Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County in the north-central part of the state. Nashville is a major hub for the health care, music, publishing, and transportation industries.

Nashville's population stood at 575,261 as of 2005, according to United States Census Bureau estimates, making it the second-largest city in Tennessee (after Memphis). The 2005 population of the entire 13-county Nashville metropolitan area was 1,422,544, making it the largest and fastest-growing metropolitan area in the state.

A resident of Nashville is called a Nashvillian.

History

Nashville was founded by James Robertson and a party of Wataugans in 1779, and was originally called Fort Nashborough, after the American Revolutionary War hero Francis Nash. Nashville quickly grew due to its prime location, accessibility as a river port, and its later status as a major railroad center. In 1806 Nashville was incorporated as a city and became the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1843, the city was named the permanent capital of the state of Tennessee.

By 1860, when the first rumblings of secession began to be heard across the South, Nashville was a very prosperous city. Tennessee reluctantly sided with the Confederacy and became the last state to secede from the Union. The city's significance as a shipping port made it a desirable prize as a means of controlling important river and railroad transportation routes. In February 1862, Nashville became the first state capital to fall to the Union troops.

Though the Civil War left Nashville severely damaged and in dire economic straits, the city quickly rebounded. Within a few years, the city had reclaimed its important shipping and trading position and also developed a solid manufacturing base. The post-Civil War years of the late 19th century brought a newfound prosperity to Nashville. These healthy economic times left the city with a legacy of grand classical-style buildings, which can still be seen around the downtown area.

It was the advent of the Grand Ole Opry in 1925, combined with an already thriving publishing industry, that positioned it to become "Music City USA". In 1963, Nashville consolidated its government with Davidson County and thus became the first major city in the United States to form a metropolitan government. Since the 1970s, the city has experienced tremendous growth, particularly during the economic boom of the 1990s under the leadership of Mayor Phil Bredesen, who made urban renewal a priority, and fostered the construction or renovation of a number of the city's landmarks, including the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Public Library downtown, the Gaylord Entertainment Center and LP Field.

The Gaylord Entertainment Center (formerly the Nashville Arena) was built as both a large concert facility and as an enticement to lure either a National Basketball Association or National Hockey League (NHL) sports franchise. This was accomplished in 1997 when Nashville was awarded an NHL expansion team which was subsequently nicknamed the Predators. LP Field (formerly Adelphia Coliseum) was built after the National Football League's (NFL) Houston Oilers agreed to move to the city in 1995. The NFL debuted in Nashville in 1998 at Vanderbilt Stadium and LP Field opened in the summer of 1999. The Oilers changed their name to the Tennessee Titans and saw a season culminate in the Music City Miracle and a close Super Bowl loss.

Geography and climate

A satellite image of Nashville

Nashville lies on the Cumberland River in the northwestern portion of the Nashville Basin. Nashville's topography ranges from 113 meters (370 ft) above sea level at the Cumberland River to 227 meters (746 ft) above sea level at its highest point. Wilson, Charles William. The Geology of Nashville, Tenn. Nashville, 1948.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,362.6 km² (526.1 mi²). 1,300.8 km² (502.3 mi²) of it is land and 61.8 km² (23.9 mi²) of it (4.53%) is water.

Climate

Average temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in Nashville

In general, Nashville has a warm temperate climate. Summers in Nashville are generally hot and humid, with July afternoons averaging 89 °F (32 °C). Winters are chilly and occasionally cold, with lows in January averaging 28 °F (−2 °C). Average annual rainfall is 1220 mm (48.1 inches), typically with winter and spring being the wettest and fall being the driest. Average annual snowfall is about 23 cm (9.1 inches), falling mostly in January and February. National Weather Service data for Nashville Spring and fall are generally pleasantly warm but much less humid, but prone to severe thunderstorms - which occasionally bring tornadoes, with recent major events on April 16, 1998 and April 7, 2006.

The coldest temperature ever recorded in Nashville was on January 21, 1985, when the temperature dipped to -17 °F (-27 °C), and the highest was on July 28, 1952 when the mercury reached 107 °F (42 °C).Calendar of Significant Weather Events in Middle Tennessee provided by the National Weather Service. Retrieved August 8, 2006.

Nashville's position within the Nashville Basin can make it very uncomfortable for allergy sufferers, as pollutants can become trapped in the atmosphere between the area's highlands.

Metropolitan area

Nashville has the largest metropolitan area in the state of Tennessee, spanning thirteen counties. The Nashville metropolitan area encompasses the Middle Tennessee counties of Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Hickman, Macon, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson, and Wilson. U.S. Census Bureau: Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Components, November 2004.

Government and politics

The State Capitol in Nashville

The City of Nashville and Davidson County merged in 1963 as a way for Nashville to combat the problems of urban sprawl. The combined entity is officially known as "the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County," and is popularly known as "Metro Nashville" or simply "Metro." It offers services such as police, fire, electricity, water, and sewage treatment. When the Metro government was formed in 1963, the government was set into two service districts which are the "urban services district" and the "general services district". The urban services district encompasses the historic boundaries of the former City of Nashville and the general services district includes the remainder of Davidson County.

Nashville has a strong-mayor form of government. It is governed by a mayor, vice-mayor and 40-member Metropolitan Council. The current mayor of Nashville is Bill Purcell. The Metropolitan Council is the legislative body of government for Nashville and Davidson County. There are 5 councilmembers who are elected at large and 35 councilmembers that represent individual districts. The Metro Council has regular meetings that are presided over by the vice-mayor, who is currently Howard Gentry, Jr. The Metro Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m., according to the Metropolitan Charter.

