View source for Nashville, Tennessee

{{Short description|Capital and largest city of Tennessee, United States}}
{{Redirect2|Nashville|Music City||Nashville (disambiguation)|and|Music City (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Nashville
| settlement_type    = [[List of capitals in the United States|State capital]] and [[consolidated city-county]]
| official_name      = Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
  | border             = infobox
  | perrow             = 1/2/3/1
  | total_width        = 280
  | caption_align      = center
  | image1             = Nashville Skyline from Ft Negly 2024.jpg
  | alt1               = Nashville skyline in 2023
  | caption1           = Downtown Nashville
  | image2             = Parthenon Nashville.png
  | alt2               = The Parthenon in Centennial Park
  | caption2           = The [[Parthenon (Nashville)|Parthenon]]
  | image3             = Grand Ole Opry House 2022d.png
  | alt3               = The Grand Ole Opry
  | caption3           = [[Grand Ole Opry]]
  | image4             = Nashville Visitor Center and Bridgestone Arena, Broadway and 5th Avenue, Nashville, TN (54384487819).jpg
  | alt4               = Bridgestone Arena
  | caption4           = [[Bridgestone Arena]]
  | image5             = VanderbiltKirlandTower2.JPG
  | alt5               = Vanderbilt University
  | caption5           = [[Vanderbilt University]]
  | image6             = AT&T Building- June 2022.jpg
  | alt6               = AT&T Building
  | caption6           = [[333 Commerce]]
  | image7             = Tennessee State Capitol Building 1.jpg
  | alt7               = Tennessee State Capitol
  | caption7           = [[Tennessee State Capitol]]
}}
| image_flag         = Flag of Nashville.png
| image_seal         = Seal of Nashville, Tennessee.png
| nicknames           = Music City, Country Music Capital, Athens of the South, Smashville,  Nashvegas<ref>{{cite web |last1=Peter |first1=Kris |title=Why Is Nashville Called Nashvegas? |url=https://sunlightliving.com/nashvegas/ |website=sunlightliving.com |date=August 6, 2020 |access-date=April 14, 2022 |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524021238/https://sunlightliving.com/nashvegas/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| image_map          = {{maplink
  | frame              = yes
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  | frame-align        = center
  | frame-width        = 270
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  | zoom               = SWITCH:9;5;3
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  | marker             = city
  | title              = Nashville
  | stroke-width       = 2
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  | fill-opacity2      = SWITCH:0;0.5;0.5
  | switch             = [[Nashville-Davidson (balance), Tennessee|Nashville balance]];Tennessee;the United States
}}
| pushpin_map        = Tennessee#USA#North America
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| coordinates        = {{Coord|36|09|44|N|86|46|28|W|region:US-TN_type:city(689,000)|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Tennessee}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[County (United States)|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Davidson County, Tennessee|Davidson]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = {{Start date and age|1779}}
| established_title1 = Incorporated
| established_date1  = {{Start date and age|September 11, 1806}}
| established_title2 = City-county consolidation
| established_date2  = {{Start date and age|1963}}
| founder            = 
| named_for          = [[Francis Nash]]
| government_footnotes = 
| leader_party       = [[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]{{efn|Tennessee Code 2-13-208 requires all municipal elections and their respective offices to be [[Nonpartisanism|nonpartisan]].<ref name="2-13-208">{{cite web |title=Tennessee Code 2-13-208 – Municipal elections to be nonpartisan |url=https://www.lawserver.com/law/state/tennessee/tn-code/tennessee_code_2-13-208 |website=LawServer.com |access-date=February 6, 2022 |archive-date=February 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206220510/https://www.lawserver.com/law/state/tennessee/tn-code/tennessee_code_2-13-208 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Nashville, Tennessee|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Freddie O'Connell]]
| leader_title2      = Vice Mayor
| leader_name2       = Angie Henderson
| unit_pref          = US
| total_type         = [[Consolidated city-county|Consolidated]]
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="area_land">{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US47037 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150228084942/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US47037 |archive-date=February 28, 2015 |title=Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County – County Subdivision and Place: 2010 Census Summary File 1 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |year=2010 |access-date=February 28, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 525.94
| area_land_sq_mi    = 504.03
| area_water_sq_mi   = 21.91
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=USGS>{{Cite web |title=Geographic Names Information System |url=https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/gaz-record/1652484 |access-date=May 8, 2023 |website=edits.nationalmap.gov |archive-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508143846/https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/gaz-record/1652484 |url-status=live }}</ref>| elevation_ft       = 554
| population_footnotes ={{efn|''Consolidated'' refers to the population of Davidson County; ''Balance'' refers to the population of Nashville excluding other incorporated cities within the Nashville-Davidson boundary.}}<ref name="Consolidated">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts: Davidson County, Tennessee |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/davidsoncountytennessee/POP010220 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 21, 2021 |archive-date=September 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909211850/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/davidsoncountytennessee/POP010220 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="QuickFacts">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts: Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Tennessee |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/nashvilledavidsonmetropolitangovernmentbalancetennessee/POP010220 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 5, 2024 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305221057/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/nashvilledavidsonmetropolitangovernmentbalancetennessee/POP010220 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<!-- DO NOT EDIT THIS POPULATION INFORMATION UNLESS YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CONSOLIDATED POPULATION AND A BALANCE POPULATION -->| population_blank1_title = [[Nashville-Davidson (balance), Tennessee|Balance]]
| population_blank1  = 689447
| population_total   = 715884<!-- Consolidated population (should always match the population of Davidson County) -->
| population_metro_footnotes = <ref name="2020Pop">{{cite web |title=2020 Population and Housing State Data |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 22, 2021 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824081449/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_metro   = 2150553 ([[List of metropolitan statistical areas|US: 35th]])
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2022]]
| population_density_sq_mi = 1420.32
| population_density_km2 = 548.39
| population_urban   = 1158642 ([[List of United States urban areas|US: 42nd]])
| population_density_urban_km2 = 764.8
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 1,980.7
| population_rank    = [[List of North American cities by population|65th]] in North America<br />[[List of United States cities by population|21st]] in the United States{{efn|name=balance|This ranking is based on Nashville's balance population of 689,447.}}<br />[[List of municipalities in Tennessee|1st]] in Tennessee{{efn|name=balance}}
| population_demonym = Nashvillian
| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title= Total Gross Domestic Product for Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN (MSA) |url= https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP34980 |website= fred.stlouisfed.org |access-date= January 3, 2024 |archive-date= January 3, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240103152128/https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP34980 |url-status= live }}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Metro
| demographics2_info1 = $204.861 billion (2023)
| timezone1          = [[Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset1        = −6
| timezone1_DST      = [[Central Daylight Time|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = −5
| postal_code_type   = ZIP Codes
| postal_code        = 37201–37222, 37224, 37227–37230, 37232, 37234–37236, 37238, 37240–37244, 37246, 37250
| area_codes         = [[Area codes 615 and 629|615 and 629]]
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1652484<ref name=USGS />
| website            = [https://www.nashville.gov/ nashville.gov]
| footnotes          = 
| elevation_m        = 169
}}

'''Nashville''' is the capital and [[List of municipalities in Tennessee|most populous city]] in the U.S. state of [[Tennessee]]. It is the [[county seat|seat]] of [[Davidson County, Tennessee|Davidson County]] in [[Middle Tennessee]], located on the [[Cumberland River]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |archive-date=May 31, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> It is the [[List of United States cities by population|21st-most populous city]] in the United States and fourth-most populous city in [[Southeastern United States|the Southeast]], with a population of 689,447 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] (estimated at 704,963 in 2024).{{Efn|''[[De jure]]'', the city of Nashville includes all of Davidson County including its satellite cities. However, the [[Nashville-Davidson (balance), Tennessee|Nashville-Davidson balance]] will be used when referring to Nashville.}}<ref name="QuickFacts" /> The [[Nashville metropolitan area]], with over 2.15 million people, is the [[Metropolitan statistical area|35th-largest metropolitan area]] in the country. Nashville is among the fastest-growing cities in the U.S.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Francis |first1=Erica |title=Nashville takes top spot as city with most economic growth in 2021 |url=https://www.wkrn.com/news/report-nashville-takes-top-spot-as-city-with-most-economic-growth-in-2021/ |access-date=April 14, 2022 |agency=[[WKRN-TV]] |date=July 28, 2021 |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316190757/https://www.wkrn.com/news/report-nashville-takes-top-spot-as-city-with-most-economic-growth-in-2021/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Boston Sellers |first1=Jan |title=Nashville is one of the fastest growing U.S. cities |url=https://www.crossville-chronicle.com/news/lifestyles/nashville-is-one-of-the-fastest-growing-u-s-cities/article_36b20ff4-fc82-11e7-907b-5738e23c2d36.html |access-date=April 14, 2022 |publisher=[[Crossville Chronicle]] |date=January 18, 2018 |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316190952/https://www.crossville-chronicle.com/news/lifestyles/nashville-is-one-of-the-fastest-growing-u-s-cities/article_36b20ff4-fc82-11e7-907b-5738e23c2d36.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Named for [[Francis Nash]], a general of the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]], the city was founded in 1779 when this territory was still considered part of North Carolina. The city grew quickly due to its strategic location as a port on the Cumberland River and, in the 19th century, a railroad center. Nashville as part of Tennessee seceded during the [[American Civil War]]; in 1862 it was the first state capital in the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] to be taken by [[Army of the Ohio|Union forces]]. It was occupied through the end of the war. After the war, the city gradually reclaimed its stature. It became a center of trade and developed a manufacturing base.

Since 1963, Nashville has had a [[consolidated city-county]] government, which is composed of six smaller municipalities in a two-tier system. The city is governed by a mayor, a vice-mayor, and a 40-member metropolitan council. Thirty-five of the members are elected from [[single-member district]]s, while five are elected [[at-large]]. Reflecting the city's position in state government, Nashville is home to the [[Tennessee Supreme Court]]'s courthouse for [[Middle Tennessee]], one of the state's [[Grand Divisions of Tennessee|three divisions]].

As of 2020, Nashville is considered a [[global city]], type "Gamma" by the [[GaWC]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The World According to GaWC 2020 |url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/microsites/geography/gawc/world2020t.html |website=GaWC - Research Network |publisher=Globalization and World Cities |access-date=April 20, 2020 |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612112616/https://www.lboro.ac.uk/microsites/geography/gawc/world2020t.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The city is a major center for the [[music industry]], especially [[country music]], and as such is commonly referred to as '''Music City'''.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 25, 2018 |title=How Did Nashville Become the Hub of Country Music? |url=https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/nashville-become-hub-country-music.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316190710/https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/nashville-become-hub-country-music.htm |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |access-date=February 21, 2020 |website=[[HowStuffWorks]]}}</ref> It is home to three [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional sports teams]]: the [[Nashville Predators|Predators]], [[Tennessee Titans|Titans]], and [[Nashville SC]]. The city is also the home of many colleges and universities including [[Tennessee State University]], [[Vanderbilt University]], [[Belmont University]], [[Fisk University]], [[Trevecca Nazarene University]], and [[Lipscomb University]]. Nashville is sometimes referred to as the "[[Athens]] of the South" due to the large number of educational institutions.<ref name="Harper2013">{{cite report |url=https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/nashville-music-industry-study.pdf |title=Nashville Music Industry: Impact, Contribution, and Cluster Analysis |publisher=Nashville Chamber of Commerce |last1=Harper |first1=Garrett |last2=Cotton |first2=Chris |date=2013 |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=December 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171218220049/https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/nashville-music-industry-study.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The city is also a major center for the healthcare,<ref>{{cite news |last=Haggard |first=Amanda |date=September 13, 2018 |title=How Nashville Changed Health Care for the Nation |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/cover-story/article/21021762/how-nashville-changed-health-care-for-the-nation |work=[[Nashville Scene]] |location=Nashville, TN |access-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316191148/https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/cover-story/article/21021762/how-nashville-changed-health-care-for-the-nation |url-status=live }}</ref> publishing,<ref name=latimes86>{{cite news |last=Hillinger |first=Charles |date=May 28, 1986 |title=Nashville: Publishing Bibles Is Big Business |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-05-28-fi-7970-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |location=Los Angeles |access-date=January 5, 2019 |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316191209/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-05-28-fi-7970-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> banking,<ref>{{cite news |last=McGee |first=Jamie |title=Big financial companies increasingly choosing Nashville |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2018/06/18/nashville-financial-market-banking-alliancebernstein-jpmorgan/653434002/ |work=[[The Tennessean]] |location=Nashville, TN |date=June 18, 2018 |access-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720185529/https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2018/06/18/nashville-financial-market-banking-alliancebernstein-jpmorgan/653434002/ |url-status=live }}</ref> automotive,<ref>{{cite news |last=Grigsby |first=Karen |title=Tennessee's huge auto industry: 7 things you may not know |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/cars/2018/03/27/tennessee-auto-industry-smyrna-nissan-gm-spring-hill-vw-chattanooga/447779002/ |work=The Tennessean |date=March 27, 2018 |access-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720185626/https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/cars/2018/03/27/tennessee-auto-industry-smyrna-nissan-gm-spring-hill-vw-chattanooga/447779002/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and technology<ref name=wsmv040621/> industries. Entities with headquarters in the city include [[AllianceBernstein]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.alliancebernstein.com/corporate/en/contact-us.html |title=Contact Us AB |access-date=April 9, 2021 |archive-date=April 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411133615/https://www.alliancebernstein.com/corporate/en/contact-us.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Asurion]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.asurion.com/about/contact-us/ |title=Asurion: Contact Us |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226111251/https://www.asurion.com/about/contact-us/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bridgestone|Bridgestone Americas]],<ref name=bridgestoneamericas>{{cite web |url=https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/contact-us/corporate-contacts/united-states |title=Bridgestone Americas Corporate Headquarters |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226111307/https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/contact-us/corporate-contacts/united-states |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Captain D's]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.captainds.com/careers/ |title=Captain D's: Careers |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226111257/https://www.captainds.com/careers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Concord (entertainment company)|Concord]], [[The Gideons International|Gideons International]], [[HCA Healthcare|Hospital Corporation of America]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hcahealthcare.com/ |title=HCA Healthcare |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222130242/https://hcahealthcare.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[LifeWay Christian Resources]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lifeway.com/en/about/contact-information |title=LifeWay Christian Resources: Contact Information |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=March 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320205703/https://www.lifeway.com/en/about/contact-information |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Logan's Roadhouse]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=208708902 |title=Company Overview of Logan's Roadhouse, Inc. |work=Bloomberg |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226172724/https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=208708902 |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Ryman Hospitality Properties]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rymanhp.com/contact-us/ |title=Ryman Hospitality Properties: Contact Us |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226172811/https://www.rymanhp.com/contact-us/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Nashville, Tennessee}}
{{For timeline|Timeline of Nashville, Tennessee}}

===18th and 19th centuries===
In 1689, French-Canadian trader [[Martin Chartier]] established a trading post on the Cumberland River, near the present-day site of the city.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ajlambert.com/history/hst_ucpt.pdf |title=Alvin Wirt, "The Upper Cumberland of Pioneer Times," 1954. |access-date=July 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010100950/http://www.ajlambert.com/history/hst_ucpt.pdf |archive-date=October 10, 2015 }}</ref> In 1714, a group of French traders under the command of Charles Charleville established a settlement and trading post at the present location of downtown Nashville, which became known as French Lick. These settlers quickly established an extensive fur trading network with the local Native Americans, but by the 1740s the settlement had largely been abandoned.<ref>{{cite book | last = Albright | first = Edward | year = 1909 | title = Early History of Middle Tennessee | url = http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnsumner/early12.htm | pages = 18–19 | access-date = September 9, 2023 | archive-date = May 18, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080518101803/http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnsumner/early12.htm | url-status = live }}</ref>

In 1779, explorers [[James Robertson (explorer)|James Robertson]] and [[John Donelson]] led a party of [[Overmountain Men]] to the site of French Lick, and constructed [[Fort Nashborough]]. It was named for [[Francis Nash]], the [[American Revolutionary War]] hero. Nashville quickly grew because of its strategic location 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 enslaved African Americans and 14 free African Americans.<ref name=SP1L132>{{Cite book |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-3151-9 |last=Cumfer |first=Cynthia |title=Separate peoples, one land: The minds of Cherokees, Blacks, and Whites on the Tennessee frontier |location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina |date=2007 |page=132}}</ref> In 1806, Nashville was [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] as a city and became the [[county seat]] of [[Davidson County, Tennessee]]. In 1843, the city was named as the permanent capital of the state of [[Tennessee]].  Knoxville, Kingston & Murfreesboro were prior locations of the state capital.<ref>{{Cite book |title=All About Nashville: A Complete Historical Guide Book to the City |year=1912 |page=54}}</ref>

The city government of Nashville owned 24 slaves by 1831, and 60 prior to the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. They were "put to work to build the first successful water system and maintain the streets."<ref name="slavemarketincludedauction"/> Auction blocks and brokers' offices were part of the slave market at the heart of the city.<ref name="slavemarketincludedauction">{{cite news |last1=Zepp |first1=George |title=Slave market included auction blocks, brokers offices in downtown Nashville |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/112668696/?terms=%22Rees%2BW.%2BPorter%22 |access-date=April 7, 2018 |work=The Tennessean |date=April 30, 2003 |page=16 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=registration |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022246/https://www.newspapers.com/image/112668696/?terms=%22Rees%2BW.%2BPorter%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was the center of plantations cultivating tobacco and hemp as commodity crops, in addition to the breeding and training of thoroughbred horses, and other livestock. For years, Nashville was considered one of the wealthiest southern capitals and a large portion of its prominence was from the iron business. Nashville led the south for iron production.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/iron-industry/ |title=Iron Industry |access-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317183605/https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/iron-industry/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Old nashville riverfront.jpg|thumb|left|Nashville riverfront shortly after the [[American Civil War]]]]

The cholera epidemic that struck Nashville in 1849–1850 took the life of former U.S. President [[James K. Polk]] and resulted in high fatalities. There were 311 deaths from cholera in 1849<ref>{{cite web |url=http://millercenter.org/president/polk/essays/biography/print |title=James Knox Polk |publisher=Miller Center, University of Virginia |work=American President: A Reference Resource |access-date=January 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609071701/http://millercenter.org/president/polk/essays/biography/print |archive-date=June 9, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=NashCityCemetery>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenashvillecitycemetery.org/masons.htm |title=Cumberland Masonic Lodge 8; Existing Tombstones |publisher=Nashville City Cemetery Association |access-date=December 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119150110/http://www.thenashvillecitycemetery.org/masons.htm |archive-date=January 19, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and an estimated 316 to about 500 in 1850.<ref name=Bowling1866>{{cite book |url=https://digirepo.nlm.nih.gov/ext/cholera/PDF/34720190R.pdf |title=Cholera, as it appeared in Nashville in 1849, 1850, 1854 and 1866 |publisher=University Book and Job Office, Medical College |location=Nashville, TN |last=Bowling |first=William King |year=1866 |access-date=December 27, 2018 |archive-date=March 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329005134/http://collections.nlm.nih.gov/pdf/nlm:nlmuid-34720190R-bk |url-status=live }}</ref>

Before the Civil War, about 700 free [[free people of color|Blacks]] lived in small enclaves in northern Nashville. More than 3,200 enslaved African Americans lived in the city.<ref name=BitterSoutherner>{{cite web |url=https://bittersoutherner.com/how-hot-chicken-really-happened/ |title=How Hot Chicken Really Happened |website=The Bitter Southerner |last=Martin |first=Rachel L. |year=2018 |access-date=May 28, 2019 |archive-date=May 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528070105/https://bittersoutherner.com/how-hot-chicken-really-happened/ |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1860, when the first [[American Civil War|rumblings of secession]] began to be heard across the [[Southern United States|South]], antebellum Nashville was a prosperous city.{{clarify|date=August 2025}}

The city's significance as a shipping port and rail center made it a desirable prize for competing military forces that wanted to control the region's important river and railroad transportation routes. In February 1862, Nashville became the first Confederate state capital to fall to [[Union (American Civil War)|U.S.]] troops, and the state was occupied by the U.S. Army for the duration of the war. Many enslaved African Americans from Middle Tennessee fled as refugees to Union lines; they were housed in contraband camps around military installations in Nashville's eastern, western, and southern borders. The [[Battle of Nashville]] (December 15–16, 1864) was a significant Union victory and perhaps the most decisive tactical victory gained by either side in the war; it was also the war's final major military action in which Tennessee regiments played a large part on both sides of the battle. Afterward, the Confederates conducted a [[war of attrition]], making [[guerrilla]] raids and engaging in small skirmishes. Confederate forces in the [[Deep South]] were almost constantly in retreat.

