina and then the Southwest Territory.

The state of Tennessee did not become part of the United States of America until the year 1796. While it was the final state to join the Confederacy, Tennessee was the first state readmitted to the Union once the war ended. Tennessee also contributed more men to the Confederate Army than any other state save Virginia.

Tennessee was mostly an agricultural economy until the twentieth century when it began actively seeking to diversify its industries. The Manhattan Project’s uranium enrichment facilities were built in the state thanks to a large influx of federal funds in the 1940s.

Major industries

  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Agriculture
  • Automotive
  • Advanced Manufacturing
  • Adventure Tourism
  • Healthcare

Government Overview

Department of State

Address:

Tre Hargett, State Capitol

312 Rosa L Parks Ave | Nashville, TN 37243

Phone Number: (615) 741-2819

Website: https://sos.tn.gov/ 

Entertainment

Top 5 national and state parks

  1. GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

Website

Phone Number: (865) 436-1200

686 Cades Cove Loop Rd, Townsend, TN 37882

  1. SERGEANT ALVIN C. YORK STATE HISTORIC PARK

Website

Phone Number: (931) 879-6456

2609 North York Hwy, Pall Mall, TN 38577

  1. RADNOR LAKE STATE PARK

Website

Phone Number: (615) 373-3467

1160 Otter Creek Rd | Nashville, TN 37220

  1. ROCK ISLAND STATE PARK

Website

Phone Number: (931) 686-2471

82 Beach Rd, Rock Island, TN 38581

  1. FALL CREEK FALLS STATE PARK

Website

Phone Number: (423) 881-5298

2009 Village Camp Rd, Spencer, TN 38585

Sports teams

Basketball

Memphis Grizzlies
Website
League/Association: NBA, Western Conference, Southwest Division

Football

Tennessee Titans
Website
League/Association: NFL, AFC, South

Hockey

Nashville Predators
Website
League/Association: NHL, Central Division, Western Conference

Baseball

  1. Nashville Sounds
    Website
    League/Association: AAA, Pacific Coast, Minor League
  1. Memphis Redbirds
    Website
    League/Association: AAA, Pacific Coast, Minor League

Soccer

Nashville SC
Website
League/Association: USL Championship

Annual state fair

Tennessee State Fair

Website

Location: Nashville Fairgrounds 625 Smith Ave, Nashville, TN 37203

Major cities

Nashville

Nashville is the state capital and county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee.

Nashville, Tennessee, has approximately 700,000 citizens, making it the state’s most populated city. Nashville is located in the centralized northern region of the state. It is home to multiple schools and universities, including Tennessee State University, Fisk University, Vanderbilt University, Lipscomb University, and Belmont University.

Nashville, inhabited since 1797, has a long and interesting history. General Francis Nash, a leader in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, inspired the city’s name.

In its early years, the city’s expansion was fueled by its status as a port and railroad hub, attracting various businesses and residents. During the Civil War, Nashville made history as the first capital city to fall to Union soldiers in 1862.

After the war, Nashville recovered and, once again, became a vibrant city, bolstering its economy by establishing a strong industrial sector. Nashville is a well-renowned music city, well-known for its countless live concerts, and is quickly becoming regarded as a filmmaking center as well.

City Nickname(s): “Music City”, “Athens of the South”

Major industries:

  • Automotive Manufacturing
  • Energy
  • Film Production
  • Health Care
  • Manufacturing

School District

Website

Phone Number: (615) 259-4636

Metro Nashville Public Schools

Crime Statistics

Cost of Living Index Link

Local Police Numbers

Emergency: 911

Non-Emergency: (615) 862-8600

Main Fire Department

Website

Phone number: (615) 862-5421

Address: 63 Hermitage Ave, Nashville, TN 37210

Area Hospitals & Locations

  1. Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Website

Phone number: (615) 322-5000
Address: 1211 Medical Center Dr, Nashville, TN 37232

  1. St. Thomas West Hospital

Website

Phone number: (615) 222-2111
Address: 4220 Harding Rd, Nashville, TN 37205

Utilities

Local Electric Company

Nashville Electric Service

Website

Phone number: (615) 736-6900
Address: 1214 Church St, Nashville, TN 37246

Municipal Water Company

Davidson Metro Water Service

Website

Phone number: (615) 862-4600

Address: 1700 3rd Ave N. Nashville, TN 37208

Local Cable Companies

  1. Spectrum
    Website
    Phone number: (866) 874-2389
  1. AT&T U-Verse
    Website
    Phone number: (866) 861-6075 
  1. DirecTV

