Editing Tennessee

{{short description|U.S. state}}
{{about|the U.S. state|the river|Tennessee River|other uses}}
{{redirect|Tenn|the Japanese MC|Tenn (MC)}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date = February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox U.S. state
| name = Tennessee
| image_flag = Flag of Tennessee.svg
| image_seal = Seal of Tennessee.svg
| image_map = Tennessee in United States.svg
| nickname = The Volunteer State<ref name="nicknameadopt">{{cite news |title=Tennessee adopts 'The Volunteer State' as official nickname |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/tennessee-adopts-the-volunteer-state-as-official-nickname |access-date=October 5, 2020 |publisher=[[WTVF-TV]] |location=Nashville |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=February 10, 2020}}</ref>
| motto = Agriculture and Commerce
| anthem = [[List of Tennessee state symbols#State songs|Eleven songs]]
| Former = Southwest Territory
| seat = [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]<ref name=commercialappeal0517/>
| LargestCity = capital<!--Set this to "capital" if the capital and the largest city are the same.-->
| LargestCounty = [[Shelby County, Tennessee|Shelby]]
| OfficialLang = [[Template:Official languages of U.S. states and territories|English]]
| Languages = Language spoken at home<ref name="StatisticalAtlas">{{cite web |title=Languages in Tennessee (State) |url=https://statisticalatlas.com/state/Tennessee/Languages |url-status=live |work=Statistical Atlas |access-date=August 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428174143/https://statisticalatlas.com/state/Tennessee/Languages |archive-date=April 28, 2019}}</ref>
* [[English language|English]]: 94.6%
* [[Spanish language|Spanish]]: 3.9%
* Other: 1.5%
| population_demonym = [[List of demonyms for U.S. states and territories|Tennessean]] <br />[[List of demonyms for U.S. states and territories|Big Bender]] (archaic) <br />[[List of demonyms for U.S. states and territories|Volunteer]] (historical significance)
| LargestMetro = [[Nashville metropolitan area|Nashville]]
| Governor = {{nowrap|[[Bill Lee (Tennessee politician)|Bill Lee]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])}}
| Lieutenant Governor = {{nowrap|[[Randy McNally]] (R)}}
| Legislature = [[Tennessee General Assembly|General Assembly]]
| Upperhouse = [[Tennessee Senate|Senate]]
| Lowerhouse = [[Tennessee House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| Judiciary = [[Tennessee Supreme Court]]
| Senators = {{nowrap|[[Marsha Blackburn]] (R)}} <br />{{nowrap|[[Bill Hagerty]] (R)}}
| Representative = 8 Republicans <br />1 [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]
| postal_code = TN
| TradAbbreviation = Tenn.
| area_rank = 36th
| area_total_sq_mi = 42,181
| area_total_km2 = 109,247
| area_land_sq_mi = 41,235
| area_land_km2 = 106,898
| area_water_sq_mi = 909
| area_water_km2 = 2,355
| area_water_percent = 2.2
| area_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates |series=Census Reference Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2010/geo/state-area.html |date=2010 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=US Census Bureau}}</ref><ref name="PopEstUS">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts Tennessee; United States |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/TN,US/PST045222 |url-status=live |website=census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |date=April 1, 2020 |access-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105192659/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/TN,US/PST045222 |archive-date=January 5, 2023}}</ref>
| population_rank = 15th
| population_as_of = 2024
| 2010Pop = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 7,227,750<ref name="census.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/TN/PST045224|accessdate=January 5, 2025|title= United States Census Quick Facts Tennessee}}</ref>
| population_density_rank = 20th
| 2010DensityUS = 171.0
| 2010Density = 65.9
| MedianHouseholdIncome = ${{round|67631|-2}} (2<span>0</span>23)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/acsbr-023.pdf|title=Household Income in States and Metropolitan Areas: 2023|accessdate=January 12, 2025}}</ref>
| IncomeRank = [[List of U.S. states and territories by income#States and territories ranked by median household income|42nd]]
| AdmittanceOrder = 16th
| AdmittanceDate = {{start date and age|June 1, 1796}}
| timezone1 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset1 = −05:00
| timezone1_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = −04:00
| timezone1_location = [[East Tennessee]] except for Bledsoe, Cumberland, and Marion counties
| timezone2 = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central]]
| utc_offset2 = −06:00
| timezone2_DST = [[Central Daylight Time|CDT]]
| utc_offset2_DST = −05:00
| timezone2_location = [[Middle Tennessee|Middle]] and [[West Tennessee]], and [[Bledsoe County, Tennessee|Bledsoe]], [[Cumberland County, Tennessee|Cumberland]], and [[Marion County, Tennessee|Marion]] counties
| Latitude = 34°59′ N to 36°41′ N
| Longitude = 81°39′ W to 90°19′ W
| width_mi = 120
| width_km = 195
| length_mi = 440
| length_km = 710
| elevation_max_point = [[Kuwohi]], formerly Clingmans Dome<ref name=USGS>{{cite web |url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |year=2001 |access-date=October 24, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015012701/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=October 15, 2011}}</ref>{{efn|name=NAVD88|This elevation measurement was adjusted to the [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]].}}
| elevation_max_ft = 6,643
| elevation_max_m = 2025
| elevation_ft = 900
| elevation_m = 270
| elevation_min_point = [[Mississippi River]] at {{nowrap|[[Mississippi]] border}}<ref name=USGS />{{efn|name=NAVD88}}
| elevation_min_ft = 178
| elevation_min_m = 54
| iso_code = US-TN
| website = tn.gov
| Capital = 
| Representatives = 
}}
{{Infobox region symbols|country=United States
<!--Sources: http://www.tn.gov/state-symbols.html, http://www.tn.gov/sos/symbols/symbols.htm, http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/tn_symb.htm-->
|state = Tennessee
|image_flag = Flag of Tennessee.svg
|image_flag_size = 175px
|image_seal = Seal of Tennessee.svg
|amphibian = [[Tennessee cave salamander]]
|bird = [[Northern mockingbird]] <br />[[Northern bobwhite|Bobwhite quail]]
|butterfly = [[Protographium marcellus|Zebra swallowtail]]
|crustacean =
|fish = [[Channel catfish]] <br />[[Smallmouth bass]]<!--changed from Largemouth in 2005-->
|flower = [[Iris (plant)|Iris]] <br />[[Passiflora|Passion flower]] <br />[[Echinacea tennesseensis|Tennessee echinacea]]
|insect = [[Firefly]] <br />[[Coccinellidae|Lady beetle]] <br />[[Honey bee]]
|mammal = [[Tennessee Walking Horse]] <br />[[Raccoon]]
|reptile = [[Eastern box turtle]]
|tree = [[Liriodendron tulipifera|Tulip poplar]] <br />[[Juniperus virginiana|Eastern red cedar]]
|beverage = [[Milk]]
|dance = [[Square dance]]
|firearm = [[Barrett M82]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/24/barrett-m82-sniper-rifle-becomes-official-state-rifle/80853912/|title=Barrett M82 sniper rifle becomes official state rifle|last=Ebert|first=Joel|date=February 24, 2016|publisher=The Tennessean|access-date=June 10, 2023}}</ref>
|food = [[Tomato]]
|fossil = ''[[Trigoniidae|Pterotrigonia (Scabrotrigonia) thoracica]]''
|gemstone = [[Pearl|Tennessee River pearl]]
|mineral = [[Agate]]
|poem = "Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee" by [[William P. Lawrence|William Lawrence]]
|rock = [[Tennessee marble|Limestone]]
|slogan = "Tennessee—America at its best"
|tartan = [https://sos.tn.gov/products/state-tartan Tennessee State Tartan]
|image_route = Tennessee 1.svg
|image_quarter = 2002 TN Proof.png
|quarter_release_date = 2002
}}

'''Tennessee''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Tennessee.ogg|ˌ|t|ɛ|n|ᵻ|ˈ|s|iː}}, {{IPAc-en|local|ˈ|t|ɛ|n|ᵻ|s|i}}),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/tennessee |title=Definition of 'Tennessee' |work=Webster's New World College Dictionary |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |via=[[Collins English Dictionary]] |edition=4th |date=2010 |access-date=July 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703022005/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/tennessee |archive-date=July 3, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/tennessee |title=Tennessee |work=Oxford Advanced American Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2018 |access-date=July 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703021851/https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/tennessee |archive-date=July 3, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="EPD">{{Cite EPD|18|Tennessee|page=488|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KQXL_uRxUN4C&pg=PA488}}</ref> officially the '''State of Tennessee''', is a landlocked [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[Southeastern United States|Southeastern]] region of the [[United States]]. It borders [[Kentucky]] to the north, [[Virginia]] to the northeast, [[North Carolina]] to the east, [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Alabama]], and [[Mississippi]] to the south, [[Arkansas]] to the southwest, and [[Missouri]] to the northwest. Tennessee is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|36th-largest]] by area and the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|15th-most populous]] of the 50 states. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the state's estimated population as of 2024 is 7.22 million.<ref name="census.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/TN/PST045224|accessdate=January 5, 2025|title= United States Census Quick Facts Tennessee}}</ref>

Tennessee is geographically, culturally, and legally divided into three [[Grand Divisions of Tennessee|Grand Divisions]] of [[East Tennessee|East]], [[Middle Tennessee|Middle]], and [[West Tennessee]]. [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] is the state's capital and largest city, and anchors its largest metropolitan area. Tennessee has diverse terrain and landforms, and from east to west, contains a mix of cultural features characteristic of [[Appalachia]], the [[Upland South]], and the [[Deep South]]. The [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] along the eastern border reach some of the highest elevations in eastern North America, and the [[Cumberland Plateau]] contains many scenic valleys and [[waterfall]]s. The central part of the state is marked by cavernous bedrock and irregular rolling hills, and level, fertile plains define West Tennessee. The state is twice bisected by the [[Tennessee River]], and the [[Mississippi River]] forms its western border. The [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], the nation's most visited national park, is in eastern Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm |title=Great Smoky Mountains National Park |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=November 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091202145003/http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm |archive-date=December 2, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Tennessee is rooted in the [[Watauga Association]], a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the [[Appalachian Mountains]].{{sfn|Finger|2001|pp=46–47}} Its name derives from {{Transliteration|chr|[[Tanasi]]}} ({{lang|chr|ᏔᎾᏏ}}), a [[Cherokee]] town preceding the first European American settlement.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bales|first=Stephen Lyn|date=2007|title=Natural Histories: Stories from the Tennessee Valley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aIZmfXFGydwC|location=Knoxville, TN|publisher=University of Tennessee Press|pages=85–86|isbn=978-1572335615|via=Google Books}}</ref> 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" due to a strong tradition of military service.<ref name=culturetrip>{{cite web |last=McCullough |first=Clay |title=Why Tennessee is Called the Volunteer State |url=https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/tennessee/articles/why-tennessee-is-called-the-volunteer-state/ |publisher=Culture Trip |date=April 26, 2018 |access-date=January 28, 2021}}</ref> A [[Slave states and free states|slave state]] until the [[American Civil War]], Tennessee was politically divided, with most of its western and middle parts supporting the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]], and most of the eastern region harboring [[Southern Unionist|pro]]-[[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] sentiment. As a result, Tennessee was the last state to officially [[Secession in the United States|secede]] from the Union and join the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]], and the first former [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] state readmitted to the Union after the war had ended during the [[Reconstruction era]].<ref name=guide>{{cite web |url=http://www.usm.edu/armyrotc/Shiloh%20Staff%20Ride/TN%20Civil%20War%20Heritage%20Trail.pdf |title=Tennessee's Civil War Heritage Trail |publisher=The University of Southern Mississippi |access-date=November 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326035703/http://www.usm.edu/armyrotc/Shiloh%20Staff%20Ride/TN%20Civil%20War%20Heritage%20Trail.pdf |archive-date=March 26, 2010}}</ref>

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, Tennessee|Oak Ridge]], which was established during [[World War II]] to house the [[Manhattan Project]]'s uranium enrichment facilities for the construction of the [[History of nuclear weapons|world's first atomic bombs]]. After the war, the [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] became a key center of scientific research. The state's economy is dominated by the [[healthcare industry|health care]], [[Music of the United States#Industry and economics|music]], [[financial services|finance]], [[automotive industry in the United States|automotive]], [[chemical industry|chemical]], [[electronics industry in the United States|electronics]], and [[tourism]] sectors, and [[cattle]], [[soybean]]s, [[poultry]], [[maize|corn]], and [[cotton]] are its primary agricultural products.<ref name=homeandfarm13>{{cite web |url=https://www.tnhomeandfarm.com/agriculture/tennessees-top-five/ |title=Tennessee's Top Five|last=Bertone|first=Rachel|date=November 20, 2013|website=Tennessee Home & Farm|publisher=Tennessee Farm Bureau|access-date=<!--2021-04-09-->}}</ref> Tennessee has played a major role in the development of many forms of [[popular music]], including [[Country music|country]], [[Blues music|blues]], [[rock and roll]], [[Soul music|soul]], and [[Gospel music|gospel]].

==Etymology==
{{main|Name of Tennessee}}
[[File:Timberlake-map-tanasi-1765.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Drawing of Tanasi, Tennessee's namesake, by Henry Timberlake|Detail of [[Tanasi]] (spelled "Tennessee") on [[Henry Timberlake]]'s [[:File:Draught of the Cherokee Country.jpg|''Draught of the Cherokee Country'']]]]

Tennessee derives its name most directly from the [[Cherokee]] town of [[Tanasi]] (or "Tanase", in [[Cherokee syllabary|syllabary]]: ᏔᎾᏏ) in present-day [[Monroe County, Tennessee]], on the Tanasi River, now known as the [[Little Tennessee River]]. In 1567, [[Conquistador|Spanish explorer]] Captain [[Juan Pardo (explorer)|Juan Pardo]] and his party encountered a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] village named "Tanasqui" in the area while traveling inland from modern-day [[South Carolina]]; however, it is unknown if this was the same settlement as Tanasi.{{efn|Recent research suggests that the town Pardo recorded was at the confluence of the [[Pigeon River (Tennessee–North Carolina)|Pigeon River]] and the [[French Broad River]], near modern-day [[Newport, Tennessee]].<ref name=hudson>{{cite book |last=Hudson |first=Charles M. |author-link=Charles M. Hudson |date=2005 |title=The Juan Pardo Expeditions: Explorations of the Carolinas and Tennessee, 1566–1568 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NyAD-F3Q85kC |location=Tuscaloosa, AL |publisher=[[University of Alabama Press]] |pages=36–40 |isbn=9780817351908 |via=Google Books}}</ref>}} The town appeared on British maps as early as 1725. Recent research suggests that the Cherokees adapted the name from the [[Yuchi]] word ''Tana-tsee-dgee'', meaning "brother-waters-place" or "where-the-waters-meet".<ref name="McBride THQ 1971">{{cite journal |last=McBride |first=Robert M. |title=Editor's Page |journal=Tennessee Historical Quarterly |date=Winter 1971|volume=30 |issue=4 |page=344 |jstor=42623257}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tngenweb.org/campbell/hist-bogan/tennessee.html |title=Tennessee's Name Dates Back To 1567 Spanish Explorer Captain Juan Pardo |publisher=Tngenweb.org |date=January 1, 2005 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103222507/http://www.tngenweb.org/campbell/hist-bogan/tennessee.html |archive-date=January 3, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Woktela, Who Were the Yuchi">{{cite web |last=Hackett (Woktela) |first=David |title=Who Were the Mysterious Yuchi of Tennessee and the Southeast? |url=http://yuchi.org |website=Yuchi.org |access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref> The modern spelling, ''Tennessee'', is attributed to Governor [[James Glen]] of South Carolina, who used this spelling in his official correspondence during the 1750s. In 1788, North Carolina created "[[Tennessee County, Tennessee|Tennessee County]]", and in 1796, a [[Constitutional convention (political meeting)|constitutional convention]], organizing the new state from the [[Southwest Territory]], adopted "Tennessee" as the state's name.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=23}}

==History==
{{main|History of Tennessee}}

===Pre-European era===
The first inhabitants of Tennessee were [[Paleo-Indians]] who arrived about 12,000 years ago at the end of the [[Last Glacial Period]]. Archaeological excavations indicate that the lower Tennessee Valley was heavily populated by Ice Age [[hunter-gatherer]]s, and Middle Tennessee is believed to have been rich with [[Game (hunting)|game animal]]s such as [[mastodon]]s.{{sfn|Satz|1979|pp=3–4}} The names of the cultural groups who inhabited the area before European contact are unknown, but archaeologists have named several distinct cultural phases, including the [[Archaic period in the Americas|Archaic]] (8000–1000 BC), [[Woodland period|Woodland]] (1000 BC–1000 AD), and [[Mississippian culture|Mississippian]] (1000–1600 AD) periods.<ref>{{cite web |title=Archaeology & the Native Peoples of Tennessee |url=http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/permanent/native/index.shtml |publisher=[[McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture]] |access-date=June 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702205050/http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/permanent/native/index.shtml |archive-date=July 2, 2012 |location=Knoxville, TN}}</ref> The Archaic peoples first domesticated dogs, and plants such as [[Cucurbita|squash]], [[Maize|corn]], [[gourd]]s, and [[sunflower]]s were first grown in Tennessee during the Woodland period.{{sfn|Satz|1979|pp=4–8}} Later generations of Woodland peoples constructed the first mounds. Rapid civilizational development occurred during the Mississippian period, when Indigenous peoples developed organized [[chiefdom]]s and constructed numerous ceremonial structures throughout the state.{{sfn|Satz|1979|pp=6–11}}

Spanish conquistadors who explored the region in the 16th century encountered some of the Mississippian peoples, including the [[Muscogee|Muscogee Creek]], [[Yuchi]], and [[Shawnee]].{{sfn|Satz|1979|pp=8–11}}{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=16–17}} By the early 18th century, most Natives in Tennessee had disappeared, most likely wiped out by diseases introduced by the Spaniards.{{sfn|Satz|1979|pp=8–11}} The Cherokee began migrating into what is now eastern Tennessee from what is now Virginia in the latter 17th century, possibly to escape expanding European settlement and diseases in the north.{{sfn|Satz|1979|pp=34–35}} They forced the Creek, Yuchi, and Shawnee out of the state in the early 18th century.{{sfn|Satz|1979|pp=34–35}}{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|p=18}} The Chickasaw remained confined to West Tennessee, and the middle part of the state contained few Native Americans, although both the Cherokee and the Shawnee claimed the region as their hunting ground.{{sfn|Satz|1979|p=14}} Cherokee peoples in Tennessee were known by European settlers as the [[Overhill Cherokee]] because they lived west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.{{sfn|Finger|2001|p=26}} Overhill settlements grew along the rivers in East Tennessee in the early 18th century.{{sfn|Satz|1979|pp=44–45}}

===Exploration and colonization===
{{Further|Province of North Carolina|Watauga Association|Washington District, North Carolina|State of Franklin|Southwest Territory}}
The first recorded European expeditions into what is now Tennessee were led by Spanish explorers [[Hernando de Soto]] in 1540–1541, [[Tristán de Luna y Arellano|Tristan de Luna]] in 1559, and [[Juan Pardo (explorer)|Juan Pardo]] in 1566–1567.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=25–26}}{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|pp=4–5}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hudson |first1=Charles M. |last2=Smith |first2=Marvin T. |last3=DePratter |first3=Chester B. |last4=Kelley |first4=Emilia |author1-link=Charles M. Hudson|title=The Tristán de Luna Expedition, 1559-1561 |journal=Southeastern Archaeology |date=1989 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=31–45 |jstor=40712896 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]}}</ref> In 1673, English fur trader [[Abraham Wood]] sent an expedition from the [[Colony of Virginia]] into [[Overhill Cherokee|Overhill Cherokee territory]] in modern-day northeastern Tennessee.{{sfn|Finger|2001|pp=20–21}}{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=27–28}} That same year, a French expedition led by missionary [[Jacques Marquette]] and [[Louis Jolliet]] explored the Mississippi River and became the first Europeans to map the Mississippi Valley.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=27–28}}{{sfn|Finger|2001|pp=20–21}} In 1682, an expedition led by [[René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle]] constructed [[Fort Prudhomme]] on the [[Chickasaw Bluffs]] in West Tennessee.<ref>{{cite book|last=Keating|first=John M.|author-link=|date=1888|title=History of the City of Memphis Tennessee|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nGVAAAAAYAAJ|location=Syracuse, New York|publisher=D. Mason & Company|pages=24–31|id=1104767129|via=Google Books}}</ref> By the late 17th century, French traders began to explore the Cumberland River valley, and in 1714, under Charles Charleville's command, established French Lick, a fur trading settlement at the present location of Nashville near the [[Cumberland River]].{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=6}}{{sfn|Albright|1909|pp=18–19}} In 1739, the French constructed [[Fort Assumption]] under [[Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville]] on the Mississippi River at the present location of Memphis, which they used as a base against the Chickasaw during the [[Chickasaw Campaign of 1739|1739 Campaign]] of the [[Chickasaw Wars]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Young|first1=John Preston|last2=James|first2=A.R.|author1-link=John Preston Young|date=1912|title=Standard History of Memphis, Tennessee: From a Study of the Original Sources |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5PkpAAAAYAAJ|location=Knoxville, TN|publisher=H. W. Crew & Company|pages=36–41|isbn=9780332019826|via=Google Books}}</ref>

[[File:Ftloudouninterior.jpg|thumb|left|alt=refer to caption|Reconstruction of [[Fort Loudoun (Tennessee)|Fort Loudoun]], the first British settlement in Tennessee]]
In the 1750s and 1760s, [[longhunter]]s from Virginia explored much of East and Middle Tennessee.{{sfn|Finger|2001|pp=40–42}} Settlers from the [[Colony of South Carolina]] built [[Fort Loudoun (Tennessee)|Fort Loudoun]] on the [[Little Tennessee River]] in 1756, the first British settlement in what is now Tennessee and the westernmost British outpost to that date.{{sfn|Finger|2001|p=35}}{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=32–33}} Hostilities erupted between the British and the Cherokees into [[Anglo-Cherokee War|an armed conflict]], and a [[siege of Fort Loudoun|siege of the fort]] ended with its surrender in 1760.{{sfn|Finger|2001|pp=36–37}} After the [[French and Indian War]], Britain issued the [[Royal Proclamation of 1763]], which forbade settlements west of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] in an effort to mitigate conflicts with the Natives.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Middlekauff |first1=Robert |title=The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763–1789 |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-1951-6247-9 |pages=58–60 |edition=Revised Expanded |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nya0ODz-B-cC&pg=PA58 |via=Google Books}}</ref> But migration across the mountains continued, and the first permanent European settlers began arriving in northeastern Tennessee in the late 1760s.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=8}}{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=43–44}} Most of them were [[English Americans|English]], but nearly 20% were [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scotch-Irish]].{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|p=106}} They formed the [[Watauga Association]] in 1772, a semi-autonomous representative government,{{sfn|Finger|2001|pp=45–47}} and three years later reorganized themselves into the [[Washington District, North Carolina|Washington District]] to support the cause of the [[Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War|American Revolutionary War]].{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=60–61}} The next year, after an unsuccessful petition to Virginia, North Carolina agreed to annex the Washington District to provide protection from Native American attacks.{{sfn|Finger|2001|pp=64–68}}

In 1775, [[Richard Henderson (jurist)|Richard Henderson]] negotiated a series of treaties with the Cherokee to sell the lands of the Watauga settlements at [[Sycamore Shoals]] on the banks of the [[Watauga River]]. An agreement to sell land for the [[Transylvania Colony]], which included the territory in Tennessee north of the Cumberland River, was also signed.<ref>{{cite book|last=Henderson|first=Archibald|author-link=Archibald Henderson (professor) |date=1920|title=The Conquest of the Old Southwest: The Romantic Story of the Early Pioneers Into Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Kentucky, 1740–1790 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=no5BAAAAYAAJ|location=New York |publisher=[[The Century Company]] |pages=212–236|via=Google Books}}</ref> Later that year, [[Daniel Boone]], under Henderson's employment, blazed a trail from [[Fort Chiswell]] in Virginia through the [[Cumberland Gap]], which became part of the [[Wilderness Road]], a major thoroughfare into Tennessee and Kentucky.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|p=197}} The Chickamauga, a Cherokee faction loyal to the British led by [[Dragging Canoe]], opposed the settling of the Washington District and Transylvania Colony, and in 1776 attacked [[Fort Watauga]] at Sycamore Shoals.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=65–67}}{{sfn|Satz|1979|p=66}} The warnings of Dragging Canoe's cousin [[Nancy Ward]] spared many settlers' lives from the initial attacks.<ref name="king07">{{cite book|editor-last=King|editor-first=Duane H.|title=The Memoirs of Lt. Henry Timberlake: The Story of a Soldier, Adventurer, and Emissary to the Cherokees, 1756-1765|date=2007|publisher=Museum of the Cherokee Indian Press|location=Cherokee, NC|isbn=9780807831267|page=122|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vHr-cf5j0AEC&pg=PA122|access-date=March 28, 2015|via=Google Books}}</ref> In 1779, [[James Robertson (explorer)|James Robertson]] and [[John Donelson]] led two groups of settlers from the Washington District to the French Lick.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|p=53}} These settlers constructed [[Fort Nashborough]], which they named for [[Francis Nash]], a [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] of the [[Continental Army]].{{sfn|Albright|1909|pp=49-50}} The next year, the settlers signed the [[Cumberland Compact]], which established a representative government for the colony called the [[Cumberland Association]].{{sfn|Albright|1909|pp=68-72}} This settlement later grew into the city of Nashville.<ref>{{cite web |title=Founding of Nashville |url=http://www.nashvillearchives.org/nashville-founding.html |website=Nashville Metropolitan Government Archives |publisher=Nashville Public Library |access-date=May 2, 2021}}</ref> That same year [[John Sevier]] led a group of [[Overmountain Men]] from Fort Watauga to the [[Battle of Kings Mountain]] in South Carolina, where they defeated the British.{{sfn|Finger|2001|pp=84–88}}