In 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War, the Nashville chapter of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] was founded by Confederate veteran [[John W. Morton (Tennessee politician)|John W. Morton]]. He was reported to have initiated General [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]] into the white-supremacist organization.<ref name="tennesseanobit">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/119557576/?terms=%22John%2BW.%2BMorton%22 |title=John W. Morton Passes Away in Shelby |work=The Tennessean |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=registration |pages=1–2 |date=November 21, 1914 |access-date=September 25, 2016 |quote=To Captain Morton came the peculiar distinction of having organized that branch of the Ku Klux Klan which operated in Nashville and the adjacent territory, but a more signal honor was his when he performed the ceremonies which initiated Gen. [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]] into the mysterious ranks of the Ku Klux Klan. |archive-date=October 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008185807/https://www.newspapers.com/image/119557576/?terms=%22John%2BW.%2BMorton%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> The latter became Grand Wizard of the organization, which had chapters of this secret, [[insurgent]] group forming throughout the state and across the South. They opposed voting and political organizing by [[freedmen]], tried to control their behavior by threats, violence and murder, and sometimes also attacked their White allies, including schoolteachers from the North and Freedman's Bureau officials.

Whites directed violence against freedmen and their descendants both during and after the [[Reconstruction era]]. Two freedmen, [[Lynching of David Jones|David Jones]] and [[Lynching of Jo Reed|Jo Reed]], were lynched in Nashville by White mobs in 1872 and 1875, respectively.<ref>{{cite news|title=A Night of Excitement. David Jones, the Murderer of Murray, Taken from the Jail by a Mob. Murderer Offers Resistance, and is Shot Twice. Afterwards Taken to the Public Square and Hanged in Front of the Station House. The Hanging Witnesses by Immense Crowd of Excited Citizens. Efforts of the Mayor to Restore Quiet. Gov. Brown Makes an Appeal in Behalf of Law and Order.|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/80864273/?terms=lynching|access-date=May 3, 2018|work=Nashville Union and American|date=March 26, 1872|page=4|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=registration|archive-date=May 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504011644/https://www.newspapers.com/image/80864273/?terms=lynching|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=A Fearful Outrage. A Negro Murderer Lynched by a Few Citizens in Nashville—A Mob Looking On and Endorsing the Deed. The State Disgraced by a Supine Set of Officers—An Unmitigated Outrage Against Law and Decency. A Crime for Which the Perpetrators Out to be Made to Pay with Their Lives—The Whole State Demands It. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/39789147/?terms=%22jo%2Breed%22 |access-date=June 5, 2018 |work=Memphis Daily Appeal |date=May 3, 1875 |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=registration |archive-date=July 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710230126/https://www.newspapers.com/image/39789147/?terms=%22jo%2Breed%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> Reed was hanged from a bridge over the river, but survived after the rope broke and he fell into the water. He successfully escaped the city soon thereafter.<ref>{{cite news |title=Marshall's Exit. A Fast Man's Career, with the Usual Ending. The Little Game He Played on Ex-Collector Peabody. His Address Is Now Somewhere Beyond the Rio Grande. What He Claimed to Know about the Jo Reed Affair. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/118747772/?terms=%22jo%2Breed%22 |access-date=June 5, 2018 |work=The American |date=December 25, 1875 |location=Nashville, Tennessee |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=registration |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022300/https://www.newspapers.com/image/118747772/?terms=%22jo%2Breed%22 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the aftermath of the Civil War, the [[Fisk Jubilee Singers]] of [[Fisk University]] in Nashville emerged as a beacon of hope and cultural pride. By 1871, this ensemble began touring the U.S. and Europe, earning international acclaim for their performances of [[Negro spirituals]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=II |first=Vann R. Newkirk |date=November 13, 2023 |title=How the Negro Spiritual Changed American Popular Music—And America Itself |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/12/fisk-university-jubilee-singers-choir-history/675813/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=The Atlantic |language=en |archive-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302032215/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/12/fisk-university-jubilee-singers-choir-history/675813/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Their success not only provided vital funding for their university<ref>{{Cite web |title=About The Fisk Jubilee Singers |url=https://fiskjubileesingers.org/about-the-singers/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=Fisk Jubilee Singers |language=en-US |archive-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302032217/https://fiskjubileesingers.org/about-the-singers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but also marked Nashville as a significant center for African American music and culture, laying the groundwork for the city's enduring musical legacy.

In 1873, Nashville suffered another cholera epidemic, along with towns throughout Sumner County along railroad routes and the Cumberland River. This was part of a larger epidemic that struck the Mississippi Valley system and other areas of the United States, such as New York and towns along its major lakes and rivers. The epidemic is estimated to have killed around 1,000 people in Nashville,<ref>{{cite book|last=Barnes|first=Joseph K.|date=1875|title=The Cholera Epidemic of 1873 in the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HwwPAAAAYAAJ|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=478|author-link=Joseph Barnes (American physician)|via=Google Books}}</ref> and 50,000 total.

[[File:View from Capitol. Nashville, Tennessee (5614200862).jpg|thumb|View from the [[Tennessee State Capitol]] {{Circa|1865}}]]
Meanwhile, the city had reclaimed its important shipping and trading position and developed a solid manufacturing base. The post–Civil War years of the late 19th century brought new prosperity to Nashville and Davidson County. Wealthy planters and businessmen built grand, classical-style buildings. A replica of the [[Parthenon (Nashville)|Parthenon]] was constructed in [[Centennial Park (Nashville)|Centennial Park]], near downtown.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Nashville-History.html |title=Nashville: History |website=City-data.com |access-date=September 28, 2016 |archive-date=October 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008154303/http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Nashville-History.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 30, 1892, [[Ephraim Grizzard]], an African-American man, was [[lynching in the United States|lynched]] in a spectacle murder in front of a white mob of 10,000 in Nashville. He was a suspect in the assault of two white sisters.<ref name="richmondthemobhaditsway">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/246663111/?terms=%22ephraim%2Bgrizzard%22 |title=The Mob Had Its Way. Ephraim Grizzard Taken from Jail at Nashville and Lynched |work=The Richmond Item |location=Richmond, Virginia |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |page=2 |date=May 2, 1892 |access-date=April 27, 2018 |url-access=registration |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022306/https://www.newspapers.com/image/246663111/?terms=%22ephraim%2Bgrizzard%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> His lynching was described by journalist [[Ida B. Wells]] as: "A naked, bloody example of the blood-thirstiness of the nineteenth century civilization of the Athens of the South."<ref name="wellsuniedstatesatrocities">{{cite book |url=http://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.beal/usatro0001&i=17 |title=United States Atrocities: Lynch Law |publisher="Lux" Newspaper and Publishing |first=Ida Bell |last=Wells |author-link=Ida B. Wells |page=7 |date=1892 |jstor=60222131 |access-date=April 27, 2018 |archive-date=April 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428012016/http://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.beal/usatro0001&i=17 |url-status=live }}</ref> His brother, Henry Grizzard, had been lynched and hanged on April 24, 1892, in nearby Goodlettsville as a suspect in the same assault incident. From 1877 to 1950, a total of six lynchings of Blacks were conducted in Davidson County, four before the turn of the century.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-third-edition-summary.pdf |title=Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror. Supplement: Lynchings by County |website=Equal Justice Initiative |edition=3rd |page=9 |date=2017 |access-date=May 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023063004/https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-third-edition-summary.pdf |archive-date=October 23, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Earlier 20th century===
[[File:Sky line view of Nashville, Tenn (74039).jpg|thumb|Depiction of Nashville skyline c. 1940s|alt=|left]]
By the turn of the century, Nashville was home to numerous organizations and individuals associated with revisionist [[Lost Cause of the Confederacy]] pseudohistory, and it has been referred to as the "cradle of the Lost Cause".<ref name="simpson29">{{cite book |last1=Simpson |first1=John A. |title=Edith D. Pope and Her Nashville Friends: Guardians of the Lost Cause in the Confederate Veteran |date=2003 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=Knoxville, Tennessee |isbn=978-1-57233-211-9 |oclc=428118511 |pages=29–31}}</ref> In 1893, the magazine ''[[Confederate Veteran]]'' began publication in the city.<ref name="goffjstorarticle">{{cite journal|last=Goff|first=Reda C.|title=The Confederate Veteran Magazine|journal=Tennessee Historical Quarterly|volume=31|issue=1|pages=45–60|jstor=42623281|date=Spring 1972}}</ref> In 1894, the first chapter of [[United Daughters of the Confederacy]] was founded in the city, and it hosted the first two conventions of the organization.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Simpson|first1=John A.|title=Edith D. Pope and Her Nashville Friends: Guardians of the Lost Cause in the Confederate Veteran|date=2003|publisher=University of Tennessee Press|location=Knoxville, Tennessee|isbn=978-1-57233-211-9|oclc=428118511|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dwh0dEOFS8C&q=9781572332119&pg=PA75}}</ref> Prominent proponents of the mythology, the so-called "guardians of the Lost Cause", were concentrated Downtown and in the West End, near [[Centennial Park (Nashville)|Centennial Park]].<ref name="simpson29" />

At the same time, [[Jefferson Street (Nashville)|Jefferson Street]] became the historic center of the African American community, with similar districts developing in the Black neighborhoods in East and North Nashville. In 1912, the [[Tennessee State University|Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial and Normal School]] was moved to Jefferson Street.<ref name=BitterSoutherner /> The first [[Prince's Hot Chicken Shack]] originated at the corner of Jefferson Street and 28th Avenue in 1945.<ref name=BitterSoutherner /> Jefferson Street became a destination for jazz and blues musicians,<ref name=BitterSoutherner /> and remained so until the federal government split the area by construction of [[Interstate 40]] in the late 1960s.<ref name="tennesseanfootpathbecame">{{cite news |last1=Deville |first1=Nancy |title=Footpath became heart of city's black middle class. From '40s to '60s, Jefferson Street among best known music districts in the nation |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/244959050 |access-date=May 6, 2018 |work=The Tennessean |date=June 24, 2004 |pages=1; 11 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=registration |archive-date=May 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507085606/http://www.newspapers.com/image/244959050/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1925, the establishment of the [[Grand Ole Opry]] marked the beginning of Nashville's journey as the 'Country Music Capital of the World',<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2, 2024 |title=Nashville: Country music capital of the world |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/nashville-country-music-capital-of-the-world/MAES5BENW4PUSZL3HQYQ5IP7RQ/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ |archive-date=December 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226043021/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/nashville-country-music-capital-of-the-world/MAES5BENW4PUSZL3HQYQ5IP7RQ/ |url-status=live }}</ref> drawing musicians and fans alike to the city and setting the stage for its future as a country music powerhouse.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Senator & William Frist |first=Senator Fred Thompson-- Collector |date=2000 |title=Grand Ole Opry |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200003532/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=lcweb2.loc.gov}}</ref>

===Mid-20th Century===

In 1950, the state legislature approved a new city charter that provided for the election of city council members from [[single-member district]]s, rather than [[at-large]] voting. This change was supported because at-large voting required candidates to gain a majority of votes from across the city. The previous system prevented the minority population, which then tended to support Republican candidates, from being represented by candidates of their choice; apportionment under single-member districts meant that some districts in Nashville had Black majorities. In 1951, after passage of the new charter, African American attorneys [[Z. Alexander Looby]] and Robert E. Lillard were elected to the city council.<ref>Spinney 1998, p. 96</ref>

In the late-1940's, recording studios began to set up shop in Nashville to record artists who performed at the Grand Ole Opry.<ref>Orr & Roland (January 3, 1999) "Music gave Nashville identity" The Tennessean.</ref> Then in 1950, the radio announcer David Cobb ad libbed on air “the sounds listeners were hearing on WSM radio were coming from ‘Music City, U.S.A.’ ” coining the moniker "Music City".<ref>Hieronymus, Clara (December 20, 1988) "Ex-WSM announcer David Cobb, 76, Dies" The Tennessean.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Willett |first1=Tom |title=Nashville – How 'Music City' Earned Its Name |url=https://scenesmedia.com/2020/01/nashville-how-music-city-earned-its-name/ |website=scenesmedia.com |access-date=12 September 2025}}</ref>

During the mid-1950s, Nashville underwent a musical transformation with the emergence of the '[[Nashville sound|Nashville Sound]],' which was characterized by "smooth strings and choruses", "sophisticated background vocals" and "smooth tempos" associated with [[traditional pop]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Byworth |first=Tony |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music |location=London |publisher=Flame Tree Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-84451-406-9 |pages=115–117, 169}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dawidoff |first=Nicholas |title=In the Country of Country |date=March 10, 1997 |publisher=Faber and Faber |isbn=0-571-19174-6 |location=Great Britain |pages=48–50}}</ref> The new sound broadened country music's appeal and solidified Nashville's status as a music recording and production center.

With the United States Supreme Court ruling in 1954 that public schools had to desegregate with "all deliberate speed", the family of student Robert Kelley filed a lawsuit in 1956, arguing that Nashville administrators should open all-White East High School to him. A similar case was filed by [[Reverend]] Henry Maxwell due to his children having to take a 45-minute bus ride from South Nashville to the north end of the city. These suits caused the courts to announce what became known as the "Nashville Plan", where the city's public schools would desegregate one grade per year beginning in the fall of 1957.<ref name=BitterSoutherner />

Urban redevelopment accelerated over the next several decades, and the city grew increasingly segregated. An interstate was placed on the edge of East Nashville while another highway was built through Edgehill, a lower-income, predominantly minority community.<ref name=BitterSoutherner />

===Postwar development to end of 20th century===
Rapid suburbanization occurred during the years immediately after [[World War II]], as new housing was being built outside city limits. This resulted in a demand for many new schools and other support facilities, which the county found difficult to provide. At the same time, suburbanization led to a declining tax base in the city, although many suburban residents used unique city amenities and services that were supported financially only by city taxpayers. After years of discussion, a referendum was held in 1958 on the issue of consolidating city and county government. It failed to gain approval although it was supported by the then-elected leaders of both jurisdictions, County Judge [[Beverly Briley]] and Mayor [[Ben West]].<ref name="bucy"/>

Following the referendum's failure, Nashville annexed some 42 square miles of suburban jurisdictions to expand its tax base. This increased uncertainty among residents, and created resentment among many suburban communities. Under the second charter for metropolitan government, which was approved in 1962, two levels of service provision were proposed: the General Services District and the Urban Services District, to provide for a differential in tax levels. Residents of the Urban Services District had a full range of city services. The areas that made up the General Services District, however, had a lower tax rate until full services were provided.<ref name="bucy">{{cite web |url=http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/Government/docs/MetroHistoryBucy.pdf |title=A Short History of the Creation of Metropolitan Government for Nashville-Davidson County |publisher=Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County |first=Carole |last=Bucy |date=2015 |access-date=January 27, 2015 |archive-date=January 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150125023240/http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/Government/docs/MetroHistoryBucy.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> This helped reconcile aspects of services and taxation among the differing jurisdictions within the large metro region.