Website

Phone number: (855) 403-3473 

  1. Dish Network

Website

Phone number: (877) 699-9710 

Local Waste/Dump/Recycle

Waste

  1. Nashville Public Works
    Website
    Phone number: (615) 862-5000
    Address: Residential Trash Program 750 S. 5th St, Nashville, TN 37206
  1. JE McMurtry Disposal
    Website
    Phone number: (615) 227-8881
    Address: 103 Donald St, Nashville, TN 37207
  1. Red River Waste Solutions

Website

Address: 1122 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN 37210

Dumps 

  1. East Center

Website
Phone number: (615) 862-8631
Address: 943A Doctor Richard G. Adams Drive

Nashville, TN 37207

  1. Ezell Pike Center
    Website
    Phone number: (615) 880-2530
    Address: 3254 Ezell Pike (Behind the South Police Precinct) Nashville, TN 37211
  1. Omohundro
    Website
    Phone number: (615) 880-1955
    Address: 1019 Omohundro Place (entrance on Freightliner Dr) Nashville, TN 37210
  1. Anderson Ln Center
    Website
    Phone number: (615) 860-2588
    Address: 939A Anderson Ln, Madison, TN 37115

Recycling Company

  1. Nashville Public Works
    Website
    Phone number: (615) 862-5000
    Address: Residential Trash Program 750 S. 5th St, Nashville, TN 37206
  1. JE McMurtry Disposal
    Website
    Phone number: (615) 227-8881
    Address: 103 Donald St, Nashville, TN 37207
  1. Red River Waste Solutions

Website
Phone number: (615) 650-6968

Address: 1122 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN 37210

Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee, occupies the southwestern corner of Shelby County in western Tennessee on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Memphis, Tennessee, the county seat of Shelby, is the most populous city along the Mississippi River, with a population of approximately 700,000. The city’s communities each have their character and feature unique topography.

A city with strong cultural and historical roots, Memphis is best known as the birthplace of blues and rock ‘n’ roll music. Hernando De Soto was the first European to find Memphis in 1541. 

As Memphis started developing into a city, several of its bluffs would soon become a point of dispute between the Spanish, French, and English.

Memphis was established in 1819 by future U.S. presidents Andrew Jackson, John Overton, and James Winchester. During the antebellum era, the city thrived as a marketplace for lumber, enslaved people, and agricultural goods and grew to become one of the largest in the South.

After the end of the Civil War, Memphis exploded in population as it became the nation’s largest market for cotton and lumber. Many significant events, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s tragic assassination, happened in Memphis at the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

Memphis has been and still is a major hub for the arts, media, education, and commerce. In addition to its thriving music industry, Memphis has become famous for its barbeque and is home to the annual World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest.

City Nickname(s): “Home of the Blues”, “Birthplace of Rock n’ Roll”

City Motto: “Justice, the Queen of Virtues”

Major industries:

  • Logistics & Distribution
  • Manufacturing
  • Research & Development

School District

Website

Phone Number: (901) 416-5300

Shelby County Schools

Crime Statistics

Cost of Living Index Link

Local Police Numbers

Emergency: 911

Non-Emergency: (901) 545-COPS

Main Fire Department

Website

Phone number: (901) 527-1400

Address: 65 South Front St, Memphis, TN 38103

Area Hospitals & Locations

  1. Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis

Website

Phone number: (901) 226-5000
Address: 6019 Walnut Grove Rd, Memphis, TN 38120

  1. Methodist University Hospital

Website

Phone number: (901) 516-7000
Address: 1265 Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38104

Utilities

Local Electric Company

Memphis Light, Gas, and Water Division (MLGW)

Website

Phone number: (901) 544-MLGW (6549)
Address: 220 S. Main St, Memphis, TN 38103

Local Cable Companies

  1. Spectrum
    Website
    Phone number: (866) 874-2389
  1. DIRECTV
    Website
    Phone number: (855) 403-3473
  1. Dish Network

Website

Phone number: (877) 699-9710

  1. AT&T U-verse
    Website
    Phone number: (866) 861.6075

Local Waste/Dump/Recycle

Waste

  1. City of Memphis Solid Waste
    Website
    Phone number: (901) 636-6866
    Address: 125 N. Main St, Room #628, Memphis, TN 38103
  1. Republic Services
    Website
    Phone number: (901) 794-8071
    Address: 5494 Malone Rd, Memphis, TN 38118
  1. Waste Management

