Relevant Links
The Official Web Site of the State of Tennessee
Explore Tennessee - The State's Official Travel Planning Web Site
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Tennessee Facts and Symbols
Statehood:
June 1, 1796 (16th)
State Capitol:
Nashville
Largest City (Population):
Memphis
Postal Abbreviation:
TN
Area:
41,217 square miles
Population (2000):
5,689,283
State Animal:
Raccoon
State Bird:
Mockingbird
State Flower:
Iris
State Gem:
Tennessee River pearls
State Insects:
Ladybug and
Firefly, or as we call it, a lightning bug
State Nickname:
The Volunteer State
State Songs:
My Homeland, Tennessee;
When It's Iris Time In Tennessee;
My Tennessee;
Tennessee Waltz;
Rocky Top;
Tennessee; and
The Pride of Tennessee
State Tree:
Tulip Poplar
State Wildflower:
Passion Flower
Symbols:
Flag Seal
Tennessee has produced three presidents: Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson. You may also recognize: Alvin C. York, Davy Crockett, Morgan Freeman, Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes, Dolly Parton, Minnie Pearl, Cybil Shepherd, Dinah Shore, Wilma Rudolph, Tina Turner, and Quentin Tarantino. Elvis Presley lived in Memphis, but he was born in Mississippi.
Businesses or Institutions that are located or headquartered in Tennessee include: Vanderbilt University, Jack Daniels distillery, the US Army's 101st Airborne, Dollywood amusement park, and Cracker Barrel restaurant.
Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. It was also the first state to be readmitted to the Union after the Civil War.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee is known as "The Energy Capital of the World" because of the nuclear and other energy research done there. Nashville, Tennessee, is known as "Music City, USA" because of the many recording artists and studios there, and has been called the "Athens of the South" because of the numerous colleges and universities.
Tennessee is bordered by eight states, more than any other. They are (starting to the north and working counter-clockwise): Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. The state is divided into three secions, West, Middle, and East Tennessee.