In the early 1960s, Tennessee still had racial segregation of public facilities, including lunch counters and department store fitting rooms. Hotels and restaurants were also segregated. Between February 13 and May 10, 1960, [[Nashville sit-ins|a series of sit-ins]] were organized at lunch counters in downtown Nashville by the [[Nashville Student Movement]] and Nashville Christian Leadership Council, and were part of a broader [[sit-in movement]] in the southeastern United States as part of an effort to end racial segregation of public facilities.<ref>Houston 2012, p. 91–99</ref> On February 13, 1960, the  [[Nashville sit-ins]] began, although the Nashville students, trained by activists and nonviolent teachers [[James Lawson (American activist)|James Lawson]] and [[Myles Horton]], had been doing preliminary groundwork towards the action for two months.<ref name=UGeorgia>{{cite web|url=https://crdl.usg.edu/events/sit_ins_nashville_tn|website=Civil Rights Digital Library of the University of Georgia |title=Sit-ins: Nashville, Tenn. Years: 1960|quote=The sit-in demonstrations continued until April 19 when a bomb exploded in the home of Z. Alexander Looby, a prominent African American attorney who served as one of the primary lawyers for students arrested during the sit-ins. The incident prompted thousands of demonstrators to stage a march on City Hall where Nashville Mayor, Ben West, met the marchers on the building's front steps to address their grievances. When publicly asked if he supported discrimination based on race, West voiced his opposition to segregation. Anxious to move the city forward and restore downtown commerce, city officials and local businesses agreed to desegregate Nashville's public facilities on May 10, 1960.|year=2025|access-date=June 18, 2025}}</ref><ref name=LOC>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/multimedia/nashville-city-hall-confrontation.html|website=Library of Congress|title=The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom: Nashville—Confrontation at City Hall|access-date=June 18, 2025}}</ref> On April 19, 1960, the house of [[Z. Alexander Looby]], an African American attorney and council member, was bombed by segregationists.<ref name=UGeorgia /><ref name=LOC /><ref name="oshkoshblastwreckshome">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14347170/blast-wrecks-home-of-nashville-negro/ |title=Blast Wrecks Home Of Nashville Negro Lawyer |work=The Oshkosh Northwestern |location=Oshkosh, Wisconsin |agency=United Press International |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=April 19, 1960 |access-date=September 8, 2017 |archive-date=December 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226042943/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14347170/blast-wrecks-home-of-nashville-negro/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Protesters marched to the city hall the next day, when Mayor [[Ben West]] said he supported the desegregation of lunch counters, which civil rights activists had called for.<ref name=UGeorgia /><ref name=LOC /><ref name="newspalladiumnashvillesmayorforintegration">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60788427/nashvilles-mayor-for-integration/ |title=Nashville's Mayor for Integration |work=The News Palladium |location=Benton Harbor, Michigan |agency=Associated Press |page=8 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=April 20, 1960 |access-date=September 8, 2017 |archive-date=December 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226042943/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60788427/nashvilles-mayor-for-integration/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The sit-in ended successfully in May, under Mayor West.<ref name=UGeorgia /><ref name=LOC />

In 1963, Nashville consolidated its government with Davidson County, forming a [[Consolidated city-county|metropolitan government]]. The membership on the Metro Council, the legislative body, was increased from 21 to 40 seats. Of these, five members are elected [[at-large]] and 35 are elected from [[single-member district]]s, each to serve a term of four years.<ref name="bucy"/>

As Nashville evolved in the 1960s, its music scene diversified, welcoming [[Rock music|rock]], [[Pop music|pop]], and other genres and the 'Nashville Sound' transformed into '[[Countrypolitan]]'. Artists like [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Johnny Cash]] came to Nashville to record, reflecting the city's expanding influence in the music industry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bob Dylan in Nashville |url=https://countrymusichalloffame.org/exhibit/dylan-cash-and-the-nashville-cats-a-new-music-city/dylan-in-nashville/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=Country Music Hall of Fame |language=en-US |archive-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302032217/https://countrymusichalloffame.org/exhibit/dylan-cash-and-the-nashville-cats-a-new-music-city/dylan-in-nashville/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Johnny Cash |url=https://countrymusichalloffame.org/exhibit/dylan-cash-and-the-nashville-cats-a-new-music-city/johnny-cash/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=Country Music Hall of Fame |language=en-US |archive-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302032215/https://countrymusichalloffame.org/exhibit/dylan-cash-and-the-nashville-cats-a-new-music-city/johnny-cash/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1960, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' reported that Nashville had "nosed out [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] as the nation's second biggest (after [[New York City|New York]]) record-producing center."<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 16, 2008 |title=Country After Elvis {{!}} Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum {{!}} Nashville, Tennessee |url=http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/explore-history-postelvis.aspx |access-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516033857/http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/explore-history-postelvis.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1957 Nashville desegregated its school system using an innovative grade a year plan, in response to a class action suit ''Kelly vs. Board of Education of Nashville''. By 1966 the Metro Council abandoned the grade a year plan and completely desegregated the entire school system at one time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://historicnashvilleinc.org/|title=Historic Nashville {{!}} Keeping Nashville Unique Since 1968.|website=historicnashvilleinc.org|access-date=September 2, 2019|archive-date=June 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607181216/http://historicnashvilleinc.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Congress passed civil rights legislation in 1964 and 1965, but tensions continued as society was slow to change. On April 8, 1967, a riot broke out on the college campuses of Fisk University and Tennessee State University, [[historically black colleges and universities|historically Black colleges]], after [[Stokely Carmichael]] spoke about [[Black Power]] at [[Vanderbilt University]].<ref name="frizzellnotjustamatter">{{cite journal |last1=Frizzell |first1=Scott |title=Not Just a Matter of Black and White: The Nashville Riot of 1967 |journal=Tennessee Historical Quarterly |date=Spring 2011 |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=26–51 |jstor=42628733}}</ref> Although it was viewed as a "race riot", it had classist characteristics.<ref name="frizzellnotjustamatter"/>

In 1979, the [[Ku Klux Klan]] burnt crosses outside two African American sites in Nashville, including the city headquarters of the [[NAACP]].<ref name="tennesseanebertbustatthe">{{cite news |url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/08/18/nathan-bedford-forrest-bust-tennessee-capitol-what-you-need-know/578112001/ |title=Nathan Bedford Forrest bust at the Tennessee Capitol: What you need to know |work=The Tennessean |last1=Ebert |first1=Joel |date=August 18, 2017 |access-date=September 5, 2017 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022318/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/08/18/nathan-bedford-forrest-bust-tennessee-capitol-what-you-need-know/578112001/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Historically, Nashville [[Zoning in the United States|zoning]] permitted the construction of [[Duplex (building)|duplex]] housing. In the 1980s and 1990s, Nashville lawmakers downzoned sections of Nashville to exclusively permit [[Single-family detached home|single-family housing]]. Proponents of these downzonings said they would raise home values.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McKnight |first=Gail |date=June 4, 1984 |title=Bill requires Council nod on duplexes |work=The Tennessean}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=McKnight |first=Gail |date=July 6, 1984 |title=Council advances housing controls |work=The Tennessean}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Roland |first=Cindy |date=January 27, 1993 |title=Neighbors target duplexes |work=The Tennessean}}</ref>

Since the 1970s, the city and county have undergone tremendous growth, particularly during the [[boom and bust|economic boom]] of the 1990s under the leadership of then-Mayor and later-[[List of governors of Tennessee|Tennessee Governor]], [[Phil Bredesen]]. Making urban renewal a priority, Bredesen fostered the construction or renovation of several city landmarks, including the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]], the downtown [[Nashville Public Library]], the [[Bridgestone Arena]], and [[Nissan Stadium (Nashville)|Nissan Stadium]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Ammenheuser |first=David |date=January 22, 2016 |title=Arena took downtown Nashville from eerie to epic |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/columnist/dave-ammenheuser/2016/01/22/arena-took-downtown-nashville-eerie-epic/77092054/ |work=The Tennessean |location=Nashville, TN |access-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022314/https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/columnist/dave-ammenheuser/2016/01/22/arena-took-downtown-nashville-eerie-epic/77092054/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Allison |first=Natalie |date=October 27, 2018 |title=Phil Bredesen holds event celebrating 20 years of Titans, Predators in Nashville |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/tn-elections/2018/10/27/tennessee-elections-bredesen-holds-celebration-titans-predators-nissan-stadium/1763225002/ |work=The Tennessean |location=Nashville, TN |access-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022313/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/tn-elections/2018/10/27/tennessee-elections-bredesen-holds-celebration-titans-predators-nissan-stadium/1763225002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nissan Stadium (formerly Adelphia Coliseum and LP Field) was built after the [[National Football League]]'s (NFL) [[Houston Oilers]] agreed to move to the city in 1995. The NFL team debuted in Nashville in 1998 at [[Vanderbilt Stadium]], and Nissan Stadium opened in the summer of 1999. The Oilers changed their name to the [[Tennessee Titans]] and finished the season with the [[Music City Miracle]] and a close [[Super Bowl XXXIV|Super Bowl]] game.<ref>{{cite news |last=Boclair |first=David |date=July 27, 2017 |title=20 Moments From 20 Years of Titans in Tennessee |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/cover-story/article/20970366/miracles-fumbles-and-birds |work=Nashville Scene |location=Nashville, TN |access-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-date=May 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520232044/https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/cover-story/article/20970366/miracles-fumbles-and-birds |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[St. Louis Rams]] won on the [[Final play of Super Bowl XXXIV|last play]] of the game.<ref>{{cite news |last=Maske |first=Mark |title=Rams Get Late Score, Final Tackle to Win, 23–16 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nfl/longterm/1999/superbowl/stories/super31.htm |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 31, 2000 |access-date=November 19, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073612/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nfl/longterm/1999/superbowl/stories/super31.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1997, Nashville was awarded a [[National Hockey League]] expansion team; this was named the [[Nashville Predators]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Nashville Predators Timeline|url=http://www.wsmv.com/sports/13383940/detail.html|publisher=WSMV|access-date=May 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108112928/http://www.wsmv.com/sports/13383940/detail.html|archive-date=January 8, 2009|location=Nashville, TN|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since the 2003–04 season, the Predators have made the playoffs in all but four seasons. In 2017, they made the [[Stanley Cup Finals]] for the first time in franchise history, but ultimately fell to the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]], 4{{nbsp}}games to 2, in the best-of-seven series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/19609982/2017-stanley-cup-finals-penguins-win-stanley-cup-controversial-game-6|title=Penguins win Stanley Cup after controversial early whistle cancels out Predators goal|last=Pinchevsky|first=Tal|date=June 12, 2017|website=ESPN|access-date=July 23, 2019|archive-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723212900/https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/19609982/2017-stanley-cup-finals-penguins-win-stanley-cup-controversial-game-6|url-status=live}}</ref>

===21st century===
{{Recentism|date=March 2023}}
On January 22, 2009, residents rejected [[Nashville Charter Amendment 1]], which sought to make English the official language of the city.<ref>{{cite news|date=January 22, 2009|title=Nashville voters reject English-only measure|url=https://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/tenn.english.only.vote/|work=[[CNN]] |access-date=June 22, 2020|archive-date=September 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920120342/https://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/tenn.english.only.vote/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Between May 1 and 7, 2010, much of Nashville was [[2010 Tennessee floods|extensively flooded as part of a series of 1,000 year floods]] throughout Middle and West Tennessee. Much of the flooding took place in areas along the Cumberland and [[Harpeth River|Harpeth]] Rivers and [[Mill Creek (Davidson County, Tennessee)|Mill Creek]], and caused extensive damage to the many buildings and structures in the city, including the [[Grand Ole Opry|Grand Ole Opry House]], [[Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center]], [[Opry Mills|Opry Mills Mall]], [[Schermerhorn Symphony Center]], [[Bridgestone Arena]], and [[Nissan Stadium (Nashville)|Nissan Stadium]]. Sections of Interstate 24 and Briley Parkway were also flooded. Eleven people died in the Nashville area as a result of the flooding, and damages were estimated to be over $2 billion.<ref>{{cite news|last=Grigsby|first=Karen|date=April 30, 2015|title=20 things to know about the 2010 Nashville flood|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2015/04/30/nashville-flood-20-things-to-know/26653901/|work=The Tennessean|location=Nashville, Tennessee|access-date=January 5, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022313/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2015/04/30/nashville-flood-20-things-to-know/26653901/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city recovered after the [[Great Recession]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davidson |first=Charles |date=2 May 2019 |title=More Than Just Music City: Nashville Cultivates Diverse Economy |url=https://www.atlantafed.org/economy-matters/regional-economics/2019/05/02/more-than-just-music-city-nashville-cultivates-diverse-economy |access-date=1 February 2025 |website=Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta}}</ref> In March 2012, a Gallup poll ranked Nashville in the top five regions for job growth.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/153494/Oklahoma-City-Leads-Large-Cities-Job-Creation.aspx |title=Oklahoma City Leads Large Cities in Job Creation |agency=[[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] |first1=Lymari |last1=Morales |first2=Joe |last2=Daly |date=March 29, 2012 |access-date=February 9, 2017 |archive-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211080212/http://www.gallup.com/poll/153494/Oklahoma-City-Leads-Large-Cities-Job-Creation.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2013, Nashville was described as "Nowville" and "It City" by ''[[GQ]]'', ''[[Forbes]]'', and ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauljankowski/2013/01/23/nashville-is-nowville-and-has-been-for-a-while/ |title=Nashville Is Nowville...And Has Been For A While |work=[[Forbes]] |first=Paul |last=Jankowski |date=January 23, 2013 |access-date=September 6, 2017 |archive-date=October 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020051219/https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauljankowski/2013/01/23/nashville-is-nowville-and-has-been-for-a-while/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gq.com/gallery/nashville-guide-travel-fashion |title=Nowville: The GQ Guide to Nashville, Tennessee |work=[[GQ]] |date=July 2, 2012 |access-date=September 6, 2017 |archive-date=September 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907034108/https://www.gq.com/gallery/nashville-guide-travel-fashion |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/us/nashville-takes-its-turn-in-the-spotlight.html |title=Nashville's Latest Big Hit Could Be the City Itself |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Kim |last=Severson |date=January 8, 2013 |access-date=February 17, 2017 |archive-date=February 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208211959/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/us/nashville-takes-its-turn-in-the-spotlight.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nashville elected its first female mayor, [[Megan Barry]], on September 25, 2015.<ref name="tennesseangarrisonbarrypicks">{{cite news |url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2015/09/22/barry-picks-we-make-nashville-inauguration-theme/72639988/ |title=Barry picks 'We make Nashville' as inauguration theme |work=The Tennessean |last1=Garrison |first1=Joey |date=September 22, 2015 |access-date=May 31, 2017 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022317/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2015/09/22/barry-picks-we-make-nashville-inauguration-theme/72639988/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As a council member, Barry had officiated at the city's first same-sex wedding on June 26, 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wjhl.com/2015/06/26/mayoral-candidate-megan-barry-performs-1st-wedding-for-same-sex-couple-in-nashville/ |title=Mayoral candidate Megan Barry performs first wedding for same-sex couple in Nashville |work=WJHL.com |date=June 26, 2015 |access-date=September 8, 2017 |archive-date=July 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724114128/http://www.wjhl.com/2015/06/26/mayoral-candidate-megan-barry-performs-1st-wedding-for-same-sex-couple-in-nashville/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2017, Nashville's economy was deemed the third fastest-growing in the nation,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://headlightdata.com/fastest-growing-large-metro-economies/ |title=Fastest Growing Large Metro Economies Of 2016 Are Grand Rapids, Orlando, Nashville; Slowest Are Oklahoma, Houston, New Orleans |work=Headlight Data |date=July 5, 2017 |access-date=September 6, 2017 |archive-date=September 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907033652/http://headlightdata.com/fastest-growing-large-metro-economies/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the city was named the "hottest housing market in the US" by Freddie Mac realtors.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/residential-real-estate/article/20845554/freddie-mac-says-nashville-still-hottest-housing-market-in-us |title=Freddie Mac says Nashville still hottest housing market in U.S. |work=Nashville Post |first=Geert |last=De Lombaerde |date=December 1, 2016 |access-date=September 6, 2017 |archive-date=September 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907075248/http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/residential-real-estate/article/20845554/freddie-mac-says-nashville-still-hottest-housing-market-in-us |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2017, census estimates showed Nashville had passed [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] to become most populated city in Tennessee.<ref>{{cite news|last=McKenzie|first=Kevin|date=May 25, 2017|title=Nashville overtakes Memphis as Tennessee's largest city|url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2017/05/25/nashville-overtakes-memphis-tennessees-largest-city/342624001/|work=[[The Commercial Appeal]]|location=Memphis, Tennessee|access-date=January 5, 2019|archive-date=January 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104133701/https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2017/05/25/nashville-overtakes-memphis-tennessees-largest-city/342624001/|url-status=live}}</ref> Nashville has also made national headlines for its "homelessness crisis". Rising housing prices and the opioid crisis have resulted in more people being out on the streets: {{As of|2018|lc=yes}}, between 2,300 and 20,000 Nashvillians are homeless.<ref name="nashscenehomelessnesscrisis">{{cite news |last1=Hale |first1=Steven |title=Nashville's Homelessness Crisis in the National Spotlight |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/21000955/nashvilles-homelessness-crisis-in-the-national-spotlight |access-date=June 3, 2018 |work=Nashville Scene |date=April 16, 2018 |archive-date=April 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416201045/https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/21000955/nashvilles-homelessness-crisis-in-the-national-spotlight |url-status=live }}</ref>

On March 6, 2018, due to felony charges filed against Mayor Barry relating to the misuse of public funds, she resigned before the end of her term. A [[2018 Nashville mayoral special election|special election]] was called. Following a ruling by the [[Tennessee Supreme Court]], the Davidson County Election Commission set the special election for May 24, 2018, to meet the requirement of 75 to 80 days from the date of resignation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2018/04/11/nashville-mayor-election-date-2018-may/506731002/ |title=Nashville mayoral election now set for May 24 |work=The Tennessean |first=Joey |last=Garrison |date=April 11, 2018 |access-date=May 14, 2018 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022326/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2018/04/11/nashville-mayor-election-date-2018-may/506731002/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[David Briley]], who was Vice Mayor during the Barry administration and Acting Mayor after her resignation, won the special election with just over 54% of the vote,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nashville.gov/Election-Commission/About/Historical-Information/Election-Returns/May-24-Election-Results.aspx |title=May 24 Election Results |publisher=Davidson County Election Commission |date=May 24, 2018 |access-date=May 24, 2018 |archive-date=May 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525133547/http://www.nashville.gov/Election-Commission/About/Historical-Information/Election-Returns/May-24-Election-Results.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> becoming the 70th mayor of Nashville.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nashvillearchives.org/documents/mayors-of-nashville.pdf |title=List of Mayors of Nashville, Tennessee |work=Metro Archives |publisher=Nashville Public Library |access-date=January 23, 2019 |archive-date=January 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124102011/http://nashvillearchives.org/documents/mayors-of-nashville.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

On May 1, 2018, voters rejected [[Let's Move Nashville]], a referendum which would have funded construction of an $8.9 billion mass transit system under the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (now [[WeGo Public Transit]]) by a 2 to 1 margin.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tabuchi |first=Hiroko |author-link=Hiroko Tabuchi |date=June 19, 2018 |title=How the Koch Brothers Are Killing Public Transit Projects Around the Country |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/climate/koch-brothers-public-transit.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=New York City |access-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627222217/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/climate/koch-brothers-public-transit.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On September 28, 2019, [[John Cooper (Tennessee politician)|John Cooper]] became the ninth mayor of Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mayor's Office|url=https://www.nashville.gov/departments/mayor|access-date=September 2, 2021|website=Nashville.gov|language=en|archive-date=September 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902153031/https://www.nashville.gov/departments/mayor|url-status=live}}</ref>

Between 2010 and 2020, the city experienced significant changes and growth in population.  For example, the median home price in North Nashville increased from $100,710 in 2010 to $532,121 in 2020. During this period, four census tracts in the city transitioned from majority Black to majority non-Black. By 2020, 99% of Nashville's neighborhoods were considered unaffordable for Black and Hispanic families earning median incomes.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2025/05/14/nashville-gentrification-most-intense-in-the-usa-housing/83600030007/ | title=The Tennessean Subscription Offers, Specials, and Discounts | website=[[The Tennessean]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://safe.menlosecurity.com/https://www.thecentersquare.com/tennessee/article_9d2982f6-fc7b-11eb-a4ca-332d496fec0e.html{{failed verification|date=May 2025}}|title=Menlo Security}}</ref>

On March 3, 2020, [[2020 Nashville tornado|a tornado]] tracked west to east, just north of the downtown Nashville area, killing at least 25 people and leaving tens of thousands without electricity.  Neighborhoods impacted included North Nashville, Germantown, East Nashville, Donelson, and Hermitage.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tornadoes kill at least 19 people, leave trail of destruction in and around Nashville|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/03/03/nashville-tornado/|author1=Gee, Brandon|author2=Timothy Bella|author3=Kim Bellware|author4=Matthew Cappucci|newspaper=Washington Post|date=March 3, 2020|access-date=March 3, 2020|archive-date=March 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303150934/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/03/03/nashville-tornado/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On December 25, 2020, [[2020 Nashville bombing|a vehicle exploded on Second Avenue]], killing the perpetrator and injuring eight others.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 25, 2020|title=LIVE COVERAGE: Police release photo of RV before explosion in downtown Nashville|url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/explosion-reported-downtown-nashville-police-investigating|access-date=December 25, 2020|website=WTVF|language=en|archive-date=December 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225132745/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/explosion-reported-downtown-nashville-police-investigating|url-status=live}}</ref>

