Tennesee


	Fullname	State of Tennessee
	Flag	Flag of Tennesseesvg
	Flaglink	Flag Of Tennessee
	Seal	Tennesseestatesealjpg
	Map	Map_of_USA_highlighting_Tennesseepng
	Nickname	Volunteer State
	Capital	Nashville
	OfficialLang	English
	LargestCity	Memphis
	Governor	Phil Bredesen (D)
		"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Vrhbosna/Lamar_Alexander" class="copylinks">Lamar Alexander (R)
	PostalAbbreviation	TN
	AreaRank	36<sup>th</sup>
	TotalArea	109,247
	LandArea	106,846
	WaterArea	2,400
	PCWater	22
	PopRank	16<sup>th</sup>
	2000Pop	5,689,283
	DensityRank	19<sup>th</sup>
	2000Density	5329
	AdmittanceOrder	16<sup>th</sup>
	AdmittanceDate	June 1 , 1796
	TimeZone	-6/ -5 <small>(central and western)</small>
	Latitude	35°N to 36°41'N
	Longitude	81°37'W to 90°28'W
	Width	195
	Length	710
	HighestElev	2,025
	MeanElev	275
	LowestElev	54
	ISOCode	US-TN

Tennessee is a U.S. State located in the Southern United States . In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the union.¹ Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State", a nickname it earned during the War Of 1812 , in which volunteer soldiers from Tennessee played a prominent role. Brief History of Tennessee in the War of 1812 from the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Retrieved April 30, 2006.

GEOGRAPHY

Tennessee lies adjacent to 8 other states: Kentucky and Virginia to the north; North Carolina on the east; on the south by Georgia , Alabama and Mississippi ; and on the west by Arkansas and Missouri . The state is trisected by the Tennessee River . The highest point in the state is the peak of Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet (2,025 m), which lies on Tennessee's eastern border. The geographical center of the state is located several miles east of Murfreesboro on Old Lascassas Pike and is marked by a roadside monument.

The state of Tennessee is traditionally divided into three , Middle Tennessee , and West Tennessee .

Tennessee features six principal geographic regions. Roughly from west to east, these are:

Gulf Coastal Plain - including the Mississippi Embayment

Nashville Basin

Highland Rim - this is continuous with the region in Kentucky termed the Pennyroyal Plateau

Cumberland Plateau - also called the Appalachian Plateau

Ridge-and-valley Appalachians

Blue Ridge Mountains - including the Great Smoky Mountains

Areas under the control and management of the National Park Service include:

Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Greeneville

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Big South Fork National River And Recreation Area

Fort Donelson National Battlefield and Fort Donelson National Cemetery near Dover

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Natchez Trace Parkway

Obed Wild And Scenic River near Wartburg

Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail

Shiloh National Cemetery and Shiloh National Military Park near Shiloh

Stones River National Battlefield and Stones River National Cemetery near Murfreesboro

Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail

''See also: List Of Tennessee Counties , List Of Tennessee State Parks ''

HISTORY

The area now known as Tennessee was first settled by Paleo-Indians nearly 11,000 years ago. The names of the cultural groups that inhabited the area between first settlement and the time of European contact are unknown, but several distinct cultural phases have been named by archaeologists, including Archaic , Woodland , and Mississippian whose chiefdoms were the cultural predecessors of the Muscogee People who inhabited the Tennessee River Valley prior to Cherokee migration into the river's headwaters.

When Spanish Explorers first visited the area, led by Hernando De Soto in 1539–43, it was inhabited by tribes of Muscogee and Yuchi people. For unknown reasons, possibly because of expanding European settlement in the north, the Cherokee , an Iroquoian tribe, moved south from the area now called Virginia. As European colonists spread into the area, the native populations were forcibly displaced to the south and west, including all Muscogee and Yuchi peoples, including the Chickasaw and Choctaw . From 1838 to 1839 , nearly 17,000 Cherokees were forced to march from Eastern Tennessee to Indian Territory west of Arkansas . This came to be known as the Trail Of Tears , as an estimated 4,000 Cherokees died along the way.¹

Tennessee was admitted to the Union in 1796 as the 16th state; it was created by taking the north and south borders of North Carolina and extending them with only one small deviation to the Mississippi River , Tennessee's western boundary.

The American Civil War to a large extent was fought in Tennessee. It was the last border state to secede from the Union when it joined the Confederate States Of America on June 8 , 1861 . Many battles were fought in the state--most of them Union victories. Ulysses S. Grant and the U.S. Navy captured control of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers in February 1862, and held off the Confederate counterattack at Shiloh in April. Capture of Memphis and Nashville gave the U.S. control of the western and middle sections, and was confirmed at the battle of Mufreesboro in early January 1863. But the Confederates held East Tennessee despite the strength of Unionist sentiment there. The Confederates besieged Chattanooga in early fall 1863, but were driven off by Grant in November. The last major battles came when the Confederates invaded in November 1865 and were checked at Franklin, then totally destroyed by George Thomas at Nashville, in December. Meanwhile Andrew Johnson , a civilian appointed by Lincoln, was the military governor, and slavery was abolished.