[[File:Southwest Territory Counties (1790).svg|thumb|left|upright=1.8|alt=Map of the Southwest Territory in 1790|The Southwest Territory in 1790]]
Three counties of the [[Washington District]] broke off from [[North Carolina]] in 1784 and formed the [[State of Franklin]].{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=73–74}} Efforts to obtain admission to the [[Perpetual Union|Union]] failed, and the counties, now numbering eight, rejoined North Carolina by 1788.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=81–83}} North Carolina ceded the area to the federal government in 1790, after which it was organized into the [[Southwest Territory]] on May 26 of that year.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=86–87}} The act allowed the territory to petition for statehood once the population reached 60,000.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=86–87}} Administration of the territory was divided between the Washington District and the Mero District, the latter of which consisted of the Cumberland Association and was named for Spanish territorial governor [[Esteban Rodríguez Miró]].{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=56–57, 90}} President [[George Washington]] appointed [[William Blount]] as territorial governor.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|pp=16–17}} The Southwest Territory recorded a population of 35,691 in the [[1790 United States census|first United States census]] that year, including 3,417 slaves.{{sfn|Lamon|1980|p=4}}

===Statehood and antebellum era===
[[File:Map-of-tennassee-government-1796.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.35|alt=1796 map of Tennessee by surveyor Daniel Smith|Surveyor [[Daniel Smith (surveyor)|Daniel Smith]]'s "Map of the Tennassee State" (1796)]]

As support for statehood grew among the settlers, Governor Blount called for elections, which were held in December 1793.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=93–94}} The 13-member territorial House of Representatives first convened in Knoxville on February 24, 1794, to select ten members for the legislature's upper house, the council.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=93–94}} The full legislature convened on August 25, 1794.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|pp=20–21}} In June 1795, the legislature conducted a census of the territory, which recorded a population of 77,263, including 10,613 slaves, and a poll that showed 6,504 in favor of statehood and 2,562 opposed.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|p=95}}{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=22}} Elections for a constitutional convention were held in December 1795, and the delegates convened in Knoxville on January 17, 1796, to begin drafting a state constitution.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|p=97}} During this convention, the name Tennessee was chosen for the new state.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=23}} The constitution was completed on February 6, which authorized elections for the state's new legislature, the [[Tennessee General Assembly]].{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=24}}{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|p=99}} The legislature convened on March 28, 1796, and the next day, John Sevier was announced as the state's first governor.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=24}}{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|p=99}} Tennessee was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796, as the 16th state and the first created from federal territory.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|pp=25–26}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Hubbard |first=Bill Jr. |title=American Boundaries: the Nation, the States, the Rectangular Survey |url=https://archive.org/details/americanboundari00jrbi |url-access=limited |year=2009 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-35591-7 |page=55 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

Tennessee reportedly earned the nickname "The Volunteer State" during the [[War of 1812]], when 3,500 Tennesseans answered a recruitment call by the General Assembly for the war effort.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=139–140}} These soldiers, under [[Andrew Jackson]]'s command, played a major role in the American victory at the [[Battle of New Orleans]] in 1815, the last major battle of the war.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=139–140}} Several Tennesseans took part in the [[Texas Revolution]] of 1835–36, including Governor [[Sam Houston]] and Congressman and frontiersman [[Davy Crockett]], who was killed at the [[Battle of the Alamo]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Karsch |first1=Robert F. |title=Tennessee's Interest in the Texan Revolution, 1835-1836 |journal=Tennessee Historical Magazine |year=1937 |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=206–239 |jstor=42638126 |publisher=Tennessee Historical Society |location=Nashville}}</ref> The state's nickname was solidified during the [[Mexican–American War]] when President [[James K. Polk]] of Tennessee issued a call for 2,800 soldiers from the state, and more than 30,000 volunteered.<ref name=tohm>{{cite web |url=http://www.tennesseehistory.com/archive/volpg.html |title=Why the Volunteer State |publisher=Tennessee Online History Magazine |access-date=April 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413134345/http://tennesseehistory.com/archive/volpg.html |archive-date=April 13, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:TheHermitage.jpg|thumb|right|alt=President Andrew Jackson's home ''The Hermitage'' in Nashville|''[[The Hermitage (Nashville, Tennessee)|The Hermitage]]'', plantation home of President [[Andrew Jackson]] in Nashville]]
Between the 1790s and 1820s, additional land cessions were negotiated with the Cherokee, who had established [[Cherokee Nation (1794–1907)|a national government]] modeled on the [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ehle |first=John |author-link=John Ehle |date=1988 |title=Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MC2lR-lpmfwC |pages=155–188 |location=New York |publisher=Anchor Books |isbn=0-385-23954-8 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vanderbilt.edu/olli/class-materials/Spring2016CITWeek3.pdf |title=Treaties and Land Cessions Involving the Cherokee Nation |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=April 12, 2016 |publisher=Vanderbilt University |access-date=May 20, 2021 |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327161021/https://www.vanderbilt.edu/olli/class-materials/Spring2016CITWeek3.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1818, Jackson and Kentucky governor [[Isaac Shelby]] reached an agreement with the Chickasaw to sell the land between the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers to the United States, which included all of West Tennessee and became known as the "[[Jackson Purchase (U.S. historical region)|Jackson Purchase]]".{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=149–150}} The Cherokee moved their capital from Georgia to the [[Red Clay State Park|Red Clay Council Grounds]] in southeastern Tennessee in 1832, due to new laws forcing them from their previous capital at [[New Echota]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Corn|first=James F.|date=1959|title=Red Clay and Rattlesnake Springs: A History of the Cherokee Indians of Bradley County, Tennessee|location=Marceline, Missouri|publisher=[[Walsworth Publishing Company]]|pages=67–70}}</ref> In 1838 and 1839, U.S. troops [[Cherokee removal|forcibly removed]] thousands of Cherokees and their black slaves from their homes in southeastern Tennessee and forced them to march to [[Indian Territory]] in modern-day [[Oklahoma]]. This event is known as the [[Trail of Tears]], and an estimated 4,000 died along the way.{{sfn|Satz|1979|p=103}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mtsuhistpres.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Hiwassee-River-Heritage-Center-Phase-II-Exhibit-Final-Panels-merged-compressed.pdf|title=Fort Cass|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2013|website=mtsuhistpress.org|publisher=[[Middle Tennessee State University]]|location=Murfreesboro, Tennessee|access-date=November 7, 2020|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108035059/https://www.mtsuhistpres.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Hiwassee-River-Heritage-Center-Phase-II-Exhibit-Final-Panels-merged-compressed.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Tennessee Statehood Sesquicentennial, 3c, 1946 issue.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|in 1946 the U.S. Post Office issued a [[commemorative stamp]] celebrating the 150th anniversary of Tennessee statehood.]]
As settlers pushed west of the Cumberland Plateau, a slavery-based [[agrarian economy]] took hold in these regions.{{sfn|Lamon|1980|pp=9–12}} Cotton planters used extensive slave labor on large [[Plantation complexes in the Southern United States|plantation complexes]] in West Tennessee's fertile and flat terrain after the Jackson Purchase.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=209–212}} Cotton also took hold in the Nashville Basin during this time.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=209–212}} Entrepreneurs such as [[Montgomery Bell]] used slaves in the production of iron in the Western Highland Rim, and slaves also cultivated such crops as tobacco and corn throughout the Highland Rim.{{sfn|Lamon|1980|pp=9–12}} East Tennessee's geography did not allow for large plantations as in the middle and western parts of the state, and as a result, slavery became increasingly rare in the region.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|p=210}} A strong [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolition movement]] developed in East Tennessee, beginning as early as 1797, and in 1819, [[Elihu Embree]] of [[Jonesborough, Tennessee|Jonesborough]] began publishing the ''[[Manumission Intelligencier]]'' (later ''The Emancipator''), the nation's first exclusively anti-slavery newspaper.{{sfn|Lamon|1980|pp=7–9}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Goodheart |first1=Lawrence B. |title=Tennessee's Antislavery Movement Reconsidered: The Example of Elihu Embree |journal=Tennessee Historical Quarterly |date=Fall 1982 |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=224–238 |jstor=42626297 |publisher=Tennessee Historical Society |location=Nashville}}</ref>
{{clear}}

===Civil War===
{{main|Tennessee in the American Civil War|Confederate States of America|Ordinance of Secession}}

At the onset of the [[American Civil War]], most Middle and West Tennesseans favored efforts to preserve their slavery-based economies, but many Middle Tennesseans were initially skeptical of secession. In East Tennessee, most people favored remaining in the Union.{{sfn|Connelly|1979|pp=3-8}} In 1860, slaves composed about 25% of Tennessee's population, the lowest share among the states that joined the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]].{{sfn|Lamon|1980|p=116}} Tennessee provided more Union troops than any other Confederate state, and the second-highest number of Confederate troops, behind Virginia.<ref name="guide"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bates |first1=Walter Lynn |date=Winter 1991 |title=Southern Unionists: A Socio-Economic Examination of the Third East Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment, U.S.A., 1862–1865 |jstor=42626970 |journal=Tennessee Historical Quarterly |publisher=Tennessee Historical Society |location=Nashville |volume=50 |issue=4 |pages=226–239 |doi=}}</ref> Due to its central location, Tennessee was a crucial state during the war and saw more military engagements than any state except Virginia.<ref>{{cite web |title=CWSAC Report |url=http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/cwsac/cws0-1.html |website=Civil War Sites Advisory Commission |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=February 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219001021/https://www.nps.gov/abpp/cwsac/cws0-1.html |archive-date=December 19, 2018 |date=December 8, 1997 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

After [[Abraham Lincoln]] was elected president in [[1860 United States presidential election|1860]], secessionists in the state government led by Governor [[Isham Harris]] [[Ordinance of Secession|sought voter approval]] to sever ties with the United States, which was rejected in a referendum by a 54–46% margin in February 1861.{{sfn|Connelly|1979|pp=3–4, 291}} After the Confederate [[Battle of Fort Sumter|attack on Fort Sumter]] in April and Lincoln's call for troops in response, the legislature ratified an agreement to enter a military league with the Confederacy on May 7, 1861.{{sfn|Connelly|1979|pp=3–4}} On June 8, with Middle Tennesseans having significantly changed their position, voters approved a second referendum on secession by a 69–31% margin, becoming the last state to secede.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|p=294}} In response, East Tennessee Unionists organized [[East Tennessee Convention|a convention in Knoxville]] with the goal of splitting the region to form a new state loyal to the Union.<ref>{{cite book|last=Temple|first=Oliver Perry|date=1899|title=East Tennessee and the Civil War |url=https://archive.org/details/easttennesseean00tempgoog|location=Cincinnati|publisher=[[Robert Clarke & Company]]|pages=340–365|isbn=1166069060|author-link=Oliver Perry Temple|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> In the fall of 1861, Unionist guerrillas in East Tennessee [[East Tennessee bridge burnings|burned bridges]] and attacked Confederate sympathizers, leading the Confederacy to invoke [[martial law]] in parts of the region. Because of this, many southern unionists were sent fleeing to nearby Union states, particularly the [[Border states (American Civil War)|border state]] of [[Kentucky]]. Other southern unionists, who stayed in Tennessee after the state's secession, either resisted the Confederate cause or eventually joined it.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Madden |first1=David |title=Unionist Resistance to Confederate Occupation: The Bridge Burners of East Tennessee |journal=East Tennessee Historical Society Publications |date=1980 |volume=52 |pages=42–53}}</ref> In March 1862, Lincoln appointed native Tennessean and [[War Democrat]] [[Andrew Johnson]] as military governor of the state.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=131}}

[[File:Kurz and Allison - Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Chromolithograph of the Battle of Franklin, which occurred on November 30, 1864|The [[Battle of Franklin (1864)|Battle of Franklin]], November 30, 1864]]
General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] and the [[U.S. Navy]] captured the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers in February 1862 at the battles of [[Battle of Fort Henry|Fort Henry]] and [[Battle of Fort Donelson|Fort Donelson]].{{sfn|Connelly|1979|pp=24–30}} Grant then proceeded south to Pittsburg Landing and held off a Confederate counterattack at [[Battle of Shiloh|Shiloh]] in April in what was at the time the bloodiest battle of the war.{{sfn|Connelly|1979|pp=45–51}} Memphis fell to the Union in June after a [[First Battle of Memphis|naval battle]] on the Mississippi River.{{sfn|Connelly|1979|pp=51–53}} Union strength in Middle Tennessee was tested in a series of Confederate offensives beginning in the summer of 1862, which culminated in General [[William Rosecrans]]'s [[Army of the Cumberland]] routing General [[Braxton Bragg]]'s [[Army of Tennessee]] at [[Battle of Stones River|Stones River]], another one of the war's costliest engagements.{{sfn|Connelly|1979|pp=54–65}} The next summer, Rosecrans's [[Tullahoma campaign]] forced Bragg's remaining troops in Middle Tennessee to retreat to Chattanooga with little fighting.{{sfn|Connelly|1979|pp=65–68}}

During the [[Chattanooga campaign]], Confederates attempted to besiege the Army of the Cumberland into surrendering, but reinforcements from the [[Army of the Tennessee]] under the command of Grant, [[William Tecumseh Sherman]], and [[Joseph Hooker]] arrived.{{sfn|Connelly|1979|pp=77–79}} The Confederates were driven from the city at the battles of [[Battle of Lookout Mountain|Lookout Mountain]] and [[Battle of Missionary Ridge|Missionary Ridge]] in November 1863.{{sfn|Connelly|1979|pp=80–82}} Despite Unionist sentiment in East Tennessee, Confederates held the area for most of the war. A few days after the fall of Chattanooga, Confederates led by [[James Longstreet]] unsuccessfully [[Knoxville campaign|campaigned to take control of Knoxville]] by attacking Union General [[Ambrose Burnside]]'s [[Battle of Fort Sanders|Fort Sanders]].{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|p=314}} The capture of Chattanooga allowed Sherman to launch the [[Atlanta campaign]] from the city in May 1864.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://civilwaronthewesternborder.org/timeline/atlanta-campaign |title=Atlanta Campaign |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Civil War On the Western Border |date=May 7, 1864 |publisher=Missouri State Library |location=Jefferson City, Missouri |access-date=July 27, 2021 |quote=}}</ref> The last major battles in the state came when Army of Tennessee regiments under [[John Bell Hood]] [[Franklin–Nashville campaign|invaded Middle Tennessee]] in the fall of 1864 in an effort to draw Sherman back. They were checked by [[John Schofield]] at [[Battle of Franklin (1864)|Franklin]] in November and completely dispersed by [[George Henry Thomas|George Thomas]] at [[Battle of Nashville|Nashville]] in December.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=314–315}} On April 27, 1865, the [[list of maritime disasters|worst maritime disaster in American history]] occurred when the ''[[Sultana (steamboat)|Sultana]]'' steamboat, which was transporting freed Union prisoners, [[Sultana (steamboat)#Disaster|exploded]] in the Mississippi River north of Memphis, killing 1,168 people.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Salecker|first1=Gene Eric|title=Disaster on the Mississippi : the Sultana explosion, April 27, 1865|date=1996|publisher=Naval Inst. Press|location=Annapolis, Md.|isbn=1-55750-739-2|url=https://archive.org/details/disasteronmissis00sale|pages=79–80|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

When the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] was announced, Tennessee was largely held by Union forces and thus not among the states enumerated, so it freed no slaves there.<ref name="npsjohnson">{{cite web |title=Andrew Johnson and Emancipation in Tennessee |url=https://www.nps.gov/anjo/learn/historyculture/johnson-and-tn-emancipation.htm |website=National Park Service |publisher=Andrew Johnson National Historic Site |access-date=May 11, 2021 |date=February 5, 2020}}</ref> Andrew Johnson declared all slaves in Tennessee free on October 24, 1864.<ref name="npsjohnson"/> On February 22, 1865, the legislature approved an amendment to the state constitution prohibiting slavery, which was approved by voters the following month, and would go into effect later on in the year. This made Tennessee the only Southern state to abolish slavery at the time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/chronol.htm |title=Chronology of Emancipation during the Civil War |location=College Park, Maryland |publisher=University of Maryland: Department of History |access-date=November 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011224131/http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/chronol.htm |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="blackhistory">{{cite web |url=http://www.state.tn.us/tsla/exhibits/blackhistory/timelines/timeline_1861-1865.htm |title=This Honorable Body: African American Legislators in 19th Century Tennessee |location=Nashville |publisher=Tennessee State Library and Archives |access-date=November 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119190405/http://www.state.tn.us/tsla/exhibits/blackhistory/timelines/timeline_1861-1865.htm |archive-date=November 19, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Tennessee ratified the [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Thirteenth Amendment]], which outlawed slavery in every state, on April 7, 1865,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-CONAN-2013/pdf/GPO-CONAN-2013.pdf|title=The Constitution of the United States Of America Analysis And Interpretation Centennial Edition Interim Edition: Analysis Of Cases Decided By The Supreme Court Of The United States To June 26, 2013s|access-date=February 17, 2014|last=U.S. Government Printing Office |first=112th Congress, 2nd Session, Senate Document No. 112–9|page=30|date=2013}}</ref> and the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]], which granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to former slaves, on July 18, 1866. Both amendments went into effect after Tennessee's readmission to the union due to the fact that other states had not yet ratified it.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=333–334}} Johnson became vice president when Lincoln was [[1864 United States presidential election|reelected]], and president after Lincoln's [[Assassination of Abraham Lincoln|assassination]] in May 1865.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=131}} On July 24, 1866, Tennessee became the first Confederate state to have its elected members readmitted to Congress.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Glass |first1=Andrew |title=Tenn. is readmitted to the Union July 24, 1866 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2008/07/tenn-is-readmitted-to-the-union-july-24-1866-011990 |access-date=May 11, 2021 |work=Politico |date=July 24, 2008}}</ref>

===Reconstruction and late 19th century===
The years after the Civil War were characterized by tension and unrest between blacks and former Confederates, the worst of which occurred in [[Memphis riots of 1866|Memphis in 1866]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ryan |first=James Gilbert |title=The Memphis Riots of 1866: Terror in a Black Community During Reconstruction |journal=The Journal of Negro History |date=July 1977 |volume=62 |issue=3 |pages=243–257 |doi=10.2307/2716953 |jstor=2716953 |publisher=The University of Chicago Press|s2cid=149765241 |issn = 0022-2992}}</ref> Because Tennessee had ratified the Fourteenth Amendment before its readmission to the Union, it was the only former secessionist state that did not have a military governor during [[Reconstruction Era|Reconstruction]].{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=333–334}} The [[Radical Republicans]] seized control of the state government toward the end of the war, and appointed [[William G. Brownlow|William G. "Parson" Brownlow]] governor. Under Brownlow's administration from 1865 to 1869, the legislature allowed African American men to vote, disenfranchised former Confederates, and with martial law, took action against the [[Ku Klux Klan]], which was founded in December 1865 in [[Pulaski, Tennessee|Pulaski]] as a vigilante group to advance former Confederates' interests.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coulter |first1=E. Merton |author1-link=E. Merton Coulter |title=William G. Brownlow: Fighting Parson of the Southern Highlands |date=1999 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=Knoxville, TN |isbn=978-1-57233-050-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=egskEhcF5gkC |access-date=May 12, 2021 |via=Google Books}}</ref> In 1870, [[Southern Democrats]] regained control of the state legislature,{{sfn|Lamon|1980|pp=46-48}} and over the next two decades, passed [[Jim Crow laws]] to enforce [[racial segregation]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Folmsbee |first1=Stanley J. |title=The Origin of the First "Jim Crow" Law |journal=The Journal of Southern History |date=May 1949 |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=235–247 |doi=10.2307/2197999 |jstor=2197999 |publisher=Southern Historical Association |location=Atlanta}}</ref> A total of 251 [[Lynching in the United States|lynching]]s, predominately of Black people, took place in Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.tuskegee.edu/repository/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Lynchings-Stats-Year-Dates-Causes.pdf |title=Lynchings: By State and Race, 1882-1968 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not given--> |website= |publisher=Tuskegee University |access-date=September 11, 2023 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/lynching/ |title=Lynching |last=Bennett |first=Kathy |date=October 8, 2017 |publisher=Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture |access-date=September 11, 2023}}</ref>

[[File:AmCyc Memphis (Tennessee).jpg|thumb|right|alt=1879 illustration of Memphis, showing the city's cotton industry|Memphis became known as the "Cotton Capital of the World" in the years following the Civil War]]
A number of epidemics swept through Tennessee in the years after the Civil War, including [[cholera]] in 1873, which devastated the Nashville area,<ref>{{cite book|last=Barnes|first=Joseph K.|date=1875|title=The Cholera Epidemic of 1873 in the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HwwPAAAAYAAJ|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=478|author-link=Joseph Barnes (American physician)|access-date=May 23, 2021 |via=Google Books}}</ref> and [[yellow fever]] in 1878, which killed more than one-tenth of Memphis's residents.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Baker |first1=Thomas H. |title=Yellowjack: The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878 in Memphis, Tennessee |journal=Bulletin of the History of Medicine |date=May–June 1968 |volume=42 |issue=3 |pages=241–264 |jstor=44450733 |publisher=[[The Johns Hopkins University Press]] |location=Baltimore|pmid=4874077}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Webb |first1=Gina |title=Yellow fever epidemic changes course of Memphis history in 'Fever Season' |url=https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/yellow-fever-epidemic-changes-course-memphis-history-fever-season/IRFeaGgIt83vD2I8kgJ6WN/ |access-date=May 23, 2021 |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=October 20, 2012}}</ref> Reformers worked to modernize Tennessee into a "[[New South]]" economy during this time. With the help of Northern investors, Chattanooga became one of the first industrialized cities in the South.<ref name=jsh/> Memphis became known as the "Cotton Capital of the World" during the late 19th century, and Nashville, Knoxville, and several smaller cities saw modest industrialization.<ref name=jsh>{{cite journal|last=Belissary |first=Constantine G.|date=May 1953|title=The Rise of Industry and the Industrial Spirit in Tennessee, 1865-1885|jstor=2955013 |journal=The Journal of Southern History|volume=19|issue=2|pages=193–215|doi=10.2307/2955013}}</ref> Northerners also began exploiting the coalfields and mineral resources in the Appalachian Mountains. To pay off debts and alleviate overcrowded prisons, the state turned to [[convict leasing]], providing prisoners to mining companies as [[strikebreakers]], which was protested by miners forced to compete with the system.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=387–389}} An armed uprising in the Cumberland Mountains known as the [[Coal Creek War]] in 1891 and 1892 resulted in the state ending convict leasing.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cotham |first1=Perry C. |title=Toil, Turmoil & Triumph: A Portrait of the Tennessee Labor Movement |date=1995 |publisher=Hillsboro Press |location=Franklin, Tennessee |isbn=9781881576648 |pages=56–80 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HWiN4VbNBLQC |access-date=May 23, 2021 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Shapiro |first1=Karin |title=A New South Rebellion: The Battle Against Convict Labor in the Tennessee Coalfields, 1871-1896 |date=1998 |publisher=[[University of North Carolina Press]] |location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina |isbn=9780807867051 |pages=75–102, 184–205 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nSE6DwAAQBAJ |access-date=May 23, 2021 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Despite New South promoters' efforts, agriculture continued to dominate Tennessee's economy.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McKenzie |first1=Robert Tracy |title=Freedmen and the Soil in the Upper South: The Reorganization of Tennessee Agriculture, 1865-1880 |journal=The Journal of Southern History |date=February 1993 |volume=59 |issue=1 |pages=63–84 |doi=10.2307/2210348 |jstor=2210348 |publisher=Southern Historical Association |location=Atlanta}}</ref> The majority of freed slaves were forced into [[sharecropping]] during the latter 19th century, and many others worked as agricultural wage laborers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Winters |first1=Donald L. |title=Postbellum Reorganization of Southern Agriculture: The Economics of Sharecropping in Tennessee |journal=Agricultural History |date=Autumn 1988 |volume=62 |issue=4 |pages=1–19 |jstor=3743372 |publisher=Agricultural History Society}}</ref> In 1897, Tennessee celebrated its statehood centennial one year late with the [[Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition]] in Nashville.<ref>{{cite book |title=Official Guide To The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition and City of Nashville |date=1897 |publisher=Marshall & Bruce |location=Nashville |url=https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/officialguidete00tenn |doi=10.5479/sil.999616.39088016962151 |access-date=May 23, 2021 |via=[[Smithsonian Libraries]]}}</ref> A [[Parthenon (Nashville)|full-scale replica]] of the [[Parthenon]] in [[Athens]] was designed by architect [[William Crawford Smith]] and constructed for the celebration, owing to the city's reputation as the "Athens of the South".{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=411–414}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Coleman |first=Christopher K. |title=From Monument to Museum: The Role of the Parthenon in the Culture of the New South |journal=Tennessee Historical Quarterly |volume=49 |issue=3 |page=140 |jstor=42626877 |date=Fall 1990}}</ref>

===Early 20th century===
[[File:"A group of several hundred workers at Norris Dam construction camp site during noon hour." - NARA - 532734.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Photograph of workers at Norris Dam in 1933|Workers at the [[Norris Dam]] construction camp site in 1933]]

Due to increasing racial segregation and poor standards of living, many black Tennesseans fled to industrial cities in the Northeast and Midwest as part of the first wave of the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] between 1915 and 1930.{{sfn|Lamon|1980|pp=75–80}} Many residents of rural parts of Tennessee relocated to larger cities during this time for more lucrative employment opportunities.<ref name=jsh/> As part of the [[Temperance movement]], Tennessee became the first state in the nation to effectively ban the sale, transportation, and production of alcohol in a series of laws passed between 1907 and 1917.<ref name="dickinson">{{cite web |last1=Dickinson |first1=W. Calvin |title=Temperance |url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/temperance/ |website=[[Tennessee Encyclopedia]] |access-date=May 29, 2021 |date=October 8, 2017}}</ref> During [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]], illicit production of [[moonshine]] became extremely common in East Tennessee, particularly in the mountains, and continued for many decades afterward.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Durand |first=Loyal |date=April 1956 |title="Mountain Moonshining" in East Tennessee |jstor=211641 |journal=Geographical Review |volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=168–181 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |doi=10.2307/211641|bibcode=1956GeoRv..46..168D}}</ref>