On March 27, 2023, [[2023 Covenant School shooting|a gunman killed three children and three staff]] at the Covenant School, before being fatally gunned down by police.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 27, 2023|title=Nashville school shooting live updates: Six killed, including three children|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-live-updates-rcna76861|access-date=March 27, 2023|website=NBC|language=en|archive-date=March 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327171546/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-live-updates-rcna76861|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Freddie O'Connell]] became the tenth mayor of Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County on September 25, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mealins |first=Molly Davis and Evan |title='Get right to work': Freddie O'Connell sworn in as Metro Nashville's 10th mayor |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2023/09/25/freddie-oconnell-sworn-in-as-metro-nashville-10th-mayor/70933131007/ |access-date=2025-09-12 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}}</ref> His election platform focused on improving transportation, and became a 2024 referendum called [[Choose How You Move (Nashville)|Choose How You Move]]. The referendum passed on November 5, 2024, to establish a dedicated funding source for transportation and associated infrastructure.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Choose How You Move |url=https://transit.nashville.gov/ |access-date=2025-09-12 |website=transit.nashville.gov |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mealins |first=Kelly Puente and Evan |title=Nashville voters overwhelmingly approve $3.1 billion transit plan |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/05/nashville-transit-referendum-election-results/75918047007/ |access-date=2025-09-12 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Garcia |first=Tony |date=2025-03-07 |title=11 projects will kick off Nashville's 'Choose How You Move' plan |url=https://www.wsmv.com/2025/03/07/11-projects-will-kick-off-nashvilles-choose-how-you-move-plan/ |access-date=2025-09-12 |website=www.wsmv.com |language=en}}</ref>

On [[Tornado outbreak of December 9–10, 2023|December 9, 2023]], tornadoes caused considerable destruction and left three people dead.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2023/12/09/tennessee-tornadoes-clarksville-springfield-nashville-madison-hendersonville-fatalities-severe-storm/71866438007/ | title='Sad day for our community': At least 6 dead as tornadoes rampage through Middle Tennessee | website=[[The Tennessean]] }}</ref>

==Geography==
===Topography===
[[File:Nashville by Sentinel-2, 2020-07-11.jpg|alt=|thumb|Satellite image of Nashville 2020]]
Nashville lies on the [[Cumberland River]] in the northwestern portion of the [[Nashville Basin]]. Nashville's elevation ranges from its lowest point, {{convert|385|ft|m|0}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]] at the Cumberland River,<ref name=usgs>{{cite web |url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#50 |title=Elevations of the 50 Largest Cities (by population, 1980 Census) |series=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |year=2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723213111/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=July 23, 2011 |access-date=April 20, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> to its highest point, {{convert|1163|ft|m|0}} above sea level in the [[Radnor Lake State Natural Area]].<ref name="Highest point on PeakBagger">{{cite web |url=http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7433 |title=Davidson County High Point, Tennessee |website=PeakBagger.com |access-date=April 18, 2017 |archive-date=April 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419192627/http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7433 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Highest point on TNBirds">{{cite web |url=http://www.tnbirds.org/IBA/SitePages/RadnorLake.htm |title=Radnor Lake State Natural Area |work=Important Bird Areas |publisher=Tennessee Ornithological Society |date=February 19, 2006 |access-date=April 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419200242/http://www.tnbirds.org/IBA/SitePages/RadnorLake.htm |archive-date=April 19, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nashville also sits at the start of the [[Highland Rim]], a geophysical region of very hilly land. Because of this, Nashville is very hilly. Nashville also has some stand alone hills around the city such as the hill on which the [[Tennessee State Capitol]] building sits. 
[[File:Plan of physiographic geological regions of Tennessee.jpg|thumb|Plan of physiographic geological regions of Tennessee]]
The higher elevations of the Highland Rim encircle the Nashville Basin with the Eastern and Western Highland Rim<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency |date=2015 |title=Western Highland Rim Forest Conservation Opportunity Area |url=https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/twra/documents/swap/coa/WestHighlandRimForestsCOA2015TNSWAP.pdf }}</ref> portions being the largest expanses. Part of the Western Highland Rim slopes down and wraps the hills along the western flanks of the city in a contiguous forest thought to be one of the largest of such forest habitats in Middle Tennessee. [[Nashville's Highland Rim Forest]] connects Beaman Park, Bells Bend Park, Warner Parks, and Radnor Lake State Park.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eggers |first=Caroline |date=June 14, 2024 |title=Middle Tennessee's largest forest is part of Nashville. Citizens want protection. |url=https://wpln.org/post/middle-tennessees-largest-forest-is-part-of-nashville-citizens-want-protection/ }}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|527.9|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|504.0|sqmi}} of it is land and {{convert|23.9|sqmi}} of it (4.53%) is water.

===Cityscape===
{{See also|List of tallest buildings in Nashville}}
[[File:Blue Angels honored frontline workers with formation flights over Nashville and Little Rock. (49897946906).jpg|thumb|U.S. Navy [[Blue Angels]] over Nashville in 2020]]
Nashville's downtown area features a diverse assortment of entertainment, dining, cultural and architectural attractions. The Broadway and 2nd Avenue areas feature entertainment venues, bars, night clubs, retail, and an assortment of restaurants. North of Broadway lie Nashville's central business district, Legislative Plaza, Capitol Hill and the [[Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park|Tennessee Bicentennial Mall]]. Cultural and architectural attractions can be found throughout the city.

Three major interstate highways (I-40, I-65 and I-24) converge near the core area of downtown, and many regional cities are within a day's driving distance.

Nashville's first skyscraper, the [[Life & Casualty Tower]], was completed in 1957 and launched the construction of other high rises in downtown Nashville. After the construction of the [[AT&T Building (Nashville)|AT&T Building]] (commonly referred to by locals as the "Batman Building") in 1994, the downtown area saw little construction until the mid-2000s. [[The Pinnacle at Symphony Place|The Pinnacle]], a high rise office building which opened in 2010, was the first skyscraper in Nashville to be built in the preceding 15 years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gallery: Grand opening for Pinnacle tower |work=Nashville Business Journal |date=February 11, 2010 |url=http://nashville.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2010/02/08/daily23.html |access-date=February 17, 2010 |archive-date=February 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215032141/http://nashville.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2010/02/08/daily23.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since 2000, Nashville has seen two urban construction booms (one prior to the Great Recession and the other after) that have yielded multiple high-rises (defined by Emporis as buildings of a minimum of 115 feet tall). Of the city's 33 towers of 300 feet tall or taller (as of April 2023), 24 have been completed since 2000. Of note, Nashville has a disproportionate number of buildings 300 feet and taller in relation to its overall metropolitan statistical area (MSA) population of about 2 million (2021 U.S. Census Bureau estimate). This is due, in large part, to the tourism-centric city's multiple hotel towers and to its many condominium high-rises having multiple unit owners who also own other residences in both Nashville and in other markets.

Many civic and infrastructure projects are being planned, in progress, or recently completed. A new MTA bus hub was recently completed in downtown Nashville, as was the Music City Star (now known as the [[WeGo Star]]) pilot project. Several public parks have been constructed, such as the Public Square. Riverfront Park is scheduled to be extensively updated. The [[Music City Center]] opened in May 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About {{!}} nashvillemusiccitycenter.com |url=https://www.nashvillemusiccitycenter.com/about |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=www.nashvillemusiccitycenter.com |archive-date=March 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330105030/https://www.nashvillemusiccitycenter.com/about |url-status=live }}</ref> It is a {{convert|1200000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} convention center with {{convert|350000|sqft|m2}} of exhibit space.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 22, 2019 |title=Music City Center in Nashville |url=https://www.visitmusiccity.com/meetings/music-city-center |access-date=March 1, 2024 |website=Visit Nashville TN |language=en |archive-date=October 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019145142/https://www.visitmusiccity.com/meetings/music-city-center |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Neighborhoods===
{{Div col|colwidth=12em|small=yes}}
* 12South
* [[Antioch, Tennessee|Antioch]]
* Belmont-Hillsboro
* [[Belle Meade, Tennessee|Belle Meade]]
* [[Bellevue, Tennessee|Bellevue]]
* [[Berry Hill, Tennessee|Berry Hill]]
* Bordeaux
* [[Buena Vista Historic District (Tennessee)|Buena Vista]]
* Cane Ridge
* Cleveland Park
* Crieve Hall
* [[Donelson, Tennessee|Donelson]]
* [[East Nashville, Tennessee|East Nashville]]
* [[Edgehill, Nashville|Edgehill Village]]
* Five Points/East End
* Germantown
* [[Green Hills, Nashville, Tennessee|Green Hills]]
* [[The Gulch, Nashville, Tennessee|The Gulch]]
* [[Hermitage, Tennessee|Hermitage]]
* [[Hillsboro Village]]
* Hope Gardens
* Inglewood
* [[Joelton, Tennessee|Joelton]]
* [[Lakewood, Tennessee|Lakewood]]
* [[Lockeland Springs]]
* [[Madison, Tennessee|Madison]]
* Midtown
* McFerrin Park
* North Nashville
* Oak Hill
* [[Old Hickory, Tennessee|Old Hickory]]
* Richland/Cherokee Park
* SoBro
* Sylvan Heights
* Sylvan Park
* The Nations
* Tusculum
* Whitland
* Woodbine
* Woodland-in-Waverly
* [[Whites Creek, Tennessee|Whites Creek]]
* [[West Meade, Nashville, Tennessee|West Meade]]
* West Nashville
{{Div col end}}

===Flora===
Nashville, with 56% of the ground surface within its city limits covered in urban tree canopy, has the largest percentage of forested area of any city in the U.S. With Nashville's 320,000 total acres, this translates into over 170,000 wooded acres that may earn it the largest urban tree canopy by area, as well.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eggers |first=Caroline |date=2024-06-28 |title=Nashville is 53-56% forested. Here's why it probably doesn't seem that way. |url=https://wpln.org/post/more-than-50-of-nashville-is-forested-heres-why-it-probably-doesnt-seem-that-way/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=WPLN News |language=en-US}}</ref> The nearby city of [[Lebanon, Tennessee|Lebanon]] is notable and even named for its so-called "cedar glades", which occur on soils too poor to support most trees and are instead dominated by [[Juniperus virginiana|Virginian juniper]]. [[Blackberry]] bushes, [[Pinus virginiana|Virginia pine]], [[Pinus taeda|loblolly pine]], [[Sassafras albidum|sassafras]], [[Acer rubrum|red maple]], [[Betula nigra|river birch]], [[Fagus grandifolia|American beech]], [[Arundinaria gigantea|river cane]], [[Kalmia latifolia|mountain laurel]] and [[Platanus occidentalis|sycamore]] are all common native trees, along with many others.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ag.tennessee.edu/tnyards/Documents/Native_Trees_for_Tennessee.pdf |title=Native Trees for Tennessee |website=The University of Tennessee, Agricultural Extension Service |first=Larry |last=Tankersley |date=July 1998 |access-date=July 6, 2019 |archive-date=July 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706124713/https://ag.tennessee.edu/tnyards/Documents/Native_Trees_for_Tennessee.pdf }}</ref>

In addition to the native forests, the combination of hot summers, abundant rainfall and mild winters permit a wide variety of both temperate and subtropical plants to be cultivated easily. [[Magnolia grandiflora|Southern magnolia]] and cherry blossom trees are commonly cultivated here, with the city having an annual cherry blossom festival.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2019/04/10/nashville-cherry-blossom-festival-chance-celebrate-friendship/3380269002/ |title=Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival is a chance to celebrate international friendship |work=The Tennessean |first=Hiroyuki |last=Kobayashi |date=April 9, 2019 |access-date=July 12, 2019 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022319/https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2019/04/10/nashville-cherry-blossom-festival-chance-celebrate-friendship/3380269002/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Lagerstroemia|Crepe myrtles]] and [[Taxus|yew]] bushes are also commonly grown throughout Metro Nashville, and the winters are mild enough that [[Magnolia virginiana|sweetbay magnolia]] is evergreen whenever it is cultivated. The [[pansy]] flower is popular to plant during the autumn, and some varieties will flower overwinter in Nashville's subtropical climate. However, many hot-weather plants like [[petunia]] and even [[Cyperus papyrus|papyrus]] thrive as annuals, and [[Musa basjoo|Japanese banana]] will die aboveground during winter but re-sprout after the danger of frost is over. Unbeknownst to most Tennesseans, even [[List of hardy palms|cold-hardy palms]], particularly [[Rhapidophyllum|needle palm]] and [[Sabal minor|dwarf palmetto]], are grown uncommonly but often successfully, while the taller [[Trachycarpus fortunei|windmill palm]] is more marginal, perishing below about {{convert|5|F|C}} without protection. High desert plants like [[Picea pungens|Colorado spruce]] and [[Opuntia humifusa|prickly pear cactus]] are also grown somewhat commonly, as are ''[[Yucca filamentosa]]'' and the trunking ''[[Yucca rostrata]]''.

===Climate===
{{climate chart
|Nashville, Tennessee
|30|49|4.0
|33|54|4.5
|40|63|4.5
|49|73|4.7
|58|80|5.0
|66|88|4.4
|71|91|4.2
|69|90|3.8
|62|84|3.8
|50|74|3.4
|39|61|3.9
|33|52|4.4
|units = imperial
|float = right
|clear = both}}
[[Nashville International Airport]] in Donelson has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa'', [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]] ''Cf''),<ref name="Petersen2016">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZsmrCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT228 |title=Physical Geography |publisher=Cengage Learning |first1=James F. |last1=Petersen |first2=Dorothy I. |last2=Sack |first3=Robert E. |last3=Gabler |edition=11th |page=205 |date=2016 |isbn=978-1-305-65264-4}}</ref> with hot, humid summers and generally cool winters typical of the [[Upper South]].<ref name="nash.brit.clim">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/humid-subtropical-climate |title=Humid subtropical climate |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |date=March 14, 2016 |access-date=December 26, 2016 |archive-date=December 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227062142/https://www.britannica.com/science/humid-subtropical-climate |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Pidwirny2006">{{cite book |section-url=http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7v.html |section=Climate Classification and Climatic Regions of the World |title=Fundamentals of Physical Geography |edition=2nd |first=Michael |last=Pidwirny |date=2006 |access-date=December 26, 2016 |archive-date=October 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015060602/http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7v.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="usatoday2011">{{cite web |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/climate-nashville-tennessee-59007.html |title=Climate of Nashville, Tennessee |work=[[USA Today]] |series=Travel Tips |first=Amy |last=Harris |date=2011 |access-date=December 26, 2016 |archive-date=December 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227060759/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/climate-nashville-tennessee-59007.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Snowfall occurs during the winter months, but it is usually not heavy. Average annual snowfall is about {{convert|4.7|in|cm|0}}, falling mostly in January and February and occasionally in March, November and December.<ref name="NOAA">{{cite web |url=http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=ohx |title=NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=December 21, 2011 |archive-date=January 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106094759/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=ohx |url-status=live }}</ref> The largest snow event since 2003 was on January 22, 2016, when Nashville received {{convert|8|in|cm|0}} of snow in a single storm; the largest overall was {{convert|17|in|cm|0}}, received on March 17, 1892, during the [[St. Patrick's Day Snowstorm]].<ref name="noaa-nash-snowst">{{cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx/?n=snowstorms |title=Snowstorms Producing at Least 6" at Nashville |work=NOAA.gov |date=November 17, 2009 |access-date=December 30, 2009 |archive-date=January 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104041709/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx/?n=snowstorms |url-status=live }}</ref>

Rainfall is typically greater in solar spring (Feb-Apr) and summer (May-Jul), while the solar autumn months (Aug-Oct) are the driest on average. Spring and fall are prone to [[severe thunderstorm]]s, which may bring [[tornado]]es, large [[hail]], flash floods and damaging wind, with recent major events on [[Tornado outbreak of April 15–16, 1998|April 16, 1998]]; [[Tornado outbreak of April 6–8, 2006|April 7, 2006]]; [[2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak|February 5, 2008]]; [[Tornado outbreak of April 9–11, 2009|April 10, 2009]]; [[2010 Tennessee floods|May 1–2, 2010]]; and [[March 2020 Tennessee tornado outbreak|March 3, 2020]]. Relative humidity in Nashville averages 83% in the mornings and 60% in the afternoons,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityrating.com/cityhumidity.asp?City=Nashville |title=Nashville Relative Humidity |work=Cityrating.com |access-date=August 4, 2008 |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210121326/http://www.cityrating.com/cityhumidity.asp?City=Nashville |url-status=live }}</ref> which is considered moderate for the Southeastern United States.<ref>{{cite book |title=Cities of the United States |publisher=Thomson-Gale |location=Detroit |author=Gale Research |volume=1 |edition=5th |year=2006 |page=511 |isbn=0-7876-7369-2}}</ref> In recent decades, due to urban development, Nashville has developed an [[urban heat island]]; especially on cool, clear nights, temperatures are up to {{convert|10|F-change|1}} warmer in the heart of the city than in rural outlying areas. The Nashville region lies within USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7b.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/nashvilles-plant-hardiness-zone-changed-the-map-for-gardeners-growers-was-updated-because-of-climate-change |title=Nashville's plant hardiness zone changed. The map for gardeners, growers was updated because of climate change |date=November 21, 2023 |publisher= News Channel 5 }}</ref>  From 1970 to 2020 the average summer temperature has risen 2.8 degrees F (1.5 C).<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 22, 2022 |title=An urban heat island: How average summer temperatures keep rising in Nashville |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/an-urban-heat-island-how-average-summer-temperatures-keep-rising-in-nashville |access-date=August 2, 2022 |website=WTVF |language=en |archive-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729084035/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/an-urban-heat-island-how-average-summer-temperatures-keep-rising-in-nashville |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nashville's long springs and autumns combined with a diverse array of trees and grasses can often make it uncomfortable for [[allergy]] sufferers.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070321/FEATURES04/703210425/1082/NEWS07 |title=Nashville's an allergy leader, but it's not alone |work=The Tennessean |first=Joy |last=Buchanan |date=March 21, 2007 |access-date=March 21, 2007}}{{dead link|date=April 2014}}</ref> In 2008, Nashville was ranked as the 26th-worst spring allergy city in the U.S. by the [[Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America]].<ref name="allergy08">{{cite web |url=http://aafa.org/pdfs/FINAL%20public%20LIST%20Spr2008.pdf |title=Spring Allergy Capitals 2008 |work=AAFA.org |access-date=April 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528122240/http://aafa.org/pdfs/FINAL%20public%20LIST%20Spr2008.pdf |archive-date=May 28, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The coldest temperature ever officially recorded in Nashville was {{convert|-17|°F}} on [[Winter 1985 cold wave|January 21, 1985]], and the hottest was {{convert|109|°F}} on [[2012 North American heat wave|June 29, 2012]].<ref name="records">{{cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx/?n=calendar |title=Calendar of Significant Weather Events in Middle Tennessee |work=NOAA.gov |date=August 3, 2009 |access-date=September 22, 2009 |archive-date=December 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204170641/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx/?n=calendar |url-status=live }}</ref> Nashville allegedly had a low of {{convert|-18|°F}} on January 26, 1832, but this was decades before record-keeping began and isn't counted as the official record low.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/ohx/calendar|title=Calendar of Significant Weather Events in Middle Tennessee|access-date=November 28, 2021|archive-date=November 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128120930/https://www.weather.gov/ohx/calendar|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
!Threshold
!Number of days
|-
|High > 80
|139.0
|-
|High > 90
|48.2
|-
|Low < 32
|71.4
|-
|High < 32
|7.3
|-
|Low < 10
|3.0
|}

====Donelson====
The mean annual temperature at Nashville International Airport is {{convert|60.8|F|1}}. Monthly averages range from {{convert|39.6|F|1}} in January to {{convert|80.7|F|1}} in July, with a [[diurnal temperature variation]] of {{convert|18.9|to|23.7|F-change|C-change}}. Diurnal temperature variation is highest in April and lowest in December, but it is also relatively high in October and relatively low in January. Donelson's climate classifications are [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa'' and [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]] ''Cfak'' thanks to its hot summers (average over {{convert|71.6|F|1}}), cool winters (average over {{convert|32.0|F|1}}) and long (8+ months) growing seasons (average over {{convert|50.0|F|1}}). Precipitation is abundant year-round without any major difference, but there is still slight variation. The wet season runs from February through July, reaching its zenith in May with 128&nbsp;mm of rain. The dry season runs from August through January with an October nadir of 85&nbsp;mm and secondary December peak of 113&nbsp;mm.

