With its 200 stores, restaurants and kiosks, Opry Mills has been drawing a steady stream of local shoppers and tourists into its maze of spending opportunities. The mall also brought 3,500 jobs. Dell Computer Corp. Dell brought a globally recognized name to Middle Tennessee's technology job market. The airport also is undergoing expansion. On the cultural side, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art finished its update in late 1999.
Downtown is headed for a new influx of culture.
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is set to open next spring in the old Post Office building and promises to bring some outstanding artistic exhibitions. As the region grows and diversifies, it includes wide-ranging sports activities from the extreme to the traditional. In June, Nashville was host of qualifying trials for the extreme sports contest known as ESPN X Games, which features wild athletic stunts on in-line skates and bicycles, among others. The Predators of the National Hockey League have finished their second season in Nashville. Although the team has struggled, fan support has been loud and strong.