Nashville, Tennessee | |||
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Consolidated city-county | |||
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County |
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From top left: 2nd Avenue, Kirkland Hall at Vanderbilt University, the Parthenon, the Nashville skyline, Nissan Stadium, Dolly Parton performing at the Grand Ole Opry, and Ryman Auditorium
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Nickname(s): Music City, Athens of the South | |||
Location of the consolidated city-county in the state of Tennessee. |
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Location in the United States | |||
Coordinates: 36°10′00″N 86°47′00″W / 36.16667°N 86.78333°WCoordinates: 36°10′00″N 86°47′00″W / 36.16667°N 86.78333°W | |||
Country | United States | ||
State | Tennessee | ||
County | Davidson | ||
Founded | 1779 | ||
Incorporated | 1806 | ||
Named for | Francis Nash | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor | Megan Barry (D) | ||
Area | |||
• Consolidated | 525.94 sq mi (1,362.2 km2) | ||
• Land | 504.03 sq mi (1,305.4 km2) | ||
• Water | 21.91 sq mi (56.7 km2) | ||
Elevation | 597 ft (182 m) | ||
Population (2015) | |||
• Consolidated | 678,889 | ||
• Density | 1,300/sq mi (500/km2) | ||
• Metro | 1,830,345 | ||
• Balance | 654,610 | ||
Demonym(s) | Nashvillian | ||
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | ||
ZIP codes | 37201-37250 | ||
Area code(s) | 615 and 629 | ||
Interstates | I-40, I-24, I-65, and I-440 | ||
Waterways | Cumberland River | ||
Public transit | Nashville MTA | ||
Regional rail | Music City Star | ||
Website | www |
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in the north central part of the state. The city is a center for the music, healthcare, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and home to numerous colleges and universities. Reflecting the city's position in state government, Nashville is home to the Tennessee Supreme Court's courthouse for Middle Tennessee. It is known as a center of the country music industry, earning it the nickname "Music City, U.S.A."
Since 1963, Nashville has had a consolidated city-county government which includes six smaller municipalities in a two-tier system. Nashville is governed by a mayor, vice-mayor, and 40-member Metropolitan Council. Thirty-five of the members are elected from single-member districts; five are elected at-large. According to 2015 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the total consolidated city-county population stood at 678,889. The "balance" population, which excludes semi-independent municipalities within Nashville, was 654,610. The 2015 population of the entire 13-county Nashville metropolitan area was 1,830,345, making it the largest metropolitan statistical area in the state. The 2015 population of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Columbia combined statistical area, a larger trade area, was 1,951,644.
The town of Nashville was founded by James Robertson, John Donelson, and a party of Overmountain Men in 1779, near the original Cumberland settlement of Fort Nashborough. It was named for Francis Nash, the American Revolutionary War hero. Nashville quickly grew because of its strategic location, accessibility as a port on the Cumberland River, a tributary of the Ohio River; and its later status as a major railroad center. By 1800, the city had 345 residents, including 136 African American slaves and 14 free blacks. In 1806, Nashville was incorporated as a city and became the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1843, the city was named the permanent capital of the state of Tennessee.