{{Nashville, Tennessee weatherbox|NOAA=Weather information}}

====Old Hickory====
The mean annual temperature at Old Hickory Dam is {{convert|58.5|F|1}}. Monthly averages range from {{convert|37.1|F|1}} in January to {{convert|78.6|F|1}} in August, with a [[diurnal temperature variation]] of {{convert|19.8|to|26.3|F-change|C-change}}. Diurnal temperature variation is highest in April and lowest in January. Old Hickory's climate classifications are [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa'' and [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]] ''Doak'' thanks to its hot summers (average over {{convert|71.6|F|1}}), cool winters (average over {{convert|32.0|F|1}}) and mediocre (4–7 months) growing seasons (average over {{convert|50.0|F|1}}). Precipitation is abundant year-round without any major difference, but there is still slight variation. The wet season runs from February through July, reaching its zenith in April with 120&nbsp;mm of rain. The dry season runs from August through January with an October/November nadir of 85&nbsp;mm and secondary December peak of 113&nbsp;mm. Data for record temperatures is spotty before June 2007 with another brief gap in data in January 2024, but temperatures in Old Hickory have been known to range from {{convert|-10|F|1}} in January 1966 to {{convert|106|F|1}} in June and July 2012.

{{Weather box
|location                = Old Hickory Dam, TN (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1965–present)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=ohx|title=Climate|access-date=November 28, 2021|archive-date=October 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031231205/https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=ohx|url-status=live}}</ref>
|collapsed               = Y |single line = Y
|Jan record high F       = 76
|Feb record high F       = 82
|Mar record high F       = 86
|Apr record high F       = 91
|May record high F       = 94
|Jun record high F       = 106
|Jul record high F       = 106
|Aug record high F       = 105
|Sep record high F       = 101
|Oct record high F       = 96
|Nov record high F       = 87
|Dec record high F       = 76
|year record high F      = 
|Jan avg record high F   = 67
|Feb avg record high F   = 72
|Mar avg record high F   = 79
|Apr avg record high F   = 86
|May avg record high F   = 91
|Jun avg record high F   = 96
|Jul avg record high F   = 97
|Aug avg record high F   = 97
|Sep avg record high F   = 95
|Oct avg record high F   = 88
|Nov avg record high F   = 77
|Dec avg record high F   = 69
|year avg record high F  = 99
|Jan high F              = 47.0
|Feb high F              = 51.4
|Mar high F              = 60.5
|Apr high F              = 71.3
|May high F              = 78.9
|Jun high F              = 86.1
|Jul high F              = 89.9
|Aug high F              = 90.2
|Sep high F              = 83.4
|Oct high F              = 72.1
|Nov high F              = 60.1
|Dec high F              = 50.2
|year high F             = 70.1
|Jan mean F              = 37.1
|Feb mean F              = 40.7
|Mar mean F              = 48.6
|Apr mean F              = 58.2
|May mean F              = 66.9
|Jun mean F              = 75.1
|Jul mean F              = 78.5
|Aug mean F              = 78.6
|Sep mean F              = 71.6
|Oct mean F              = 59.7
|Nov mean F              = 47.9
|Dec mean F              = 39.5
|year mean F             = 58.5
|Jan low F               = 27.2
|Feb low F               = 30.0
|Mar low F               = 36.8
|Apr low F               = 45.0
|May low F               = 54.9
|Jun low F               = 64.1
|Jul low F               = 67.0
|Aug low F               = 67.0
|Sep low F               = 59.8
|Oct low F               = 47.2
|Nov low F               = 35.7
|Dec low F               = 28.8
|year low F              = 47.0
|Jan avg record low F    = 10
|Feb avg record low F    = 13
|Mar avg record low F    = 21
|Apr avg record low F    = 31
|May avg record low F    = 40
|Jun avg record low F    = 54
|Jul avg record low F    = 59
|Aug avg record low F    = 58
|Sep avg record low F    = 48
|Oct avg record low F    = 33
|Nov avg record low F    = 22
|Dec avg record low F    = 17
|year avg record low F   = 9
|Jan record low F        = -10
|Feb record low F        = 0
|Mar record low F        = 8
|Apr record low F        = 21
|May record low F        = 34
|Jun record low F        = 47
|Jul record low F        = 52
|Aug record low F        = 54
|Sep record low F        = 36
|Oct record low F        = 26
|Nov record low F        = 14
|Dec record low F        = -3
|year record low F       = 
|precipitation colour    = green
|Jan precipitation inch  = 3.73
|Feb precipitation inch  = 4.26
|Mar precipitation inch  = 4.64
|Apr precipitation inch  = 4.74
|May precipitation inch  = 4.55
|Jun precipitation inch  = 3.76
|Jul precipitation inch  = 4.05
|Aug precipitation inch  = 3.38
|Sep precipitation inch  = 3.70
|Oct precipitation inch  = 3.33
|Nov precipitation inch  = 3.35
|Dec precipitation inch  = 4.44
|year precipitation inch = 47.93
|snow colour             = 
|Jan snow inch           = 0.6
|Feb snow inch           = 0.3
|Mar snow inch           = 0.2
|Apr snow inch           = 0
|May snow inch           = 0
|Jun snow inch           = 0
|Jul snow inch           = 0
|Aug snow inch           = 0
|Sep snow inch           = 0
|Oct snow inch           = 0
|Nov snow inch           = 0
|Dec snow inch           = 0.1
|year snow inch          = 1.2
|source 1                = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=ohx
}}

==Demographics==
{{See also|List of people from Nashville, Tennessee}}
{{US Census population
| 1790 = 
| 1800 = 345
| 1810 = 1100
| 1820 = 3410
| 1830 = 5566
| 1840 = 6929
| 1850 = 10165
| 1860 = 16988
| 1870 = 25865
| 1880 = 43350
| 1890 = 76168
| 1900 = 80865
| 1910 = 110364
| 1920 = 118342
| 1930 = 153866
| 1940 = 167402
| 1950 = 174307
| 1960 = 170874
| 1970 = 448003
| 1980 = 455651
| 1990 = 488374
| 2000 = 545524
| 2010 = 601222
| 2020 = 689447
| estimate = 704963
| estyear = 2024
| footnote = Sources:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2015/SUB-EST2015-3.html |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=2016 |access-date=May 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019182931/https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2015/SUB-EST2015-3.html |archive-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027.html |title=Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places In The U.S.: 1790 to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |first=Campbell |last=Gibson |date=June 1998 |access-date=August 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314031958/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027.html |archive-date=March 14, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t5/tables/tab02.txt |title=Ranking Tables for Incorporated Places of 100,000 or More: 1990 and 2000 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=April 2, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618153805/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t5/tables/tab02.txt |archive-date=June 18, 2009}}</ref><ref name="QuickFacts" /><br />Notes:{{efn|The significant increase between 1960 and 1970 is due to the merging of Nashville and Davidson County in 1963.}}
}}

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Historical racial composition<!-- THIS TABLE CONTAINS THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE BALANCE POPULATION ONLY. DO NOT EDIT THIS DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION UNLESS YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CONSOLIDATED POPULATION AND A BALANCE POPULATION --> !! 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Tennessee|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US4752006&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=November 27, 2022|archive-date=November 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127032210/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US4752006&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|url-status=live}}</ref>!! 2010<ref name="2010quickfacts">{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP05/0500000US47037 |title=ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=April 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213035520/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP05/0500000US47037 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> !! 1990<ref name="census1">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/TNtab.pdf |title=Table 43. Tennessee – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Large Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=July 13, 2005 |access-date=April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917171933/https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/TNtab.pdf|archive-date=September 17, 2011}}</ref> !! 1980<ref name="census1"/> !! 1970<ref name="census1"/>
|-
| [[White American|White (Non-Hispanic)]] || 53.3% || 56.3% || 73.2% || 75.2% || 79.5%{{efn|name="fifteen"|From 15% sample}}
|-
| [[African Americans|Black or African American]] (Non-Hispanic)|| 24.3% || 28.2% || 24.3% || 23.3% || 19.6%
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] || 14.0% || 10.0% || 0.9% || 0.8% || 0.6%{{efn|name="fifteen"}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] || 3.9% || 3.1% || 1.4% || 0.5% || 0.1%
|-
| [[Multiracial American|Mixed]] ||3.8% || 1.9%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian and Alaska Native]] || 0.2% || 0.2% || 0.8% || 0.2% || 0.1% 
|-
| [[Pacific Islands Americans|Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander]] || 0.1% || 0.0% || 0.1% || N/A || N/A 
|-
| Other Race ||0.5%
|}
<!-- THIS PARAGRAPH CONTAINS THE DATA FOR THE BALANCE POPULATION ONLY. DO NOT EDIT THIS POPULATION INFORMATION UNLESS YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CONSOLIDATED POPULATION AND A BALANCE POPULATION -->As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 689,447 people, 279,545 households, and 146,241 families residing in the city. The population increase of 88,225, or 14.67% over the [[2010 United States census|2010]] figure of 601,222 residents, represented the largest net population increase in the city's history.{{efn|Excluding the increase between [[1960 United States census|1960]] and [[1970 United States census|1970]], which was mostly due to the consolidation of the governments of Nashville and Davidson County}} The [[population density]] was {{convert|1,367.87|PD/sqmi|PD/sqkm}}.

In 2010, there were 254,651 households and 141,469 families (55.6% of households). Of households with families, 37.2% had married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present. 27.9% of all households had children under the age of 18, and 18.8% had at least one member 65 years of age or older. Of the 44.4% of households that are non-families, 36.2% were individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.16.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/09_3YR/DP3YR2/0500000US47037 |title=Davidson County, Tennessee: Selected Social Characteristics in the United States: 2007–2009 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |year=2009 |access-date=April 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213112443/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/09_3YR/DP3YR2/0500000US47037 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Nashville-Davidson, TN.png|thumb|Ethnic origins in Nashville]]
The age distribution was 22.2% under 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/np/1.0/en/ACS/09_1YR/NP01/0500000US47037 |title=Davidson County, Tennessee: Population and Housing Narrative Profile: 2007–2009 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=2009 |access-date=August 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213084227/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/np/1.0/en/ACS/09_1YR/NP01/0500000US47037 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The median income for a household in the city was $46,141, and the median income for a family was $56,377. Males with a year-round, full-time job had a median income of $41,017 versus $36,292 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,372. About 13.9% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_5YR/DP03/1600000US4752006 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212083313/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_5YR/DP03/1600000US4752006 |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |title=Nashville-Davidson County metropolitan government: Selected Economic Characteristics: 2007–2011 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=2011 |access-date=November 13, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Of residents 25 or older, 33.4% have a bachelor's degree or higher.<ref name="consolidated">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/davidsoncountytennessee,US/PST045217 |title=State & County QuickFacts – Davidson County, Tennessee |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=April 18, 2019 |access-date=July 12, 2019 |archive-date=April 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413094053/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/davidsoncountytennessee,US/PST045217 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Because of its relatively low cost of living and large job market, Nashville has become a popular city for [[Immigration to the United States|immigrants]].<ref name="refugees">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/20/national/20REFU.html?ei=5007&en=913fc8336985e647&ex=1374033600 |title=U.S. a Place of Miracles for Somali Refugees |work=The New York Times |first=Rachel L |last=Swarns |date=July 20, 2003 |access-date=August 3, 2011 |archive-date=June 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606233024/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/20/national/20REFU.html?ei=5007&en=913fc8336985e647&ex=1374033600 |url-status=live }}</ref> Nashville's foreign-born population more than tripled in size between 1990 and 2000, increasing from 12,662 to 39,596. The city's largest immigrant groups include [[Mexican Americans|Mexicans]],<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Nashville's Hispanics|url=https://www.economist.com/democracy-in-america/2015/03/14/adelante|newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=March 14, 2015|access-date=June 2, 2020|archive-date=July 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726180211/https://www.economist.com/democracy-in-america/2015/03/14/adelante|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Kurdish Americans|Kurds]],<ref name="kurdish1">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-06-15-south-big-fish_x.htm |title=Who's the biggest fish in the South? |work=USA Today |first=Larry |last=Copeland |date=June 15, 2006 |access-date=August 3, 2011 |archive-date=June 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623200140/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-06-15-south-big-fish_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Vietnamese Americans|Vietnamese]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Meyer|first=Holly|date=April 30, 2015|title=Nashville residents recall harrowing fall of Saigon|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/30/nashville-residents-recall-harrowing-fall-of-saigon/26621275/|work=USA Today|access-date=June 2, 2020|archive-date=May 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516142914/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/30/nashville-residents-recall-harrowing-fall-of-saigon/26621275/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Laotian Americans|Laotians]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/chart/top-10-u-s-metropolitan-areas-by-laotian-population/|title=Top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas by Laotian population, 2015|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=September 8, 2017|website=pewsocialtrends.org|publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]|access-date=June 2, 2020|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115181944/https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/chart/top-10-u-s-metropolitan-areas-by-laotian-population/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Arab Americans|Arabs]],<ref name=aljazeera>{{cite news|last=Piven|first=Ben|date=October 15, 2012|title=Immigrants thrive in US country music capital|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/10/2012101562146831853.html|work=[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]]|access-date=June 2, 2020|archive-date=April 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406091045/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/10/2012101562146831853.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Somalis]].<ref name=aljazeera/> There are also smaller communities of [[Pashtuns]] from [[Afghanistan]] and Pakistan concentrated primarily in [[Antioch, Tennessee|Antioch]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nashville.gov/humanrelations/docs/immigrant_community_assessment_nashville.pdf |title=Final Report of the Immigrant Community Assessment |work=Nashville.gov |first1=Daniel B. |last1=Cornfield |first2=Angela |last2=Arzubiaga |first3=Rhonda |last3=BeLue |first4=Susan L. |last4=Brooks |first5=Tony N. |last5=Brown |first6=Oscar |last6=Miller |first7=Douglas D. |last7=Perkins |first8=Peggy A. |last8=Thoits |first9=Lynn S. |last9=Walker |display-authors=5 |date=August 15, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531192900/http://www.nashville.gov/humanrelations/docs/immigrant_community_assessment_nashville.pdf |archive-date=May 31, 2010 |access-date=August 4, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nashville has the [[Kurdish population of Nashville|largest Kurdish community in the United States]], numbering approximately 15,000.<ref name=tennessean062317>{{cite news|last=Sawyer|first=Ariana Maia|date=June 23, 2017|title=Who are the Kurds, and why are they in Nashville?|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2017/06/23/who-kurds-and-why-they-nashville/97706968/|work=The Tennessean|access-date=June 2, 2020|archive-date=April 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402051132/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2017/06/23/who-kurds-and-why-they-nashville/97706968/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, about 60,000 [[Bhutanese refugees]] were being admitted to the U.S., and some were expected to resettle in Nashville.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090101/NEWS01/901010349/1001/RSS6001 |title=Newest refugees hail from Bhutan |work=The Tennessean |first=Chris |last=Echegaray |date=January 1, 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> During the [[Iraqi parliamentary election, January 2005|Iraqi election of 2005]], Nashville was one of the few international locations where [[Iraqi Americans|Iraqi]] expatriates could vote.<ref name="kurdish2">{{cite news |url=http://www.tennessean.com/government/archives/05/01/63956949.shtml?Element_ID=63956949 |title=Local Iraqis ready to vote but worried about process |work=The Tennessean |first=Leon |last=Alligood |date=January 11, 2005 }}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} [http://www.aina.org/news/20050111105713.jsp Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907223429/http://www.aina.org/news/20050111105713.jsp |date=September 7, 2012 }}</ref> The [[American Jews|American Jew]]ish community in Nashville dates back over 150 years, and numbered about 8,000 in 2015, plus 2,000 Jewish college students.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brandeis.edu/ssri/pdfs/NashvilleCommStudy2015.pdf |title=2015 Nashville and Middle Tennessee Jewish Community Study |publisher=Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, Brandeis University |first1=Matthew |last1=Boxer |first2=Janet Krasner |last2=Aronson |first3=Matthew A. |last3=Brookner |first4=Ashley |last4=Perry |date=2016 |access-date=September 6, 2016 |archive-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915180556/http://www.brandeis.edu/ssri/pdfs/NashvilleCommStudy2015.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1779, approximately 20 percent of the settlers in Fort Nashborough were enslaved and free individuals of African descent. From this period until the Civil War, a burgeoning African American community in Nashville, under the guidance of a select few black leaders, diligently laid the groundwork for a prosperous society. They established educational institutions, places of worship, and enterprises, all contributing to the development and progress of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tnstate.libguides.com/blacknashville|title=Introduction - Black Nashville in History & Memory|access-date=March 26, 2024|archive-date=March 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326125216/https://tnstate.libguides.com/blacknashville|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Metropolitan area===
{{Main|Nashville metropolitan area}}

{{As of|2020}}, Nashville has the largest [[metropolitan area]] in the state of Tennessee, with a population of  2,014,444.<ref name="nash-metroarea">{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2018/PEPANNRES/310M400US34980 |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2018 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=April 2019 |access-date=July 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213114651/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2018/PEPANNRES/310M400US34980 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Nashville metropolitan area encompasses 13 of 41 [[Middle Tennessee]] counties: [[Cannon County, Tennessee|Cannon]], [[Cheatham County, Tennessee|Cheatham]], [[Davidson County, Tennessee|Davidson]], [[Dickson County, Tennessee|Dickson]], [[Macon County, Tennessee|Macon]], [[Maury County, Tennessee|Maury]], [[Robertson County, Tennessee|Robertson]], [[Rutherford County, Tennessee|Rutherford]], [[Smith County, Tennessee|Smith]], [[Sumner County, Tennessee|Sumner]], [[Trousdale County, Tennessee|Trousdale]], [[Williamson County, Tennessee|Williamson]], and [[Wilson County, Tennessee|Wilson]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/List4.txt |title=Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Components, November 2004, With Codes |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=March 2005 |access-date=August 3, 2011 |archive-date=August 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804212914/http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/List4.txt |url-status=live }}</ref> The 2020 population of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Columbia [[combined statistical area]] was 2,118,233.<ref name="nash-csa">{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2018/GCTPEPANNR.US41PR |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213004914/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2018/GCTPEPANNR.US41PR |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2018 – United States – Combined Statistical Area; and for Puerto Rico |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=April 2019 |access-date=July 12, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Religion ===
59.6% of people in Nashville claim religious affiliation according to information compiled by [[Sperling's BestPlaces]]. The dominant religion in Nashville is [[Christianity]], accounting for 57.7% of the population. The Christian population is broken down into 20.6% [[Baptists]], 6.2% [[Catholic Church|Catholics]], 5.6% [[Methodism|Methodists]], 3.4% [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]], 3.4% [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterians]], 0.8% [[Mormons]], and 0.5% [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]]. 15.7% identify with other forms of Christianity, including the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Church]] and [[Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)|Disciples of Christ]]. [[Islam]] is the second largest religion, with 0.8% of the population. 0.6% of the population adhere to [[eastern religions]] such as [[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Hinduism]], and 0.3% follow [[Judaism]].<ref name="best-religion">{{cite web |url=https://www.bestplaces.net/religion/city/tennessee/nashville-davidson |title=Religion in Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee |work=[[Sperling's BestPlaces]] |access-date=February 11, 2019 |archive-date=February 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204065847/https://www.bestplaces.net/religion/city/tennessee/nashville-davidson |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Economy==
{{See also|List of companies based in Nashville, Tennessee}}
[[File:AT&T Building, Commerce Street and 3rd Avenue, Nashville, TN (54384169042).jpg|thumb|upright|[[333 Commerce]] is the tallest building in Tennessee.]]