After the war, Tennessee adopted A New Constitution that abolished Slavery ( February 22 , 1865 ), ratified the Fourteenth Amendment To The United States Constitution on July 18, 1866 , and was the first state readmitted to the Union (July 24 of the same year). Because it ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, Tennessee was the only state that seceded from the Union that did not have a military governor during Reconstruction .

The Nashville ''Republican Banner'' on January 4, 1868, published an editorial calling for a counter-revolutionary movement to unseat Republican rule and restore the racial subjugation of the region's blacks. "In this State," the paper argued, "reconstruction has perfected itself and done its worst. It has organized a government which is as complete a close corporation as may be found, it has placed the black man over the white as the agent and prime-move of domination; it has constructed a system of machinery by which all free guarantees, privileges and opportunities are removed from the people.... The impossibility of casting a free vote in Tennessee short of a revolutionary movement ... is an undoubted fact." The Banner in conclusion urged readers to ignore the presidential election and instead put energies into building "a local movement here at home" that would end Republican rule. in Harcourt 2005

In 1897, the state celebrated its centennial of statehood (albeit one year late) with a great Exposition .

The need to create work for the unemployed during the Great Depression , the desire for rural electrification, and the desire to control the annual spring floods on the Tennessee River drove the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority , the nation's largest public utility, in 1933.

During World War II, Oak Ridge was selected as a U.S. Department Of Energy national laboratory, one of the principal sites for the Manhattan Project 's production and isolation of weapons-grade Fissile material.

Tennessee celebrated its bicentennial in 1996 after a yearlong statewide celebration entitled "Tennessee 200" by opening a new state park ( Bicentennial Mall ) at the foot of Capitol Hill in Nashville .

DEMOGRAPHICS

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2005, Tennessee has an estimated population of 5,962,959, which is an increase of 69,661, or 1.2%, from the prior year and an increase of 273,697, or 4.8%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 117,203 people (that is 414,305 births minus 297,102 deaths) and an increase from net migration of 159,680 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 49,973 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 109,707 people.

African-Americans once made up one-fourth of the state's population and are 16.4 percent today. The state's African-American population is concentrated mainly in Western and Middle Tennessee and the cities of Memphis , Nashville , Clarksville , Chattanooga , and Knoxville .

6.6% of Tennessee's population were reported as under 5 years of age, 24.6% under 18, and 12.4% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.3% of the population.

Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Tennessee are:

Christian – 82%

--- Baptist – 39%

--- Methodist – 10%

--- Church Of Christ – 6%

--- Presbyterian – 3%

--- Roman Catholic – 6%

---Other Christian – 18%

Other Religions – 3%

Non-Religious – 9%

Source: American Religious Identification Survey (2001)

ECONOMY

According to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2003 Tennessee's gross state product was $199,786,000,000, 1.8% of the total Gross Domestic Product .
In 2003, the per capita personal income was $28,641, 36th in the nation, and only 91% of the national per capita personal income of $31,472. Total earnings were $167,414,793,000.

Major outputs for the state include textiles, cotton, cattle, and electrical power.

The Tennessee Income Tax does not apply to salaries and wages, but most income from stocks, bonds and notes receivable is taxable. All taxable dividends and interest which exceed the $1,250 single exemption or the $2,500 joint exemption are taxable at the rate of 6 percent. Generally, the state's Sales and Use Tax rate is 7 percent. Food is taxed at 6 percent, but candy, dietary supplements and prepared food are taxed at the increased 7-percent rate. Local sales taxes also are collected and those rates vary from 1.5 percent to 2.75 percent. Intangible Personal Property is assessed on the shares of stock of stockholders of any loan company, investment company, insurance company or for-profit cemetery companies. The assessment ratio is 40 percent of the value multiplied by the tax rate for the jurisdiction. Tennessee imposes an Inheritance Tax on decedents' estates that exceed maximum single exemption limits.

Tennessee is a Right To Work state.

TRANSPORTATION

Interstate highways

Interstate 40 crosses nearly the entire state in an east-west orientation. Its branch interstate highways include I-240 in Memphis; I-440 and I-840 in Nashville; and I-140 and I-640 in Knoxville. I-24 and I-26 are the other east-west interstates crossing Tennessee.