Website

Phone number: (901) 440-2593
Address: 3750 Hatcher Cir, Memphis, TN 38118

  1. Waste Connections
    Website
    Phone number: (901) 398-5400
    Address: 621 E Brooks Rd, Memphis, TN 38116

Dumps 

South Shelby Landfill

Website
Phone number: (901) 794-8071
Address: 5494 Malone Rd, Memphis, TN 38118

Recycling Company

  1. Waste Connections
    Website
    Phone number: (901) 398-5400
    Address: 621 E Brooks Rd, Memphis, TN 38116
  1. City of Memphis Solid Waste
    Website
    Phone number: (901) 636-6866
    Address: 125 N. Main St, Room #628, Memphis, TN 38103
  1. Waste Management
    Website
    Phone number: (901) 440-2593
    Address: 3750 Hatcher Cir, Memphis, TN 38118
  1. Republic Services
    Website
    Phone number: (901) 794-8071
    Address: 5494 Malone Rd | Memphis, TN 38118

Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee, is home to roughly 200,000 people and serves as the county seat of Knox County.

Knoxville was founded in 1768 and served as Tennessee’s first capital city. Knoxville’s early development was hampered by the city’s geographical isolation, which resulted from the city’s position as a landlocked area. Upon the railroad’s arrival in the 1850s, Knoxville finally began to flourish, but the years leading up to the Civil War heightened tensions due to residents’ differing opinions on secession.

During the Civil War, Union and Confederate troops alternately occupied the city of Knoxville. After the war, Knoxville reinvented itself as a wholesale and manufacturing hub, which fueled its fast expansion.

In the 1920s, the city’s manufacturing sector began to struggle and eventually collapsed. When Knoxville hosted the World’s Fair in 1982, the city received the economic boost it needed to start expanding again.

Several major firms now have administrative centers in Knoxville, and the University of Tennessee’s primary campus is also located there.

City Nickname(s): “Heart of the Valley, Marble City, Queen City of the Mountains, K-Town, Scruffy City, Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains”

Major industries:

  • Energy
  • Telecommunications
  • Financial Services

School District

Website

Phone number: (865) 594-1800

Knox County Schools

Crime Statistics

Cost of Living Index Link

Local Police Numbers

Emergency: 911

Non-Emergency: (865) 215-7000

Main Fire Department

Website

Phone number: (865) 595-4480

Address: 900 E. Hill Ave, Suite 430 | Knoxville, TN 37915

Area Hospitals & Locations

  1. Parkwest Medical Center

Website

Phone number: (865) 373–1000
Address: 9352 Park West Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37923

  1. University of Tennessee Medical Center

Website

Phone number: (865) 305–9000
Address: 1924 Alcoa Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37920

Utilities

Local Electric and Water Company

Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB)

Website

Phone number: (865) 524-2911
Address: 4428 Western Ave, Knoxville, TN 37921

Local Cable Companies

  1. Spectrum
    Website
    Phone number: (866) 874-2389
  1. DIRECTV
    Website
    Phone number: (866) 861-6075
  1. AT&T U-verse

Website

Phone number: (855) 424-5467

  1. Dish Network

Website

Phone number: (877) 699-9710

  1. Xfinity by Comcast
    Website
    Phone number: (800) 266-2278
  1. Wow!

Website
Phone number: (865) 357-1000 

Local Waste/Dump/Recycle

Waste

  1. City of Knoxville
    Website
    Phone number: (865) 215-2817
    Address: 400 Main St, Knoxville, TN 37902
  1. Waste Connections of Tennessee
    Website
    Phone number: (865) 522-0078
    Address: 2400 Chipman St, Knoxville, TN 37917
  1. VF Waste services

Website

Phone number: (713) 787-9790

Address: P.O. Box 773107, Houston, TX 77215

  1. Waste Management

Website

Phone number: (865) 525-0529

Dumps 

  1. John Sevier Convenience Center

Website

Phone number: (865) 215-5865

Address: 950 W. Governor John Sevier Highway, Knoxville, TN 37920

  1. Carter Convenience Center
    Website
    Phone number: (865) 215-5865
    Address: 8815 Asheville Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37924
  1. Tazewell Pike or Gibbs

Website

Phone number: (865) 215-5865

Address: Convenience Center, 7201 Tazewell Pike, Corryton, TN 37721

  1. Halls

Website

Phone number: (865) 215-5865

Address: 3608 Neal Dr, Knoxville, TN 37918

  1. Powell Convenience Center
    Website
    Phone number: (865) 215-5865

Address: 7311 Morton View Ln, Powell, TN 37849

Recycling Company

  1. City of Knoxville
    Website
    Phone number: (865) 215-2817
    Address: 400 Main St, Knoxville, TN 37902
  1. Waste Connections of Tennessee
    Website
    Phone number: (865) 522-0078
    Address: 2400 Chipman St, Knoxville, TN 37917
  1. Waste Management
    Website

Phone number: (865) 525-0529