In the 21st century's second decade, Nashville was described as a "southern boomtown" by numerous publications.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/nashville-is-americas-new-boomtown-2013-5 |title=Nashville Is America's New Boomtown |work=Business Insider |first=Claire |last=Gordon |date=May 7, 2013 |access-date=September 6, 2017 |archive-date=September 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907033953/http://www.businessinsider.com/nashville-is-americas-new-boomtown-2013-5 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2011/07/06/the-next-big-boom-towns-in-the-u-s/#15bba5905e42 |title=The Next Big Boom Towns In The U.S. |work=Forbes |first=Joel |last=Kotkin |date=July 6, 2011 |access-date=October 29, 2017 |archive-date=October 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030003741/https://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2011/07/06/the-next-big-boom-towns-in-the-u-s/#15bba5905e42 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017, it had the third-fastest-growing metropolitan  economy in the United States<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2017/08/09/the-10-big-u-s-cities-with-the-fastest-growing-economies/ |title=The 10 Big U.S. Cities With the Fastest-Growing Economies |work=Forbes |first=Karsten |last=Strauss |date=August 9, 2017 |access-date=September 6, 2017 |archive-date=September 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907034753/https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2017/08/09/the-10-big-u-s-cities-with-the-fastest-growing-economies/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and "adds an average of 100 people a day to its net population increase".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/03/28/new-data-nashville-region-still-growing-100-people-day/99733098/ |title=New data: Nashville region still growing by 100 people a day |work=The Tennessean |first=Joey |last=Garrison |date=March 28, 2017 |access-date=September 6, 2017 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022322/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/03/28/new-data-nashville-region-still-growing-100-people-day/99733098/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Nashville region was also said to be the "Number One" Metro Area for Professional and Business Service Jobs in America;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2017/06/26/the-cities-that-are-creating-the-most-high-wage-jobs/ |title=The Cities Creating The Most High-Wage Jobs |work=Forbes |first=Joel |last=Kotkin |date=June 26, 2017 |access-date=September 6, 2017 |archive-date=September 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908193302/https://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2017/06/26/the-cities-that-are-creating-the-most-high-wage-jobs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Zillow]] said it had the "hottest Housing market in America".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.zillow.com/blog/hottest-housing-markets-2017-209986/ |title=Nashville Tops the List of Hottest Housing Markets for 2017 |work=Zillow Porchlight |first=Melissa |last=Allison |date=January 6, 2017 |access-date=September 6, 2017 |archive-date=September 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907034027/https://www.zillow.com/blog/hottest-housing-markets-2017-209986/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2013, the city ranked No. 5 on ''[[Forbes]]''{{'}} list of the Best Places for Business and Careers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/best-places-for-business/ |title=Best Places For Business and Careers |work=Forbes |first=Kurt |last=Badenhausen |date=August 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808004953/http://www.forbes.com/best-places-for-business |archive-date=August 8, 2013}}</ref> In 2015, ''Forbes'' put Nashville as the fourth Best City for White Collar Jobs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2015/07/13/the-cities-adding-the-most-white-collar-jobs |title=The Cities Creating The Most White-Collar Jobs |first1=Joel |last1=Kotkin |last2=Shires |first2=Michael |work=Forbes |date=July 13, 2015 |access-date=August 22, 2017 |archive-date=August 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807033606/https://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2015/07/13/the-cities-adding-the-most-white-collar-jobs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, Business Facilities' 11th Annual Rankings report named Nashville the number one city for Economic Growth Potential.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://businessfacilities.com/2015/07/metro-and-global-rankings/ |title=11th Annual Rankings Report: Metro and Global Rankings |work=Business Facilities (BF) Magazine |date=July 30, 2015 |access-date=October 28, 2015 |archive-date=October 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027192734/http://businessfacilities.com/2015/07/metro-and-global-rankings/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Fortune 500]] companies with offices within Nashville include [[Bank of New York Mellon|BNY Mellon]], [[Bridgestone]] Americas, [[Ernst & Young]], [[Community Health Systems]], [[Dell]],<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/pressoffice/en/2006/2006_06_02_nv_000?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs |title=Dell to Expand Nashville Operations; Increase Area Workforce By Up to 1,000 Employees |publisher=Dell.com |date=June 2, 2006 |access-date=December 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116054145/http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/pressoffice/en/2006/2006_06_02_nv_000?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs |archive-date=January 16, 2009 }}</ref> [[Deloitte]], [[Dollar General]], [[Hospital Corporation of America]], [[Nissan]] North America, [[Philips]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/08/24/fortune-500-company-bringing-jobs-to-middle.html |title=Fortune 500 company bringing jobs to Middle Tennessee |work=Nashville Business Journal |first=Adam |last=Sichko |date=August 24, 2017 |access-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826155804/https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/08/24/fortune-500-company-bringing-jobs-to-middle.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Tractor Supply Company]], and [[UBS]]. Of these, Community Health Systems, Dollar General, [[SmileDirectClub]], Hospital Corporation of America, and Tractor Supply Company are headquartered in the city. Many popular food companies are based in Nashville including [[Captain D's]], [[Hunt Brothers Pizza]], [[O'Charley's]], [[Logan's Roadhouse]], [[J. Alexander's]], and [[Stoney River Legendary Steaks]].

As the "home of country music", Nashville has become a major music recording and production center. The [[music industry|Big Three record labels]], as well as numerous independent labels, have offices in Nashville, mostly in the [[Music Row]] area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clubnashville.com/labels.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070808102905/http://www.clubnashville.com/labels.htm |archive-date=August 8, 2007 |title=Country Music Labels |work=ClubNashville.com |access-date=March 10, 2006 }}</ref> Nashville has been the headquarters of guitar company [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]] since 1984. Since the 1960s, Nashville has been the second-largest music production center (after New York City) in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,711961,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071205011236/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,711961,00.html |archive-date=December 5, 2007 |title=Hoedown on a Harpsichord |magazine=Time |date=November 14, 1960 |access-date=August 3, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nashville's music industry is estimated to have a total economic impact of about $10{{nbsp}}billion per year and to contribute about 56,000 jobs to the Nashville area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/nashville-music-industry-study.pdf|title=Nashville Music Industry: Impact, Contribution and Cluster Analysis|work=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]|date=September 2015|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=December 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171218220049/https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/nashville-music-industry-study.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Beyond its major industries, Nashville has hosted significant standardization events. In May 1997, the city was the site of a pivotal moment for the [[garage door]] industry during the International Garage Door Exposition, where the newly formed Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation (IDEA) administered its inaugural professional certification examinations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tennessee's Contributions to Garage Door Industry Development |url=https://doclecture.net/1-67861.html |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=doclecture.net}}</ref> Trade publications confirm this event established the industry's first cohort of accredited professionals.

The area's largest industry is health care. Nashville is home to more than 300 health care companies, including [[Hospital Corporation of America]] (HCA), the world's largest private operator of hospitals.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://businessclimate.com/nashville-tn-area-economic-development/nashvilles-health-care-industry-has-great-prognosis |title=Nashville's Health-Care Industry has Great Prognosis |work=Businessclimate.com |first=Melanie |last=Hill |date=September 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503003012/http://businessclimate.com/nashville-tn-area-economic-development/nashvilles-health-care-industry-has-great-prognosis |archive-date=May 3, 2013 |access-date=March 8, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/12/17/hospital-corporation-of-america-has-4-000-job-openings/ |title=Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) has 4,000 Job Openings |work=AOL Jobs |first=Jane |last=Genova |date=December 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309015338/http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/12/17/hospital-corporation-of-america-has-4-000-job-openings/ |archive-date=March 9, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2012}}, it was estimated the health care industry contributes {{US$|30 billion}} per year and 200,000 jobs to the Nashville-area economy.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://businessclimate.com/nashville-tn-area-economic-development/nashvilles-premier-medical-services-keep-health-care-industry |title=Nashville's Premier Medical Services Keep Health-Care Industry Booming |work=Businessclimate.com |first=Tiffany L. |last=Williams |date=April 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504103037/http://businessclimate.com/nashville-tn-area-economic-development/nashvilles-premier-medical-services-keep-health-care-industry |archive-date=May 4, 2013 |access-date=March 7, 2013}}</ref>

[[CoreCivic]], formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America and one of the largest [[private prison|private corrections]] company in the United States, was founded in Nashville in 1983, but moved out of the city in 2019.<ref name=jailbusinessquade>{{cite journal |title=Jail Business: Private firm breaks in |journal=American Bar Association Journal |last1=Quade |first1=Vicki |volume=69 |issue=11 |pages=1611–1612 |date=November 1983 |jstor=20756517}}</ref><ref name="ccarebrandsascorecivic">{{cite web |url=http://www.cca.com/insidecca/corrections-corporation-of-America-rebrands-as-corecivic |title=Corrections Corporation of America Rebrands as CoreCivic |publisher=Corrections Corporation of America |last1=Davis |first1=Bethany |access-date=September 4, 2017 |archive-date=September 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905053436/http://www.cca.com/insidecca/corrections-corporation-of-America-rebrands-as-corecivic |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Vanderbilt University]] was one of its investors before the company's [[initial public offering]].<ref name="donnaselmanbigbusiness">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qb3BAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA81 |title=Punishment for Sale: Private Prisons, Big Business, and the Incarceration Binge |location=New York City |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |first1=Donna |last1=Selman |first2=Paul |last2=Leighton |pages=81–82 |date=2010 |isbn=978-1-4422-0174-3 |quote=Pre-IPO shareholders included Vanderbilt University, where Thomas Beasley received a law degree (and which has done some research favorable to private prisons).}}</ref> The City of Nashville's pension fund included "a $921,000 stake" in the company in 2017.<ref name="nashvillescenedivestingnotnashville">{{cite news |url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/news/features/article/20975220/cities-divesting-from-private-prisons-but-not-nashville |title=Cities Are Divesting From Private Prisons, but Not Nashville |work=Nashville Scene |last=Elliott |first=Stephen |date=September 14, 2017 |access-date=October 31, 2017 |quote=A lot of the money "that flows into the private-prison business" flows directly to Nashville, where private-prison leader CoreCivic has its headquarters. [...] Nashville's pension fund holds a $921,000 stake in the company formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America, according to the most recent investment report. |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107014119/http://www.nashvillescene.com/news/features/article/20975220/cities-divesting-from-private-prisons-but-not-nashville |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''Nashville Scene'' notes that, "A drop in CoreCivic stock value, however minor, would have a direct impact on the pension fund that represents nearly 25,000 current and former Metro employees."<ref name="nashvillescenedivestingnotnashville"/>

The automotive industry is also becoming important for the Middle Tennessee region. [[Nissan|Nissan North America]] moved its corporate headquarters in 2006 from [[Gardena, California]] ([[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]]) to [[Franklin, Tennessee|Franklin]], a suburb south of Nashville. Nissan's largest North American manufacturing plant is in [[Smyrna, Tennessee|Smyrna]], another suburb of Nashville. Largely as a result of the increased development of Nissan and other Japanese economic interests in the region, Japan moved its former [[New Orleans]] [[consulate-general]] to Nashville's [[Palmer Plaza]]. [[General Motors]] operates an [[Spring Hill Manufacturing|assembly plant]] in [[Spring Hill, Tennessee|Spring Hill]], about {{convert|35|mi|km}} south of Nashville.<ref>{{cite web |title=GM Corporate Newsroom - United States - Company - Spring Hill Manufacturing |url=http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/company_info/facilities/assembly/springhill.html |date=May 10, 2019 |access-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022319/https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/company_info/facilities/assembly/springhill.html?id=1595902999062 |url-status=live }}</ref> Automotive parts manufacturer Bridgestone has its their North American headquarters in Nashville and manufacturing plants and a distribution center in nearby counties.<ref name=bridgestoneamericas/>

Other major industries in Nashville include insurance, finance, and publishing (especially religious publishing).<ref name=latimes86/> The city hosts headquarters operations for several Protestant denominations, including the [[United Methodist Church]], [[Southern Baptist Convention]], [[National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.|National Baptist Convention USA]], and the National Association of [[Free Will Baptist]]s.

Nashville is known for Southern confections, including [[Goo Goo Cluster]]s, which have been made in Nashville since 1912.<ref>[http://www.googoo.com/ Goo Goo Cluster – A Real Milk Chocolate Original Southern Treat!] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504201656/http://www.googoo.com/ |date=May 4, 2013 }} Googoo.com (August 13, 2013). Retrieved on September 5, 2013.</ref>

In May 2018, [[AllianceBernstein]] pledged to build a private client office in the city by mid-2019 and to move its headquarters from [[New York City]] to Nashville by 2024.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2018/10/18/finance-giant-signs-lease-for-new-nashville-hq.html |title=Finance giant signs lease for new Nashville HQ |work=Nashville Business Journal |first=Eric |last=Snyder |date=October 18, 2018 |access-date=February 20, 2019 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022346/https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2018/10/18/finance-giant-signs-lease-for-new-nashville-hq.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/adam-sansiveri-to-head-bernsteins-new-nashville-private-client-office-300790068.html |title=Adam Sansiveri To Head Bernstein's New Nashville Private Client Office |publisher=PR Newswire |date=February 6, 2019 |access-date=February 20, 2019 |archive-date=February 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220122609/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/adam-sansiveri-to-head-bernsteins-new-nashville-private-client-office-300790068.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The technology sector is an important and growing aspect of Nashville's economy.<ref name=wsmv040621>{{cite news|last=Layden|first=Melanie|date=April 6, 2021|title=Booming tech industry in Middle Tennessee|url=https://www.wsmv.com/news/booming-tech-industry-in-middle-tennessee/article_971f50ca-971d-11eb-bac7-4fa8e230a0cd.html|work=WSMV-TV|location=Nashville|access-date=April 10, 2021|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410080657/https://www.wsmv.com/news/booming-tech-industry-in-middle-tennessee/article_971f50ca-971d-11eb-bac7-4fa8e230a0cd.html}}</ref> In November 2018, [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] announced its plans to build an operations center in the Nashville Yards development to serve as the hub for their Retail Operations division.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/report-amazon-to-announce-nashville-will-be-home-to-east-coast-hub |title=Amazon's Operations Center bringing 5K jobs to Nashville |publisher=WTVF |date=November 13, 2018 |access-date=February 20, 2019 |archive-date=February 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220122617/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/report-amazon-to-announce-nashville-will-be-home-to-east-coast-hub |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2021, [[Oracle Corporation]] announced that it would construct a $1.2 billion campus in Nashville, which is expected to employ 8,500 by 2031.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gonzalez |first1=Tony |title=Oracle Pitches Nashville On Record-Setting 8,500-Person Tech Hub |url=https://wpln.org/post/oracle-pitches-nashville-on-record-setting-8500-person-tech-hub/ |access-date=May 5, 2021 |work=WPLN-FM |publisher=Nashville Public Radio |date=April 14, 2021 |location=Nashville |archive-date=May 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505044618/https://wpln.org/post/oracle-pitches-nashville-on-record-setting-8500-person-tech-hub/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Luxen |first1=Emily |title=Metro Council approves $1.2 billion Oracle hub |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/metro-council-approves-1-2-billion-oracle-hub |access-date=May 5, 2021 |work=WTVF-TV |date=May 4, 2021 |location=Nashville |archive-date=May 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505025438/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/metro-council-approves-1-2-billion-oracle-hub |url-status=live }}</ref>

In December 2019, [[iHeartMedia]] selected Nashville as the site of its second digital headquarters.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191202005663/en/iHeartMedia-Selects-Nashville-Headquarters-iHeartRadio-Digital |title=iHeartMedia Selects Nashville as Second Headquarters for iHeartRadio Digital |publisher=businesswire |date=December 2, 2019 |access-date=July 4, 2020 |archive-date=July 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704090838/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191202005663/en/iHeartMedia-Selects-Nashville-Headquarters-iHeartRadio-Digital |url-status=live }}</ref>

Real estate is becoming a driver for the city's economy. Based on a survey of nearly 1,500 real estate industry professionals conducted by [[PricewaterhouseCoopers]] and the [[Urban Land Institute]], Nashville ranked seventh nationally in terms of attractiveness to real estate investors for 2016.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/never-mind-new-york-%E2%80%93-dallas-and-nashville-are-hotter-for-real-estate--pwc-125907584.html |title=Never mind New York – Dallas and Nashville are hotter for real estate: PwC |work=Yahoo! Finance |last=Lewitinn |first=Lawrence |date=October 14, 2015 |access-date=October 22, 2015 |archive-date=October 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019083858/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/never-mind-new-york-%E2%80%93-dallas-and-nashville-are-hotter-for-real-estate--pwc-125907584.html |url-status=live }}</ref> {{As of|2015|10}}, according to city figures, there is more than $2 billion in real estate projects underway or projected to start in 2016. Due to high yields available to investors, Nashville has been attracting a lot of capital from out-of-state. A key factor that has been attributed to the increase in investment is the adjustment to the city's zoning code. Developers can easily include a combination of residential, office, retail and entertainment space into their projects. Additionally, the city has invested heavily into public parks. Centennial Park is undergoing extensive renovations. The change in the zoning code and the investment in public space is consistent with the millennial generation's preference for walkable urban neighborhoods.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/realestate/commercial/nashvilles-skyline-being-rebuilt-by-building-boom.html |title=Nashville's Skyline Being Reshaped by Building Boom |work=The New York Times |last=Schneider |first=Keith |date=October 13, 2015 |access-date=October 22, 2015 |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018041440/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/realestate/commercial/nashvilles-skyline-being-rebuilt-by-building-boom.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Top employers===
According to the Nashville Business Journal, the top employers in the city are:<ref>{{Cite news|title=Largest Employers in Nashville|work=Nashville Business Journal|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/subscriber-only/2021/06/04/largest-employers-in-nashville.html|access-date=August 28, 2021|archive-date=June 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616161638/https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/subscriber-only/2021/06/04/largest-employers-in-nashville.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! Employees
|-
|1
| [[Vanderbilt University Medical Center]]
|28,300
|-
|2
|[[Tennessee|State of Tennessee]]
|26,733
|-
|3
|[[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]]
|13,707
|-
|4
|[[HCA Healthcare]]
|10,600
|-
|5
|[[Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools]]
|10,281
|-
|6
|[[Vanderbilt University]]
|8,822
|-
|7
|[[Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee|Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County]] 
|8,700
|-
|8
|[[Ascension Saint Thomas]]
|8,335
|-
|9
|[[Kroger|The Kroger Co.]]
| 7,813
|-
|10
|[[Amazon (company)|Amazon]]
| 5,000
|-
|11
|[[Asurion]]
| 4,260
|-
|12
| [[Bridgestone-Firestone|Bridgestone Americas Inc.]]
| 4,110
|}

==Culture==
[[File:Half-chicken (dark meat) at Hattie B's with side of baked beans and mac & cheese.jpg|alt=Half-chicken at Hattie B's with side of baked beans and mac & cheese|right|thumb|upright=1|Half-chicken at Hattie B's with side of baked beans and mac and cheese]]

Much of the city's cultural life has revolved around its large university community. Particularly significant in this respect were two groups of critics and writers who were associated with [[Vanderbilt University]] in the early 20th century: the [[Fugitives (poets)|Fugitives]] and the [[Southern Agrarians|Agrarians]].

