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Tennessee Facts

Tennessee Facts
The State of Tennessee is located in the southeastern United States. It shares state borders with Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama. It is the 36th largest U.S. state with 42,143 square miles. Tennessee is the 17th most populated U.S. state with approximately 6,495,978 residents and it is ranked as the 21st most densely populated U.S. state. Prior to European settlement the region was inhabited by Native Americans. Although first visited by Spanish explorers both the British and French laid claim to the region, and in 1796 Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th U.S. state.
Interesting Tennessee Facts:
The Tennessee name originates from the name of a Cherokee village called Tanasie.
Tennessee's state nickname is the Volunteer State.
The state motto for Tennessee is 'Agriculture and Commerce'.
Tennessee has several state songs including 'My Homeland Tennessee', 'The Tennessee Waltz', 'When It's Iris Time in Tennessee', 'My Tennessee', 'Rocky Top', 'Tennessee', and 'The Pride of Tennessee'.
Tennessee's state flag was officially adopted in 1905. It was designed by a member of the Third Regiment of the Tennessee Infantry = LeRoy Reeves.
Tennessee residents are referred to as Tennesseans.
The capital city of Tennessee is Nashville and its largest city is Memphis.
Tennessee's state bird is the mockingbird and the state game bird is the Bobwhite quail.
Tennessee's state wild animal is the raccoon and the state reptile is the eastern box turtle.
The state insects for Tennessee are the firefly and ladybug, and the state butterfly is the zebra swallowtail.
Tennessee's state sport fish is the largemouth bass and the state commercial fish is the channel catfish.
Major rivers in Tennessee include Duck River, Clinch River, Cumberland River, Mississippi River and the Tennessee River.
Major lakes in Tennessee include Tims Ford Reservoir, Cherokee Lake, Chickamauga Lake, Norris Lake and Kentucky Lake.
Major industry in Tennessee includes coal mining, electrical power and enriched uranium production, the music industry, car manufacturing, and tourism.
Major agriculture in Tennessee includes cotton, soybeans, tobacco, cattle, walking horses, dairy products, and nursery products.
More National Guard soldiers were sent to the Gulf War from Tennessee than from any other U.S. state.
There is only one monument in the United States that honors both the Confederate and Union armies. It is located in Greenville, Tennessee on the Green County Courthouse lawn.
The first female U.S. Senator Hattie Caraway was born in Bakersville, Tennessee in 1878.
In the winter of 1811-1812 the largest earthquake in U.S. history hit northwestern Tennessee. It was called the New Madrid Earthquake and formed Reelfoot Lake.
Bristol, Tennessee is known as Country Music's birthplace.
Graceland, Elvis Presley's home, is located in Memphis and is the second most visited house in the United States.
Dolly Parton was born in Sevierville, Tennessee and has a highway named after her.
The first African-American millionaire was reportedly Robert R. Church Sr. of Memphis, Tennessee.
There is a museum in Memphis to honor the civil rights movement and is located at the place where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. It's at the Lorraine Motel and is called the National Civil Rights Museum.


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