POPULATION: 659,042 (city), 1,757,912 (metro) | TIME ZONE: Central | CLIMATE: Humid subtropical climate (cool to moderately cold winters, hot, humid summers)
NOT EVERYTHING IN NASHVILLE IS ABOUT MUSIC. Seriously. But you may have to work to find it. Nashville is named for American Revolutionary War hero, General Francis Nash. With its strategic location as a port and a railroad center, it was only a matter of time before the city became the Tennessee state capital. Early in the Civil War, Nashville was the first Confederate capital to fall to the Union, and was occupied by the north for the duration because of its strategic value as a transportation crossroads. Additionally, Nashville has grown into a crossroads for music. Think Nashville, and you probably think country music. But really, name any musical style. From vocalist Pat Boone to rapper Young Buck, virtually the entire spectrum of music has a foothold here. There has been rapid growth in Nashville since the 1970s. The 1990s especially saw boom times. The then mayor (now governor) focused on urban renewal and renovation. The very, very tip of the iceberg indicating success is probably a recent national ranking in Travel + Leisure magazine where, partly because of its foodie scene, Nashville was among the country’s "snobbiest" cities. (Never fear. Folks here are still friendly. And Men’s Journal ranked it as the #2 place to live in the U.S.)
NICKNAME(S)
Music City
Cashville
Nash Vegas
Athens of the South
The Protestant Vatican
MOTTO(S)
We're playing your song (Tennessee)
RANDOM SONG ABOUT THE CITY
The Nashville Blues by The Delmore Brothers
PRO SPORTS TEAMS
Tennessee Titans (NFL)
Nashville Predators (NHL)
Nashville Sounds (Basketball PCL)
Nashville FC (NPSL)
ALSO KNOWN FOR...
Goo Goo Clusters
Meat & three
The country’s first FM radio license
RCA Victor Studio B
200+ Elvis Presley songs recorded here (in the studio above)
A life-size reproduction of the Greek Parthenon
Grand Ole Opry
Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
Betty Page, Bill Belichick, Julian Bond, Fred Thompson, Al Gore, Robert Penn Warren, entirely too many musical stars to mention here