Popular destinations include [[Fort Nashborough]] and [[Fort Negley]], the former being a reconstruction of the original settlement, the latter being a semi-restored Civil War battle fort; the [[Tennessee State Museum]]; and [[Parthenon (Nashville)|The Parthenon]], a full-scale replica of the original [[Parthenon]] in Athens. The [[Tennessee State Capitol]] is one of the oldest working state capitol buildings in the nation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Capitol {{!}} Tennessee Secretary of State |url=https://sos.tn.gov/civics/guides/state-capitol#:~:text=The%20Tennessee%20State%20Capitol,%20one,state%20capitols%20in%20the%20country. |access-date=October 11, 2023 |website=sos.tn.gov |archive-date=October 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018024105/https://sos.tn.gov/civics/guides/state-capitol#:~:text=The%20Tennessee%20State%20Capitol,%20one,state%20capitols%20in%20the%20country. |url-status=live }}</ref> [[The Hermitage (Nashville, Tennessee)|The Hermitage]], the former home of President [[Andrew Jackson]], is one of the largest presidential homes open to the public, and is also one of the most visited.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Hermitage |url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presidents/jackson_hermitage.html |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=December 23, 2017 |archive-date=December 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223160500/https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presidents/jackson_hermitage.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Andrew Jackson's Hermitage: Home of the People's President |url=https://www.tnvacation.com/local/nashville-andrew-jacksons-hermitage-home-peoples-president |website=TNVacation.com |publisher=State of Tennessee, Department of Tourist Development |access-date=December 23, 2017 |archive-date=December 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223160540/https://www.tnvacation.com/local/nashville-andrew-jacksons-hermitage-home-peoples-president |url-status=live }}</ref>

Many of the significant sites that reflect the places that shaped Nashville's culture were identified in 2019 and placed in the national database of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. This list includes the Bicentennial Capital Mall, Public Square, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum of Art, Clover Bottom Mansion, Belmont Mansion, Travellers Rest Historic House Museum, Mount Olivet and Calvery Cemeteries, Music Row, Printer's Alley Historic District, The Gulch, Glen Leven Farm, and the WSM-AM Broadcasting Tower. These and many others are listed on [https://www.tclf.org/places/city-and-regional-guides/nashville The Cultural Landscape Foundation] website.

===Dining===
Some of the more popular types of local cuisine include [[hot chicken]], hot fish, [[barbecue]], and [[meat and three]].

===Entertainment and performing arts===
[[File:Rymanauditorium1.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|[[Ryman Auditorium]], the "Mother Church of Country Music"|alt=]]

Nashville has a vibrant music and entertainment scene spanning a variety of genres. With a long history in the music scene, it is no surprise that city was nicknamed "Music City". The [[Tennessee Performing Arts Center]] is the major performing arts center of the city. It is the home of the [[Nashville Repertory Theatre]] and the [[Nashville Ballet]]. In September 2006, the [[Schermerhorn Symphony Center]] opened as the home of the [[Nashville Symphony]].

As the city's name itself is a [[metonymy|metonym]] for the country music industry, many popular attractions involve [[country music]], including the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]], [[Belcourt Theatre]], and [[Ryman Auditorium]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-15/in-booming-nashville-country-music-is-still-king|title=Why Nashville Can't Quit Country Music|newspaper=Bloomberg|date=September 15, 2019|last=Gardner |first=Lee|access-date=August 24, 2020}}</ref> Hence, the city became known as America's "Country Music Capital".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/nashville-country-music-capital-of-the-world/MAES5BENW4PUSZL3HQYQ5IP7RQ/|title=Nashville: Country music capital of the world|website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=June 17, 2023|access-date=December 26, 2020|archive-date=December 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226043021/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/nashville-country-music-capital-of-the-world/MAES5BENW4PUSZL3HQYQ5IP7RQ/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/country-music-capital|title=Country Music Capital |work=Dissent |last=Fraser |first=Max |date=2016 |access-date=August 24, 2020|archive-date=August 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823022427/https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/country-music-capital|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelalerts.ca/blogs/f-nashville-americas-country-music-capital/|title=Nashville: America's Country Music Capital |website=TravelAlerts |first=Jane |last=Pinzhoffer |access-date=August 24, 2020|archive-date=April 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428110921/https://www.travelalerts.ca/blogs/f-nashville-americas-country-music-capital/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Ryman was home to the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'' until 1974 when the show moved to the Grand Ole Opry House, {{convert|9|mi}} east of downtown. The Opry plays there several times a week, except for an annual winter run at the Ryman.

[[File:RCAStudioB Console.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|[[Bill Porter (sound engineer)|Bill Porter]]'s audio console at [[RCA Studio B]] in Nashville. Studio B was the birthplace of the [[Nashville sound]].|alt=]]

Many music clubs and [[honky-tonk]] bars are in downtown Nashville,<ref name="cain20180613" /> particularly the area encompassing [[Lower Broadway]], Second Avenue, and [[Printer's Alley]], which is often referred to as "the District".<ref name="Romine2006–117">{{cite book |title=Frommer's Nashville & Memphis |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Wiley]] |location=Hoboken |first=Linda |last=Romine |year=2006 |edition=7th |pages=117–120 |isbn=0-471-77614-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Insiders' Guide to Nashville |publisher=Globe Pequot |location=Guilford |first1=Cindy Stooksbury |last1=Guier |first2=Jackie Sheckler |last2=Finch |year=2007 |edition=6th |pages=118–129 |isbn=978-0-7627-4186-1}}</ref>

Each June, the [[CMA Music Festival]] (formerly known as Fan Fair) brings thousands of country fans to the city. The [[Tennessee State Fair]] is also held annually in September.

Nashville was once home of television shows such as ''[[Hee Haw]]'' and ''[[Pop! Goes the Country]]'', as well as [[The Nashville Network]] and later, [[RFD-TV]]. [[Country Music Television]] and [[Great American Country]] currently operate from Nashville. The city was also home to the [[Opryland USA|Opryland USA theme park]], which operated from 1972 to 1997 before being closed by its owners ([[Gaylord Entertainment Company]]) and soon after demolished to make room for the [[Opry Mills]] mega-shopping mall.

The [[Contemporary Christian music]] industry is based along Nashville's [[Music Row]], with a great influence in neighboring [[Williamson County, Tennessee|Williamson County]]. The Christian record companies include [[EMI Christian Music Group]], [[Provident Label Group]], and [[Word Records]].

Music Row houses many [[gospel music]] and Contemporary Christian music companies centered around 16th and 17th Avenues South. On River Road, off Charlotte Pike in West Nashville, the ''CabaRay'' opened its doors on January 18, 2018. The performing venue of [[Ray Stevens]], it offers a [[Vegas]]-style dinner and a show atmosphere. There is also a [[piano bar]] and a [[gift shop]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://raystevenscabaray.com/|title=Ray Stevens CabaRay Showroom &#124; Music Shows in Nashville, TN|website=Ray Stevens CabaRay|access-date=April 22, 2018|archive-date=May 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507221127/http://raystevenscabaray.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Although Nashville was never known as a major [[jazz]] town, it did have many great jazz bands, including The Nashville Jazz Machine led by Dave Converse and its current version, the Nashville Jazz Orchestra, led by Jim Williamson, as well as The Establishment, led by Billy Adair. The Francis Craig Orchestra entertained Nashvillians from 1929 to 1945 from the Oak Bar and Grille Room in the [[Hermitage Hotel]]. Craig's orchestra was also the first to broadcast over local radio station WSM-AM and enjoyed phenomenal success with a 12-year show on the [[NBC Red Network|NBC Radio]] Network. In the late 1930s, he introduced a newcomer, [[Dinah Shore]], a local graduate of Hume Fogg High School and Vanderbilt University.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}<ref>{{citation |last1=Sochen |first1=J. |last2=Shore |first2=Dinah |title=Jewish Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia |pages=1243–1245}}</ref>

Radio station [[WMOT|WMOT-FM]] in nearby [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]], which formerly programmed jazz, aided significantly in the recent revival of the city's jazz scene, as has the non-profit Nashville Jazz Workshop, which holds concerts and classes in a renovated building in the north Nashville neighborhood of Germantown. [[Fisk University]] also maintains a jazz station, [[WFSK]].

Nashville has an active theatre scene and is home to several professional and community theatre companies. [[Nashville Children's Theatre]], Nashville Repertory Theatre, the [[Nashville Shakespeare Festival]], the Dance Theatre of Tennessee and the Tennessee Women's Theater Project are among the most prominent professional companies. One community theatre, Circle Players, has been in operation for over 60 years.

The [[Barbershop Harmony Society]] has its headquarters in Nashville.

===Tourism===

Perhaps the biggest factor in drawing visitors to Nashville is its association with country music, in which the [[Nashville sound]] played a role.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/nashville-become-hub-country-music.htm |title=How Did Nashville Become the Hub of Country Music? |work=How Stuff Works |first=Dave |last=Roos |date=June 25, 2018 |access-date=July 12, 2019 |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316190710/https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/nashville-become-hub-country-music.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Many visitors to Nashville attend live performances of the Grand Ole Opry, the world's longest-running live radio show. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is another major attraction relating to the popularity of country music. The [[Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center]], the Opry Mills regional shopping mall and the ''[[General Jackson (riverboat)|General Jackson]]'' showboat, are all located in what is known as Music Valley.

Civil War history is important to the city's tourism industry. Sites pertaining to the [[Battle of Nashville]] and the nearby [[Battle of Franklin (1864)|Battle of Franklin]] and [[Battle of Stones River]] can be seen, along with several well-preserved antebellum plantation houses such as [[Belle Meade Plantation]], Carnton plantation in Franklin, and Belmont Mansion.<ref name="Davidson2005">{{cite journal |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2005/6/2005_6_31.shtml |title=Singing City |journal=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]] |first=Carla |last=Davidson |volume=56 |issue=6 |date=November–December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012041857/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2005/6/2005_6_31.shtml |archive-date=October 12, 2008 |accessdate=August 4, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Nashville has many arts centers and museums, including the [[Frist Center for the Visual Arts]], [[Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art]], the [[Tennessee State Museum]], the [[Johnny Cash Museum]], Fisk University's Van Vechten and Aaron Douglas Galleries, Vanderbilt University's Fine Art Gallery and Sarratt Gallery, the [[National Museum of African American Music]], and the [[Parthenon (Nashville)|full-scale replica]] of the [[Parthenon]]. A sculpture of Athena Parthenos inside the Parthenon is the tallest indoor sculpture in the Western World – standing 42 feet high.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hubbard |first=Ashley |date=August 16, 2022 |title=Nashville Trivia – Fun and Interesting Facts About Music City |url=https://wild-hearted.com/nashville-trivia/ |access-date=June 2, 2023 |website=Wild Hearted |language=en-US |archive-date=June 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602221254/https://wild-hearted.com/nashville-trivia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nashville has become an increasingly popular destination for [[bachelor party|bachelor]] and [[bachelorette party|bachelorette parties]].<ref name="buzzfeed20180329">{{Cite news |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/annehelenpetersen/how-nashville-became-one-big-bachelorette-party |title=How Nashville Became One Big Bachelorette Party |work=[[BuzzFeed]] |last=Petersen |first=Anne Helen |date=March 29, 2018 |access-date=April 9, 2018 |archive-date=April 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409105854/https://www.buzzfeed.com/annehelenpetersen/how-nashville-became-one-big-bachelorette-party |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017, ''[[Nashville Scene]]'' counted 33 bachelorette parties on Lower Broadway ("from Fifth Avenue down to the Cumberland River, it's their town") in less than two hours on a Friday night, and stated that the actual number was likely higher. Downtown, the newspaper wrote, "offers five blocks of bars with live music and no cover".<ref name="hale20170803">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/cover-story/article/20971015/the-bachelorettes |title=Welcome to Bachelorette City |work=[[Nashville Scene]] |last=Hale |first=Steven |date=August 3, 2017 |access-date=April 25, 2019 |archive-date=April 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425211302/https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/cover-story/article/20971015/the-bachelorettes |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, ''[[The New York Times]]'' called Nashville "the hottest destination for bachelorette parties in the country" because of the honky-tonk bars' live music.<ref name=cain20180613>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/fashion/weddings/bachelorettes-in-boots-take-on-nashville.html |title=Bachelorettes in Boots Take On Nashville |work=The New York Times |first=Stephanie |last=Cain |date=June 13, 2018 |access-date=January 7, 2019 |archive-date=January 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108102447/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/fashion/weddings/bachelorettes-in-boots-take-on-nashville.html |url-status=live }}</ref> City boosters welcome the bachelorette parties because temporary visitors may become permanent; ''[[BuzzFeed]]'' wrote, "These women are at precisely the point in their lives when a move to Nashville is possible".<ref name="buzzfeed20180329" /> The city in 2022 began regulating [[party bus]]es that provide [[transportainment]] in downtown, issuing dozens of permits and rejecting applications for dozens more.<ref name="gainey20220630">{{Cite news |last=Gainey |first=Blaise |date=June 30, 2022 |title=Party's over for some transportainment companies as Nashville denies dozens of party vehicle permits |language=en-US |publisher=WPLN |url=https://wpln.org/post/partys-over-for-some-transportainment-companies-as-nashville-denies-dozens-of-party-vehicle-permits/ |access-date=May 30, 2023 |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530232035/https://wpln.org/post/partys-over-for-some-transportainment-companies-as-nashville-denies-dozens-of-party-vehicle-permits/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[CMT (U.S. TV channel)|CMT]] reality television series ''Bachelorette Weekend'' follows the employees at Bach Weekend, a Nashville company that designs and throws bachelor and bachelorette parties.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/cmt-orders-bachelorette-weekend-reality-show-jersey-shore-producers/ |title=CMT Orders 'Bachelorette Weekend' Reality Show From 'Jersey Shore' Producers |website=The Wrap |last=Nakamura |first=Reid |date=May 24, 2018 |access-date=August 29, 2018 |archive-date=August 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830074137/https://www.thewrap.com/cmt-orders-bachelorette-weekend-reality-show-jersey-shore-producers/amp/ }}</ref>

