Tennessee
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| Abbreviation | TN Source: United States Postal Service – Abbreviations |
|---|---|
| Capital | Nashville |
| Population | 6,346,105 Source: Resident Population Data – 2010 Census |
| Governor | Bill Haslam (Republican, to January 2015) |
| Entered the Union | June 1, 1796 as the 16th state |
| Motto | Agriculture and Commerce |
| Nickname | The Volunteer State |
| Flower | Iris |
| Bird | Mockingbird |
| Song | Tennessee Waltz |
| Professional Sports Teams | Memphis Grizzlies (Men’s Basketball); Tennessee Titans (Football); Nashville Predators (Hockey) (sports listing policy) |
| Origin of Name | Believed to come from the Cherokee word Tanasi, a Cherokee village on the Little Tennessee River |
| Historical Sites | The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site at Greenville |
| Points of Interest | American Museum of Atomic Energy at Oak Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, The Hermitage (home of Andrew Jackson near Nashville), and Rock City Gardens near Chattanooga |
| Bordering States | Tennessee borders Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri. |
| Flag |  |
Follow these links to read articles about Tennessee from Encyclopedias and Almanacs:
Official State Links
- Tennessee.gov: the Official Web Site of the State of Tennessee
http://www.tennessee.gov
This is the official website for the State of Tennessee. - Tennessee Blue Book – Tennessee Department of State
http://www.tennessee.gov/sos/bluebook/
Find a government office directory, state historical information, origins of county names, and more! - Tennessee State Library & Archives
http://www.tennessee.gov/tsla/
Here is the homepage for the Tennessee State Library. - Tennessee Historical Society
http://www.tennesseehistory.org/
Here is the homepage for the Tennessee State Historical Society. - Tennessee State Museum
http://www.tnmuseum.org/
Here is the homepage for the Tennessee State Museum. - Tennessee State Parks
http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/
Here is the homepage for Tennessee State Parks. - Tennessee: the Stage Is Set for You
http://www.tnvacation.com/
Here is the official state travel and tourism website for Tennessee. - Just For Kids – The Governor’s Page
http://www.tennessee.gov/governor/kids/index.html
This is the Tennessee state page just for kids.
Other State Links
- 50states.com: Tennessee
http://www.50states.com/tennesse.htm
The site provides a wealth of information about Tennessee. It includes everything from the highest point to county profile to climate. - Things To Do in Tennessee
http://www.thingstodo.com/states/TN/index.htm
ThingsToDo.com is an online guide to information about Tennessee’s entertainment, recreation, and travel, and includes the state’s interesting facts, famous people, and special events. - Roadside America: Tennessee Attractions
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/tn.html
Roadside America describes itself as an online guide to offbeat attractions. This site offers reviews of “weird sites along the highway” in Tennessee. - Women in Tennessee History: a Bibliography
http://www.mtsu.edu/~library/wtn/wtn-home.html
This website is an online resource guide to Tennessee women with a place in history. - Alice Williamson Diary: an On-line Archival Collection
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/williamson/
Schoolgirl Alice Williamson kept this 36-page diary in Gallatin, Tennessee from February to September 1864, detailing the occupation of Gallatin by Civil War Union Forces. - Tennessee Online: Tennessee’s Online History Magazine
http://www.tennesseehistory.com/
In addition to online Tennessee news, this digital magazine offers a special feature called “Tennessee History Classroom” to answer website visitors’ questions and to assist teachers looking for more Tennessee history materials for their classrooms. - FedStats: MapStat: United States: Tennessee
http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/47000.html
Fast access to statistics from more than 100 federal agencies on “economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more” in Tennessee.
- The state is known as the U.S. hardwood-flooring center.
- The Scopes trial was held at Dayton in 1925.
- Traditionally, the eastern residents are Republican, whereas the remainder of the state is Democratic.
- TN is the national center of country music, with Nashville being the home of a thriving music industry.
- Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry is the longest continuously-running live radio program in the world. It has broadcast every Friday and Saturday night since 1925.
- The Cherokee Indian Sequoyah was the only man in history to single-handedly develop and perfect an alphabet. Today the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum is located in Vonore.
- TN was at first part of North Carolina, and then was known briefly as the State of Franklin. It later became part of the “U.S. Territory South of the River Ohio,” and finally was admitted to the Union as the State of Tennessee–the 16th state–on June 1, 1796.
Some Famous People from this State
- Davy Crockett (1786-1836), frontiersman. He was also a state legislator and U.S. Representative.
- Al Gore, Jr. (1948- ), vice president.
- Tina Turner (1939- ), singer. She won a grammy award in 1972 and starred in the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
- Cybill Shepherd (1950- ), actress. She stared in the TV shows “Moonlighting” and “Cybill.”
- Presidents from Tennessee with links to ipl’s POTUS (Presidents of the United States) page:
- Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) died in Tennessee (born in South Carolina).
- Andrew Johnson (1808-1875)
- James Knox Polk (1795-1849) lived much of his life in Tennessee, was Governor of Tennessee (1839-1841), and died in Tennessee (born in North Carolina).