Sgt. [[Alvin York|Alvin C. York]] of [[Fentress County, Tennessee|Fentress County]] became one of the most famous and honored American soldiers of [[World War I]]. He received the Congressional [[Medal of Honor]] for single-handedly capturing an entire German machine gun regiment during the [[Meuse–Argonne offensive]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Sergeant York, War Hero, Dies; Killed 25 Germans and Captured 132 in Argonne Battle |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/03/archives/sergeant-york-war-hero-dies-killed-25-germans-and-captured-132-in.html |url-access=limited |access-date=May 23, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 3, 1964}}</ref> On July 9, 1918, Tennessee suffered the [[Great Train Wreck of 1918|worst rail accident in U.S. history]] when two passenger trains [[head-on collision|collided head on]] in Nashville, killing 101 and injuring 171.<ref name="Coggins2012">{{cite book |first=Allen R. |last=Coggins |title=Tennessee Tragedies: Natural, Technological, and Societal Disasters in the Volunteer State |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SfK6aBuqohQC&pg=PA158 |access-date=November 23, 2012 |date=January 15, 2012 |publisher=Univ. of Tennessee Press |isbn=978-1-57233-829-6 |page=158 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101183229/http://books.google.com/books?id=SfK6aBuqohQC&pg=PA158 |archive-date=January 1, 2014 |url-status=live |via=Google Books}}</ref> On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th and final state necessary to ratify the [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]], which gave women the [[Women's suffrage|right to vote]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Tennessee and the 19th Amendment |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/tennessee-women-s-history.htm |website=nps.gov |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=July 15, 2021 |date=July 31, 2020}}</ref> In 1925, [[John T. Scopes]], a high school teacher in [[Dayton, Tennessee|Dayton]], was [[Scopes Trial|tried and convicted]] for teaching [[evolution]] in violation of the state's recently passed [[Butler Act]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Israel|first=Charles Alan|title=Before Scopes: Evangelicalism, Education, and Evolution in Tennessee, 1870–1925|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5l4DBjpvLpgC&pg=PA161 |year=2004|publisher=[[University of Georgia Press]]|location=Athens, Georgia|page=161|isbn=9780820326450|via=Google Books}}</ref> Scopes was prosecuted by former [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] and presidential candidate [[William Jennings Bryan]] and defended by attorney [[Clarence Darrow]]. The case was intentionally publicized,<ref>{{cite book|last=Larson|first=Edward J.|author-link=Edward J. Larson|date=2004 |title=Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4HPewgEACAAJ|location=New York |publisher=[[Modern Library]]|pages=211–213|isbn=9780679642886|via=Google Books}}</ref> and highlighted the [[Rejection of evolution by religious groups|creationism-evolution controversy]] among religious groups.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cotkin|first=George|date=1992|title=Reluctant Modernism: American Thought and Culture, 1880–1900|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5T0l6BQc2kkC|location=Lanham, Maryland|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]|pages=7–14|isbn=9780742531475|via=Google Books}}</ref> In 1926, Congress authorized the establishment of [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park|a national park]] in the [[Great Smoky Mountains]], which was officially established in 1934 and dedicated in 1940.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pierce |first=Daniel S.|date=2000|title=The Great Smokies: From Natural Habitat to National Park|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QR-EmSQfPvgC|pages=140–151|location=Knoxville, TN|publisher=University of Tennessee Press|isbn=1572330791|via=Google Books}}</ref>

When the [[Great Depression]] struck in 1929, much of Tennessee was severely impoverished even by national standards.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Glass |first1=Andrew |title=Tennessee Valley Authority created, May 18, 1933 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/18/tennessee-valley-authority-created-may-18-1933-238325 |access-date=May 23, 2021 |work=Politico |date=May 18, 2017}}</ref> As part of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s [[New Deal]], the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] (TVA) was created in 1933 to provide electricity, jobs, flood control, improved waterway navigation, agricultural development, and economic modernization to the [[Tennessee Valley|Tennessee River Valley]].<ref name=clemnelson/> The TVA built several hydroelectric dams in the state in the 1930s and 1940s, which inundated communities and thousands of farmland acreage, and forcibly displaced families via [[Eminent domain in the United States|eminent domain]].<ref name="natarchTVA">{{cite web |title=The TVA and the Relocation of Mattie Randolph |url=https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/tva-relocation.html |website=[[National Archives]] |access-date=June 12, 2021 |date=August 15, 2016}}</ref><ref name="stephens">{{cite web |last1=Stephens |first1=Joseph |title=Forced Relocations Presented More of an Ordeal than an Opportunity for Norris Reservoir Families |url=https://www.historicunioncounty.com/article/forced-relocations-presented-more-ordeal-opportunity-norris-reservoir-families |website=Historic Union County |date=May 2018 |access-date=June 15, 2021}}</ref> The agency quickly grew into the country's largest electric utility and initiated a period of dramatic economic growth and transformation that brought many new industries and employment opportunities to the state.<ref name=clemnelson>{{cite report|last1=Clem|first1=Clayton L.|last2=Nelson|first2=Jeffrey H.|title=2010 International Conference on High Voltage Engineering and Application |date=October 2010|chapter=The TVA Transmission System: Facts, Figures and Trends|pages=1–11 |chapter-url=https://zenodo.org/record/1270775|publisher=Proceedings of the 2010 IEEE International Conference on High Voltage Engineering and Application|doi=10.1109/ichve.2010.5640878 |isbn=978-1-4244-8283-2 |access-date=April 18, 2021|via=[[Zenodo]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kitchens |first1=Carl |title=The Role of Publicly Provided Electricity in Economic Development: The Experience of the Tennessee Valley Authority, 1929–1955 |journal=The Journal of Economic History |date=June 2014 |volume=74 |issue=2 |pages=389–419 |jstor=24550877 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|doi=10.1017/S0022050714000308 |s2cid=27463057}}</ref>

[[File:Calutron operators.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Photograph of calutron operators at Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project|[[Calutron]] operators at the [[Y-12 National Security Complex|Y-12]] Plant in Oak Ridge during the [[Manhattan Project]]]]
During [[World War II]], East Tennessee was chosen for the production of weapons-grade [[fissile]] [[enriched uranium]] as part of the [[Manhattan Project]], a [[research and development]] undertaking led by the U.S. to produce the world's first [[atomic bomb]]s. The [[planned community]] of [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee|Oak Ridge]] was built to provide accommodations for the facilities and workers; the site was chosen due to the abundance of TVA electric power, its low population density, and its inland geography and topography, which allowed for the natural separation of the facilities and a low vulnerability to attack.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fine |first1=Lenore |last2=Remington |first2=Jesse A. |title=The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States |publisher=United States Army Center of Military History |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-5/CMH_Pub_10-5.pdf |pages=134–135 |access-date=August 25, 2013 |location=Washington, D.C. |year=1972 |oclc=834187 |archive-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201142645/https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-5/CMH_Pub_10-5.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Vincent |title=Manhattan: The Army and the Atomic Bomb |publisher=United States Army Center of Military History |location=Washington, D.C. |year=1985 |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/011/11-10/CMH_Pub_11-10.pdf |pages=46–47 |access-date=August 25, 2013 |oclc=10913875 |archive-date=October 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007074359/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/011/11-10/CMH_Pub_11-10.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Clinton Engineer Works]] was established as the production arm of the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, which enriched uranium at three major facilities for use in atomic bombs. The first of the bombs was detonated in [[Alamogordo, New Mexico]], in a test code-named [[Trinity (nuclear test)|Trinity]], and the second, nicknamed "[[Little Boy]]", was [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|bropped on Imperial Japan]] at the end of World War II.{{sfn|Jones|1985|p=522}} After the war, the [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] became an institution for scientific and technological research.<ref name=bigproblems/>

===Mid-20th century to present===
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional in ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' in 1954, [[Oak Ridge High School (Tennessee)|Oak Ridge High School]] in 1955 became the first school in Tennessee to be [[School integration in the United States|integrated]].{{sfn|Lamon|1980|pp=100–101}} The next year, nearby [[Clinton High School (Clinton, Tennessee)|Clinton High School]] was integrated, and [[Tennessee National Guard]] troops were sent in after pro-segregationists threatened violence.{{sfn|Lamon|1980|pp=100–101}} Between February and May 1960, a [[Nashville sit-ins|series of sit-ins]] at segregated lunch counters in Nashville organized by the [[Nashville Student Movement]] resulted in the desegregation of facilities in the city.{{sfn|Lamon|1980|pp=106–108}} On April 4, 1968, [[James Earl Ray]] [[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|assassinated]] civil rights leader [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] in Memphis.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 24, 2017|title=Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.|url=https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/assassination-martin-luther-king-jr|access-date=July 15, 2020|website=The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute}}</ref> King had traveled there to support [[Memphis sanitation strike|striking African American sanitation workers]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://swampland.time.com/2013/04/04/time-looks-back-martin-luther-kings-assassination/|title=Time Looks Back: The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.|author=Time Magazine Staff|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=April 4, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/tony-norman/2008/04/04/The-last-sermon-Memphis-April-3-1968/stories/200804040201|title=The last sermon, Memphis, April 3, 1968|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|date=April 4, 2008|first=Tony|last=Norman |access-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Sunsphere 02.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Photograph of the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, showing the Sunsphere|The [[1982 World's Fair]] in Knoxville]]
The 1962 [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] case ''[[Baker v. Carr]]'' arose from a challenge to the longstanding rural bias of apportionment of seats in the Tennessee legislature and established the principle of "[[one man, one vote]]".<ref>{{cite book |title=A Justice for All: William J. Brennan, Jr., and the Decisions that Transformed America |url=https://archive.org/details/justiceforallwil00eisl |url-access=registration |last=Eisler |first=Kim Isaac |year=1993 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-0-671-76787-7 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter=Baker v. Carr |title=The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States |last=Peltason |first=Jack W. |editor=Hall, Kermit L. |year=1992 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-19-505835-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00hall/page/67 67–70] |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00hall/page/67|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The construction of [[Interstate 40 in Tennessee|Interstate 40]] through Memphis became a national talking point on the issue of [[Eminent domain in the United States|eminent domain]] and [[grassroots lobbying]] when the [[Tennessee Department of Transportation]] (TDOT) attempted to construct the highway through the city's [[Overton Park]]. A [[Citizens to Preserve Overton Park|local activist group]] spent many years contesting the project, and in 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the group and established the framework for [[Judicial review in the United States|judicial review]] of government agencies in the [[List of landmark court decisions in the United States|landmark case]] of ''[[Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe]]''.<ref name="interstate100">{{cite web |title=100 Years: Tennessee's Interstate System |url=https://www.tn.gov/tdot/100years-home/100years-interstate.html |website=[[Tennessee Department of Transportation]] |access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carey |first1=Bill |title=Overton Park's Citizens and Their Successful Battle Against the Highway |journal=Tennessee Magazine |date=May 1, 2018 |url=https://www.tnmagazine.org/overton-parks-citizens-successful-battle-highway/ |access-date=July 15, 2021}}</ref> TVA's construction of the [[Tellico Dam]] in Loudon County became the subject of national controversy in the 1970s when the endangered [[snail darter]] fish was reported to be affected by the project. After lawsuits by environmental groups, the debate was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court case ''[[Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill]]'' in 1978, leading to amendments of the [[Endangered Species Act of 1973|Endangered Species Act]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill|url=https://www.justice.gov/enrd/tennessee-valley-authority-v-hill|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=[[United States Department of Justice]]|date=April 13, 2015|archive-date=May 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519030038/https://www.justice.gov/enrd/tennessee-valley-authority-v-hill|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Ocoee River 1996 Olympics.jpg|thumb|alt=Whitewater slalom contestants on the Ocoee River during the 1996 Olympics|The [[Ocoee River]] was home to the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] whitewater slalom events, the only Olympic sporting event ever held in the state.]]
The [[1982 World's Fair]] was held in Knoxville.<ref>{{cite news|last=Trieu|first=Cat|date=November 16, 2017|title=Remembering the 1982 World's Fair|url=https://www.utdailybeacon.com/arts_and_culture/lifestyle/remembering-the-1982-world-s-fair/article_7f68471c-ca7e-11e7-b14f-17dc38318998.html|work=The Daily Beacon|publisher=University of Tennessee|location=Knoxville, TN|access-date=April 25, 2021}}</ref> Also known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, the fair's theme was "Energy Turns the World". The exposition was one of the most successful, and the most recent world's fair to be held in the U.S.<ref>{{cite news|last=McCrary|first=Amy|date=May 28, 2016|title=The world came to Knoxville in May 1982|url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/life/2016/05/28/the-world-came-to-knoxville-in-may-1982/90993100/|work=Knoxville News Sentinel|access-date=April 24, 2021}}</ref> In 1986, Tennessee held a yearlong celebration of the state's heritage and culture called "Homecoming '86".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hurst |first1=Jack |title=Tennessee Homecoming '86 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-06-22-8602140771-story.html |access-date=June 3, 2021 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=June 22, 1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hillinger |first1=Charles |title=Sweet Lips and Rest of Tennessee Blow a Kiss |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-23-vw-5928-story.html |access-date=June 3, 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 23, 1986}}</ref> Tennessee celebrated its bicentennial in 1996 with a yearlong celebration called "Tennessee 200". A new state park that traces the state's history, [[Bicentennial Mall State Park|Bicentennial Mall]], was opened at the foot of Capitol Hill in Nashville.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Daughtrey |first1=Larry |title=200 and counting ... |url=https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/76852761/200-and-counting/ |access-date=May 1, 2021 |work=The Tennessean |date=June 2, 1996 |location=Nashville |page=1A, [https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/76852841/celebrating-200-years-of-statehood/ 9A]|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The same year, the [[canoe slalom|whitewater slalom]] events at the Atlanta [[1996 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympic Games]] were held on the [[Ocoee River]] in [[Polk County, Tennessee|Polk County]].<ref name="fontenay">{{cite web |last=Fontenay |first=Blake |title=Shooting the Rapids: How a Small East Tennessee Community Struck Olympic Gold |url=https://sos.tn.gov/tsla/tri-star-chronicles-shooting-rapids |website=[[Tennessee State Library]] |access-date=June 4, 2021 |date=April 22, 2016 |archive-date=June 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604183107/https://sos.tn.gov/tsla/tri-star-chronicles-shooting-rapids |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2002, Tennessee amended its constitution to establish a [[Lotteries in the United States|lottery]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cass |first1=Michael |title=Lottery proposal easily wins approval |url=https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/79906102/lottery-proposal-easily-wins-approval/ |access-date=June 20, 2021 |work=The Tennessean |date=November 6, 2002 |location=Nashville |pages=1A, [https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/79906119/lottery-some-worried-legal-jargon/ 2A] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> In 2006, the state constitution [[Tennessee Marriage Protection Amendment|was amended]] to outlaw [[same-sex marriage]]. This amendment was invalidated by the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court case ''[[Obergefell v. Hodges]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Moreau |first=Julie |title=States across U.S. still cling to outdated gay marriage bans |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/states-across-u-s-still-cling-outdated-gay-marriage-bans-n1137936 |access-date=May 2, 2021 |work=NBC News |date=February 18, 2020}}</ref> On December 23, 2008, the [[Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill|largest industrial waste spill in United States history]] occurred at TVA's [[Kingston Fossil Plant]] when more than 1.1 billion gallons of [[fly ash|coal ash]] slurry was accidentally released into the [[Emory River|Emory]] and [[Clinch River]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.mensjournal.com/features/coal-disaster-killing-scores-rural-americans/ |title=A Lawyer, 40 Dead Americans, and a Billion Gallons of Coal Sludge |last=Sullivan |first=J.R .|date=September 2019 |work=Men's Journal |access-date=November 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102150952/https://www.mensjournal.com/features/coal-disaster-killing-scores-rural-americans/ |archive-date=November 2, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bourne |first=Joel K. |date=February 19, 2019 |title=Coal's other dark side: Toxic ash that can poison water, destroy life and toxify people |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/02/coal-other-dark-side-toxic-ash |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219140212/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/02/coal-other-dark-side-toxic-ash/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 19, 2019 |work=National Geographic |access-date=May 22, 2020}}</ref> The cleanup cost more than $1 billion and lasted until 2015.<ref>{{cite news |last=Flessner |first=Dave |date=May 29, 2015 |title=TVA to auction 62 parcels in Kingston after ash spill cleanup completed |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2015/may/29/tvaucti62-parcels-kingstafter-ash-spill-clean/306796/ |work=Chattanooga Times Free Press |location=Chattanooga, TN |access-date=June 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616180927/https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2015/may/29/tvaucti62-parcels-kingstafter-ash-spill-clean/306796/ |archive-date=June 16, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Tennessee}}
{{See also|Geology of Tennessee}}
{{multiple image
 |align = left
 |direction = vertical
 |width = 225
 |image1 = Map of East Tennessee counties.png
 |image2 = Map of Middle Tennessee counties.png
 |image3 = Map of West Tennessee counties.png
 |footer = Maps of the [[Grand Divisions of Tennessee]], with [[East Tennessee]] at the top, [[Middle Tennessee]] in the center, and [[West Tennessee]] at the bottom.
}}

Tennessee is in the [[Southeastern United States]]. Culturally, most of the state is considered part of the [[Upland South]], and the eastern third is part of [[Appalachia]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Hudson |first=John C. |title=Across this Land: A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada |publisher=JHU Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8018-6567-1|pages=101–116|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FQUbfAWhh-oC |via=Google Books}}</ref> Tennessee covers roughly {{convert|42,143|mi2|km2}}, of which {{convert|926|mi2|km2}}, or 2.2%, is water. It is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|16th smallest state]] in land area. The state is about {{convert|440|mi|km}} long from east to west and {{convert|112|mi|km}} wide from north to south. Tennessee is geographically, culturally, economically, and legally divided into three [[Grand Divisions of Tennessee|Grand Divisions]]: [[East Tennessee]], [[Middle Tennessee]], and [[West Tennessee]].<ref name=granddivisions/> It borders eight other states: [[Kentucky]] and [[Virginia]] to the north, [[North Carolina]] to the east, [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Alabama]], and [[Mississippi]] on the south, and [[Arkansas]] and [[Missouri]] on the west. It is tied with Missouri as the state bordering the most other states.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. States And Their Border States |url=https://thefactfile.org/u-s-states-and-their-border-states/ |website=thefactfile.org |access-date=July 17, 2021}}</ref> Tennessee is trisected by the [[Tennessee River]], and its geographical center is in [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]]. Nearly three–fourths of the state is in the [[Central Time Zone]], with most of East Tennessee on [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Time]].<ref name=astor>{{cite book |last1=Astor |first1=Aaron |title=The Civil War Along Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau |date=2015 |publisher=The History Press |location=Charleston, South Carolina |isbn=978-1-62619-404-5 |lccn=2015932376 |page=11 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yme4CAAAQBAJ |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> The Tennessee River forms most of the division between Middle and West Tennessee.<ref name=granddivisions>{{cite web |title=Grand Divisions |url=https://tennesseehistory.org/grand-divisions/ |website=tennesseehistory.org |publisher=Tennessee Historical Society |access-date=July 17, 2021 |location=Nashville |date=November 14, 2020}}</ref>

Tennessee's eastern boundary roughly follows the highest crests of the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]], and the [[Mississippi River]] forms its western boundary.<ref name=stein>{{cite book |last=Stein |first=Mark |date=2008 |title=How the States Got Their Shapes |location=New York |publisher=HarperCollins |pages=257–262 |isbn=978-0-06-143139-5}}</ref> Due to flooding of the Mississippi that has changed its path, the state's western boundary deviates from the river in some places.<ref name=tnmag0115>{{cite journal |last=Carey |first=Bill |date=January 2015 |title=Nine things about Tennessee geography that may surprise you |url=https://www.tnmagazine.org/nine-things-about-tennessee-geography-that-may-surprise-you/ |journal=Tennessee Magazine |volume=<!--Needed--> |issue=<!--Needed--> |pages=<!--Needed--> |access-date=May 13, 2021}}</ref> The northern border was originally defined as [[parallel 36°30′ north|36°30′ north latitude]] and the [[Royal Colonial Boundary of 1665]], but due to faulty surveys, begins north of this line in the east, and to the west, gradually veers north before shifting south onto the actual 36°30′ parallel at the Tennessee River in West Tennessee.<ref name=stein/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Harrington |first1=John |last2=Suneson |first2=Grant |date=April 10, 2021 |title=From Alabama to Wyoming, this is how each state got its shape |url=https://247wallst.com/special-report/2021/04/03/this-is-how-each-state-got-its-shape/ |work=USA Today |access-date=May 20, 2021}}</ref> Uncertainties in the latter 19th century over the location of the state's border with Virginia culminated in the U.S. Supreme Court [[Virginia v. Tennessee|settling the matter in 1893]], which resulted in the division of [[Bristol, Tennessee|Bristol]] between the two states.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.heraldcourier.com/news/pieces-of-the-past-supreme-court-looked-at-controversy-over/article_37075b77-6b6c-5a8b-a33d-4f74b5d3a0f1.html |title= Pieces of the Past: Supreme Court looked at controversy over Bristol border location |first1= Dalena |last1= Mathews |first2= Robert |last2= Sorrell |newspaper= Bristol Herald Courier |date= October 6, 2018 |access-date= September 16, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181006224334/https://www.heraldcourier.com/news/pieces-of-the-past-supreme-court-looked-at-controversy-over/article_37075b77-6b6c-5a8b-a33d-4f74b5d3a0f1.html |archive-date= October 6, 2018 |url-status= live}}</ref> An 1818 survey erroneously placed Tennessee's southern border {{convert|1|mi|km}} south of the [[35th parallel north|35th parallel]]; Georgia legislators [[Tennessee–Georgia water dispute|continue to dispute this placement]], as it prevents Georgia from accessing the Tennessee River.<ref>{{cite news|last=Morton|first=William J.|date=April 4, 2016|title=How Georgia got its northern boundary – and why we can't get water from the Tennessee River|url=https://saportareport.com/georgia-got-northern-boundary-cant-get-water-tennessee-river/|work=Saporta Report|location=Atlanta|access-date=April 9, 2019}}</ref>

Marked by a diversity of landforms and topographies, Tennessee features six principal [[Physiographic regions of the United States|physiographic provinces]], from east to west, which are part of three larger regions: the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]], [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians]], and [[Cumberland Plateau]], part of the [[Appalachian Mountains]]; the [[Highland Rim]] and [[Nashville Basin]], part of the [[Interior Low Plateaus]] of the [[Interior Plains]]; and the [[Gulf Coastal Plain|East Gulf Coastal Plain]], part of the [[Atlantic Plain]]s.{{sfn|Safford|1869|pp=11–12}}{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=55–56}} Other regions include the southern tip of the [[Cumberland Mountains]], the [[Tennessee Valley|Western Tennessee Valley]], and the [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain]]. The state's highest point, which is also the third-highest peak in eastern North America, is [[Kuwohi]] (formerly Clingmans Dome), at {{convert|6643|ft|m}} above sea level.<ref name="usgs">{{cite web |url=http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |date=April 29, 2005 |access-date=December 16, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116113632/http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=January 16, 2008}}</ref> Its lowest point, {{convert|178|ft|m}}, is on the Mississippi River at the Mississippi state line in Memphis.<ref name=USGS/> Tennessee has the most caves in the United States, with more than 10,000 documented.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/tennessee/placesweprotect/tennessee-caves.xml|title=Tennessee Caves|publisher=The Nature Conservancy|access-date=March 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105021/http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/tennessee/placesweprotect/tennessee-caves.xml|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Geological formations in Tennessee largely correspond with the state's topographic features, and, in general, decrease in age from east to west. The state's oldest rocks are [[igneous rock|igneous]] strata more than 1 billion years old found in the Blue Ridge Mountains,<ref>{{cite web |title=Blue Ridge Province |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/blueridgeprovince.htm |website=nps.gov |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=May 27, 2021 |date=April 30, 2018}}</ref>{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=26–28}} and the youngest deposits in Tennessee are sands and silts in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and river valleys that drain into the Mississippi River.{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=49–52}} Tennessee is considered seismically active and contains two major seismic zones, although destructive earthquakes rarely occur there.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sadler |first1=Megan |title=Are you prepared for an earthquake? Tennessee projected to experience major quake in coming years |url=https://www.wvlt.tv/2020/10/15/are-you-prepared-for-an-earthquake-tennessee-projected-to-experience-major-quake-in-coming-years/ |access-date=May 27, 2021 |work=[[WVLT-TV]] |date=October 15, 2020 |location=Knoxville, TN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mays |first1=Mary |title=Tennessee is more earthquake-prone than you may expect |url=https://www.wkrn.com/weather-headlines/tennessee-is-more-earthquake-prone-than-you-may-expect/ |access-date=May 27, 2021 |publisher=[[WKRN-TV]] |date=December 12, 2018 |location=Nashville}}</ref> The [[Eastern Tennessee seismic zone]] spans the entirety of East Tennessee from northwestern Alabama to southwestern Virginia, and is considered one of the most active zones in the Southeastern United States, frequently producing low-magnitude earthquakes.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cox |first1=Randy |last2=Hatcher |first2=Robert D. |last3=Counts |first3=Ron |last4=Gamble |last5=Warrell |first5=Kathleen |title=Quaternary faulting along the Dandridge-Vonore fault zone in the Eastern Tennessee seismic zone |journal=American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2017 |date=March 29, 2018 |pages=81–94 |doi=10.1130/2018.0050(06) |publisher=American Geophysical Union |location=New Orleans|isbn=9780813700502}}</ref> The [[New Madrid seismic zone]] in the northwestern part of the state produced [[1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes|a series of devastating earthquakes]] between December 1811 and February 1812 that formed [[Reelfoot Lake]] near [[Tiptonville, Tennessee|Tiptonville]].<ref>{{cite web |author=US Geological Survey |url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/events/1811-1812newmadrid/summary.php |title=Summary of 1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes Sequence |publisher=USGS |access-date=August 8, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808194920/https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/events/1811-1812newmadrid/summary.php |archive-date=August 8, 2017}}</ref>

===Topography===
[[File:Mt. LeConte Clingmans Dome 05-31-20.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Photograph of Mount Le Conte in the Great Smoky Mountains, the tallest mountain in eastern North America, measured from base to summit|[[Mount Le Conte (Tennessee)|Mount Le Conte]] in the [[Great Smoky Mountains]] is the tallest mountain in eastern North America, measured from base to summit]]

The southwestern [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] lie within Tennessee's eastern edge, and are divided into several subranges, namely the [[Great Smoky Mountains]], [[Bald Mountains]], [[Unicoi Mountains]], [[Unaka Range|Unaka Mountains]], and [[Iron Mountains]]. These mountains, which average {{convert|5,000|ft|m}} above sea level in Tennessee, contain some of the highest elevations in eastern North America. The state's border with North Carolina roughly follows the highest peaks of this range, including Kuwohi. Most of the Blue Ridge area is protected by the [[Cherokee National Forest]], the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], and several federal wilderness areas and state parks.<ref name="federal lands">{{cite web |title=Federal Lands and Indian Reservations - Tennessee |url=https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/united_states/fed_lands_2003/tennessee_2003.pdf |publisher=United States Department of the Interior |access-date=June 20, 2021 |location=Washington, D.C. |date=2003 |via=University of Texas Libraries}}</ref> The [[Appalachian Trail]] roughly follows the North Carolina state line before shifting westward into Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web |title=Appalachian Trail Map |url=https://www.nps.gov/appa/planyourvisit/upload/APPA%20Map.pdf |website=nps.gov |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=July 17, 2021 |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref>