In a north-south orientation are highways I-55, I-65, I-75, and I-81. Interstate 65 crosses the state through Nashville, while Interstate 75 serves Knoxville and Interstate 55 serves Memphis. Interstate 81 enters the state at Bristol and terminates a its junction with I-40 near Jefferson City . I-181 is a continuation of I-26 from its junction with I-81 to the border with Virginia, and I-155 is a branch highway from I-55.

Airports

Major airports within the state include Nashville International Airport (BNA), Memphis International Airport (MEM), McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, and Tri-City Regional Airport (TRI).

LAW AND GOVERNMENT

on the Hernando De Soto Bridge over the Mississippi River .]]
The state of Tennessee is constitutionally divided into three culturally distinct , Middle , and West Tennessee . The Tennessee River is generally considered the dividing line between Middle and West Tennessee. The Cumberland Plateau is generally considered the dividing line between East and Middle Tennessee.

Tennessee's governor holds office for a four year term and may serve a maximum of two terms. The governor is the only official who is elected statewide, making him one of the more powerful chief executives in the nation. The state does not elect the Lieutenant-governor directly, contrary to most other states.

The Tennessee General Assembly , the state legislature, consists of the 33-member Senate and the 99-member House Of Representatives . Senators serve four year terms, and House members serve two year terms. Each chamber chooses its own speaker. The speaker of the state Senate also holds the title of lieutenant-governor. Most executive officials are elected by the legislature.

The highest court in Tennessee is the state Supreme Court. It has a chief justice and four associate justices. No more than two justices can be from the same Grand Division. The Court of Appeals has 12 judges. The Court of Criminal Appeals has nine judges.

Tennessee's Current State Constitution was adopted in 1870 . The state had two earlier constitutions. The first was adopted in 1796 , the year Tennessee joined the union, and the second was adopted in 1834 .

Politics

Tennessee politics, like that of most U.S. States, revolves around the Democratic and Republican Parties. Democrats are very strong in metropolitan Memphis , Nashville , and Chattanooga . The Democratic Party is also relatively strong in most of Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee north of Memphis.

The Republicans have the most strength in East Tennessee , one of the few areas of the South with a Republican voting history that predates the 1960s. Much of this region has not elected a Democrat to Congress since the Civil War . In contrast, the Democrats dominated politics in the rest of the state until the 1960s. The Republicans also have much strength in Memphis and Nashville's suburbs.

Federally, Tennessee sends nine members to the House of Representatives. Currently, the delegation consists of five Democrats and four Republicans.

''See also: List Of Tennessee Governors , U.S. Congressional Delegations From Tennessee ''

IMPORTANT CITIES AND TOWNS

See Also: List of cities and towns in Tennessee

''': 569,891 (2000)]]
''': 680,768 (2005)]]

The current capital is Nashville , though Knoxville , Kingston , and Murfreesboro have all served as State Capitals . Memphis has the largest population of any city in the state, but Nashville has a larger Metropolitan Area . Chattanooga and Knoxville , both in the eastern part of the state near the Great Smoky Mountains , each has approximately a third of Memphis or Nashville's population. The city of Clarksville is the fifth significant population center, some 45 miles (70 km) northwest of Nashville. The Johnson City - Kingsport - Bristol metropolitan area (known as Tri-Cities) is the state's fourth largest metropolitan area and is located in the extreme northeastern part of the state. As of 2000 , the population of the state is 5,689,283.

EDUCATION

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Colleges and universities

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS

MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS

Name origin

The earliest variant of the name that became ''Tennessee'' was recorded by Captain Juan Pardo , the Spanish explorer, when he and his men passed through a Native American village named "Tanasqui" in 1567 while traveling inland from South Carolina . European settlers later encountered a Cherokee town named Tanasi (or "Tanase") in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee . The town was located on a river of the same name (now known as the Little Tennessee River ). It is not known whether this was the same town as the one encountered by Juan Pardo.

The meaning and origin of the word are uncertain. Some accounts suggest it is a Cherokee modification of an earlier Yuchi word. It has been said to mean "meeting place", "winding river", or "river of the great bend". {Link without Title} {Link without Title}

The modern spelling, ''Tennessee'', is attributed to James Glen , the governor of South Carolina , who used this spelling in his official correspondence during the 1750s . In 1788 , North Carolina named the third county to be established in what is now Middle Tennessee "Tennessee County". When a Constitutional Convention met in 1796 to organize a new state out of the Southwest Territory , it adopted "Tennessee" as the name of the state.

Trivia

The State of Tennessee has seven State Songs {Link without Title} .

On August 18 , 1920 , Tennessee became the thirty-sixth and clinching state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution , which allowed women the right to vote.

(and two ships of the Confederate States Navy ) have been named in honor of Tennessee.

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Tennesee