Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
Nickname(s): 
Music City, Country Music Capital, Athens of the South, Nashvegas[1]
Map
Map
Nashville is located in Tennessee
Nashville
Nashville
Nashville is located in the United States
Nashville
Nashville
Coordinates: 36°09′44″N 86°46′28″W / 36.16222°N 86.77444°W / 36.16222; -86.77444
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
CountyDavidson
Founded1779
Incorporated1806
City-county consolidation1963
Named forFrancis Nash
Government
 • MayorFreddie O'Connell (D[a])
 • Vice MayorAngie Henderson
Area
 • Consolidated525.94 sq mi (1,362.2 km2)
 • Land504.03 sq mi (1,305.4 km2)
 • Water21.91 sq mi (56.7 km2)
Elevation554 ft (169 m)
Population
 • Consolidated715,884
 • Rank69th in North America
21st in the United States[c]
1st in Tennessee[c]
 • Density1,420.32/sq mi (548.39/km2)
 • Urban
1,158,642 (US: 42nd)
 • Urban density1,980.7/sq mi (764.8/km2)
 • Metro2,072,283 (US: 35th)
 • Balance
689,447
DemonymNashvillian
GDP
 • Nashville (MSA)$187.8 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
37201-37222, 37224, 37227-37230, 37232, 37234-37236, 37238, 37240-37244, 37246, 37250
Area codes615 and 629
GNIS feature ID1652484[4]
Websitenashville.gov

Nashville is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. Located in Middle Tennessee, it had a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census.[d] Nashville is the 21st most populous city in the United States, and the fourth most populous city in the southeastern U.S.[6] Located on the Cumberland River,[9] the city is the center of the Nashville metropolitan area, and is one of the fastest growing in the nation.[10][11]

Named for Francis Nash, a general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, the city was founded in 1779 when this territory was still considered part of North Carolina. The city grew quickly due to its strategic location as a port on the Cumberland River and, in the 19th century, a railroad center. Nashville as part of Tennessee seceded during the American Civil War; in 1862 it was the first state capital in the Confederacy to be taken by Union forces. It was occupied through the war.

After the war, the city gradually reclaimed its stature. It became a center of trade and developed a manufacturing base.

Since 1963, Nashville has had a consolidated city-county government, which includes six smaller municipalities in a two-tier system. The city is governed by a mayor, a vice-mayor, and a 40-member metropolitan council. Some 35 of the members are elected from single-member districts, while five are elected at-large. Reflecting the city's position in state government, Nashville is home to the Tennessee Supreme Court's courthouse for Middle Tennessee, one of the state's three divisions.

As of 2020 Nashville is considered a global city, type "Gamma" by the GaWC.[12] A major center for the music industry, especially country music, Nashville is commonly known as "Music City".[13] It is home to three major professional sports teams, the Predators, Titans, and Nashville SC.

The city is also the home of many colleges and universities including Tennessee State University, Vanderbilt University, Belmont University, Fisk University, Trevecca Nazarene University, and Lipscomb University. Nashville is sometimes referred to as the "Athens of the South" due to the large number of educational institutions.[14] The city is also a major center for the healthcare,[15] publishing,[16] banking,[17] automotive,[18] and technology[19] industries. Entities with headquarters in the city include AllianceBernstein,[20] Asurion,[21] Bridgestone Americas,[22] Captain D's,[23] Concord, Hospital Corporation of America,[24] LifeWay Christian Resources,[25] Logan's Roadhouse,[26] and Ryman Hospitality Properties.[27]

  1. ^ Peter, Kris (August 6, 2020). "Why Is Nashville Called Nashvegas?". sunlightliving.com. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "Tennessee Code 2-13-208 – Municipal elections to be nonpartisan". LawServer.com. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  3. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County – County Subdivision and Place: 2010 Census Summary File 1". U.S. Census Bureau. 2010. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "QuickFacts: Davidson County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "QuickFacts: Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  7. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  8. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN (MSA)". fred.stlouisfed.org.
  9. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  10. ^ Francis, Erica (July 28, 2021). "Nashville takes top spot as city with most economic growth in 2021". WKRN-TV. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  11. ^ Boston Sellers, Jan (January 18, 2018). "Nashville is one of the fastest growing U.S. cities". Crossville Chronicle. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  12. ^ "The World According to GaWC 2020". GaWC - Research Network. Globalization and World Cities. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "How Did Nashville Become the Hub of Country Music?". HowStuffWorks. June 25, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  14. ^ Harper, Garrett; Cotton, Chris (2013). Nashville Music Industry: Impact, Contribution, and Cluster Analysis (PDF) (Report). Nashville Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  15. ^ Haggard, Amanda (September 13, 2018). "How Nashville Changed Health Care for the Nation". Nashville Scene. Nashville, TN. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  16. ^ Hillinger, Charles (May 28, 1986). "Nashville: Publishing Bibles Is Big Business". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  17. ^ McGee, Jamie (June 18, 2018). "Big financial companies increasingly choosing Nashville". The Tennessean. Nashville, TN. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  18. ^ Grigsby, Karen (March 27, 2018). "Tennessee's huge auto industry: 7 things you may not know". The Tennessean. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference wsmv040621 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ "Contact Us AB". Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  21. ^ "Asurion: Contact Us". Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  22. ^ "Bridgestone Americas Corporate Headquarters". Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  23. ^ "Captain D's: Careers". Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  24. ^ "HCA Healthcare". Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  25. ^ "LifeWay Christian Resources: Contact Information". Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  26. ^ "Company Overview of Logan's Roadhouse, Inc". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  27. ^ "Ryman Hospitality Properties: Contact Us". Retrieved February 24, 2019.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).