Stretching west from the Blue Ridge Mountains for about {{convert|55|mi|km}} are the [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians]], also known as the Tennessee Valley{{efn|This is not to be confused with the [[Tennessee Valley]], the drainage basin of the Tennessee River, which covers most of this region.}} or Great Valley of East Tennessee. This area consists of linear parallel ridges separated by valleys that trend northeast to southwest, the general direction of the entire Appalachian range.{{sfn|Moore|1994|p=64}} Most of these ridges are low, but some of the higher ones are commonly called mountains.{{sfn|Moore|1994|p=64}} Numerous tributaries join to form the Tennessee River in the Ridge and Valley region.<ref name=physiomap>{{cite map |title=Physiographic Map of Tennessee|year=1946|url=https://sites.tntech.edu/hwleimer/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2020/07/Physiographic-Map-of-Tennessee.pdf|scale = 1:3,000,000|publisher=Ginn and Company|location=<!--Needed-->|access-date=June 20, 2021|via=Tennessee Tech}}</ref>

[[File:Fall Creek Falls.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Photograph of Fall Creek Falls, the tallest waterfall in the eastern United States|[[Fall Creek Falls]], the tallest waterfall in the eastern United States, is located on the Cumberland Plateau]]
The [[Cumberland Plateau]] rises to the west of the Tennessee Valley, with an average elevation of {{convert|2,000|ft|m}}.<ref name=maertens>{{cite thesis |last=Maertens |first=Thomas Brock |date=June 10, 1980 |title=The Relationship of Maintenance Costs to Terrain and Climate on Interstate 40 in Tennessee |type=MSc |chapter= |publisher=The University of Tennessee |docket=ADA085221 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA085221.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627180437/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA085221.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=June 27, 2021 |access-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> This landform is part of the larger [[Appalachian Plateau]] and consists mostly of flat-topped [[table (landform)|tablelands]].<ref name="npsgeo">{{cite web |title=Geology and History of the Cumberland Plateau |url=https://www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/upload/webgeo.pdf |website=nps.gov |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref> The plateau's eastern edge is relatively distinct, but the western [[escarpment]] is irregular, containing several long, crooked stream valleys separated by rocky cliffs with numerous [[waterfall]]s.{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=68–72}} The [[Cumberland Mountains]], with peaks above {{convert|3,500|ft|m}}, comprise the northeastern part of the Appalachian Plateau in Tennessee, and the southeastern part of the Cumberland Plateau is divided by the [[Sequatchie Valley]].{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=68–72}} The [[Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park|Cumberland Trail]] traverses the eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cumberland Trail State Scenic Trail - 2020 |url=https://ctsst.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=ae4ff34c7bc742e7a6c6e5b738f65c2c |website=arcgis |publisher=Cumberland Trails Conference |access-date=July 17, 2021 |date=2020}}</ref>

[[File:Reelfoot Lake.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Photograph of Reelfoot Lake in West Tennessee, formed by the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes|[[Reelfoot Lake]] in West Tennessee was formed by the [[1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes]]]]
West of the Cumberland Plateau is the [[Highland Rim]], an elevated plain that surrounds the [[Nashville Basin]], a [[dome (geology)|geological dome]].{{sfn|Safford|1869|pp=81–82}} Both of these physiographic provinces are part of the [[Interior Low Plateaus]] of the larger [[Interior Plains]]. The Highland Rim is Tennessee's largest geographic region, and is often split into eastern and western halves.{{sfn|Safford|1869|pp=81–82, 103}} The Eastern Highland Rim is characterized by relatively level plains dotted by rolling hills, and the Western Highland Rim and western Nashville Basin are covered with uneven rounded knobs with steep [[ravine]]s separated by meandering streams.{{sfn|Safford|1869|pp=83–85, 98-100}} The Nashville Basin has rich, fertile farmland,{{sfn|Safford|1869|p=97}} and porous limestone bedrock very close to the surface underlies both the Nashville Basin and Eastern Highland Rim.{{sfn|Safford|1869|pp=83–85}} This results in [[karst]] that forms numerous caves, sinkholes, depressions, and underground streams.<ref name=mooredrumm>{{cite web |last1=Moore |first1=Harry |last2=Drumm |first2=Eric G. |title=Karst Geology in Tennessee |url=https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W453-C.pdf |publisher=University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture |access-date=May 23, 2021 |location=Knoxville, TN |archive-date=May 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523090223/https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W453-C.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

West of the Highland Rim is the [[Tennessee Valley|Western Tennessee Valley]], which consists of about {{convert|10|mi|km}} in width of hilly land along the banks of the Tennessee River.{{sfn|Safford|1869|pp=104–106}} West of this is the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]], a broad feature that begins at the [[Gulf of Mexico]] and extends northward into southern [[Illinois]].{{sfn|Safford|1869|p=110–111}} The plain begins in the east with low rolling hills and wide stream valleys, known as the West Tennessee Highlands, and gradually levels out to the west.{{sfn|Safford|1869|p=111}} It ends at steep [[loess]] bluffs overlooking the [[Mississippi embayment]], the westernmost physiographic division of Tennessee, which is part of the larger [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain]].{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=82–84}} This flat {{convert|10 to 14|mi|km}} wide strip is commonly known as the Mississippi Bottoms, and contains lowlands, [[floodplain]]s, and [[swamp]]s.{{sfn|Safford|1869|pp=112–113}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Overview of the State - Tennessee - 2021 |url=https://mchb.tvisdata.hrsa.gov/Narratives/Overview/37823985-1a99-49ae-8241-10022fca6e2b |website=hrsa.gov |publisher=[[Health Resources and Services Administration]] |access-date=June 20, 2021 |location=North Bethesda, Maryland |date=2021}}</ref>

===Hydrology===
Tennessee is drained by [[List of rivers in Tennessee|three major rivers]], the [[Tennessee River|Tennessee]], [[Cumberland River|Cumberland]], and [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]]. The Tennessee River begins at the juncture of the [[Holston River|Holston]] and [[French Broad River|French Broad]] rivers in Knoxville, flows southwest to Chattanooga, and exits into Alabama before reemerging in the western part of the state and flowing north into Kentucky.<ref name=loc39>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2008628288 |title=Tennessee Valley Area: pictorial map |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=1939 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |access-date=June 23, 2020 |via=Library of Congress}}</ref> Its major tributaries include the [[Clinch River|Clinch]], [[Little Tennessee River|Little Tennessee]], [[Hiwassee River|Hiwassee]], [[Sequatchie River|Sequatchie]], [[Elk River (Tennessee River tributary)|Elk]], [[Beech River|Beech]], [[Buffalo River (Tennessee)|Buffalo]], [[Duck River (Tennessee)|Duck]], and [[Big Sandy River (Tennessee)|Big Sandy]] rivers.<ref name=loc39/> The Cumberland River flows through the north-central part of the state, emerging in the northeastern Highland Rim, passing through Nashville, turning northwest to Clarksville, and entering Kentucky east of the Tennessee River.<ref name=tdeccumberland>{{cite web|url=https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/wr-water-resources/watershed-stewardship/watersheds-by-basin/cumberland-river-basin-barren-river-watershed.html|title=Cumberland River Basin & Barren River Watershed|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=tn.gov|publisher=Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation|access-date=June 23, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807155037/https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/wr-water-resources/watershed-stewardship/watersheds-by-basin/cumberland-river-basin-barren-river-watershed.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its principal branches in Tennessee are the [[Obey River|Obey]], [[Caney Fork River|Caney Fork]], [[Stones River|Stones]], [[Harpeth River|Harpeth]], and [[Red River (Cumberland River tributary)|Red]] rivers.<ref name=tdeccumberland/> The Mississippi River drains nearly all of West Tennessee.<ref name=tdecms>{{cite web|url=https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/wr-water-resources/watershed-stewardship/watersheds-by-basin/mississippi-river-basin.html|title=Mississippi River Basin|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=tn.gov|publisher=Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation|access-date=June 23, 2020|archive-date=June 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623141233/https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/wr-water-resources/watershed-stewardship/watersheds-by-basin/mississippi-river-basin.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its tributaries are the [[Obion River|Obion]], [[Forked Deer River|Forked Deer]], [[Hatchie River|Hatchie]], [[Loosahatchie River|Loosahatchie]], and [[Wolf River (Tennessee)|Wolf]] rivers.<ref name=tdecms/> The [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] (TVA) and the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] operate many hydroelectric dams on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers and their tributaries, which form large reservoirs throughout the state.{{sfn|Corlew|Folmsbee|Mitchell|1981|pp=12–13}}

About half the state's land area is in the [[Tennessee Valley]] drainage basin of the Tennessee River.<ref name=loc39/> The Cumberland River basin covers the northern half of Middle Tennessee and a small portion of East Tennessee.<ref name=tdeccumberland/> A small part of north-central Tennessee is in the [[Green River (Kentucky)|Green River]] watershed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/wr-water-resources/watershed-stewardship/watersheds-by-basin/cumberland-river-basin---barren-river-watershed/barren-river-watershed.html|title=Barren River Watershed|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=tn.gov|publisher=Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation|access-date=June 23, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807145208/https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/wr-water-resources/watershed-stewardship/watersheds-by-basin/cumberland-river-basin---barren-river-watershed/barren-river-watershed.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> All three of these basins are tributaries of the [[Ohio River]] watershed. Most of West Tennessee is in the [[Lower Mississippi River]] watershed.<ref name=tdecms/> The entirety of the state is in the [[Mississippi River#Watershed|Mississippi River watershed]], except for a small sliver near the southeastern corner traversed by the [[Conasauga River]], which is part of the [[Mobile Bay]] watershed.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Carey|first=Bill|date=October 2017|title=Conasauga River nearly became important in Tennessee history|url=https://www.tnmagazine.org/conasauga-river-nearly-became-important-tennessee-history/|journal=Tennessee Magazine|access-date=June 23, 2020|url-access=<!--WP:URLACCESS-->}}</ref>

=== Ecology ===
[[File:Cedar-glade-col-tn1.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Photograph of a cedar glade, a rare ecosystem found in Middle Tennessee|[[calcareous glade|Cedar glade]]s are an ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface]]

Tennessee is within a [[temperate deciduous forest]] biome commonly known as the Eastern Deciduous Forest.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dyer |first1=James M. |title=Revisiting the Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America |journal=[[BioScience]] |date=April 2006 |volume=56 |issue=4 |pages=341–352 |doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2006)56[341:RTDFOE]2.0.CO;2 |publisher=Oxford University Press|doi-access=free}}</ref> It has eight [[List of ecoregions in the United States (EPA)|ecoregion]]s: the [[Blue Ridge Mountains|Blue Ridge]], [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians|Ridge and Valley]], Central Appalachian, Southwestern Appalachian, [[Interior Low Plateaus]], Southeastern Plains, Mississippi Valley Loess Plains, and [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain (ecoregion)|Mississippi Alluvial Plain]] regions.<ref name=fap20>{{cite report |docket= |last1=Slayton |first1=Heather |last2=Johnson |first2=Trish |last3=Greene |first3=Rachel |last4=Hill |first4=Jeff |last5=Hiltibran |first5=Christel |title=Tennessee Forest Action Plan 2020-2030 |url=https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/agriculture/documents/forestry/2020-tn-fap/2020-TN-FAP.pdf |publisher=Tennessee Department of Agriculture |date=December 2020 |pages=14–19 |access-date=May 14, 2020 |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514185936/https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/agriculture/documents/forestry/2020-tn-fap/2020-TN-FAP.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> Tennessee is the most [[biodiverse]] inland state,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Amacker |first=Todd |title=Tennessee—The Most Biodiverse Inland State |journal=Fisheries |publisher=American Fisheries Society |location=Bethesda, MD |volume=43 |issue=8 |pages=369–373 |date=August 9, 2018 |s2cid=91480878 |doi=10.1002/fsh.10124|bibcode=2018Fish...43..369A}}</ref> the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most biodiverse national park,<ref name=climatechange>{{cite web |author1=Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency |author2=National Wildlife Federation |author3=The Nature Conservancy |title=Climate Change and Potential Impacts to Wildlife in Tennessee |url=https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/twra/documents/habitat/climatefacts.pdf |website=tn.gov |access-date=May 14, 2021 |location=Nashville}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=WATE Staff |title=GSMNP reaches biodiversity milestone of 20,000 species |url=https://www.wate.com/news/tennessee/gsmnp-reaches-biodiversity-milestone-of-20000-species/ |access-date=May 14, 2021 |publisher=[[WATE-TV]] |date=January 12, 2021 |location=Knoxville, TN}}</ref> and the [[Duck River (Tennessee)|Duck River]] is the most biologically diverse waterway in North America.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sohn |first1=Pam |title=Tennessee's Duck River in National Geographic |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/green/story/2010/jan/27/tennessees-duck-river-in-national-geographic/3260/ |access-date=May 14, 2021 |work=Chattanooga Times Free Press |date=January 27, 2010}}</ref> The Nashville Basin is renowned for its diversity of flora and fauna.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sarah|date=December 15, 2020|title=7 Dangerous Animals in Tennessee: Deadliest Wildlife Guide|url=https://www.journeyingtheglobe.com/most-dangerous-animals-in-tennessee|access-date=April 10, 2021|website=Journeying The Globe|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410070124/https://www.journeyingtheglobe.com/most-dangerous-animals-in-tennessee|url-status=dead}}</ref> Tennessee is home to 340 species of birds, 325 [[freshwater fish]] species, 89 mammals, 77 amphibians, and 61 reptiles.<ref name=climatechange/>

Forests cover about 52% of Tennessee's land area, with [[Oak–hickory forest|oak–hickory]] the dominant type.{{sfn|Slayton|Johnson|Greene|Hill|2020|p=3}} [[Appalachian–Blue Ridge forests#Dry oak–pine forests|Appalachian oak–pine]] and [[Cove (Appalachian Mountains)#Cove forest|cove hardwood]] forests are found in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Cumberland Plateau, and [[bottomland hardwood forest|bottomland hardwood]] forests are common throughout the Gulf Coastal Plain.<ref name=ut95/> [[Pine]] forests are also found throughout the state.<ref name=ut95>{{cite report|last1=Hopper|first1=George M.|last2=Applegate|first2=Hart|last3=Dale|first3=Greg|last4=Winslow|first4=Richard|date=February 1995|title=Forest Practice Guidelines for Tennessee|url=https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/pb1523.pdf|publisher=University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service|access-date=May 14, 2021|archive-date=May 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514194840/https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/pb1523.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest]] in the highest elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains is considered the second-most endangered ecosystem in the country.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Moore |first=Molly |date=June 11, 2012 |title=Last Stand for the Southern Spruce-Fir? |journal=The Appalachian Voice |publisher=[[Appalachian Voices]] |location=Boone, North Carolina |volume= 2012 |issue=3 |url=https://appvoices.org/2012/06/11/last-stand-for-the-southern-spruce-fir/ |access-date=July 3, 2021}}</ref> Some of the last remaining large [[American chestnut]] trees grow in the Nashville Basin and are being used to help breed [[blight]]-resistant trees.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tennessee Chestnut Project |url=https://www.tectn.org/americanchestnutproject.html |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=tectn.org |publisher=Tennessee Environmental Council |access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> Middle Tennessee is home to many unusual and rare ecosystems known as [[Calcareous glade|cedar glades]], which occur in areas with shallow limestone bedrock that is largely barren of overlying soil and contain many endemic plant species.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Quarterman |first1=Elsie |author1-link=Elsie Quarterman |title=Ecology of Cedar Glades. I. Distribution of Glade Flora in Tennessee |journal=Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club |date=January 1950 |volume=77 |issue=1 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.2307/2482376 |jstor=2482376 |publisher=Torrey Botanical Society |location=New York}}</ref>

Common mammals found throughout Tennessee include [[white-tailed deer]], [[red fox|red]] and [[gray fox]]es, [[coyote]]s, [[raccoon]]s, [[opossum]]s, [[wild turkey]]s, [[rabbit]]s, and [[squirrel]]s. [[American black bear|Black bear]]s are found in the Blue Ridge Mountains and on the Cumberland Plateau. Tennessee has the third-highest number of amphibian species, with the Great Smoky Mountains home to the most [[salamander]] species in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Amphibians |url=https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/amphibians.htm# |website=Great Smoky Mountains National Park |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=May 14, 2021}}</ref> The state ranks second in the nation for the diversity of its freshwater fish species.<ref name=natureserve>{{cite report |last1=Stein|first1=Bruce A.|date=April 2002 |title=States of the Union: Ranking America's Biodiversity |url=https://www.natureserve.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/stateofunions.pdf |publisher=[[NatureServe]] |access-date=May 14, 2021}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{see also|Climate change in Tennessee}}
[[File:Köppen Climate Types Tennessee.png|alt=refer to caption|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Tennessee, using 1991–2020 [[Climatological normal|climate normals]].]]

Most of Tennessee has a [[humid subtropical climate]], with the exception of some of the higher elevations in the Appalachians, which are classified as a cooler [[oceanic climate|mountain temperate]] or [[humid continental climate]].<ref name=Climate>{{cite web |title=World Map of Köppen−Geiger Climate Classification |url=http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/pdf/kottek_et_al_2006_A1.pdf |access-date=December 19, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114202025/http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/pdf/kottek_et_al_2006_A1.pdf |archive-date=January 14, 2009}}</ref> The [[Gulf of Mexico]] is the dominant factor in Tennessee's climate, with winds from the south responsible for most of the state's annual precipitation. Generally, the state has hot summers and mild to cool winters with generous precipitation throughout the year. The highest average monthly precipitation usually occurs between December and April. The driest months, on average, are August to October. The state receives an average of {{convert|50|in|cm}} of precipitation annually. Snowfall ranges from {{convert|5|in|cm}} in West Tennessee to over {{convert|80|in|cm}} in East Tennessee's highest mountains.<ref name="Tennessee Agriculture">{{cite web |url=http://www.agclassroom.org/kids/stats/tennessee.pdf |title=A look at Tennessee Agriculture |publisher=Agclassroom.org |access-date=November 1, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160614025708/http://www.agclassroom.org/kids/stats/tennessee.pdf |archive-date=June 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://weather.com/safety/winter/news/snowiest-places-most-snow |title=The Snowiest Places in Each State |publisher=The Weather Channel |first=Nick |last=Wiltgen |date=October 27, 2016 |access-date=July 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604025229/https://weather.com/safety/winter/news/snowiest-places-most-snow |archive-date=June 4, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Summers are generally hot and humid, with most of the state averaging a high of around {{convert|90|F|C|0}}. Winters tend to be mild to cool, decreasing in temperature at higher elevations. For areas outside the highest mountains, the average overnight lows are generally near freezing. The highest recorded temperature was {{convert|113|F|C}} at [[Perryville, Tennessee|Perryville]] on August 9, 1930, while the lowest recorded temperature was {{convert|-32|F|C}} at [[Mountain City, Tennessee|Mountain City]] on December 30, 1917.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nashville Weather Records (1871-Present) |url=https://www.weather.gov/ohx/otherrecords |website=weather.gov |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=May 27, 2021 |location=Nashville}}</ref>

While Tennessee is far enough from the coast to avoid any direct impact from a hurricane, its location makes it susceptible to the remnants of tropical [[cyclone]]s, which weaken over land and can cause significant rainfall.{{Tropical Cyclone Rainfall in the Southeastern United States}} The state annually averages about 50 days of thunderstorms, which can be severe with large hail and damaging winds.<ref name="Thunderstorm Hazard">{{cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm |title=U.S. Thunderstorm distribution |publisher=src.noaa.gov |access-date=November 1, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015060809/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm<!--Bot retrieved archive--> |archive-date=October 15, 2006}}</ref> Tornadoes are possible throughout the state, with West and Middle Tennessee the most vulnerable. The state averages 15 tornadoes annually.<ref name="Annual Average Number of Tornadoes">{{cite web |url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif |title=Mean Annual Average Number of Tornadoes 1953–2004 |publisher=ncdc.noaa.gov |access-date=November 1, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016174155/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif |archive-date=October 16, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> They can be severe, and the state leads the nation in the percentage of total tornadoes that have fatalities.<ref name="Tornado Top 10 Lists">{{cite web |url=http://www.tornadoproject.com/toptens/topten1.htm |title=Top ten list |publisher=tornadoproject.com |access-date=November 1, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204033709/http://www.tornadoproject.com/toptens/topten1.htm |archive-date=February 4, 2012}}</ref> Winter storms such as in [[1993 Storm of the Century|1993]] and [[February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm|2021]] occur occasionally, and [[ice storm]]s are fairly common. Fog is a persistent problem in some areas, especially in East Tennessee.<ref>{{cite book |last = Speaks |first = Dewaine A. |author-link = |date = August 5, 2019 |title = Historic Disasters of East Tennessee |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=j2ijDwAAQBAJ |location = Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |publisher = Arcadia Publishing |pages = 17–23 |isbn = 9781467141895 |via = Google Books}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|
| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;background:#E8EAFA;"|Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Tennessee Cities (F)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/ |title=National and Local Weather Forecast, Hurricane, Radar and Report |publisher=Weather.com |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323015551/http://www.weather.com/ |archive-date=March 23, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
!  style="background:#e5afaa; height:17px;"| City
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| Jan
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| Feb
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| Mar
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| Apr
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| May
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| Jun
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| Jul
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| Aug
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| Sep
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| Oct
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| Nov
! style="background:#e5afaa;"| Dec
|-
!  style="background:#c5dfe1; height:16px;"| Bristol
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 44/25
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 49/27
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 57/34
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 66/41
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 74/51
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 81/60
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 85/64
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 84/62
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 79/56
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 68/43
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 58/35
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 48/27
|-
!  style="background:#f8f3ca; height:16px;"| Chattanooga
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 50/31
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 54/33
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 63/40
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 72/47
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 79/56
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 86/65
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 90/69
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 89/68
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 82/62
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 72/48
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 61/40
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 52/33
|-
!  style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Knoxville
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 47/30
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 52/33
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 61/40
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 71/48
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 78/57
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 85/65
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 88/69
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 87/68
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 81/62
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 71/50
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 60/41
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 50/34
|-
!  style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Memphis
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 50/31
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 55/36
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 63/44
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 72/52
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 80/61
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 89/69
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 92/73
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 92/72
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 86/65
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 75/52
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 62/43
| style="background:#f8f3ca;"| 52/34
|-
!  style="background:#c5dfe1; height:16px;"| Nashville
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 47/28
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 52/31
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 61/39
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 70/47
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 78/57
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 85/65
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 89/70
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 89/69
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 82/61
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 71/49
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 59/40
| style="background:#c5dfe1;"| 49/32
|}

==Cities, towns, and counties==
{{See also|List of municipalities in Tennessee|List of counties in Tennessee}}
Tennessee is divided into [[List of counties in Tennessee|95 counties]], each of which has a [[county seat]].{{sfn|Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006|pp=616–617}} The state has [[List of municipalities in Tennessee|340 municipalities]] in total.{{sfn|Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006|pp=618-625}} The [[Office of Management and Budget]] designates [[List of metropolitan areas of Tennessee|ten metropolitan areas]] in Tennessee, four of which extend into neighboring states.<ref>{{cite web |title=OMB Bulletin No. 18-04 |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Bulletin-18-04.pdf |publisher=Office of Management and Budget |access-date=May 21, 2021 |location=Washington, D.C. |date=September 14, 2018}}</ref>

Nashville is Tennessee's capital and largest city, with nearly 700,000 residents.<ref name=PopEstCities/> Its [[Nashville metropolitan area|13-county metropolitan area]] has been the state's largest since the early 1990s and is one of the nation's fastest-growing metropolitan areas, with about 2 million residents.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html |title= Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2010–2019 |website= U.S. Census Bureau |date= June 18, 2020 |access-date= June 29, 2020}}</ref> Memphis, with more than 630,000 inhabitants, was the state's largest city until 2016, when Nashville surpassed it.<ref name=commercialappeal0517>{{cite news |last1=McKenzie |first1=Kevin |title=Nashville overtakes Memphis as Tennessee's largest city |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2017/05/25/nashville-overtakes-memphis-tennessees-largest-city/342624001/ |access-date=May 21, 2021 |work=The Commercial Appeal |date=May 25, 2017 |location=Memphis}}</ref> It is in [[Shelby County, Tennessee|Shelby County]], Tennessee's largest county in both population and land area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/state.cfm&state.cfm&statecode=TN|title=NACo – Find a county|author=National Association of Counties|access-date=July 22, 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050410094312/http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=%2Fcffiles%2Fcounties%2Fstate.cfm&state.cfm&statecode=TN|archive-date=April 10, 2005}}</ref> [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]], with about 190,000 inhabitants, and [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]], with about 180,000 residents, are the third- and fourth-largest cities, respectively.<ref name=PopEstCities/> [[Clarksville, Tennessee|Clarksville]] is a significant population center, with about 170,000 residents.<ref name=PopEstCities/> [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]] is the sixth-largest city and Nashville's largest [[suburb]], with more than 150,000 residents.<ref name=PopEstCities/> In addition to the major cities, the [[Tri-Cities, Tennessee|Tri-Cities]] of [[Kingsport, Tennessee|Kingsport]], [[Bristol, Tennessee|Bristol]], and [[Johnson City, Tennessee|Johnson City]] are considered the sixth major population center.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thornton |first1=Tim |title=Tri-Cities seek new name to embrace a whole region |url=https://www.virginiabusiness.com/article/tri-cities-seek-new-name-to-embrace-a-whole-region/ |access-date=May 21, 2021 |work=Virginia Business |date=June 28, 2019 |location=Richmond, Virginia}}</ref>

