Tennessee

**Tennessee** (, ), officially the **State of Tennessee**, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Nashville, which is the country music center of America. Tennessee borders eight states including Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri.

Several professional sports teams play there, including the Tennessee Titans of the NFL, the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA, the Nashville Predators of the NHL and the Tennessee Volunteers.

Cherokee and other Native American tribes lived in Tennessee before the arrival of Europeans. African American slaves worked on plantations in the state. Tennessee is known for its country music and Southern cuisine.

Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populated state and as of 2025, the state's population is around 7.22 million.

## History

The 2016 Tennessee Heritage Protection Act puts "the brakes on cities' and counties' ability to remove monuments or change names of streets and parks".

In Crossfield, Tennessee, the South Cumberland Elementary School: Murals painted in 2003, one of a large Confederate battle flag and another showing the team's mascot, the Rebel, triumphantly holding a Confederate battle flag while a boy in a blue outfit is being lynched on a tree, were altered/removed in 2018 after it was discovered by the anti-hate organization located in Shelbyville.

In Franklin, the Forrest Crossing Golf Course, owned by the American Golf Corporation, changed its name to the Crossing Golf Course on September 22, 2017. It had been named after Confederate General and Klansman Nathan Bedford Forrest.

In Memphis, Tennessee, Three Confederate-themed city parks were "hurriedly renamed" before the passage of the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act of 2013. Confederate Park (1908) was renamed Memphis Park; Jefferson Davis Park (1907) was renamed Mississippi River Park; and Forrest Park (1899) was renamed Health Sciences Park. The vote of the City Council was unanimous. At the time the monuments were dedicated, African Americans could not use those parks. Many other monuments have been removed or renamed in Memphis.

## Related pages

- Colleges and universities in Tennessee
- List of counties in Tennessee

## 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
- **motto**: Agriculture and Commerce
- **anthem**: List of Tennessee state symbols#State songs, Eleven songs
- **former**: Southwest Territory
- **seat**: Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville
- **largestcity**: capital
- **largestcounty**: Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby
- **officiallang**: Template:Official languages of U.S. states and territories, English
- **languages**: Language spoken at home
* 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
List of demonyms for U.S. states and territories, Big Bender (archaic)
List of demonyms for U.S. states and territories, Volunteer (historical significance)
- **largestmetro**: Nashville metropolitan area, Nashville
- **legislature**: Tennessee General Assembly, General Assembly
- **upperhouse**: Tennessee Senate, Senate
- **lowerhouse**: Tennessee House of Representatives, House of Representatives
- **judiciary**: Tennessee Supreme Court
- **senators**:

- **representative**: 7 Republicans
1 Democratic Party (United States), Democrat
1 vacant
- **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
- **population rank**: 15th
- **population as of**: 2024
- **2010pop**: 7,227,750
- **population density rank**: 20th
- **2010densityus**: 171.0
- **2010density**: 65.9
- **medianhouseholdincome**: $ (2<span>0</span>23)
- **incomerank**: List of U.S. states and territories by income#States and territories ranked by median household income, 42nd
- **admittanceorder**: 16th
- **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
- **elevation max ft**: 6,643
- **elevation max m**: 2025
- **elevation ft**: 900
- **elevation m**: 270
- **elevation min point**: Mississippi River at
- **elevation min ft**: 178
- **elevation min m**: 54
- **iso code**: US-TN
- **website**: tn.gov


## Infobox (region symbols)

- **country**: United States
- **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
Northern bobwhite, Bobwhite quail
- **butterfly**: Protographium marcellus, Zebra swallowtail
- **fish**: Channel catfish
Smallmouth bass
- **flower**: Iris (plant), Iris
Passiflora, Passion flower
Echinacea tennesseensis, Tennessee echinacea
- **insect**: Firefly
Coccinellidae, Lady beetle
Honey bee
- **mammal**: Tennessee Walking Horse
Raccoon
- **reptile**: Eastern box turtle
- **tree**: Liriodendron tulipifera, Tulip poplar
Juniperus virginiana, Eastern red cedar
- **beverage**: Milk
- **dance**: Square dance
- **firearm**: Barrett M82
- **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


## Infobox (u.s. state symbols)

- **name**: Tennessee
- **flag**: Flag of Tennessee.svg
- **flagsize**: 175px
- **amphibian**: Tennessee cave salamander
- **bird**: Mockingbird
Northern bobwhite, Bobwhite quail
- **butterfly**: Protographium marcellus, Zebra swallowtail
- **fish**: Channel catfish
Smallmouth bass
- **flower**: Iris (plant), Iris
Passiflora, Passion flower
Echinacea tennesseensis, Tennessee echinacea
- **insect**: Firefly
Coccinellidae, Lady beetle
Honey bee
- **mammal**: Tennessee Walking Horse
Raccoon
- **reptile**: Eastern box turtle
- **tree**: Liriodendron tulipifera, Tulip poplar
Juniperus virginiana, Eastern red cedar
- **beverage**: Milk
- **dance**: Square dance
- **firearm**: Barrett M82
- **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**: [http://www.tartans.scotland.net/tartan_info.cfm@tartan_id=2530.htm Tennessee State Tartan]
- **route marker**: Tennessee 1.svg
- **quarter**: 2002 TN Proof.png
- **quarterreleasedate**: 2002