Nashville is one of the few major Southern cities that has remained loyal to the Democratic Party. Most local elections are officially nonpartisan. However, Democratic dominance is so absolute that most local races take place between the populist and "good government" wings of the Democratic Party. The "good government" faction has held the upper hand for some time. Unlike Indianapolis, the city-county merger did not significantly alter the political landscape. Elected Republicans are few and far between. At the state level, only two Republicansrepresent significant portions of Nashville.

Democrats are no less dominant at the federal level. Since the end of Reconstruction, the Democratic presidential candidate has won Nashville and Davidson County in every election but two. In 1968, George Wallace of the American Independent Party carried the city by a surprisingly large margin, given Wallace's opposition to racial integration; Nashville was much more progressive than most Southern cities regarding civil rights for African-Americans, especially under Mayor Beverly Briley. In 1972, Richard Nixon became the only Republican to carry Nashville since Reconstruction, gaining support from many area Democrats. However, since then, Democrats have usually won Nashville by some of the largest, if not the largest, margins in Tennessee. In 2000, Al Gore carried Nashville with over 59 percent of the vote even as he narrowly lost his home state. In 2004, John Kerry carried Nashville with 55 percent of the vote even as George W. Bush won the state by 14 points.

Despite its size, all of Nashville has been in one congressional district for most of the time since Reconstruction. For most of the time, it has been numbered as the 5th District, currently represented by Democrat Jim Cooper. While Republicans made a few spirited challenges in the mid-1960s and early 1970s, they have not made a serious bid for the district since 1972, when the Republican candidate gained only 38 percent of the vote even as Nixon carried the district by a large margin. The district's best-known congressman was probably Jo Byrns, who represented the district from 1909 to 1936 and was Speaker of the House for much of Franklin Roosevelt's first term. Another nationally prominent congressman from Nashville was Percy Priest, who represented the district from 1941 to 1956 and was House Majority Whip from 1949 to 1953.

A tiny portion of southern Davidson County was drawn into the heavily Republican 7th District after the 2000 Census. That district is currently represented by Marsha Blackburn of neighboring Williamson County. Despite this, a Republican has not represented a significant portion of Nashville since 1875.

Because Nashville serves as state capital, many of Tennessee's state issues are handled there, mostly in the Tennessee State Capitol.

Demographics

The data below is for all of Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County, including other incorporated cities within the consolidated city-county (such as Belle Meade and Berry Hill). See Nashville-Davidson (balance) for demographic data on Nashville-Davidson County excluding separately incorporated cities.

As of the census of 2000, there were 569,891 people, 237,405 households, and 138,169 families residing in the city. The population density was 438.1/km² (1,134.6/mi²). There were 252,977 housing units at an average density of 194.5/km² (503.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.99% White, 25.92% African American, 0.29% Native American, 2.33% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.42% from other races and 1.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.58% of the population. Nashville's estimated population for 2005 is 575,261 people.

There were 237,405 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,797, and the median income for a family was $49,317. Males had a median income of $33,844 versus $27,770 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,069. About 10.0% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over. 4.6% of the civilian labor force is unemployed.

The following is a statement of the number of people living in Nashville by decades: 1830, 5,566; 1850, 10,165; 1870, 25,865; 1890, 76,168; 1900, 80,865; 1910, 110,364; 1920, 118,342; 1940, 167,402.

An interesting note is that more Kurds call Nashville home than any other city outside of the Middle East, according to Vanderbilt University. The city has a large and active Kurdish neighborhood of more than 5,000 in the Nolensville Road area. During the Iraqi election of 2005, Nashville was one of the few international locations where Iraqi expatriates could vote. Like most American cities, Nashville has a mix of many nationalities, ethnicities, and religions.

Economy

As the "home of country music", Nashville has become a major music recording and production center. All of the Big Four record labels, as well as numerous independent labels, have offices in Nashville, mostly in the Music Row area. List of Nashville-based labels at clubnashville.com. Retrieved March 10, 2006. Since the 1960s, Nashville has been the second biggest music production center (after New York) in the U.S. As of 2006, Nashville's music industry is estimated to have a total economic impact of $6.4 billion a year and to contribute 19,000 jobs to the Nashville area.

Although Nashville is renowned as a music recording center and tourist destination, its largest industry is actually health care. Nashville is home to more than 250 health care companies, including Hospital Corporation of America, the largest private operator of hospitals in the world. As of 2006, it is estimated that the health care industry contributes $18.3 billion a year and 94,000 jobs to the Nashville-area economy. The automotive industry is also becoming increasingly important for the entire Middle Tennessee region. Nissan North America moved its corporate headquarters in 2006 from Gardena, California (Los Angeles County) to Nashville, with corporate headquarters temporarily located in the BellSouth Tower until 2008, when the Japanese auto maker will establish permanent headquarters in the Nashville suburb of Franklin, Tennessee. Nissan also has its largest North American manufacturing plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, a Nashville suburb.

Other major industries in Nashville include insurance, finance, and publishing (especially religious publishing). The city also hosts headquarters operations for several Protestant denominations, including the United Methodist Church, Southern Baptist Convention, and National Baptist Convention, USA.

Nashville also has a small but growing film industry. Several major motion pictures have been filmed in Nashville, including The Green Mile, The Last Castle, Gummo, Coal Miner's Daughter, and Robert Altman's Nashville.

Fortune 500 companies

* HCA Inc. (formerly Hospital Corporation of America)
* Caremark Rx
* Dollar General Corporation (in Goodlettsville, TN)

Other important companies

Companies based in Nashville with over $1,000M in annual revenue{| valign="top" |
* Bridgestone Americas Holding (Bridgestone-Firestone)
* CBRL Group (in Lebanon, Tennessee)
* Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation (finance arm of Caterpillar Inc.)
* Central Parking Corporation
* Community Health Systems Inc. (in Brentwood, Tennessee)
* Corrections Corporation of America
* Genesco Inc.