{{Largest cities
| country = Tennessee
| stat_ref = Source:<ref name=PopEstCities>{{cite web|url= https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-cities-and-towns.html|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2010-2019 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|access-date=May 21, 2020}}</ref>
| list_by_pop = 
| div_name = 
| div_link = Counties of Tennessee{{!}}County
| city_1 = Nashville, Tennessee{{!}}Nashville
| div_1 = Davidson County, Tennessee{{!}}Davidson
| pop_1 = 689,447
| img_1 = Nashville (2).jpg
| city_2 = Memphis, Tennessee{{!}}Memphis
| div_2 = Shelby County, Tennessee{{!}}Shelby
| pop_2 = 633,104
| img_2 = Memphis skyline from the air.jpg
| city_3 = Knoxville, Tennessee{{!}}Knoxville
| div_3 = Knox County, Tennessee{{!}}Knox
| pop_3 = 190,740
| img_3 = Knoxville TN skyline.jpg
| city_4 = Chattanooga, Tennessee{{!}}Chattanooga
| div_4 = Hamilton County, Tennessee{{!}}Hamilton
| pop_4 = 181,099
| img_4 = Chattanooga,_Tennessee_(2023).jpg
| city_5 = Clarksville, Tennessee{{!}}Clarksville
| div_5 = Montgomery County, Tennessee{{!}}Montgomery
| pop_5 = 166,722
| img_5 = 
| city_6 = Murfreesboro, Tennessee{{!}}Murfreesboro
| div_6 = Rutherford County, Tennessee{{!}}Rutherford
| pop_6 = 152,769
| img_6 = 
| city_7 = Franklin, Tennessee{{!}}Franklin
| div_7 = Williamson County, Tennessee{{!}}Williamson
| pop_7 = 83,454
| img_7 = 
| city_8 = Johnson City, Tennessee{{!}}Johnson City
| div_8 = Washington County, Tennessee{{!}}Washington
| pop_8 = 71,046
| img_8 = 
| city_9 = Jackson, Tennessee{{!}}Jackson
| div_9 = Madison County, Tennessee{{!}}Madison
| pop_9 = 68,205
| img_9 = 
| city_10 = Hendersonville, Tennessee{{!}}Hendersonville
| div_10 = Sumner County, Tennessee{{!}}Sumner
| pop_10 = 61,753
| img_10 = 
}}

==Demographics==
{{main|Demographics of Tennessee}}
{{US Census population
|1790= 35691
|1800= 105602
|1810= 261727
|1820= 422823
|1830= 681904
|1840= 829210
|1850= 1002717
|1860= 1109801
|1870= 1258520
|1880= 1542359
|1890= 1767518
|1900= 2020616
|1910= 2184789
|1920= 2337885
|1930= 2616556
|1940= 2915841
|1950= 3291718
|1960= 3567089
|1970= 3923687
|1980= 4591120
|1990= 4877185
|2000= 5689283
|2010= 6346105
|2020= 6910840
|estimate=7227750
|estyear= 2024
|align-fn=center
|footnote=Source: 1910–2020<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

The [[2020 United States census]] reported Tennessee's population at 6,910,840, an increase of 564,735, or 8.90%, since the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]].<ref name="PopEstUS"/> Between 2010 and 2019, the state received a natural increase of 143,253 (744,274 births minus 601,021 deaths), and an increase from net migration of 338,428 people into the state. [[Immigration to the United States|Immigration]] from outside the U.S. resulted in a net increase of 79,086, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 259,342.<ref name="PopCompUS">{{cite web |url=http://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2010-2017/state/totals/nst-est2017-04.xlsx |format=XLS |title=Table 4. Cumulative Estimates of the Components of Resident Population Change for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2017 (NST-EST2017-04) |publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]] |date=December 2017 |access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref> Tennessee's [[center of population]] is in [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]] in [[Rutherford County, Tennessee|Rutherford County]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Population and Population Centers by State: 2000 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 6, 2008 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223204810/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |archive-date=February 23, 2010}}</ref>

According to the 2020 census, 5.7% of Tennessee's population were under age{{nbsp}}5, 22.1% were under 18, and 17.1% were 65 or older.<ref name="2020DP1">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=040XX00US47 |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Tennessee |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 17, 2024}}</ref> In recent years, Tennessee has been a top source of domestic migration, receiving an influx of people relocating from places such as [[California]], the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]], and the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] due to the low cost of living and booming employment opportunities.<ref>{{cite news |title=Welcome to the Volunteer State! Study finds more people moved to Tennessee in 2020 |url=https://www.wbir.com/article/news/state/welcome-to-the-volunteer-state-study-finds-more-people-moved-to-tennessee-over-2020/51-c3738a9b-e515-4579-95e4-f59f234b84e9 |access-date=May 27, 2021 |work=WBIR-TV |date=February 6, 2021 |location=Knoxville, TN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Chang |first1=Brittany |title=More people moved to Tennessee, Texas, and Florida than any other states in 2020, according to data from U-Haul — see the full ranking |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/people-moved-to-tennessee-texas-florida-2020-u-haul-data-2021-1 |access-date=May 27, 2021 |work=Business Insider |date=January 19, 2021}}</ref> In 2019, about 5.5% of Tennessee's population was foreign-born. Of the foreign-born population, approximately 42.7% were naturalized citizens and 57.3% non-citizens.<ref name=stateprofile/> The foreign-born population consisted of approximately 49.9% from [[Latin America]], 27.1% from [[Asia]], 11.9% from [[Europe]], 7.7% from [[Africa]], 2.7% from [[Northern America]], and 0.6% from [[Oceania]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=tennessee%20foreign%20born%20population&g=0400000US47&hidePreview=false&tid=ACSST5Y2010.S0502&t=Foreign%20born&vintage=2010&layer=VT_2018_040_00_PY_D1&cid=DP02_0001E|title=Selected Characteristics of the Foreign-born Population by Period of Entry into the United States|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=data.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> In 2018, The top countries of origin for Tennessee's immigrants were [[Mexico]], [[India]], [[Honduras]], [[China]] and [[Egypt]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_tennessee.pdf|title=Immigrants in Tennessee|website=Americanimmigrationcouncil.org}}</ref>

With the exception of a slump in the 1980s, Tennessee has been one of the fastest-growing states in the nation since 1970, benefiting from the larger [[Sun Belt]] phenomenon.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Schulman |first=Bruce J. |date=June 1993 |title=Review: The Sunbelt South: Old Times Forgotten |jstor=2703223 |journal=Reviews in American History |volume=21 |issue=2 |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore |pages=340–345 |doi=10.2307/2703223}}</ref> The state has been a top destination for people relocating from [[Northeastern United States|Northeastern]] and [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] states. This time period has seen the birth of new economic sectors in the state and has positioned the Nashville and Clarksville metropolitan areas as two of the fastest-growing regions in the country.<ref name="growthtacir">{{cite web |title=Public Chapter 1101 – The Tennessee Growth Policy Act |url=https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tacir/tacir-insights/2019PC1101Insights.pdf |website=TACIR Insight |publisher=[[Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations]] |access-date=May 23, 2021}}</ref>

According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 [[Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress|Annual Homeless Assessment Report]], there were an estimated 10,567 [[Homelessness|homeless]] people in Tennessee.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK|website=View.officeapps.live.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf|website=Huduser.gov}}</ref>

The top languages spoken in Tennessee after English are Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, French, Laotian, Amharic, German, Gujarati, Japanese, Tagalog, Hindi, Russian, and Persian.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cms.gov/cciio/resources/regulations-and-guidance/downloads/appendix-a-top-15.pdf|title=Appendix A - Top 15 Non-English Langues by State}}</ref>

===Ethnicity===
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Ethnic composition as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]
|-
! Race and Ethnicity<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 12, 2021 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 26, 2021}}</ref>
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Alone
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|70.9|%|2||background:gray}}
|align=right| {{bartable|74.6|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
| [[African Americans|African American (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|15.7|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|align=right| {{bartable|17.0|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]{{efn|Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.}}
|align=right| {{bartable}}
|align=right| {{bartable|6.9|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
|align=right| {{bartable|1.9|%|2||background:purple}}
|align=right| {{bartable|2.5|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.2|%|2||background:gold}}
|align=right| {{bartable|2.0|%|2||background:gold}}
|-
| [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}}
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}}
|-
| Other
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:brown}}
|align=right| {{bartable|0.3|%|2||background:brown}}
|}
[[File:Tennessee Counties by race (2020 census).svg|thumb|302x302px|Map of counties in Tennessee by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census{{Collapsible list
| title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

'''Non-Hispanic White'''

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#410b00|90%+}}

{{col-2}}

'''Black or African American'''

{{legend|#ffd966|50–60%}}

{{col-end}}
}}]]
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Historical racial composition !! 1940<ref name=historicaldemographics/> !! 1970<ref name=historicaldemographics/> !! 1990<ref name=historicaldemographics>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States |publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224151538/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |archive-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref>!! 2000{{efn|This was the first census that allowed respondents to select more than one race.}}<ref name="censviewer">{{cite web |url=http://censusviewer.com/state/TN |title=Population of Tennessee: Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts |publisher=Census Viewer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225031555/http://censusviewer.com/state/TN |archive-date=December 25, 2017}}</ref>!! 2010<ref name="censviewer" />!! 2020<ref name="2020DP1"/>
|-
| [[White Americans|White]] || 82.5% || 83.9% || 83.0% || 80.2% || 77.6% || 72.2%
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]] || 17.4% || 15.8% || 16.0% || 16.4% || 16.7% || 15.8%
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] || - || 0.1% || 0.7% || 1.0% || 1.4% || 2.0%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native]] || - || 0.1% || 0.2% || 0.3% || 0.3% || 0.4%
|-
| [[Native Hawaiian]] and<br />[[Pacific Islander|other Pacific Islander]] || - || - || – || – || 0.1% || 0.1%
|-
| [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Other race]] || - || - || 0.2% || 1.0% || 2.2% || 3.6%
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]] || - || - || – || 1.1% || 1.7% || 6.0%
|}

In 2020, 6.9% of the total population was of Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), up from 4.6% in 2010. Between 2000 and 2010, Tennessee's Hispanic population grew by 134.2%, the third-highest rate of any state.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf|title=The Hispanic Population: 2010|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=May 2011|website=census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> In 2020, [[Non-Hispanic or Latino Whites]] were 70.9% of the population, compared to 57.7% of the population nationwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2020.html |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |title=2010 U.S. Census website |access-date=September 20, 2021}}</ref> In 2010, the five most common self-reported ethnic groups in the state were [[American ancestry|American]] (26.5%), [[English ancestry|English]] (8.2%), [[Irish ancestry|Irish]] (6.6%), [[German ancestry|German]] (5.5%), and [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scotch-Irish]] (2.7%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Tennessee%20ancestry&g=0400000US47&hidePreview=false&tid=ACSDT5Y2010.B04004&t=Ancestry&vintage=2018&layer=VT_2018_040_00_PY_D1&cid=B04004_001E|title=People Reporting Single Ancestry|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=data.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 10, 2020}}</ref> Most Tennesseans who self-identify as having [[American ancestry]] are of [[English American|English]] and [[Scotch-Irish American|Scotch-Irish]] ancestry. An estimated 21–24% of Tennesseans are of predominantly [[English American|English]] ancestry.<ref name="Fischer1989">{{cite book |title=Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |first=David Hackett |last=Fischer |author-link=David Hackett Fischer |year=1989 |pages=633–639 |isbn=978-0-19-503794-4 |title-link=Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/sharingdreamwhit00pule |url-access=registration |title=Sharing the Dream: White Males in a Multicultural America |publisher=Continuum |location=New York |first=Dominic J. |last=Pulera |year=2004 |page=[https://archive.org/details/sharingdreamwhit00pule/page/57 57] |isbn=978-0-8264-1643-8 |access-date=October 17, 2015 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{bar box
|title = Religious affiliation (2014)<ref name="auto"/>
|titlebar=#ccf |background-color=#f8f9fa |float=right
|bars =
{{bar percent|[[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Protestantism]]|darkblue|52}}
{{bar percent|[[Irreligion|Unaffiliated]]|purple|14}}
{{bar percent|[[Mainline Protestant]]ism|darkblue|13}}
{{bar percent|[[Black church|Historically Black Protestantism]]|darkblue|8}}
{{bar percent|[[Catholic Church|Catholic]]|mediumblue|6}}
{{bar percent|Other [[Christianity]]|lightblue|3}}
{{bar percent|Other faiths|gray|3}}
{{bar percent|[[Judaism]]|red|1}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam]]|darkgreen|1}}
}}

Since colonization, Tennessee has always been predominantly [[Christianity|Christian]]. About 81% of the population identifies as Christian, with [[Protestant]]s making up 73% of the population. Of the Protestants in the state, [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Protestants]] compose 52% of the population, [[Mainline Protestant]]s 13%, and [[Black church|Historically Black Protestant]]s 8%. [[Catholic Church in the United States|Roman Catholic]]s make up 6%, [[Mormon]]s 1%, and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]]s less than 1%.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/tennessee/ |title=Religious Landscape Study |date=May 11, 2015 |publisher=Pew Forum |access-date=September 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907135416/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/tennessee/ |archive-date=September 7, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> The largest denominations by number of adherents are the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], the [[United Methodist Church]], the Roman Catholic Church, and the [[Churches of Christ]].<ref name="www.thearda.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/47/rcms2010_47_state_adh_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives &#124; State Membership Report |website=Thearda.com |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809110458/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/47/rcms2010_47_state_adh_2010.asp |archive-date=August 9, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Islam|Muslims]] and [[Judaism|Jews]] each make up about 1% of the population, and adherents of other religions make up about 3% of the population. About 14% of Tennesseans are [[Irreligion|non-religious]], with 11% identifying as "Nothing in particular", 3% as [[agnosticism|agnostics]], and 1% as [[atheism|atheists]].<ref name="auto"/>

Tennessee is included in most definitions of the [[Bible Belt]], and is ranked as [[List of U.S. states and territories by religiosity|one of the nation's most religious states]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lipka |first1=Michael |last2=Wormald |first2=Benjamin |title=How religious is your state? |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/29/how-religious-is-your-state/?state=tennessee |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=February 29, 2016}}</ref> Several Protestant denominations have their headquarters in Tennessee, including the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] and [[National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.|National Baptist Convention]] (in Nashville); the [[Church of God in Christ]] and the [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church]] (in Memphis);<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kurian |first1=George Thomas |last2=Lamport |first2=Mark A. |title=Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States |date=November 10, 2016 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-4432-0 |page=1427 |language=English}}</ref> and the [[Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)|Church of God]] and the [[Church of God of Prophecy]] (in [[Cleveland, Tennessee|Cleveland]]);<ref>{{cite news |title=Church of God International Offices marks 50 years at Keith and 25th location |url=https://clevelandbanner.com/stories/church-of-god-international-offices-marks-50-years-at-keith-and-25th-location,81165 |access-date=July 17, 2021 |work=Cleveland Daily Banner |date=June 3, 2018 |location=Cleveland, Tennessee |archive-date=July 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717211948/https://clevelandbanner.com/stories/church-of-god-international-offices-marks-50-years-at-keith-and-25th-location,81165 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Goodman |first1=Brenda |title=Remarriage Issue Gives Denomination an Identity Crisis |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/26/us/26religion.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007020834/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/26/us/26religion.html |archive-date=October 7, 2016 |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=July 17, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=August 26, 2006}}</ref> and the [[National Association of Free Will Baptists]] (in [[Antioch, Tennessee|Antioch]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=National Association of Free Will Baptists (NAFWB) |url=http://www.usachurches.org/denomination/national-association-of-free-will-baptists.htm |publisher=usachurches.org |access-date=July 17, 2021}}</ref> Nashville has publishing houses of several denominations.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kobran |first1=Shannon |title=Not New York: Book Business & Publishers in Nashville |url=http://publishingtrendsetter.com/industryinsight/york-book-business-publishers-nashville/ |website=publishingtrendsetter.com |publisher=Market Partners International, Publishing Trends |access-date=July 23, 2021 |date=April 23, 2013}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Tennessee}}
{{See also|List of Tennessee locations by per capita income}}
[[File:Geo Map of Median Income by Location in Tennessee.png|thumb|alt=refer to caption|A geomap showing the counties of Tennessee colored by the relative range of that county's median income.]]
[[File:Bar Chart of Poverty by Age and Gender in Tennessee.svg|thumb|alt=refer to caption|Chart showing poverty in Tennessee, by age and gender (red = female)]]

As of 2021, Tennessee had a [[gross regional domestic product|gross state product]] of $418.3 billion.<ref name="GDPByState">{{cite web |title=GDP by State |url=https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state |website=GDP by State &#124; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) |publisher=Bureau of Economic Analysis |access-date=March 26, 2021}}</ref> In 2020, the state's [[per capita income|per capita personal income]] was $30,869. The [[Household income in the United States|median household income]] was $54,833.<ref name=stateprofile>{{cite web |title=Tennessee |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0400000US47 |website=data.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 20, 2021 |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> About 13.6% percent of the population was below the [[poverty line]].<ref name="PopEstUS"/> In 2019, the state reported a total employment of 2,724,545 and a total number of 139,760 employer establishments.<ref name="PopEstUS"/> Tennessee is a [[Right-to-work law|right-to-work]] state, like most of its Southern neighbors.<ref>{{cite web |title=Right-to-Work Laws |url=https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/right-to-work-laws-and-bills.aspx |website=ncsl.org |publisher=National Conference of State Legislatures |access-date=May 28, 2021 |location=Washington, D.C. |archive-date=May 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210530095504/https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/right-to-work-laws-and-bills.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Trade union|Unionization]] has historically been low and continues to decline, as in most of the U.S.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Flessner |first1=Dave |title=Union membership drops in Tennessee as legislature considers putting right to work laws in state constitution |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/politics/state/story/2020/jan/22/union-membership-drops-tennessee-legislature-considers-putting-right-work-laws-state-constitution/513713/ |access-date=May 31, 2021 |work=Chattanooga Times Free Press |date=January 22, 2020}}</ref>

===Taxation===
{{see also|State income tax}}
Tennessee has a reputation as a low-tax state and is usually ranked as one of the five states with the lowest tax burden on residents.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stebbins|first=Samuel|date=September 27, 2018|title=Tax policy: States with the highest and lowest taxes|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/taxes/2018/04/06/states-highest-and-lowest-taxes-3-6/482944002/|work=USA Today|access-date=June 5, 2020}}</ref> Despite being low-tax, it is ranked third among U.S. states for fiscal health.<ref>{{Cite web |title=STATE FISCAL RANKINGS {{!}} 2018 EDITION |url=https://www.mercatus.org/publication/3-ranking-states-fiscal-condition-tennessee |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=George Mason Univ.|date=October 9, 2018 }}</ref> It is one of nine states that do not have a [[state income tax|general income tax]]; the [[sales tax]] is the primary means of funding the government.<ref>{{cite news|last=Loudenback|first=Tanza|date=February 6, 2020|title=There are 9 US states with no income tax, but 2 of them still tax investment earnings|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/states-with-no-income-tax-map|work=Business Insider|access-date=June 5, 2020}}</ref> The [[Hall income tax]] was imposed on most [[dividend]]s and [[interest]] at a rate of 6% but was completely phased out by 2021.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pare|first=Mike|date=February 1, 2019|title=Tennessee on its way to becoming a bona fide no-income-tax state in 2021|url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/edge/story/2019/feb/01/hall-income-tax-ending-2021/487137/|work=[[Chattanooga Times Free Press]]|access-date=June 5, 2020}}</ref> The first $1,250 of individual income and $2,500 of joint income was exempt from this tax.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/hall-income-tax/due-date-and-tax-rates.html|title=Due Date and Tax Rates|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=tn.gov|publisher=Tennessee Department of Revenue|access-date=June 5, 2020}}</ref> [[Property tax]]es are the primary source of revenue for local governments.<ref name=tacir2002/>

The state's sales and [[use tax]] rate for most items is 7%, the second-highest in the nation, along with Mississippi, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Indiana. Food is taxed at 4%, but candy, dietary supplements, and prepared foods are taxed at 7%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://revenue.support.tn.gov/hc/en-us/articles/202989425-What-are-the-state-and-local-sales-tax-rates-in-Tennessee-#:~:text=Effective%20July%201%2C%202017%2C%20the,the%20applicable%20local%20tax%20rate.|title=What are the state and local sales tax rates in Tennessee?|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=December 11, 2017|website=tn.gov|publisher=Tennessee Department of Revenue|access-date=June 5, 2020|archive-date=June 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605101114/https://revenue.support.tn.gov/hc/en-us/articles/202989425-What-are-the-state-and-local-sales-tax-rates-in-Tennessee-#:~:text=Effective%20July%201%2C%202017%2C%20the,the%20applicable%20local%20tax%20rate.|url-status=dead}}</ref> Local sales taxes are collected in most jurisdictions at rates varying from 1.5% to 2.75%, bringing the total sales tax between 8.5% and 9.75%. The average combined rate is about 9.5%, the nation's highest average sales tax.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sher|first=Andy|date=July 27, 2019|title=Yet again, Tennessee combined state, local sales tax rates nation's highest|url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/breakingnews/story/2019/jul/27/yet-again-tennessee-combined-state-local-sale/499940/|work=[[Chattanooga Times Free Press]]|access-date=June 5, 2020}}</ref> [[Intangible property]] tax is assessed on the shares of stockholders of any loan, investment, insurance, or for-profit cemetery companies. The assessment ratio is 40% of the value times the jurisdiction's tax rate.<ref name=tacir2002>{{cite report|last1=Green|first1=Harry A.|last2=Chervin|first2=Stan A.|last3=Lippard|first3=Cliff|last4=Joseph|first4=Linda|date=February 2002|title=The Local Property Tax in Tennessee|url=https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tacir/documents/LOCAL_PROPERTY_TAX.pdf|publisher=[[Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations]]|access-date=June 5, 2020}}</ref> Since 2016, Tennessee has had no inheritance tax.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/inheritance-tax.html |title=TN Department of Revenue |access-date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023211105/https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/inheritance-tax.html |archive-date=October 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Agriculture===
Tennessee has the [[Agriculture in Tennessee|eighth-most farms in the nation]], which cover more than 40% of its land area and have an average size of about {{convert|155|acre|km2}}.<ref name=ff1>{{cite web|url=https://www.farmflavor.com/tennessee-agriculture/|title=Tennessee Agriculture 2021|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2021|website=Farm Flavor|publisher=Tennessee Department of Agriculture|access-date=April 9, 2021}}</ref> Cash receipts for crops and livestock have an estimated annual value of $3.5 billion, and the agriculture sector has an estimated annual impact of $81 billion on the state's economy.<ref name=ff1/> [[Beef cattle]] is the state's largest agricultural commodity, followed by [[broilers]] and [[poultry]].<ref name=homeandfarm13/> Tennessee ranks 12th in the nation for the number of cattle, with more than half of its farmland dedicated to cattle grazing.<ref name=ff1/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://animalscience.ag.utk.edu/beef/tnbeefind.htm |title=Tennessee's Cattle Industry |publisher=The University of Tennessee |first=James B. |last=Neel |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102215825/http://animalscience.ag.utk.edu/beef/tnbeefind.htm |archive-date=January 2, 2009}}</ref> [[Soybean]]s and [[maize|corn]] are the state's first and second-most common crops, respectively,<ref name=homeandfarm13/> and are most heavily grown in West and Middle Tennessee, especially the northwestern corner of the state.<ref>{{cite web|title=Soybeans: Production by County|url=https://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/Crops_County/sb-pr.php|website=National Agricultural Statistics Service |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=April 9, 2021|date=2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Corn: Production Acreage by County|url=https://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/Crops_County/cr-pr.php|website=National Agricultural Statistics Service |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=July 3, 2021|date=2019}}</ref> Tennessee ranks seventh in the nation in [[cotton]] production, most of which is grown in the fertile soils of central West Tennessee.<ref name=nassreport>{{cite report|author=National Agricultural Statistics Service|date=May 12, 2020|title=Crop Production|url=https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/tm70mv177/w0892x33f/c247fc69b/crop0520.pdf|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|issn=1936-3737|access-date=April 8, 2021|via=Cornell University Library}}</ref>

The state ranks fourth nationwide in the production of [[tobacco]], which is predominantly grown in the Ridge-and-Valley region of East Tennessee.<ref name=farmbureau>{{cite web |title=Tennessee Farm Facts |date=September 16, 2020 |url=https://www.tnfarmbureau.org/tnfarmfacts#1600268610620-b115b543-6e71 |publisher=Tennessee Farm Bureau |access-date=April 9, 2021 |location=Columbia, Tennessee}}</ref> Tennessee farmers are also known worldwide for their cultivation of [[tomato]]es and [[Horticulture|horticultural]] plants.<ref>{{cite web |title=The United States of Tomatoes |url=https://www.farmflavor.com/lifestyle/united-states-of-tomatoes/ |website=Farm Flavor |publisher=Journal Communications, Inc. |access-date=April 9, 2021 |date=May 1, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Mozo|first=Jessica|date=February 10, 2012|title=McMinnville, Tennessee: Nursery Capital of the World|url=https://www.tnhomeandfarm.com/agriculture/mcminnville-nursery-capital/|journal=Tennessee Home & Farm|volume=|issue=Winter 2011-12|pages=<!--Needed-->|doi=|access-date=April 9, 2021}}</ref> Other important cash crops in the state include [[hay]], [[wheat]], [[egg as food|eggs]], and [[snap bean]]s.<ref name=ff1/><ref name=farmbureau/> The Nashville Basin is a top equestrian region, due to soils that produce grass favored by horses. The [[Tennessee Walking Horse]], first bred in the region in the late 18th century, is one of the world's most recognized horse breeds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://imh.org/index.php/exhibits/online/horse-breeds-of-the-world/north-america/item/2201-tennessee-walking-horse |title=Tennessee Walking Horse |publisher=International Museum of the Horse |access-date=March 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628085230/http://imh.org/index.php/exhibits/online/horse-breeds-of-the-world/north-america/item/2201-tennessee-walking-horse |archive-date=June 28, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Tennessee also ranks second nationwide for [[mule]] breeding and the production of [[goat meat]].<ref name=farmbureau/> The state's timber industry is largely concentrated on the Cumberland Plateau and ranks as one of the top producers of [[hardwood]] nationwide.<ref>{{cite report|author=Ummey Honey|date=2019|title=Economic Impacts of Forestry and Forest Product Industries in Tennessee|url=https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI22585121/|publisher=Tennessee State University|docket=AAI22585121|access-date=April 9, 2021}}</ref>

===Industry===
[[File:Nissan Leaf 2018 (31874639158) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|alt=A Nissan Leaf, which is manufactured in Tennessee|A [[Nissan Leaf]], one of six models manufactured at the [[Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant]], the largest automotive assembly plant in North America]]

