Nashville, Tennessee

"Nashville" and "Music City" redirect here. For other uses, see Nashville (disambiguation) and Music City (disambiguation).

Nashville
State capital and consolidated city-county
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
Skyline of Nashville in 2024
Downtown Nashville
The Parthenon in Centennial Park
The Parthenon in Centennial Park
AT&T Building
AT&T Building
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Bridgestone Arena
Bridgestone Arena
The Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry
Tennessee State Capitol
Tennessee State Capitol
Flag of Nashville
Flag
Official seal of Nashville
Seal
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
Country United States
StateTennessee
CountyDavidson
Founded1779; 245 years ago (1779)
Incorporated1806; 218 years ago (1806)
City-county consolidation1963; 61 years ago (1963)
Named forFrancis Nash
Government
 • MayorFreddie O'Connell (D[a])
 • Vice MayorAngie Henderson
Area
[3]
525.94 sq mi (1,362.2 km2)
 • Land504.03 sq mi (1,305.4 km2)
 • Water21.91 sq mi (56.7 km2)
Elevation
[4]
554 ft (169 m)
Population
 (2022)[b][5][6]
715,884
 • 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)
 • Metro
[7]
2,072,283 (US: 35th)
 • Balance
689,447
DemonymNashvillian
GDP
[8]
 • 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, often known as Music City,[9] 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,[10] the city is the center of the Nashville metropolitan area, and is one of the fastest growing in the nation.[11][12]

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.[13] The city is a major center for the music industry, especially country music. 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, Gideons International, 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. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "Tennessee Code 2-13-208 – Municipal elections to be nonpartisan". LawServer.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2022. 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. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "QuickFacts: Davidson County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "QuickFacts: Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  8. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN (MSA)". fred.stlouisfed.org. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  9. ^ "How Did Nashville Become the Hub of Country Music?". HowStuffWorks. June 25, 2018. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  10. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  11. ^ Francis, Erica (July 28, 2021). "Nashville takes top spot as city with most economic growth in 2021". WKRN-TV. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  12. ^ Boston Sellers, Jan (January 18, 2018). "Nashville is one of the fastest growing U.S. cities". Crossville Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  13. ^ "The World According to GaWC 2020". GaWC - Research Network. Globalization and World Cities. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Harper, Garrett; Cotton, Chris (2013). Nashville Music Industry: Impact, Contribution, and Cluster Analysis (PDF) (Report). Nashville Chamber of Commerce. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  15. ^ Haggard, Amanda (September 13, 2018). "How Nashville Changed Health Care for the Nation". Nashville Scene. Nashville, TN. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  16. ^ Hillinger, Charles (May 28, 1986). "Nashville: Publishing Bibles Is Big Business". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  17. ^ McGee, Jamie (June 18, 2018). "Big financial companies increasingly choosing Nashville". The Tennessean. Nashville, TN. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  18. ^ Grigsby, Karen (March 27, 2018). "Tennessee's huge auto industry: 7 things you may not know". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference wsmv040621 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ "Contact Us AB". Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  21. ^ "Asurion: Contact Us". Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  22. ^ "Bridgestone Americas Corporate Headquarters". Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  23. ^ "Captain D's: Careers". Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  24. ^ "HCA Healthcare". Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  25. ^ "LifeWay Christian Resources: Contact Information". Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  26. ^ "Company Overview of Logan's Roadhouse, Inc". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  27. ^ "Ryman Hospitality Properties: Contact Us". Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.


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