Geography and Climate of Tennessee
Tennessee, along with Missouri, has the distinction of bordering the most states of any state in the Union, including Kentucky and Virginia on the North border, North Carolina on the east border, Arkansas and Missouri on the west border and Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia on the southern border. The Tennessee river flows through the state, which separates into East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee.
Tennessee summers are quite hot, reaching an average of 90 degrees Fahrenheit at the height of the summer months. The winters are milder and are somewhat colder in the eastern part of the state. Tennessee can experience severe thunderstorms, as well as tornadoes, which strike about 15 times a year, especially in the west.
History of Tennessee
Like most American states, Tennessee was originally home to Native American tribes before Europeans colonized it. In 1784, dissatisfied Tennesseans from the east broke off and formed the state of Franklin. However, in 1788, Tennessee reabsorbed Franklin.
Once Tennessee finally built up a large enough population to qualify for statehood, it became part of the United States in 1796, the 16th state in the union. Located as it is in the center of the north and southeastern United States, Tennessee became a major staging point for the Civil War, and was the last to secede from the Union in June of 1861.
East Tennessee, however, remained strongly against secession, and the Tennessee government was obliged to use military force to keep the East under control. In January of 1863, the Union army regained control of Tennessee.
In 1925, Tennessee became famous as the location for the Scopes Monkey Trial. John T. Scopes, a high school biology teacher, was accused by the state of breaking a law against teaching evolution in public schools.
The battle between William Jennings Bryan for the state and Clarence Darrow for the Defense was immortalized in the Jerome Lawrence play, “Inherit the Wind.” Also in that year, Nashville radio began broadcasting the “Grand Ole Opry,” a musical program whose musical styles have come to represent country music throughout the U.S.
In the 1960s, Tennessee was a hot zone for civil rights issues. In 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered in Memphis. In 1977, Elvis Presley died in his Memphis, Tennessee home, known as Graceland, which remains a shrine to fans of his music.
Demographics of Tennessee
Tennessee has a steadily growing population that is now well over six million people. The population is roughly 82 percent white and 17 percent black. Hispanics make up about three percent of the population.
Christians comprise 82 percent of the religious makeup of Tennessee, with the plurality being Baptist, followed by Methodist, Roman Catholic and Church of Christ, as well as other Christian denominations. Other religions account for roughly three percent of the population, with around one percent belonging to the Islam faith and less than one percent being Jewish. Tennessee fairly evenly splits between males and females.
Economy of Tennessee
Tennessee has a number of desirable exports including textiles, cotton and electric power. Agriculture, framing and ranching is strong in Tennessee, with over 82,000 farms, well more than half of which feature beef cattle. Cotton and soybeans are also good Tennessee crops.
A number of major companies have headquarters in Tennessee including FedEx, AutoZone and Nissan. Nashville has a major health care industry presence, with over 250 health care companies located in the city.
Tennessee does not apply income tax to resident salaries and its state sales tax is generally seven percent, with food taxed at 5.5 percent. Additional local sales taxes usually add between 1.5 and 2.75 percent.
Tennessee Law and Government
Tennessee is a traditionally Republican state and voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2002, despite the fact that in 2000, Al Gore was a former Senator from Tennessee. The Congressional delegation from Tennessee is a fairly even split, with five Democrats and four Republicans representing Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Governor of Tennessee is Phil Bredesen, a Democrat serving his second term. State law enforcement agencies include the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Tennessee Transportation
Tennessee is traversed from east to west by Interstate 40 and north to south by Interstates 55,65,75 and 81. The main airports in Tennessee are the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, the Memphis International Airport and the Nashville International Airport.
The New Orleans to Chicago Amtrak line runs through Tennessee. Nashville has a new railway system called the Music City Star, which connects Nashville and Lebanon. The city plans to expand the system to include more connections in the suburbs of Nashville.
Major Cities and Towns of Tennessee
One of the most important cities in Tennessee is Nashville, the capital of the state. It is the second most populated city in the state and is an important location for music and publishing industries. Nashville is the home of country music and is the location of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry.
Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee with over 670,000 residents. Memphis is considered the birthplace of many forms of American music, including the Blues, gospel music and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Elvis Presley’s famous mansion-turned-shrine known as Graceland is located in Memphis, Tennessee.
Memphis is also where civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968, and the Lorraine Motel, where the incident took place, now houses the National Civil Rights Museum. Knoxville is the third largest city in Tennessee and is famous as the host of the 1982 World’s Fair, one of the most successful World Fairs in the history of the United States.
Tennessee Educational System
Tennessee features an impressive number of colleges and universities, including American Baptist College, Auston Peay State University, the University of Memphis, Tennessee State University and the schools in the University of Tennessee system.
Tennessee Sports Teams and Recreational Activities
Tennessee has professional sports teams in three of the four major sports. The Tennessee Titans of the NFL, based in Nashville, relocated in 1977 from Houston (they were formerly the Houston Oilers). They promptly won their first AFC championship in the 1999 season, the first year they were officially called “The Titans.”
Tennessee also hosts the Nashville Predators hockey team and the Memphis (formerly Vancouver) Grizzlies of the NBA. Tennessee has no major league baseball teams but a considerable number of minor league teams. Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts played his college football at the University of Tennessee. He is now widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Those spending time in Tennessee may wish to visit the National Civil Rights Museum and Graceland in Memphis, and can do the River Walk at Mud Island River Park, which is a scale model of the Mississippi. Visitors can also spend time in Memphis’ historic district Victorian Village. In September, one can head to the Tennessee State Fair in Nashville, where fairgoers can enjoy various rides and attractions such as tractor pulls and rodeos.
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