Until [[World War II]], Tennessee, like most Southern states, remained predominantly agrarian. Chattanooga became one of the first industrial cities in the south in the decades after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], when many factories, including iron foundries, steel mills, and textile mills were constructed there.<ref name=jsh/> But most of Tennessee's industrial growth began with the federal investments in the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] (TVA) and the [[Manhattan Project]] in the 1930s and 1940s. The state's industrial and manufacturing sector continued to expand in the succeeding decades, and Tennessee is now home to more than 2,400 advanced manufacturing establishments, which produce a total of more than $29 billion worth of goods annually.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tnecd.com/industries/advanced-manufacturing/|title=Advanced Manufacturing|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2020|website=tnecd.com|publisher=Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development|access-date=March 31, 2021}}</ref>

The [[automotive industry in the United States|automotive industry]] is Tennessee's largest manufacturing sector and one of the nation's largest.<ref name="commercialappealauto">{{cite news |last1=Evanoff |first1=Ted |title=How Tennessee became Car Country, USA |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/cars/2018/02/28/tennessee-auto-industry-nissan-smyrna-gm-spring-hill-volkswagen-chattanooga/1028963001/ |access-date=October 9, 2020 |work=The Commercial Appeal |date=March 27, 2018}}</ref> [[Nissan Motors|Nissan]]'s [[Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant|assembly plant]] in [[Smyrna, Tennessee|Smyrna]] is the largest automotive assembly plant in North America.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schmitt |first1=Bertel |title=Who makes the most cars in North America? Who has the largest auto factory in the U.S.? Don't be embarrassed, few get it right |url=https://dailykanban.com/2015/02/27/makes-cars-north-america-largest-auto-factory-u-s-dont-embarrassed-get-right/ |access-date=May 25, 2021 |work=Daily Kanban |date=February 27, 2015}}</ref> Two other automakers have assembly plants in Tennessee: [[General Motors]] in [[Spring Hill Manufacturing|Spring Hill]] and [[Volkswagen]] in [[Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant|Chattanooga]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Grigsby |first=Karen |title=Tennessee's huge auto industry: 7 things you may not know |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/cars/2018/03/27/tennessee-auto-industry-smyrna-nissan-gm-spring-hill-vw-chattanooga/447779002/ |work=The Tennessean |date=March 27, 2018 |access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref> [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] is constructing [[Blue Oval City|an assembly plant]] in [[Stanton, Tennessee|Stanton]] that is expected to be operational in 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Connolly |first1=Daniel |title=Ford aims to create 5,700 jobs with new factory, battery plant near Memphis |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/business/development/2021/09/27/ford-electric-vehicles-memphis-regional-megasite-new-jobs/5884664001/ |access-date=September 28, 2021 |work=The Commercial Appeal |date=September 27, 2021 |location=Memphis}}</ref> In addition, the state contains more than 900 automotive suppliers.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.-->|title=Tennessee courts a changing industry|url=https://www.autonews.com/technology/tennessee-courts-changing-industry|work=[[Automotive News]]|location=Detroit|date=November 11, 2019|access-date=March 31, 2021}}</ref> Nissan and [[Mitsubishi Motors]] have their North American corporate headquarters in [[Franklin, Tennessee|Franklin]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Peters |first1=Jeremy W. |title=Nissan to Move U.S. Headquarters to Tennessee |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/10/business/nissan-to-move-us-headquarters-to-tennessee.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311154203/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/10/business/nissan-to-move-us-headquarters-to-tennessee.html |archive-date=March 11, 2018 |url-status=live |url-access=limited |work=The New York Times |date=November 10, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McGee |first1=Jamie |last2=West |first2=Emily R.|title=Mitsubishi North America to move headquarters to Nashville area |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2019/06/25/mitsubishi-moves-headquarters-franklin-tennessee-california/1549906001/ |access-date=October 9, 2020 |work=The Tennessean |date=June 25, 2019}}</ref> The state is also one of the top producers of [[food industry|food and drink products]], its second-largest manufacturing sector.<ref name=nam/> A number of well-known brands originated in Tennessee, and even more are produced there.<ref name=ustr/> Tennessee also ranks as one of the largest producers of [[chemical industry|chemicals]].<ref name=nam>{{cite web |title=2020 Tennessee Manufacturing Facts |url=https://www.nam.org/state-manufacturing-data/2020-tennessee-manufacturing-facts/ |website=nma.org |publisher=National Association of Manufacturers |access-date=May 25, 2021 |location=Washington, D.C. |date=2021}}</ref> Chemical products manufactured in Tennessee include [[industrial chemicals]], [[paints]], [[pharmaceuticals]], [[synthetic resin|plastic resin]]s, and [[soap]]s and [[personal care|hygiene product]]s. Additional important products manufactured in Tennessee include [[metal fabrication|fabricated metal]] products, [[electrical equipment]], [[consumer electronics]] and [[home appliance|electrical appliances]], and nonelectrical machinery.<ref name=ustr>{{cite web|url=https://ustr.gov/map/state-benefits/tn|title=Tennessee Trade Facts|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2020|publisher=Office of the United States Trade Representative|access-date=April 9, 2021}}</ref>

===Business===
[[File:Oak Ridge National Laboratory Aerial View.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Aerial view of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory|Established in 1942, [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] is the largest national laboratory in the Department of Energy system]]

[[Economy of Tennessee#Business|Tennessee's commercial sector]] is dominated by a wide variety of companies, but its largest service industries include health care, transportation, music and entertainment, banking, and finance. Large corporations with headquarters in Tennessee include [[FedEx]], [[AutoZone]], [[International Paper]], and [[First Horizon Corporation]], all based in Memphis; [[Pilot Company|Pilot Corporation]] and [[Regal Entertainment Group]] in Knoxville; [[Hospital Corporation of America]] based in Nashville; [[Unum]] in Chattanooga; Acadia Senior Living and [[Community Health Systems]] in Franklin; Eastman Chemical headquartered in Kingsport; [[Dollar General]] in Goodlettsville, and LifePoint Health, [[Tractor Supply Company]], and [[Delek US]] in Brentwood.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.-->|title=Tennessee home to 9 of world's largest companies|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2011/04/22/tennessee-home-to-9-of-worlds-largest.html|work=Nashville Business Journal|date=April 22, 2011|access-date=April 10, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Flessner|first=Dave|date=November 18, 2019|title=What are Tennessee's biggest businesses?|url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2019/nov/18/whare-tennessees-biggest-businesses/508512/|work=Chattanooga Times Free Press|access-date=April 10, 2021}}</ref>

Since the 1990s, the geographical area between Oak Ridge and Knoxville has been known as the Tennessee Technology Corridor, with more than 500 high-tech firms in the region.<ref name="sherman">{{cite news |last1=Sherman |first1=Erik |title=Tennessee's Tech Corridor |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2596132/tennessee-s-tech-corridor.html |website=[[Computerworld]] |access-date=May 27, 2021 |date=July 27, 2000}}</ref> The [[research and development]] industry in Tennessee is also one of the largest employment sectors, mainly due to the prominence of [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] (ORNL) and the [[Y-12 National Security Complex]] in the city of [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee|Oak Ridge]]. ORNL conducts scientific research in [[materials science]], [[nuclear physics]], energy, [[supercomputer|high-performance computing]], [[systems biology]], and [[National security of the United States|national security]], and is the largest [[United States Department of Energy national laboratories|national laboratory]] in the [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]] (DOE) system by size.<ref name=bigproblems>{{cite web |title=Solving Big Problems |url=https://www.ornl.gov/sites/default/files/solving_big_problems_130514.pdf |publisher=Oak Ridge National Laboratory |access-date=May 28, 2021 |date=June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2019/03/f60/doe-fy2020-laboratory-table.pdf |title=Department of Energy FY 2020 Congressional Budget Request |date=March 2019 |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=September 30, 2020}}</ref> The technology sector is also a rapidly growing industry in Middle Tennessee, particularly in the Nashville metropolitan area.<ref>{{cite news|last=Layden|first=Melanie|date=April 6, 2021|title=Booming tech industry in Middle Tennessee|url=https://www.wsmv.com/news/booming-tech-industry-in-middle-tennessee/article_971f50ca-971d-11eb-bac7-4fa8e230a0cd.html|work=WSMV-TV|location=Nashville|access-date=April 10, 2021|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410080657/https://www.wsmv.com/news/booming-tech-industry-in-middle-tennessee/article_971f50ca-971d-11eb-bac7-4fa8e230a0cd.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Energy and mineral production===
{{Further|List of power stations in Tennessee|List of power stations operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority}}
[[File:TVA IMG 2993 (28921461062).jpg|thumb|left|alt=Photograph of Norris Dam, a hydroelectric power station operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)|[[Norris Dam]], a [[hydroelectric dam]] operated by the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]].]]

Tennessee's electric utilities are regulated monopolies, as in many other states.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Energy policy in Tennessee|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Energy_policy_in_Tennessee|website=Ballotpedia|access-date=May 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Map of Deregulated Energy Markets (Updated 2018) – Electric Choice|url=https://www.electricchoice.com/map-deregulated-energy-markets/|website=Electricchoice.com|access-date=May 1, 2020}}</ref> The [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] (TVA) owns over 90% of the state's generating capacity.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tennessee - State Energy Profile Overview - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)|url=https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=TN#tabs-3|website=Eia.gov|access-date=May 1, 2020}}</ref> [[Nuclear power in the United States|Nuclear power]] is Tennessee's largest source of electricity generation, producing about 43.4% of its power in 2021. The same year, 22.4% of the power was produced from [[Coal power in the United States|coal]], 17.8% from [[Gas-fired power plant|natural gas]], 15.8% from [[Hydroelectric power in the United States|hydroelectricity]], and 1.3% from other [[Renewable energy in the United States|renewables]]. About 59.7% of the electricity generated in Tennessee produces [[Low-carbon power|no greenhouse gas emissions]].<ref>{{cite report|author=U.S. Energy Information Administration - Independent Statistics & Analysis|date=February 2021|title=Electric Power Monthly with Data for December 2021|url=https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/current_month/february2022.pdf|publisher=[[Energy Information Administration]]|access-date=June 23, 2022}}</ref> Tennessee is home to the first [[Nuclear reactor|nuclear power reactor]] in the U.S. to begin operation in the 21st century, which is at the [[Watts Bar Nuclear Plant]] in [[Rhea County, Tennessee|Rhea County]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Mooney|first=Chris|date=June 17, 2016|title=It's the first new U.S. nuclear reactor in decades. And climate change has made that a very big deal|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/06/17/the-u-s-is-powering-up-its-first-new-nuclear-reactor-in-decades/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> Tennessee was also an early leader in hydroelectric power,<ref>{{cite news|date=July 20, 2014|title=Tennessee ties to hydropower run deep|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2014/07/21/tennessee-ties-hydropower-run-deep/12915069/|work=The Tennessean|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> and today is the third-largest hydroelectric power-producing state east of the [[Rocky Mountains]].<ref name=energyprofile>{{cite web|url=https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=TN|title=Tennessee - State Energy Profile Analysis|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=June 20, 2019|website=eia.gov|publisher=Energy Information Administration|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> Tennessee is a net consumer of electricity, receiving power from other TVA facilities in neighboring states.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news|last=Popovich|first=Nadja|date=December 24, 2018|title=How Does Your State Make Electricity?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/24/climate/how-electricity-generation-changed-in-your-state.html|url-access=limited|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 18, 2019}}</ref>

Tennessee has very little petroleum and natural gas reserves, but is home to one oil refinery, in Memphis.<ref name=energyprofile/> [[Bituminous coal]] is mined in small quantities in the Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains.<ref name=tdecmineral/> There are sizable reserves of [[lignite coal]] in West Tennessee that remain untapped.<ref name=tdecmineral>{{cite web|url=https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/tennessee-geological-survey/geology-redirect/tennessee-s-mineral-industry.html|title=Tennessee's Mineral Industry|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2017|website=tn.gov|publisher=[[Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation]]|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> Coal production in Tennessee peaked in 1972, and today less than 0.1% of coal in the U.S. comes from Tennessee.<ref name=energyprofile/> Tennessee is the nation's leading producer of [[ball clay]].<ref name="tdecmineral" /> Other major mineral products produced in Tennessee include [[sand]], [[gravel]], [[crushed stone]], [[Portland cement]], [[marble]], [[sandstone]], [[clay|common clay]], [[lime (material)|lime]], and [[zinc]].<ref name=tdecmineral/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nmic/mineral-industry-tennessee|title=The Mineral Industry of Tennessee|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=National Minerals Information Center|publisher=[[U.S. Geological Survey]]|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> The [[Copper Basin (Tennessee)|Copper Basin]], in Tennessee's southeastern corner in Polk County, was one of the nation's most productive [[copper mining in the United States|copper mining]] districts between the 1840s and 1980s, and supplied about 90% of the copper the Confederacy used during the Civil War.<ref>{{unbulleted list citebundle|{{cite web|url=https://www.gamineral.org/writings/copperbasin-cochran.html|title=Minerals and Mining of the Copper Basin|last=Cochran|first=Kim|date=<!--Not given-->|website=gamineral.org|publisher=Georgia Mineral Society|access-date=May 30, 2008}}|{{cite book|last=Lillard|first=Roy G.|date=1980|title=Bradley County|url=https://archive.org/details/tennesseecountyh06lill|publisher=Memphis State University Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/tennesseecountyh06lill/page/63 63]|isbn=0-87870-099-4 |via=Internet Archive}}|{{cite news|last=Waters|first=Jack|date=<!--Not given, probably 1990s-->|title=Mining the Copper Basin in Southeast Tennessee|url=http://www.telliquah.com/History2.htm|work=The Tellico Plains Mountain Press|location=Tellico Plains, Tennessee|access-date=May 30, 2008}}}}</ref> Mining activities in the basin resulted in a major environmental disaster, which left the surrounding landscape barren for more than a century.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tva.gov/Environment/Environmental-Stewardship/Land-Management/The-Greening-of-Copper-Basin|title=The Greening of Copper Basin|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=tva.gov|publisher=Tennessee Valley Authority|access-date=February 29, 2020}}</ref> Iron ore was another major mineral mined in Tennessee until the early 20th century.<ref>{{cite report|last=Burchard|first=Ernest F.|date=1927|title=The Brown Iron Ores of West-Middle Tennessee|url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/0795d/report.pdf|publisher=U.S. Geologic Survey|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> Tennessee was also a top producer of [[phosphate]] until the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite report|last1=Morgan|first1=Herman Jr.|last2=Parks|first2=W.L.|date=April 1967|title=Reclamation of Mined Phosphate Land|url=https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1218&context=utk_agbulletin|publisher=University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station|docket=416|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref>

===Tourism===
[[File:Downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee.JPG|thumb|right|alt=Photograph of Gatlinburg with the Great Smoky Mountains in the background|The [[resort city]] of [[Gatlinburg, Tennessee|Gatlinburg]] borders the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], which is the most visited national park in the United States.<ref name="gsmnpnumbers">{{cite web |title=Visitation Numbers |url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/visitation-numbers.htm |website=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=October 7, 2020}}</ref>]]

Tennessee is the 11th-most visited state in the nation,<ref>{{cite news |last=Polland |first=Jennifer |title=A Detailed Look At How Americans Travel Within The US |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-popular-us-states-for-tourism-2014-10 |access-date=April 18, 2021 |work=Business Insider |date=October 30, 2014}}</ref> receiving a record of 126 million tourists in 2019.<ref>{{unbulleted list citebundle|{{cite news |last1=Vásquez Russell |first1=Melanie |title=Report: State, East TN counties travel, tourism industries saw record-breaking growth in 2019 |url=https://www.wate.com/news/top-stories/report-state-east-tn-counties-travel-tourism-industries-saw-record-breaking-growth-in-2019/ |access-date=April 18, 2021 |publisher=[[WATE-TV]] |date=August 25, 2020 |location=Knoxville, TN}}|{{cite report|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=August 2020|title=2019 Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee|url=https://industry.tnvacation.com/sites/industry/files/component/pod/2019%20Economic%20Impact.pdf|publisher=Tennessee Department of Tourist Development|access-date=April 18, 2021}}|{{cite press release |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=Tourism in Tennessee Shattered Records with $23 Billion in Travel Spending and 126 Million Domestic Person Stays in 2019|url=https://www.tn.gov/tourism/news/2020/8/25/economic-impact-press-release-2020.html |location=Nashville |publisher=Tennessee Department of Tourist Development |date=August 25, 2020 |access-date=April 18, 2021}}}}</ref> Its top tourist attraction is the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], the most visited national park in the U.S., with more than 14 million visitors annually.<ref name="gsmnpnumbers"/> The park anchors a large tourism industry based primarily in nearby [[Gatlinburg, Tennessee|Gatlinburg]] and [[Pigeon Forge, Tennessee|Pigeon Forge]], which includes [[Dollywood]], the most visited ticketed attraction in Tennessee.<ref name=traveltips/> Attractions related to Tennessee's musical heritage are spread throughout the state.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=14 Best Things to Do in Memphis|url=https://travel.usnews.com/Memphis_TN/Things_To_Do/|work=U.S. News & World Report|date=May 14, 2020|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=21 Best Things to Do in Nashville|url=https://travel.usnews.com/Nashville_TN/Things_To_Do/|work=U.S. News & World Report|date=January 3, 2020|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> Other top attractions include the [[Tennessee State Museum]] and [[Parthenon (Nashville)|Parthenon]] in Nashville; the [[National Civil Rights Museum]] and [[Graceland]] in Memphis; [[Lookout Mountain]], the [[Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel]], [[Ruby Falls]], and the [[Tennessee Aquarium]] in Chattanooga; the [[American Museum of Science and Energy]] in Oak Ridge, the [[Bristol Motor Speedway]], [[Jack Daniel's Distillery]] in Lynchburg, and the [[Hiwassee River|Hiwassee]] and [[Toccoa/Ocoee River|Ocoee]] rivers in Polk County.<ref name=traveltips>{{cite web |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/top-ten-places-tennessee-100050.html |title=Top Ten Places to Go in Tennessee |first=Johnny |last=Kampis |work=USA Today |access-date=August 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812153205/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/top-ten-places-tennessee-100050.html |archive-date=August 12, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[National Park Service]] preserves four Civil War battlefields in Tennessee: [[Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park]], [[Stones River National Battlefield]], [[Shiloh National Military Park]], and [[Fort Donelson National Battlefield]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/tennessee.htm|title=Tennessee Civil War Battles|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=nps.gov|publisher=Tennessee Civil War Battles|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> The NPS also operates [[Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area]], [[Cumberland Gap National Historical Park]], [[Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail]], [[Trail of Tears#Landmarks and commemorations|Trail of Tears National Historic Trail]], [[Andrew Johnson National Historic Site]], and the [[Manhattan Project National Historical Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/state/tn/index.htm|title=Tennessee|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=nps.gov|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> Tennessee is home to eight [[National Scenic Byways]], including the [[Natchez Trace Parkway]], the [[East Tennessee Crossing Byway]], the [[Great River Road]], the [[U.S. Route 441 in Tennessee|Norris Freeway]], [[Tennessee State Route 63|Cumberland National Scenic Byway]], [[Tennessee State Route 111|Sequatchie Valley Scenic Byway]], [[The Trace (Land Between the Lakes)|The Trace]], and the [[Cherohala Skyway]].<ref name="scenicbyway">{{cite web |title=Tennessee Byways |url=https://nsbfoundation.com/blog/tennessee-byways/ |website=National Scenic Byway Foundation |access-date=September 13, 2020 |date=March 25, 2020}}</ref><ref name="fivenewroads">{{cite news |title=Five TN roads designated as National Scenic Byway or All-American Road |url=https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/43394697/five-tn-roads-designated-as-national-scenic-byway-or-allamerican-road |access-date=March 4, 2021 |work=[[WRCB-TV]] |location=Chattanooga |date=February 23, 2021}}</ref> Tennessee maintains 56 state parks, covering {{convert|132,000|acre|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Find a Park |url=https://tnstateparks.com/about/find-a-park |website=tnstateparks.com |publisher=Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation |access-date=July 23, 2021 |location=Nashville}}</ref> Many reservoirs created by TVA dams have also generated water-based tourist attractions.<ref name="flessner">{{cite news |last1=Flessner |first1=Dave |title=Study: TVA lakes have nearly $12 billion economic impact to region |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2017/may/02/tvlakes-have-nearly-12-billieconomic-impact-s/425831/ |access-date=May 16, 2021 |work=[[Chattanooga Times Free Press]] |date=May 2, 2017}}</ref>

==Culture==
{{further|Literature of Tennessee}}
Tennessee blends southern [[Appalachia#Culture|Appalachian]] and [[Culture of the Southern United States|Southern]] flavors, which originate from its English, Scotch-Irish, and African roots, and has evolved as it has grown. Its [[Grand Divisions]] also manifest into distinct cultural regions, with East Tennessee commonly associated with Southern Appalachia,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Abramson |first1=Rudy |last2=Gowen |first2=Troy |last3=Haskell |first3=Jean |last4=Oxendine |first4=Jill |title=Encyclopedia of Appalachia |date=2006 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=Knoxville, TN |isbn=9781572334564 |pages=xix-xxv |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SZsRAQAAMAAJ |access-date=July 23, 2021 |via=Google Books}}</ref> and Middle and West Tennessee commonly associated with [[Upland South#History and culture|Upland Southern culture]] and sometimes even [[Deep South]]ern culture.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hudson |first=John C. |title=Across this Land: A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8018-6567-1|pages=101–116|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FQUbfAWhh-oC|via=Google books}}</ref> Parts of West Tennessee, especially Memphis, are sometimes considered part of the [[Deep South]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Reed |first1=John Shelton |last2=Reed |first2=Dale Volberg |author1-link=John Shelton Reed |title=1001 things everyone should know about the South |date=1996 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York |isbn=9780385474412 |page=6 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w_oRAAAAYAAJ |access-date=May 16, 2021 |via=Google Books}}</ref> The [[Tennessee State Museum]] in Nashville chronicles the state's history and culture.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bertone |first=Rachel |date=August 16, 2019 |title=4 Ways to Experience History at the Tennessee State Museum |url=https://www.tnhomeandfarm.com/tn-living/four-ways-to-experience-history-at-the-tennessee-state-museum/ |journal=Tennessee Home and Farm |volume= |issue= |pages= |doi= |access-date=June 3, 2021}}</ref>

Tennessee is perhaps best known culturally for its musical heritage and contributions to the development of many forms of [[popular music]], particularly in the country genre.<ref name=huffpost/><ref name="entertainment.howstuffworks.com">{{Cite web |last=Roos |first=Dave  |date=June 25, 2018 |title=How Did Nashville Become the Hub of Country Music? |url=https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/nashville-become-hub-country-music.htm |access-date=February 21, 2020 |website=[[HowStuffWorks]]}}</ref> Notable authors with ties to Tennessee include [[Cormac McCarthy]], [[Peter Taylor (writer)|Peter Taylor]], [[James Agee]], [[Francis Hodgson Burnett]], [[Thomas S. Stribling]], [[Ida B. Wells]], [[Nikki Giovanni]], [[Shelby Foote]], [[Ann Patchett]], [[Ishmael Reed]], and [[Randall Jarrell]]. The state's well-known contributions to [[Cuisine of the Southern United States|Southern cuisine]] include [[Memphis-style barbecue]], [[Hot chicken|Nashville hot chicken]], and [[Tennessee whiskey]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Taste of Tennessee |url=https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/food-and-drink/photos/taste-of-tennessee |website=Travel Channel |publisher=Discovery, Inc. |access-date=May 23, 2021}}</ref>

===Music===
{{main|Music of Tennessee|Music of East Tennessee}}
[[File:Ryman stage.jpg|thumb|alt=A performance of the ''Grand Ole Opry'' in Nashville|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.<ref name="entertainment.howstuffworks.com" />]]

Tennessee has played a critical role in the development of many forms of American popular music, including [[blues]], [[country music|country]], [[rock and roll]], [[rockabilly]], [[soul music|soul]], [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]], [[Contemporary Christian music|Contemporary Christian]], and [[gospel music|gospel]]. Many consider Memphis's [[Beale Street]] the epicenter of the blues, with musicians such as [[W. C. Handy]] performing in its clubs as early as 1909.<ref name=huffpost/> Memphis was historically home to [[Sun Records]], where musicians such as [[Elvis Presley]], [[Johnny Cash]], [[Carl Perkins]], [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], [[Roy Orbison]], and [[Charlie Rich]] began their recording careers, and where rock and roll took shape in the 1950s.<ref name=huffpost>{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-mariani/memphis-unmatched-for-american-music-history_b_7973690.html |title=Memphis Unmatched for American Music History |last=Mariani |first=John |date=August 12, 2015 |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=February 21, 2018}}</ref> [[Stax Records]] in Memphis became one of the most important labels for soul artists in the late 1950s and 1960s, and a subgenre known as [[Memphis soul]] emerged.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Bowman|first=Rob|date=October 1995|journal=Popular Music|issue=3|volume=14|title=The Stax sound: a musicological analysis|pages=285–320|doi=10.1017/S0261143000007753|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|s2cid=162379706}}</ref> The [[Bristol sessions|1927 Victor recording sessions]] in [[Bristol, Tennessee|Bristol]] generally mark the beginning of the country music genre and the rise of the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'' in the 1930s helped make Nashville the center of the country music recording industry.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Van West |editor-first=Carroll |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6G16AAAAMAAJ|title=Tennessee History: The Land, The People, and The Culture |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=Knoxville, TN |pages=309–310 |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-57233-000-9|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RmyzfcRB24cC&pg=PA163 |chapter=Appalachian Music: Examining Popular Assumptions |title=A Handbook to Appalachia: An Introduction to the Region |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=Knoxville, TN |first1=Ted |last1=Olson |first2=Ajay |last2=Kalra |editor1-first=Grace Toney |editor1-last=Edwards |editor2-first=JoAnn Aust |editor2-last=Asbury |editor3-first=Ricky L. |editor3-last=Cox |pages=163–170 |date=2006 |isbn=978-1-57233-459-5 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Nashville became known as "Music City", and the ''Grand Ole Opry'' remains the nation's longest-running radio show.<ref name="entertainment.howstuffworks.com" />

Many museums and historic sites recognize Tennessee's role in nurturing various forms of popular music, including [[Sun Studio]], [[Memphis Rock N' Soul Museum]], [[Stax Museum of American Soul Music]], and [[Blues Hall of Fame]] in Memphis, the [[Ryman Auditorium]], [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]], [[Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum]], [[National Museum of African American Music]], and [[Music Row]] in Nashville, the International Rock-A-Billy Museum in Jackson, the [[Mountain Music Museum]] in Kingsport, and the [[Birthplace of Country Music Museum]] in Bristol.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Paulson |first1=Dave |title=7 must-see Tennessee music landmarks |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/11/13/7-must-see-tennessee-music-landmarks-sun-studio-graceland/777716001/ |access-date=May 16, 2021 |work=The Tennessean |date=November 13, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210516190747/https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/11/13/7-must-see-tennessee-music-landmarks-sun-studio-graceland/777716001/ |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |location=Nashville}}</ref> The [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]], an online site recognizing the development of rockabilly, is also based in Nashville. Several annual music festivals take place throughout the state, the largest of which are the [[Memphis in May#Beale Street Music Festival (BSMF)|Beale Street Music Festival]] in Memphis, the [[CMA Music Festival]] in Nashville, [[Bonnaroo Music Festival|Bonnaroo]] in [[Manchester, Tennessee|Manchester]], and [[Riverbend Festival|Riverbend]] in Chattanooga.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Paulson |first1=Dave |title=Tennessee's 10 best music festivals |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/11/13/tennessee-10-best-music-festivals-bonnaroo-cma-music-festival/772925001/ |access-date=May 16, 2021 |work=The Tennessean |date=November 13, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210516183223/https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/11/13/tennessee-10-best-music-festivals-bonnaroo-cma-music-festival/772925001/ |archive-date=May 16, 2021}}</ref>

==Education==
{{see also|List of school districts in Tennessee|List of high schools in Tennessee}}
Education in Tennessee is administered by the Tennessee Department of Education.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=286–287}} The state Board of Education has 11 members: one from each Congressional district, a student member, and the executive director of the [[Tennessee Higher Education Commission]] (THEC), who serves as ex-officio nonvoting member.<ref>{{cite web |title=Governor Appointed State School Board Members Process Requirements - Statutes, Rules and Regulations |url=https://www.ncsl.org/documents/educ/GovernorAppointedSBOEProcess.pdf |website=ncsl.org |publisher=National Conference of State Legislatures |access-date=May 27, 2021 |location=Washington, D.C. |date=January 2011 |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527012145/https://www.ncsl.org/documents/educ/GovernorAppointedSBOEProcess.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> Public primary and secondary education systems are operated by county, city, or special school districts to provide education at the local level, and operate under the direction of the Tennessee Department of Education.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=286–287}} The state also has many private schools.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nonpublic Schools |url=https://www.tn.gov/education/school-options/non-public-schools.html |website=tn.gov |publisher=Tennessee Department of Education |access-date=May 27, 2021 |location=Nashville |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527003332/https://www.tn.gov/education/school-options/non-public-schools.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The state enrolls approximately 1 million [[K–12]] students in 137 districts.<ref name=edchoices>{{cite web |title=Education Choices in Tennessee |url=https://www.tn.gov/education/school-options.html |website=tn.gov |publisher=Tennessee Department of Education |access-date=May 27, 2021 |location=Nashville |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527003313/https://www.tn.gov/education/school-options.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2021, the four-year high school graduation rate was 88.7%, a decrease of 1.2% from the previous year.<ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=TDOE Releases 2020-21 Graduation Rate Data|url=https://www.tn.gov/education/news/2021/11/23/tdoe-releases-2020-21-graduation-rate-data.html |location=Nashville |publisher=Tennessee Department of Education |date=November 23, 2021 |access-date=June 23, 2022}}</ref> According to the most recent data, Tennessee spends $9,544 per student, the 8th lowest in the nation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rau |first1=Nate |title=Education funding in TN reaches breaking point as BEP lawsuit advances |url=https://tennesseelookout.com/2021/03/25/education-funding-in-tn-reaches-breaking-point-as-bep-lawsuit-advances/ |access-date=May 27, 2021 |work=Tennessee Lookout |date=March 25, 2021}}</ref>

===Colleges and universities===
{{main|List of colleges and universities in Tennessee}}
[[File:Vandy-kirkland.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=Kirkland Hall at Vanderbilt University in Nashville|[[Vanderbilt University]] in Nashville is consistently ranked as one of the top research institutions in the nation]]

Public higher education is overseen by the [[Tennessee Higher Education Commission]] (THEC), which provides guidance to the state's two public university systems. The [[University of Tennessee system]] operates four primary campuses in [[University of Tennessee|Knoxville]], [[University of Tennessee at Chattanooga|Chattanooga]], [[University of Tennessee at Martin|Martin]], and [[University of Tennessee Southern|Pulaski]]; a [[University of Tennessee Health Science Center|Health Sciences Center]] in Memphis; and an [[University of Tennessee Space Institute|aerospace research facility]] in Tullahoma.<ref>{{cite web |title=About the UT System |url=https://tennessee.edu/about/ |website=tennessee.edu |publisher=The University of Tennessee System |location=Knoxville, TN}}</ref> The [[Tennessee Board of Regents]] (TBR), also known as The College System of Tennessee, operates 13 community colleges and 27 campuses of the [[Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology]] (TCAT).<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Institutions |url=https://www.tbr.edu/institutions/our-institutions |website=tbr.edu |date=May 2018 |publisher=Tennessee Board of Regents |access-date=May 27, 2021 |location=Nashville}}</ref> Until 2017, the TBR also operated six public universities in the state; it now only gives them administrative support.<ref>{{cite web|last=Roberts|first=Jane|date=June 9, 2016|title=Haslam marks University of Memphis independence from Board of Regents|url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/schools/haslam-marks-u-of-m-independence-from-tbr-in-event-today-34da6806-8404-606d-e053-0100007f302c-382389981.html|work=The Commercial Appeal|location=Memphis|access-date=May 26, 2021}}</ref>

In 2014, the Tennessee General Assembly created the [[Tennessee Promise]], which allows in-state high school graduates to enroll in two-year post-secondary education programs such as associate degrees and certificates at community colleges and [[trade school]]s in Tennessee tuition-free, funded by the state lottery, if they meet certain requirements.<ref name="tnpromise">{{cite web |last1=Carruthers |first1=Celeste |date=May 6, 2019 |title=5 things to know about the Tennessee Promise Scholarship |url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2019/05/06/five-things-to-know-about-the-tennessee-promise-scholarship/ |publisher=[[Brookings Institution]] |access-date=October 7, 2020}}</ref> The Tennessee Promise was created as part of then-governor [[Bill Haslam]]'s "Drive to 55" program, which set a goal of increasing the number of college-educated residents to at least 55% of the state's population.<ref name="tnpromise"/> The program has also received national attention, with multiple states having since created similar programs modeled on the Tennessee Promise.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tamburin |first=Adam |title=Tennessee Promise inspires national trend |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2017/02/09/tennessee-promise-inspires-national-trend/96164406/ |access-date=May 27, 2021 |work=The Tennessean |date=February 9, 2017 |location=Nashville, TN}}</ref>

Tennessee has 107 private institutions.<ref>{{cite web |title=College Navigator - Search Results |url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=TN&ct=2+3 |website=nces.gov |publisher=[[National Center for Education Statistics]] |access-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref> [[Vanderbilt University]] in Nashville is consistently ranked as one of the nation's leading research institutions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/colleges/vanderbilt-university/#353b4ac46c61|title=Vanderbilt University|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2019|work=[[Forbes]]|access-date=April 26, 2020}}</ref> Nashville is often called the "Athens of the South" due to its many colleges and universities.<ref name="Kreyling1996">{{cite book |title=Classical Nashville: Athens of the South |publisher=Vanderbilt University Press |location=Nashville |first1=Christine M |last1=Kreyling |first2=Wesley |last2=Paine |first3=Charles W |last3=Warterfield |first4=Susan Ford |last4=Wiltshire |year=1996 |isbn=0-585-13200-3}}</ref> Tennessee is also home to six [[historically Black colleges and universities]] (HBCUs).<ref>{{cite web |title=HBCU Schools in Tennessee - 2018 Ranking |url=https://hbcu-colleges.com/tennessee |website=hbcu-colleges.com |access-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref>

==Media==
{{see also|List of television stations in Tennessee|List of newspapers in Tennessee|List of radio stations in Tennessee}}
[[File:Tennessean office.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Offices of ''The Tennessean'', a newspaper in Nashville|Offices of ''[[The Tennessean]]'' in Nashville]]

Tennessee is home to more than 120 newspapers. The most-circulated paid newspapers in the state include ''[[The Tennessean]]'' in Nashville, ''[[The Commercial Appeal]]'' in Memphis, the ''[[Knoxville News Sentinel]]'', the ''[[Chattanooga Times Free Press]]'', and ''[[The Leaf-Chronicle]]'' in Clarksville, ''[[The Jackson Sun]]'', and ''[[The Daily News Journal]]'' in Murfreesboro. All of these except the ''Times Free Press'' are owned by [[Gannett]].<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.-->|title=Gannett has now bought all but one of Tennessee's major newspapers|url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2015/oct/07/gannett-nears-deal-own-all-one-major-tennessee-newspaper/329289/|work=Chattanooga Times Free Press|date=October 7, 2015|access-date=April 24, 2021}}</ref>

Six [[List of United States television markets|television media markets]]—Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Tri-Cities, and Jackson—are based in Tennessee. The Nashville market is the third-largest in the [[Upland South]] and the ninth-largest in the southeastern United States, according to [[Nielsen Media Research]]. Small sections of the Huntsville, Alabama and [[Paducah, Kentucky]]-[[Cape Girardeau, Missouri]]-[[Harrisburg, Illinois]] markets also extend into the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mediatracks.com/resources/nielsen-dma-rankings-2021/|title=2021 Designated Market Area Rankings|date=November 19, 2020|website=MediaTracks Communications}}</ref> Tennessee has 43 full-power and 41 [[low-power broadcasting|low-power]] television stations<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stationindex.com/tv/by-state/tn|title=Television Stations By State - Tennessee|author=<!--Not stated-->|publisher=Station Index|access-date=April 24, 2021}}</ref> and more than 450 [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC)-licensed radio stations. The ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'', based in Nashville, is the longest-running radio show in the country, having broadcast continuously since 1925.<ref name="entertainment.howstuffworks.com"/>

==Transportation==
The [[Tennessee Department of Transportation]] (TDOT) is the primary agency that is tasked with regulating and maintaining Tennessee's transportation infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/documents/TDOT-History.pdf |title = Brief History of TDOT |author = Tennessee Department of Transportation |date = 2014 |publisher = Tennessee Department of Transportation |access-date = April 28, 2020 |archive-date = January 23, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200123205455/https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/documents/TDOT-History.pdf |url-status = live}}</ref> Tennessee is currently one of five states with no transportation-related debts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-TN-Infrastructure-Report-Card-Full-Report-Final-1.pdf |title=Report Card for Tennessee's Infrastructure |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=October 2016 |publisher=[[American Society of Civil Engineers]] |access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Wanser |first1=Brooke |title=TDOT chief says Nashville transit plan overlooked region, highways aren't at full capacity |url=https://www.williamsonhomepage.com/franklin/tdot-chief-says-nashville-transit-plan-overlooked-region-highways-aren-t-at-full-capacity/article_e1055a6e-949f-51e2-af39-2829d3d8fea5.html |access-date=June 20, 2021 |work=Williamson Home Page |date=October 15, 2019 |location=Franklin, Tennessee}}</ref>

===Roads===
{{further|List of Interstate Highways in Tennessee|List of U.S. Highways in Tennessee|List of state highways in Tennessee|Tennessee State Route System}}
[[File:I-40 near Nashville Int'l Airport.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Photograph of Interstate 40 in Nashville. Interstate 40 traverses Tennessee from east to west, and serve's the state's three largest cities.|[[Interstate 40 in Tennessee|Interstate 40]] traverses Tennessee from east to west, and serves the state's three largest cities.]]

Tennessee has {{convert|96,167|mi|km}} of roads, of which {{convert|14,109|mi|km}} are maintained by the state.<ref name=transoverview>{{cite web |url=https://www.tn.gov/tdot/about/transportation-system-overview.html |title=Transportation System Overview |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=tn.gov |publisher=Tennessee Department of Transportation|access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> Of the state's highways, {{convert|1,233|mi|km}} are part of the [[Interstate Highway System]]. Tennessee has no [[toll roads in the United States|tolled]] roads or bridges but has the sixth-highest mileage of [[high-occupancy vehicle lane|high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes]], which are utilized on freeways in the congestion-prone Nashville and Memphis metropolitan areas.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hinds |first=Andrea |date=October 16, 2017 |title=3 Reasons HOV Lanes Are Effective in Washington (and Can Work in Tennessee Too) |url=https://rutherfordsource.com/3-reasons-hov-lanes-effective-washington-can-work-tennessee/ |work=Rutherford Source |location=Murfreesboro, Tennessee |access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref>

[[Interstate 40 in Tennessee|Interstate 40]] (I-40) is the longest Interstate Highway in Tennessee, traversing the state for {{convert|455|mi|km}}.<ref name=fhwa>{{cite web |first = Kevin |last = Adderly |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table02.cfm |work = Route Log and Finder List |title = Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2015 |access-date = February 6, 2016 |date = December 31, 2015 |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |archive-date = July 3, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170703182115/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table02.cfm |url-status = live}}</ref> Known as "Tennessee's Main Street", I-40 serves the major cities of Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville, and throughout its entire length in Tennessee, one can observe the diversity of the state's geography and landforms.<ref name=maertens/>{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=xxiii–xl}} I-40's branch interstates include [[Interstate 240 (Tennessee)|I-240]] in Memphis; [[Interstate 440 (Tennessee)|I-440]] in Nashville; [[Interstate 840 (Tennessee)|I-840]] around Nashville; [[Pellissippi Parkway|I-140]] from Knoxville to [[Maryville, Tennessee|Maryville]]; and [[I-640]] in Knoxville. In a north–south orientation, from west to east, are interstates [[Interstate 55 in Tennessee|55]], which serves Memphis; [[Interstate 65 in Tennessee|65]], which passes through Nashville; [[Interstate 75 in Tennessee|75]], which serves Chattanooga and Knoxville; and [[Interstate 81 in Tennessee|81]], which begins east of Knoxville, and serves Bristol to the northeast. [[Interstate 24 in Tennessee|I-24]] is an east–west interstate that enters the state in Clarksville, passes through Nashville, and terminates in Chattanooga. [[U.S. Route 23 in Tennessee|I-26]], although technically an east–west interstate, begins in Kingsport and runs southwardly through [[Johnson City, Tennessee|Johnson City]] before exiting into North Carolina. [[Interstate 155 (Missouri-Tennessee)|I-155]] is a branch route of I-55 that serves the northwestern part of the state. [[Interstate 275 (Tennessee)|I-275]] is a short spur route in Knoxville. [[Interstate 269|I-269]] runs from [[Millington, Tennessee|Millington]] to [[Collierville, Tennessee|Collierville]], serving as an outer bypass of Memphis.<ref name=fhwa/><ref name=tdotmap>{{cite map|title = 2020 Official Transportation Map|year = 2020 |url = https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/maps/state-maps/2020_Transportation_Map.pdf|publisher = Tennessee Department of Transportation|access-date = June 4, 2020}}</ref>

===Airports===
{{main|List of airports in Tennessee}}
[[File:FedEx Express Line Up (9300402780).jpg|thumb|right|alt=Photograph of Memphis International Airport, showing a row of FedEx planes|[[Memphis International Airport]], the hub of [[FedEx|FedEx Corporation]], is the busiest cargo airport in the world]]

Major airports in Tennessee include [[Nashville International Airport]] (BNA), [[Memphis International Airport]] (MEM), [[McGhee Tyson Airport]] (TYS) outside of Knoxville, [[Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport]] (CHA), [[Tri-Cities Regional Airport]] (TRI) in [[Blountville, Tennessee|Blountville]], and [[McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport]] (MKL) in Jackson. Because Memphis International Airport is the hub of [[FedEx Corporation]], it is the [[World's busiest airport|world's second-busiest cargo airport]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Garland |first=Max |date=April 23, 2021 |title=Memphis International Airport, aided by FedEx, named world's busiest cargo airport in 2020 |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/industries/logistics/2021/04/23/memphis-international-airport-cargo-fedex-hong-kong/7348745002/ |work=The Commercial Appeal |location=Memphis |access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> The state also has 74 [[general aviation]] airports and 148 [[heliport]]s.<ref name=transoverview/>

===Railroads===
{{main|List of Tennessee railroads}}
For passenger rail service, Memphis and [[Newbern, Tennessee|Newbern]] are served by the [[Amtrak]] [[City of New Orleans (train)|City of New Orleans]] line on its run between [[Chicago]] and [[New Orleans]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Holley |first=Jessica |date=January 16, 2020 |title=Amtrak proposes new routes, trains for Tennessee |url=https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/2020/01/16/amtrak-proposes-new-routes-trains-tennessee/ |work=WMC-TV |location=Memphis |access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> Nashville is served by the [[WeGo Star]] [[commuter rail]] service.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Humbles |first1=Andy |title=Music City Star upgrades closer for Wilson and East Davidson county train service |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/wilson/2020/07/02/music-city-star-upgrades-unveiled-wilson-and-east-davidson-county-riders/3282039001/ |access-date=July 23, 2021 |work=The Tennessean |date=July 2, 2020 |location=Nashville}}</ref> Tennessee currently has {{convert|2,604|mi|km}} of freight trackage in operation,<ref>{{cite web |title=Freight Rail in Your State |url=https://www.aar.org/data-center/railroads-states/ |website=aar.org |publisher=Association of American Railroads |access-date=May 27, 2021 |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> most of which are owned by [[CSX Transportation]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Printable System Map |url=https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/library/files/customers/maps/printable-system-map/ |publisher=CSX Transportation |access-date=July 23, 2021 |date=2016}}</ref> [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] also operates lines in East and southwestern Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web |title=2016 System Map Print |url=http://nscorp.com/content/dam/nscorp/maps/2016-system-map-print.pdf |publisher=Norfolk Southern Railway |access-date=July 23, 2021 |date=2016 |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801092247/http://www.nscorp.com/content/dam/nscorp/maps/2016-system-map-print.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[BNSF]] operates a major [[transport hub|intermodal facility]] in Memphis.

===Waterways===
Tennessee has a total of {{convert|976|mi|km}} of [[Inland waterways of the United States|navigable waterways]], the 11th highest in the nation.<ref name=transoverview/> These include the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]], [[Tennessee River|Tennessee]], and [[Cumberland River|Cumberland]] rivers.<ref>{{cite report |date=2019 |title=Economic Impact of Tennessee's Inland Waterways |url=https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/freight-and-logistics/HO_WaterwaysProfile_TN.pdf |publisher=National Waterways Foundation|access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> Five inland ports are located in the state, including the [[Port of Memphis]], which is the fifth-largest in the United States and the second largest on the Mississippi River.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |title=New Master Plan Charts Course For Port Of Memphis For Coming Decades |url=https://www.waterwaysjournal.net/2019/04/16/new-master-plan-charts-course-for-port-of-memphis-for-coming-decades/ |work=Waterways Journal |date=April 16, 2019 |access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref>

==Law and government==
[[File:Tennessee State Capitol 2009.jpg|thumb|alt=Photograph of the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville|[[Tennessee State Capitol]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]]]
{{main|Government of Tennessee}}

The [[Constitution of Tennessee]] was adopted in 1870. The state had two previous constitutions. The first was adopted in 1796, the year Tennessee was admitted to the union, and the second in 1834. Since 1826, [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] has been the capital of Tennessee. The capital was previously in three other cities.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=104}} [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]] was the capital from statehood in 1796 until 1812,{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=104}} except for September 21, 1807, when the legislature met in [[Kingston, Tennessee|Kingston]] for a day.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historic Roane County Courthouse |url=https://tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org/entries/historic-roane-county-courthouse/e0acf846-dbb6-4b1c-8c16-665e430b6977 |website=Tennessee River Valley Geotourism |publisher=National Geographic |access-date=May 21, 2021}}</ref> The capital was relocated to Nashville in 1812, where it remained until it was relocated back to Knoxville in 1817. The next year, the capital was moved to [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]], where it remained until 1826. Nashville was officially named Tennessee's permanent capital in 1843.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=104}}

===Executive and legislative branches===
{{see also|List of Governors of Tennessee}}
Like the federal government, Tennessee's government has three branches. The executive branch is led by the [[Governor of Tennessee|governor]], who holds office for a four-year term and may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=48–49}} The governor is the only official elected statewide. The current governor is [[Bill Lee (Tennessee politician)|Bill Lee]], a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]. The governor is supported by 22 cabinet-level departments, most headed by a commissioner the governor appoints. The executive branch also includes several agencies, boards, and commissions, some of which are under the auspices of one of the cabinet-level departments.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=http://www.tennessee.gov/sos/bluebook/13-14/2_ExecutiveBranch.pdf |chapter=Section II: Executive Branch |title=Tennessee Blue Book, 2013–2014 |publisher=Tennessee Department of State |pages=162–393 |date=2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620052114/http://www.tennessee.gov/sos/bluebook/13-14/2_ExecutiveBranch.pdf |archive-date=June 20, 2015 |access-date=April 21, 2017}}</ref>

The [[bicameralism|bicameral]] legislative branch, the [[Tennessee General Assembly]], consists of the 33-member [[Tennessee Senate|Senate]] and the 99-member [[Tennessee House of Representatives|House of Representatives]].{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=232–233}} Senators serve four-year terms and House members serve two-year terms.<ref name=capitolabout/> Each chamber chooses a Speaker, who is elected by a joint session of the legislature.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=190–191}} The Speaker of the Senate also serves as the [[Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee|lieutenant governor]], a practice found only in one other state, and the House Speaker is third in line for the governorship.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=48–49}} The legislature can override a [[veto power in the United States|veto]] by a simple majority, and the state has no "[[pocket veto]]".{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=48–49}} The legislature convenes at noon on the second Tuesday in January and meets for a total of 90 days over two sessions, usually adjourning in late April or early May.<ref name=capitolabout>{{cite web |title=About the Tennessee Legislature |url=https://www.capitol.tn.gov/about/ |publisher=Tennessee General Assembly |access-date=May 20, 2021 |location=Nashville}}</ref> Special sessions may be called by the governor or by two-thirds of the members of both chambers.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|p=72}}

===Judicial system===
{{see also|Courts of Tennessee}}
Tennessee's highest court is the [[Tennessee Supreme Court|state Supreme Court]].{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=51–52}} It has a [[List of justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court|chief justice and four associate justices]].{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=51–52}} No more than two justices can be from the same [[Grand Divisions of Tennessee|Grand Division]].{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=51–52}} The Supreme Court of Tennessee appoints the state's [[Tennessee Attorney General|Attorney General]], a practice only found in Tennessee.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|p=132}} Both the [[Tennessee Court of Appeals|Court of Appeals]] and the [[Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals|Court of Criminal Appeals]] have 12 judges, who are evenly from each Grand Division.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/geninfo/Bio/CrimAppeals/Biocca.htm |title=Court of Criminal Appeals |publisher=Tsc.state.tn.us |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731015238/http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/geninfo/Bio/CrimAppeals/Biocca.htm |archive-date=July 31, 2010}}</ref> Under the [[Tennessee Plan]], the governor appoints justices on all three courts to eight-year terms; they must be [[retention election|retained]] by the voters during the first general election after appointment and at the end of their term.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=167–168}} Tennessee is divided into 31 judicial districts, each with a circuit and chancery court, and a [[district attorney]] and judges elected to eight-year terms. Separate criminal courts serve 13 of the 31 judicial districts; circuit courts handle criminal cases in the remaining districts. Local courts include general sessions, juvenile and domestic, and municipal courts.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=159–161}}

Tennessee maintains four dedicated law enforcement agencies: the [[Tennessee Highway Patrol]] (THP), the [[Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency]] (TWRA), the [[Tennessee Bureau of Investigation]] (TBI), and the [[Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation]] (TDEC). The Highway Patrol is the primary entity that enforces highway safety regulations and general non-[[wildlife]] state laws. It is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Safety. The TWRA is an independent agency tasked with enforcing all wildlife, boating, and fishery regulations outside of state parks. TDEC enforces state environmental laws and regulations. The TBI is the primary state-level criminal investigative department. State [[park ranger]]s are responsible for all activities and law enforcement inside the Tennessee State Parks system. Tennessee, like many other southern states, has a strong reputation for harsh criminal punishment. [[Capital punishment in Tennessee|Capital punishment]] is legal in Tennessee and has existed at various times since statehood.<ref name="StateExecution">{{cite web |url=http://www.state.tn.us/correction/media/deathpenalty.html |title=Death Penalty in Tennessee |publisher=Tennessee Department of Correction |access-date=August 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815202759/http://www.state.tn.us/correction/media/deathpenalty.html |archive-date=August 15, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-row-inmates-state-and-size-death-row-year?scid=9&did=188#state |title=Death Row Inmates by State |publisher=Death Penalty Information Center |date=April 1, 2015 |access-date=August 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820172723/http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-row-inmates-state-and-size-death-row-year?scid=9&did=188#state |archive-date=August 20, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Lethal injection]] is the primary means of execution, but [[electrocution]] is also allowed.<ref name="time20140522">{{cite news |url=https://time.com/109909/tennessee-brings-back-electric-chair/ |title=Tennessee Says It Will Bring Back the Electric Chair |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |first=Eliana |last=Dockterman |date=May 22, 2014 |access-date=May 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523003000/http://time.com/109909/tennessee-brings-back-electric-chair/ |archive-date=May 23, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="reuters20140523">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tennessee-execution-idUSBREA4M03520140523 |title=Tennessee reinstates electric chair as death penalty option |work=Reuters |first=Tim |last=Ghianni |date=May 23, 2014 |access-date=May 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523191159/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/23/us-usa-tennessee-execution-idUSBREA4M03520140523 |archive-date=May 23, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Local===
Tennessee is divided into [[List of counties in Tennessee|95 counties]], with 92 county governments that use a [[county commission]] legislative body and a separately elected county executive. The governments of [[Davidson County, Tennessee|Davidson]] (Nashville), [[Moore County, Tennessee|Moore]] ([[Lynchburg, Tennessee|Lynchburg]]), and [[Trousdale County, Tennessee|Trousdale]] ([[Hartsville, Tennessee|Hartsville]]) are [[consolidated city-county|consolidated with their county seats]]. Each county elects a sheriff, property assessor, trustee, register of deeds, and county clerk.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=52–53}} Tennessee has more than 340 municipalities. Most cities and towns use the [[Mayor–council government#Weak-mayor government form|weak mayor-council]] (mayor-aldermen), [[Mayor–council government#Strong-mayor government form|strong-mayor council]], [[City commission government|city commission]], or [[Council–manager government|council–manager]] forms of government. Local law enforcement is divided between county sheriff's offices and municipal police departments. In every county except Davidson, the sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|p=385}}

===Federal===
{{see also|United States congressional delegations from Tennessee|Tennessee's congressional districts}}
Tennessee sends [[Tennessee's congressional districts#Current districts and representatives|nine representatives]] to the [[United States House of Representatives]]. The current delegation consists of eight [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] and one [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]. Its [[United States Senate|U.S. senators]] are [[Marsha Blackburn]] and [[Bill Hagerty]], both Republicans. Tennessee is under the jurisdiction of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit|Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals]], which has jurisdiction over three [[United States district court|district courts in the state]]: the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee|Eastern]], [[United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee|Middle]], and [[United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee|Western]] districts.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Tennessee |url=https://www.fjc.gov/history/courts/u.s.-district-courts-districts-tennessee |website=fjc.gov |publisher=[[Federal Judicial Center]]}}</ref>

===Tribal===
The [[Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians]] is Tennessee's only federally recognized [[Tribe (Native American)|Native American tribe]]. It owns {{convert|79|acre}} in [[Henning, Tennessee|Henning]], which the tribe placed into federal trust in 2012. This is governed directly by the tribe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/migrated/cobell/commission/upload/Mississippi-Band-of-Choctaw-Indians-Presentation_Chief-Anderson-4-29-13.pdf |title=Vision of Trust Management Model, Responsibility and Reform |publisher=Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians |others=To the Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform |first=Phyliss J. |last=Anderson |date=April 29, 2013 |access-date=July 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222121225/https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/migrated/cobell/commission/upload/Mississippi-Band-of-Choctaw-Indians-Presentation_Chief-Anderson-4-29-13.pdf |archive-date=February 22, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Politics==
{{See also|Political party strength in Tennessee}}

The politics of Tennessee is dominated by the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Doble |first1=Rob |title=Analysis: The polarization express |url=https://tennesseelookout.com/2020/12/24/analysis-the-polarization-express/ |access-date=May 28, 2021 |work=Tennessee Lookout |date=December 24, 2020}}</ref><ref name=knoxnews1120>{{cite news |last1=Clouse |first1=Allie |title=As Georgia becomes a blue wedge in the Deep South, Tennessee cleaves tighter to the GOP |url=https://knoxnews.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/06/tennessee-is-solidly-republican-and-that-is-not-going-to-change/6162052002/ |access-date=May 28, 2021 |work=Knoxville News-Sentinel |date=November 6, 2020}}</ref> Republicans currently hold both of the state's [[List of United States senators from Tennessee|U.S. Senate seats]], 8 out of 9 [[Tennessee's congressional districts|Congressional seats]], 75 of 99 state [[Tennessee House of Representatives|House seats]], and 27 of 33 [[Tennessee Senate|state Senate seats]]. [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] strength is largely concentrated in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], and parts of [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]], [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]], and [[Clarksville, Tennessee|Clarksville]]. Several [[suburb]]an areas of Nashville and Memphis also contain significant Democratic minorities. Tennessee is one of thirteen states which holds its presidential primaries on [[Super Tuesday]].<ref name="ST2020">{{cite web |title=Super Tuesday 2020 |url=https://www.uspresidentialelectionnews.com/2020-presidential-primary-schedule-calendar/super-tuesday-2020/ |website=US Presidential Election News |access-date=April 24, 2019}}</ref> Tennessee does not require voters to declare a party affiliation when registering. The state is one of eight states which require voters to present a form of [[voter identification laws in the United States|photo identification]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx |title=Voter Identification Requirements |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=ncsl.org |publisher=National Conference of State Legislatures |access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> Tennessee has one of the highest rates of [[Felony disenfranchisement in the United States|felony disenfranchisement]], with nearly 10% of its voting-age population ineligible to vote. The state also has the highest rate of Black and Latino felony disenfranchisement.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wadhwani |first=Anita |date=October 23, 2023 |title=Tennessee Attorney General moves to shut down suit by NAACP over restoration of voting rights |url=https://tennesseelookout.com/2023/10/23/tennessee-attorney-general-moves-to-shut-down-suit-by-naacp-over-restoration-of-voting-rights/ |work=Tennessee Lookout |location=Nashville |access-date=October 28, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Budd |first1=Kristen M. |last2=Stammen |first2=Emma |last3=Threadcraft |first3=Whitney |date=January 10, 2023 |title=Tennessee Denies Voting Rights to Over 470,000 Citizens |url=https://www.sentencingproject.org/fact-sheet/tennessee-denies-voting-rights-in-prison-on-probation-and-parole/ |work=The Sentencing Project |access-date=October 28, 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Al Gore, Vice President of the United States, official portrait 1994.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=Official Vice Presidential portrait of Al Gore|[[Al Gore]] served as a [[List of United States senators from Tennessee|United States Senator]] from Tennessee (1985–1993) and as [[Vice President of the United States]] (1993–2001)]]
Between the end of the Civil War and the mid-20th century, Tennessee was part of the Democratic [[Solid South]], but had the largest Republican minority of any former Confederate state.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=x}} During Reconstruction, freedmen and former free blacks were granted the right to vote; most joined the Republican Party. Numerous African Americans were elected to local offices, and some to state office. However, the Democratic Party regained control of the state in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Following Reconstruction, Tennessee continued to have competitive party politics, but in the 1880s, the White-dominated state government passed [[Jim Crow laws]], one of which imposed a [[poll tax]] requirement for voter registration. These served to [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disenfranchise]] most African Americans, and their power in state and local politics was markedly reduced. After the disenfranchisement of blacks, the Republican Party became a primarily white [[Sectionalism|sectional]] party supported mostly in East Tennessee. In the early 1900s, the state legislature approved legislation allowing cities to adopt a [[city commission government|commission form of government]] based on [[at-large voting]] as a means to limit African American political participation.<ref name="buch">{{cite court |litigants=Buchanan v. City of Jackson, Tenn. |vol=683 |reporter=F. Supp. |opinion=1515 |court=W.D. Tenn. |date=1988 |url=https://casetext.com/case/buchanan-v-city-of-jackson |access-date=July 3, 2018}}</ref> Not until after passage of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]] were African Americans able to regain their full voting rights.{{sfn|Lamon|1980|pp=59–60}}

[[File:Howard Baker photo.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Portrait of Howard Baker, a United States Senator from Tennessee who became known as "The Great Conciliator"|[[Howard Baker]] served as [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Senate Minority and Majority Leader]] from 1977 to 1985, and was known as "The Great Conciliator"]]
Between the end of Reconstruction and the mid-20th century, Tennessee voted consistently Democratic in Presidential elections, except in two nationwide Republican [[Landslide victory|landslides]] in the 1920s. Tennesseans narrowly supported [[Warren G. Harding]] over Ohio Governor [[James M. Cox|James Cox]] in 1920,{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|pp=299–300}} and more decisively voted for [[Herbert Hoover]] over New York Governor [[Al Smith]] in 1928.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|p=314}} During the first half of the 20th century, state politics were dominated by the Democratic [[E. H. Crump#Political machine|Crump machine]] in Memphis.<ref>{{cite book |last=Biles |first=Roger |title=Memphis In the Great Depression |publisher=University of Tennessee Press|location=Knoxville, TN |date=1986 |pages=88–107 |isbn=978-1572331570}}</ref> For most of the second half of the 20th century, Tennessee was a [[swing state]] in presidential elections.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Doble |first=Rob |title=Analysis: The polarization express |url=https://tennesseelookout.com/2020/12/24/analysis-the-polarization-express/ |work=Tennessee Lookout |date=December 24, 2020 |access-date=July 22, 2021}}</ref> During this time, Democratic presidential nominees from Southern states, including [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], [[Jimmy Carter]], and [[Bill Clinton]], tended to fare better in Tennessee than their Northern counterparts, especially among split-ticket voters outside the metropolitan areas. In the 1950s, Tennessee twice voted for Republican [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], former Allied Commander of the Armed Forces during World War II.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|pp=350–354}} [[Howard Baker]], first elected in 1966, became the first Republican U.S. Senator from Tennessee since Reconstruction.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|pp=366–367}} The Republican [[Southern strategy]] did not have as much of an effect in Tennessee as in most Southern states, but the elections of [[Winfield Dunn]] as governor and [[Bill Brock]] to the U.S. Senate in 1970 further helped make the GOP competitive among Whites in statewide elections.{{sfn|Langsdon|2000|pp=370–373}} In the [[2000 United States presidential election in Tennessee|2000 presidential election]], Vice President [[Al Gore]], who had previously served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Tennessee, failed to carry his home state, an unusual occurrence but indicative of strengthening Republican support.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last=Pérez-Peña |first=Richard |author1-link=Richard Pérez-Peña |title=Loss In Home State Leaves Gore Depending on Florida |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/09/us/the-2000-elections-tennessee-loss-in-home-state-leaves-gore-depending-on-florida.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710233040/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/09/us/the-2000-elections-tennessee-loss-in-home-state-leaves-gore-depending-on-florida.html |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=May 5, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=November 9, 2000 |page=B1}}</ref>

Beginning in the early 21st century, Tennessee transitioned into a solid Republican state, primarily due to rural white voters who have rejected the increasing [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberalism]] of the Democratic Party.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schelzig |first1=Erik |title=Battleground no longer: Here's the Almanac of American Politics' overview of Tennessee |url=https://onthehill.tnjournal.net/battleground-no-longer-heres-the-almanac-of-american-politics-overview-of-tennessee/ |access-date=May 2, 2021 |work=The Tennessee Journal |date=August 5, 2019 |location=Brentwood, Tennessee}}</ref><ref name=flyer>{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Jackson |title=How Tennessee Turned Red |url=https://www.memphisflyer.com/how-tennessee-turned-red |access-date=May 2, 2021 |work=Memphis Flyer |date=July 31, 2014}}</ref> In [[2004 United States presidential election in Tennessee|2004]], Republican President [[George W. Bush]] increased his margin of victory in the state from a 4% to a 14% margin in 2000.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dade |first=Corey |title=Tennessee Resists Obama Wave |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122731165800249331 |url-status=live |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=November 22, 2008 |access-date=August 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710044942/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122731165800249331 |archive-date=July 10, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/tennessee/tennessee_mccain_leads_both_democrats_by_double_digits |title=Tennessee: McCain Leads Both Democrats by Double Digits |work=Rasmussen Reports |date=April 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224074929/http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/tennessee/tennessee_mccain_leads_both_democrats_by_double_digits |archive-date=December 24, 2008}}</ref> In 2007, [[Ron Ramsey]] became the first Republican Speaker of the State Senate since Reconstruction,<ref>{{cite news |last=Fender |first=Jessica |title=New lieutenant governor outlines areas of interest |url=https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/76859572/new-lieutenant-governor-outlines-areas/ |access-date=May 2, 2021 |work=The Tennessean |date=January 10, 2007 |location=Nashville |page=8A |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> and the following year the Republicans gained control of both houses of the state legislature for the first time since Reconstruction.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Emery |first1=Theo |last2=Paine |first2=Anne |title=Republicans claim majority in state House |url=https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/76859930/republicans-claim-majority-in-state/ |access-date=May 2, 2021 |work=The Tennessean |date=November 5, 2008 |location=Nashville |page=12A |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Voters, however, continued to elect [[Moderate (politics)|moderate]] Republicans, such as centrists [[Bill Haslam]] and [[Lamar Alexander]], until the late 2010s with the rise of [[Trumpism]] in the GOP at a nationwide scale.<ref name="plott">{{cite news |last=Plott |first=Elaina |title=Tennessee Republicans, Once Moderate and Genteel, Turn Toxic in the Trump Era |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/us/politics/tennnessee-trump-republican-party.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805090229/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/us/politics/tennnessee-trump-republican-party.html |archive-date=August 5, 2020 |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=May 26, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=August 5, 2020}}</ref> Since 2016, Tennessee has been the most populous state to vote Republican by more than 60% in presidential elections,<ref>{{cite web |title=Tennessee Presidential Election Voting History |url=https://www.270towin.com/states/Tennessee |website=270towin.com |publisher=Electoral Adventures LLC |access-date=May 28, 2021}}</ref> and in [[2020 United States presidential election in Tennessee|2020]] voted Republican by the largest margin of any state in terms of number of votes.<ref>{{Cite news|date=November 3, 2020|title=Tennessee Voter Surveys: How Different Groups Voted|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/ap-polls-tennessee.html|url-access=limited|access-date=November 17, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Sports==
{{multiple image|perrow = 2|total_width=300
| image1 = Night Settles on LP Field.jpg
| image2 = Bridgestone Arena Predators 2018.jpg
| image3 = FedExForum 2015.jpg
| image4 = CINvNSH 2018-10-20 - Ropapa Mensah, Tucker Hume, Matt LaGrassa, Alan Winn (40597451173).jpg
| footer = Tennessee's major professional sports franchises. Clockwise from upper left: [[Tennessee Titans]], [[Nashville Predators]], [[Nashville SC]], and [[Memphis Grizzlies]].
}}

Tennessee is home to four [[major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional sports]] franchises:<ref name=sportsleaguemaps>{{cite web |title=Sports Teams in Tennessee |url=https://sportleaguemaps.com/sports-teams-in-tennessee/ |website=Sport League Maps |access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> the [[Tennessee Titans]] have played in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) since 1997,<ref name=PFRTitans>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/oti/|title=Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans Team Encyclopedia|work=Pro-Football-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> the [[Nashville Predators]] have played in the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) since 1998,<ref name=HRPredators>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/NSH/history.html|title=Nashville Predators Franchise History|work=Hockey-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> the [[Memphis Grizzlies]] have played in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) since 2001,<ref name=BRGrizzlies>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MEM/|title=Memphis Grizzlies Franchise Index|work=Basketball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> and [[Nashville SC]] has played in [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS) since 2020.<ref name=FBRNashvilleSC>{{cite web|url=https://fbref.com/en/squads/35f1b818/history/Nashville-SC-Stats-and-History|title=Nashville SC Stats and History|work=FBref|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref>

The state is also home to seven minor league teams. Four of these are [[Minor League Baseball]] clubs. The [[Nashville Sounds]], which began play in 1978,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Nashville&state=TN&country=US|title=Nashville, Tennessee Encyclopedia|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> and [[Memphis Redbirds]], which began in 1998,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Memphis&state=TN&country=US|title=Memphis, Tennessee Encyclopedia|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> each compete in the [[International League]] at the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] level, the highest before [[Major League Baseball]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=IL&class=AAA|title=International League (AAA) Encyclopedia and History|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=March 17, 2022}}</ref> The [[Knoxville Smokies]], which have played continuously since 1972,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Knoxville&state=TN&country=US|title=Knoxville, Tennessee Encyclopedia|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> and [[Chattanooga Lookouts]], which have played continuously since 1976,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Chattanooga&state=TN&country=US|title=Chattanooga, Tennessee Encyclopedia|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> are members of the [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] classification [[Southern League (1964–present)|Southern League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=SOUL&class=AA|title=Southern League (AA) Encyclopedia and History|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=March 17, 2022}}</ref> Tennessee has two minor league [[Association football|soccer]] teams. [[Chattanooga Red Wolves SC]] has been a member of the third-tier [[USL League One]] since 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/sports/places/m-4189084|title=Sports in Chattanooga, Tennessee|work=Stats Crew|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> Founded in 2009, [[Chattanooga FC]] began playing in the third-tier [[National Independent Soccer Association]] in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last=MacCoon |first=Patrick |title=Chattanooga Football Club Announces It Will Be Joining a Professional Soccer League |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/breakingnews/story/2019/aug/15/cfc-announces-it-will-join-professional-soccer-league/501274/ |access-date=May 16, 2021 |work=Chattanooga Times Free Press |date=August 15, 2019}}</ref> The state has one minor league [[ice hockey]] team: the [[Knoxville Ice Bears]], which began play in 2002 and are members of the [[Southern Professional Hockey League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorhockey/t-11292|title=Knoxville Ice Bears Minor League Hockey Statistics and Roster|work=Stats Crew|access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref>

[[File:Vandy10.jpg|thumb|left|alt=The Tennessee Volunteers, the football team of the University of Tennessee|[[Tennessee Volunteers football]]]]
The state is home to 12 [[NCAA Division I]] programs. Four of these participate in the top level of college football, the [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|Football Bowl Subdivision]].<ref name=NCAA>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/ncaa-member-schools |title=NCAA Member Schools |website=NCAA |access-date=June 20, 2021 |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514122312/https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/ncaa-member-schools |url-status=dead}}</ref> In Knoxville, the [[Tennessee Volunteers]] college teams play in the [[Southeastern Conference]] (SEC) of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA).<ref name=NCAA/> In Nashville, the [[Vanderbilt Commodores]] are also members of the SEC.<ref name=NCAA/> The [[Memphis Tigers]] are members of the [[American Athletic Conference]], and Murfreesboro's [[Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders]] play in [[Conference USA]].<ref name=NCAA/> Nashville is also home to the [[Belmont Bruins]], members of the [[Ohio Valley Conference]] (OVC) but moving to the [[Missouri Valley Conference]] (MVC) in July 2022; [[Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers|Tennessee State Tigers]], OVC members with no plans to change conferences; and the [[Lipscomb Bisons]], members of the [[ASUN Conference]].<ref name=NCAA/> Tennessee State plays football in Division I's second level, the [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|Football Championship Subdivision]], while Belmont and Lipscomb [[List of NCAA Division I non-football programs|do not have football teams]].<ref name=NCAA/> Through the 2021–22 school year, the OVC also includes the [[Austin Peay Governors]] from Clarksville, the [[UT Martin Skyhawks]] from Martin, and the [[Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles]] from [[Cookeville, Tennessee|Cookeville]]. UT Martin and Tennessee Tech will remain in the OVC, while Peay will move to the ASUN. The [[Chattanooga Mocs]] and Johnson City's [[East Tennessee State Buccaneers]] are full members, including football, of the [[Southern Conference]].<ref name=NCAA/>

Tennessee is also home to the [[Bristol Motor Speedway]], which features [[NASCAR Cup Series]] racing two weekends a year, routinely selling out more than 160,000 seats on each date.<ref>{{cite news |last=Durr |first=Tim |title=7 historical facts you need to know about Bristol Motor Speedway |url=https://www.foxsports.com/nascar/gallery/7-historical-facts-you-need-to-know-about-bristol-motor-speedway-041817 |access-date=May 16, 2021 |work=[[Fox Sports]] |date=April 18, 2017 |location=Los Angeles}}</ref> The [[Nashville Superspeedway]] in Lebanon, which previously held [[Xfinity Series|Nationwide]] and [[IndyCar Series|IndyCar]] races until it was shut down in 2011, reopened to host the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last=Davis |first=Chris |title=Fans cheer NASCAR's return to Nashville Superspeedway |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/fans-cheer-nascars-return-to-nashville-superspeedway |work=News Channel 5 |date=June 20, 2021 |access-date=June 20, 2021}}</ref> Tennessee's only graded stakes horserace, the [[Iroquois Steeplechase]], is held in Nashville each May.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/life/2015/04/23/iroquois-steeplechase-historical-tradition/25545809/ |title=Iroquois Steeplechase is a historical tradition |author=Jen Todd |date=April 23, 2015 |work=The Tennessean |access-date=May 2, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210516220708/https://www.tennessean.com/story/life/2015/04/23/iroquois-steeplechase-historical-tradition/25545809/ |archive-date=May 16, 2021}}</ref> The [[WGC Invitational]] is a [[PGA Tour]] golf tournament that has been held in Memphis since 1958.<ref>{{cite news |last=Giannotto |first=Mark |title=PGA Tour expected to announce plans for a WGC event in Memphis on Thursday |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/2018/04/09/pga-tour-expected-announce-plans-wgc-event-memphis-thursday/500273002/ |access-date=May 16, 2021 |work=The Commercial Appeal |date=April 9, 2018 |location=Memphis, TN}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Tennessee|United States}}
* [[Outline of Tennessee]] – organized list of topics about Tennessee
* [[Index of Tennessee-related articles]]
* [[List of people from Tennessee]]
* [[USS Tennessee|USS ''Tennessee'']], 6 ships
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Albright |first=Edward |author-link=Edward Albright |title=Early History of Middle Tennessee |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RmpAAAAAYAAJ |location=Nashville, TN |publisher=Brandon Printing Company |date=1909 |isbn=1166645126 |via=Google Books}}
* {{cite book |last=Connelly |first=Thomas Lawrence |date=1979 |title=Civil War Tennessee: Battles and Leaders |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xN9Um2IJKO0C |location=Knoxville, TN |publisher=[[University of Tennessee Press]] |isbn=9780870492617 |via=Google Books}}
* {{cite book |last1=Corlew |first1=Robert E. |last2=Folmsbee |first2=Stanley E. |last3=Mitchell |first3=Enoch |date=1981 |title=Tennessee: A Short History|url=https://archive.org/details/tennesseeshorthi0000corl_y4h1/ |location=Knoxville, TN |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |edition=2nd |isbn=9780870496479 |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book |last=Finger |first=John R. |title=Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition |title-link=Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-253-33985-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Lamon |first=Lester C. |title=Blacks in Tennessee, 1791–1970 |url=https://archive.org/details/blacksintennesse0000lamo |url-access=registration |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-87049-324-9 |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book |last=Langsdon |first=Phillip R. |title=Tennessee: A Political History |date=2000 |publisher=Hillboro Press |location=Franklin, Tennessee |isbn=9781577361251 |url=https://archive.org/details/tennesseepolitic0000lang |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lyons |first1=William |last2=Scheb II |first2=John M. |last3=Stair |first3=Billy |date=2001 |title=Government and Politics in Tennessee |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ac0Qtk_c7uoC |location=Knoxville, TN |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |isbn=9781572331419 |ref={{sfnref|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001}} |via=Google Books}}
* {{cite book |last=Moore |first=Harry |title=A Geologic Trip Across Tennessee by Interstate 40 |date=1994 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=Knoxville, TN |isbn=9780870498329 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sbo-dSSnF4kC |access-date=May 14, 2021 |via=Google Books}}
* {{cite book |last=Safford |first=James M. |author-link=James M. Safford |title=Geology of Tennessee |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=teSZFz97uYAC |date=1869 |publisher=S.C. Mercer |location=Nashville, TN |isbn=978-1-4585-0040-3 |via=Google Books}}
* {{cite book |last=Satz |first=Ronald |title=Tennessee's Indian Peoples |year=1979 |url=https://archive.org/details/tennesseesindian0000satz |url-access=registration |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=Knoxville, TN |isbn=978-0-87049-285-3 |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite report|title=Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006|date=November 2005|publisher=[[Tennessee Secretary of State]]|location=Nashville, TN|pages=616–626 |url=http://state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/05-06/48-data.pdf |access-date=May 21, 2021 |ref={{sfnref|Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006}} |archive-date=January 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114000007/http://state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/05-06/48-data.pdf}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Bergeron |first=Paul H. |title=Antebellum Politics in Tennessee |publisher=[[University of Kentucky Press]] |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-8131-1469-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Cartwright |first=Joseph H. |title=The Triumph of Jim Crow: Tennessee's Race Relations in the 1880s |publisher=[[University of Tennessee Press]] |year=1976}}
* {{cite book |last=Cimprich |first=John |title=Slavery's End in Tennessee, 1861–1865 |publisher=[[University of Alabama Press]] |location=Tuscaloosa, AL |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T7J2m6TkGHEC |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-8173-0257-3 |via=Google Books}}
* {{cite book |last=Honey |first=Michael K. |title=Southern Labor and Black Civil Rights: Organizing Memphis Workers |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-252-02000-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780252063053 |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book |last=Mooney |first=James |author-link=James Mooney |title=Myths of the Cherokee |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924104080076 |year=1902 |publisher=[[U.S. Government Printing Office]] |location=Washington, D.C. |page=534 |isbn=978-0-914875-19-2 |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book |last=Norton |first=Herman |title=Religion in Tennessee, 1777–1945 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |year=1981 |isbn=978-0-87049-318-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Schaefer |first=Richard T. |title=Sociology Matters |url=https://archive.org/details/sociologymatters0000scha |url-access=registration |publisher=NY: McGraw-Hill |location=New York |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-07-299775-0 |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Van West |editor-first=Carroll |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6G16AAAAMAAJ|title=Tennessee History: The Land, The People, and The Culture |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-57233-000-9|via=Google Books}}
{{refend}}

===Primary sources===
* {{cite book |last=Bontemps |first=Arna |title=William C. Handy: Father of the Blues: An Autobiography |publisher=Macmillan Company |location=New York |year=1941}}
* {{cite book |last=Brownlow |first=W.G. |title=Sketches of the Rise, Progress, and Decline of Secession: With a Narrative of Personal Adventures among the Rebels |url=https://archive.org/details/sketchesrisepro03browgoog |year=1862 |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book |last=Olson |first=Ted |title=A Tennessee Folklore Sampler: Selected Readings from the Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin, 1934–2009 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-57233-668-1}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|display=Tennessee|wikt=Tennessee|commons=Category:Tennessee|voy=Tennessee}}
* [http://www.tn.gov/ Official website]
* [http://www.tnvacation.com/ Tennessee Department of Tourist Development]
* [https://sos.tn.gov/tsla Tennessee State Library and Archives]
* [https://sos.tn.gov/content/tennessee-blue-book Tennessee Blue Book]
* [http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/ Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture]
* [http://godort.libguides.com/tennesseedbs Tennessee State Agency Databases] by the Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association
* [http://www.tngenweb.org/ TNGen Web Project], free genealogy resources for the state
* [https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/TN,US/PST045217 Tennessee QuickFacts] by the U.S. Census Bureau
* [https://guides.loc.gov/tennessee-state-guide Tennessee: State Resource Guide, from the Library of Congress]
* [https://www.usgs.gov/science/regions/southeast/tennessee Tennessee scientific resources] by the U.S. Geological Survey
* [https://data.ers.usda.gov/reports.aspx?StateFIPS=47&StateName=Tennessee&ID=17854 Tennessee state data] by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
* [https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=TN Tennessee State Profile and Energy Estimates] by U.S. Energy Information Administration
* [https://store.lexisnexis.com/categories/product/tennessee-code-annotated-skuSKU6773 Tennessee Code Annotated] by [[LexisNexis]]
* [http://tnlandforms.us/landforms/ Tennessee Landforms]
* {{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annalstennessee00ramsgoog |title=The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century |publisher=John Russell |first=J. G. M. |last=Ramsey |author-link=J. G. M. Ramsey |date=1853}}
* {{OSM relation|161838}}

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{{s-ttl|title=[[List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union]]|years=Admitted on June 1, 1796 (16th)}}
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{{s-end}}

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