====Major annual events====
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="background:LightSteelBlue; color:black;"|Event
! style="background:LightSteelBlue; color:black;"|Month held and location
|-
|[[Nashville Film Festival]]
|A weeklong festival in April that features hundreds of independent films. It is one of the largest film festivals in the Southern United States.
|-
|[[Nashville Fashion Week]]
|A citywide event typically held in March or April, this is a celebration of Nashville's fashion and retail community featuring local, regional and national design talent in fashion events and shows.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nashvillefashionweek.com/ |title=Nashville Fashion Week |publisher=nashvillefasionweek.com |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=June 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621211736/http://nashvillefashionweek.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|[[Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon]]
|Marathon, half marathon, and 5k race held in April with runners from around the world. In 2012, participation surpassed 30,000 runners.
|-
|Rites of Spring Music Festival
|A two-day music festival held every April at [[Vanderbilt University]] since 1986. Rites of Spring has welcomed a number of famous artists to the Vanderbilt campus, including [[Wiz Khalifa]], [[Young the Giant]], [[Drake (musician)|Drake]], [[Steve Aoki]], and the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://studentorg.vanderbilt.edu/ros/history/ |title=History |publisher=Rites of Spring |date=February 1, 2011 |access-date=February 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813072511/https://studentorg.vanderbilt.edu/ros/history/ |archive-date=August 13, 2018 }}</ref>
|-
|[[Iroquois Steeplechase]]
|Annual [[Steeplechase (horse racing)|steeplechase]] horse racing event held in May at [[Percy Warner Park]].
|-
|[[CMA Fest|CMA Music Festival]]
|A four-day event in June featuring performances by country music stars, autograph signings, artist/fan interaction, and other activities for country music fans.
|-
|[[Nashville Pride]]
|A two-day event held in June that fosters awareness of and for the [[LGBT]] community and culture in Middle Tennessee. The 2019 festival drew a record crowd of over 75,000 people, establishing it as the largest LGBT event in Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gill |first1=Joey |title=Nashville Pride Festival breaks attendance record with over 75,000 attending |url=https://www.wsmv.com/news/nashville-pride-festival-breaks-attendance-record-with-over-attending/article_3918da20-9902-11e9-aa56-53755fa74ebb.html |website=WSMV Nashville |language=en |access-date=August 13, 2019 |archive-date=August 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813124236/https://www.wsmv.com/news/nashville-pride-festival-breaks-attendance-record-with-over-attending/article_3918da20-9902-11e9-aa56-53755fa74ebb.html }}</ref>
|-
|Let Freedom Sing!
|Held every [[Independence Day (United States)|Fourth of July]] at Riverfront Park, featuring a street festival and live music, and culminating in one of the largest [[fireworks]] shows in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/06/09/nashville-fireworks-july-show-largest/28729845/ |title=Nashville vies with New York for largest U.S. fireworks show |author=Lori Grisham |work=USA Today |date=June 9, 2015 |access-date=July 5, 2015 |archive-date=June 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613063509/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/06/09/nashville-fireworks-july-show-largest/28729845/ |url-status=live }}</ref> An estimated 280,000 people attended the 2014 celebration.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wkrn.com/2015/06/30/music-citys-fourth-of-july-let-freedom-sing-celebration/ |title=Nashville's Fourth of July 'Let Freedom Sing!' celebration |publisher=WKRN News 2 |date=June 30, 2015 |access-date=July 5, 2015 |archive-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706001508/http://wkrn.com/2015/06/30/music-citys-fourth-of-july-let-freedom-sing-celebration/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|Tomato Art Festival
|Held each August in [[East Nashville, Tennessee|East Nashville]], this event celebrates the Tomato as a Unifier.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tomatoartfest.com/ |title=Home |website=Tomato Art Festival |access-date=May 29, 2016 |archive-date=June 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617070104/http://www.tomatoartfest.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|African Street Festival
|Held in September on the campus of Tennessee State University. It is committed to connecting and celebrating the extensions of Africa to America.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aacanashville.org/ |title=African American Cultural Alliance |website=AACANashville.org |access-date=May 29, 2016 |archive-date=May 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517012548/http://www.aacanashville.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|[[Live on the Green Music Festival]]
|A free concert series held in August and September at Public Square Park by local radio station [[Lightning 100]].
|-
|[[Tennessee State Fair]]
|The State Fair held in September at the State Fairgrounds, which lasts nine days and includes rides, exhibits, [[rodeo]]s, [[tractor pulling|tractor pulls]], and numerous other shows and attractions.
|-
|Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival
|A free event held the first Saturday in October at Centennial Park, it is Middle Tennessee's largest multicultural festival and includes music and dance performances, ethnic food court, children's area, teen area, and marketplace.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bliss|first=Jessica|date=October 5, 2019|title=Celebrate Nashville culture festival is a vibrant display of the city's diversity|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2019/10/05/nashville-immigrant-foreign-born-tennessee-culture-diversity/3881274002/|work=The Tennessean|location=Nashville, Tennessee|access-date=January 5, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022325/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2019/10/05/nashville-immigrant-foreign-born-tennessee-culture-diversity/3881274002/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|Art Nashville International Art Fair
|An annual Art Fair in downtown Nashville. Includes galleries and dealers from around the world. Open to the public.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.art-nashville.com/ |title=Art Nashville |access-date=March 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304231353/https://www.art-nashville.com/ |archive-date=March 4, 2018 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>
|-
|Nashville Oktoberfest
|A free event held in the historic Germantown neighborhood since 1980 celebrating the culture and customs of Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thenashvilleoktoberfest.com/ |title=Oktoberfest German Beer Festival · Nashville's Top October Event |website=Nashville Oktoberfest |access-date=July 15, 2017}}</ref> Oktoberfest is Nashville's oldest annual festival and is one of the largest in the South.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wkrn.com/2015/10/10/nashvilles-oktoberfest-continues-in-germantown/ |title=Nashville's Oktoberfest continues in Germantown |publisher=WKRN |first=Joseph |last=Pleasant |date=October 10, 2015 |access-date=October 29, 2015 |archive-date=October 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151014234206/http://wkrn.com/2015/10/10/nashvilles-oktoberfest-continues-in-germantown/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2015, over 143,000 people attended the three-day event which raised $60,000 for Nashville non-profits.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newschannel5.com/news/local-news/oktoberfest-raises-more-than-50k-for-local-organizations |title=Oktoberfest Raises More than $50K For Local Organizations |publisher=WTVF |date=October 12, 2015 |access-date=October 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101091558/http://www.newschannel5.com/news/local-news/oktoberfest-raises-more-than-50k-for-local-organizations |archive-date=January 1, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|Southern Festival of Books
|A festival held in October, featuring readings, panels, and book signings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitmusiccity.com/visitors/events/southernfestivalofbooks |title=Southern Festival of Books |publisher=Nashville Visitor's & Convention Corp |access-date=July 30, 2017 |archive-date=August 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801125141/http://www.visitmusiccity.com/visitors/events/southernfestivalofbooks |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|[[Country Music Association Awards]]
|Award ceremony normally held in November at the Bridgestone Arena and televised to a national audience.
|-
|Veterans Day Parade
|A parade running down Broadway on 11/11 at 11:11.11{{nbsp}}am since 1951. Features include [[101st Airborne Division]] (Air Assault), [[Tennessee National Guard]], veterans from wars past and present, military plane fly-overs, tanks, motorcycles, first responder vehicles, marching bands and thousands of spectators.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nashvillesveteransdayparade.com/ |title=Nashville's Veterans Day Parade |access-date=October 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108160136/http://www.nashvillesveteransdayparade.com/ |archive-date=November 8, 2014}}</ref>
|}

===Nicknames===
Nashville is a colorful, well-known city in several different arenas. As such, it has earned various sobriquets, including:
* '''Music City, U.S.A.''': [[WSM (AM)|WSM-AM]] announcer David Cobb first used this name during a 1950 broadcast and it stuck. It is now the official nickname used by the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Nashville is the home of the [[Grand Ole Opry]], the Country Music Hall of Fame, and many major [[record label]]s.<ref name="bmimusiccity">{{cite web |url=http://bmi.com/library/brochures/historybook/musiccity.asp |title=Music City, U.S.A. |work=BMI.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010707123558/http://www.bmi.com/library/brochures/historybook/musiccity.asp |archive-date=July 7, 2001 |access-date=February 15, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This name also dates back to 1873, where after receiving and hearing a performance by the [[Fisk Jubilee Singers]], [[Queen Victoria]] of the United Kingdom is reported as saying that "These young people must surely come from a musical city."<ref name="fisk2-1">{{cite journal |url=http://www.fisk.edu/pdfs/fiskmag/Fisk_Mag_March_07.pdf |title=Fisk Jubilee Singers Celebrate 135 Year Tradition with "Walk of Fame" Honors |journal=Fisk |date=March 2007 |volume=2 |issue=1 |page=14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710015859/http://www.fisk.edu/pdfs/fiskmag/Fisk_Mag_March_07.pdf |archive-date=July 10, 2007 |accessdate=August 8, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*'''Smashville''': This moniker is most closely associated with the [[Nashville Predators]] hockey team. According to Yahoo! News, the name was conjured by local fan Frank Glinski, "Glinski actually came up with the term "Smashville" during a conversation with the Predators' then-vice president of marketing, who like Glinski had a child playing youth hockey locally."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/smashville-born-died-lived-nashville-203644940.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410133009/https://www.yahoo.com/news/smashville-born-died-lived-nashville-203644940.html |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |title=How Smashville was born (and died, and lived again) in Nashville |first=Greg |last=Wyshynski |work=Puck Daddy |date=June 5, 2017 |via=Yahoo! News}}</ref> A  "Smashville" sign is located outside the home of the Predators, [[Bridgestone Arena]].
*'''[[Athens]] of the South''': Home to 24 post-secondary educational institutions, Nashville has long been compared to Athens, the ancient city of learning and site of [[Plato]]'s Academy. Since 1897, a full-scale [[Parthenon (Nashville)|replica of the Athenian Parthenon]] has stood in Nashville, and many examples of classical and neoclassical architecture can be found in the city.<ref name="Kreyling1996" /> The term was popularized by [[Philip Lindsley]] (1786–1855), President of the [[University of Nashville]], though it is unclear whether he was the first person to use the phrase.
* '''The Protestant [[Vatican City|Vatican]]'''<ref>{{cite book |title=Insiders' Guide to Nashville |publisher=Globe Pequot |location=Guilford, Connecticut |first1=Cindy Stooksbury |last1=Guier |first2=Jackie Sheckler |last2=Finch |year=2007 |edition=6th |pages=13, 35, 396 |isbn=978-0-7627-4186-1}}</ref> or '''The [[Bible Belt#Buckle|Buckle]] of the [[Bible Belt]]''':<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/us/following-its-country-music-nashville-may-loosen-up-on-marijuana.html?_r=0 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 19, 2016 |title=Following Its Country Music, Nashville May Loosen Up on Marijuana |last=Fausset |first=Richard |access-date=February 17, 2017 |archive-date=January 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115222533/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/us/following-its-country-music-nashville-may-loosen-up-on-marijuana.html?_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref> Nashville has over 700 churches,<ref name="nashcity1">{{cite web |url=http://nashcity.com/religious-institutions/christian-churches/index.shtml |title=Nashville Area Churches |work=NashCity.com |access-date=April 30, 2008 |archive-date=April 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080429224524/http://www.nashcity.com/religious-institutions/christian-churches/index.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> several seminaries, a number of Christian music companies, and is the headquarters for the publishing arms of the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] ([[LifeWay Christian Resources]]), the [[United Methodist Church]] ([[United Methodist Publishing House]]) and the [[National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.|National Baptist Convention]] (Sunday School Publishing Board). It is also the seat of the National Baptist Convention, the [[National Association of Free Will Baptists]], the [[Gideons International]], the [[Gospel Music Association]], and [[Thomas Nelson (publisher)|Thomas Nelson]], the world's largest producer of Bibles.<ref name="road&travel">{{cite web |url=http://www.roadandtravel.com/travel%20directory/Tennessee/nashvillestory.htm |title=Nashville: Sophisticated Southern City with a Country Edge |work=RoadandTravel.com |first=Rachel L |last=Miller |date=April 14, 2008 |access-date=April 30, 2008 |archive-date=May 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517015813/http://www.roadandtravel.com/travel%20directory/Tennessee/nashvillestory.htm }}</ref>
* '''Cashville''': Nashville native [[Young Buck]] released a successful rap album called ''[[Straight Outta Cashville]]'' that has popularized the nickname among a new generation.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/cashville-underground/Content?oid=1192246 |title=Cashville Underground |journal=Nashville Scene |first=Jack |last=Silverman |volume=24 |issue=34 |date=September 22, 2005 |access-date=December 16, 2010 |archive-date=September 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925014842/http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/cashville-underground/Content?oid=1192246 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* '''[[Little Kurdistan]]''': Nashville has the United States' largest population of [[History of the Kurds in Nashville, Tennessee|Kurdish people]], estimated to be around 11,000.<ref name="kurdish1"/><ref name="kurdish3">{{cite news |title=Iraqis to cast votes in Nashville |work=The Tennessean and Chicago Tribune |first1=Ian |last1=Demsky |first2=Oscar |last2=Avila |date=December 30, 2004}}</ref>
* '''Nash Vegas''' or '''Nashvegas'''<ref name="nashvegas1">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/06/travel/true-grits-in-nashville.html?pagewanted=3 |title=True Grits in Nashville |first=Eric |last=Asimov |work=The New York Times |date=July 6, 1997 |access-date=January 22, 2010 |archive-date=January 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126080430/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/06/travel/true-grits-in-nashville.html?pagewanted=3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nashville has additionally earned the moniker "The Hot Chicken Capital",<ref name="pinpulpit20130703">{{cite web |url=http://pinstripepulpit.com/chicken-that-lights-you-up-boltons-spicy-chicken-fish-of-nashville/ |title=Chicken That Lights You Up: Bolton's Spicy Chicken & Fish of Nashville |work=Pinstripe Pulpit |first=Alan |last=Cornett |date=July 3, 2013 |access-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112002851/http://pinstripepulpit.com/chicken-that-lights-you-up-boltons-spicy-chicken-fish-of-nashville/ |archive-date=November 12, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> becoming known for the local specialty cuisine [[hot chicken]].<ref name="yahoo20130327">{{cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/burning-desire--hot-chicken-takes-over-nashville-151831274.html |title=Burning desire: Hot chicken takes over Nashville |work=Yahoo! News |first=Chris |last=Talbott |date=March 27, 2013 |access-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-date=October 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030214804/http://news.yahoo.com/burning-desire--hot-chicken-takes-over-nashville-151831274.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="abcnews20111103">{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=14875350&sid=80&p=10 |title=Scorching Hot Fried Chicken in Nashville |work=ABC News |first=Larry |last=Olmsted |date=November 3, 2011 |access-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113002124/http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=14875350&sid=80&p=10 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Music City Hot Chicken Festival is hosted annually in Nashville and several restaurants make this spicy version of southern fried chicken.<ref name="Music City Hot Chicken Festival">{{cite web |url=http://mchcf.blogspot.com/ |title=Music City Hot Chicken Festival |access-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113032406/http://mchcf.blogspot.com/ |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Due to a short-lived smokeless gunpowder plant in 1918, Nashville also had the nickname "Powder City of the World".<ref name="The Powder City of the World">{{cite web |url=https://library.nashville.org/blog/2017/12/powder-city-world |title=The Powder City of the World |access-date=January 8, 2024 |archive-date=January 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108182213/https://library.nashville.org/blog/2017/12/powder-city-world |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Sports==
===Professional===
[[File:LP Field 2009 crop.jpg|thumb|right|[[Nissan Stadium (Nashville)|Nissan Stadium]], home of the [[Tennessee Titans]] and formerly [[Nashville SC]]]]
[[File:Bridgestone Arena (North face) 2.JPG|thumb|right|[[Bridgestone Arena]], home of the [[Nashville Predators]]]]
[[File:GEODIS Park.jpg|thumb|right|[[Geodis Park]], home of the [[Nashville SC]]]]
[[File:First Tennessee Park, September 10, 2016 - 1.jpg|thumb|right|[[First Horizon Park]], home of the [[Nashville Sounds]]]]

Nashville is home to four professional sports franchises. Three play at the [[major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|highest professional level]] of their respective sports: the [[Tennessee Titans]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL), the [[Nashville Predators]] of the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL), and [[Nashville SC]] of [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS). The city is also home to one minor league team: the [[Nashville Sounds]] of [[Minor League Baseball]]'s [[International League]]. An investment group, Music City Baseball, seeks to secure a [[Major League Baseball]] expansion franchise or lure an existing team to the city.<ref>{{cite web |last=Speddon |first=Zach |url=https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/10/01/potential-nashville-mlb-ballpark-renderings-released/ |title=Potential Nashville MLB Ballpark Renderings Released |work=Ballpark Digest |date=October 1, 2019 |access-date=October 1, 2019 |archive-date=October 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001160450/https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/10/01/potential-nashville-mlb-ballpark-renderings-released/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Women's National Basketball Association rejected a bid for a franchise expansion to Nashville.<ref>{{cite web |last=Skrbina |first=Paul |date=May 7, 2024 |access-date=August 26, 2024 |title=Here's what WNBA commissioner said it would take for Nashville to get expansion team |work=The Tennessean |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2024/05/07/wnba-nashville-expansion-team-cathy-engelbert-commissioner-bridgestone/73585276007/ }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Morris |first=Alaina |title=WNBA announces expansion, Nashville's Tennessee Summitt bid not included |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2025/06/30/wnba-expansion-nashville-tennessee-summitt-not-included/84415552007/ |access-date=2025-09-07 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col"| Team
! scope="col"| Sport
! scope="col"| League
! scope="col"| Venue
! scope="col"| Founded
|-
!scope="row"| [[Tennessee Titans]]
| [[American football|Football]]
| [[National Football League]]
| [[Nissan Stadium (Nashville)|Nissan Stadium]]
| align=right | 1959/1997
|-
!scope="row"| [[Nashville Predators]]
| [[Ice hockey|Hockey]]
| [[National Hockey League]]
| [[Bridgestone Arena]]
| align=right | 1997
|-
!scope="row"| [[Nashville Sounds]]
| [[Baseball]]
| [[International League]]
| [[First Horizon Park]]
| align=right | 1978
|-
!scope="row"| [[Nashville SC]]
| [[Soccer]]
| [[Major League Soccer]]
| [[Geodis Park]]
| align=right | 2020
|}

The [[Tennessee Titans]] moved to Nashville in 1998. Previously known as the [[History of the Houston Oilers|Houston Oilers]], which began play in 1960 in [[Houston|Houston, Texas]], the team relocated to Tennessee in 1997. They played at the [[Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] for one season, then moved to Nashville in 1998 and played in [[Vanderbilt Stadium]] for one season. During those two years, the team was known as the Tennessee Oilers, but changed its name to Titans in 1999. The team now plays at [[Nissan Stadium (Nashville)|Nissan Stadium]] in Nashville, which opened in 1999. Since moving to Nashville, the Titans have won five division championships (2000, 2002, 2008, 2020, and 2021) and one conference championship (1999). They competed in 1999's [[Super Bowl XXXIV]], losing to the [[History of the St. Louis Rams|St. Louis Rams]], 23–16.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://prod.static.titans.clubs.nfl.com/assets/docs/mediaguide/2017mg_history.pdf |title=History |pages=319–464 |work=2017 Tennessee Titans Media Guide |publisher=National Football League |date=2017 |access-date=April 14, 2018 |archive-date=April 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414234040/http://prod.static.titans.clubs.nfl.com/assets/docs/mediaguide/2017mg_history.pdf }}</ref> The city previously hosted the 1939 Nashville Rebels of the [[American Football League (1938)|American Football League]] and two [[Arena Football League]] teams named the [[Nashville Kats]] (1997–2001 and 2005–2007).

From April 25–27, 2019, Nashville hosted the [[2019 NFL draft]], which saw an estimated 200,000 fans attend each day.<ref name="tenn20190427">{{cite news |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/04/27/nfl-draft-nashville-breaks-attendance-record-league-reports/3602675002/ |title=NFL Draft in Nashville Breaks Attendance Record at 600,000, League Reports |work=[[The Tennessean]] |first=Matthew |last=Leimkuehler |date=April 27, 2019 |access-date=July 12, 2019 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022350/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/04/27/nfl-draft-nashville-breaks-attendance-record-league-reports/3602675002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Nashville Predators]] joined the [[National Hockey League]] as an expansion team in the 1998–99 season. The team plays its home games at [[Bridgestone Arena]]. The Predators have won two division championships (2017–18 and 2018–19) and one conference championship (2016–17).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhl.com/predators/team/history/timeline |title=Franchise Timeline |work=Nashville Predators |publisher=National Hockey League |access-date=April 14, 2018 |archive-date=April 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414043358/https://www.nhl.com/predators/team/history/timeline |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Nashville SC]], a [[Major League Soccer]] franchise, began play in 2020 at Nissan Stadium.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nashvillesc.com/post/2020/03/01/nashville-sc-breaks-tennessee-soccer-attendance-record-59069-hand-mls-debut |title=Nashville SC Breaks Tennessee Soccer Attendance Record With 59,069 on Hand for MLS Debut |website=Nashville SC |date=March 1, 2020 |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022326/https://www.nashvillesc.com/post/2020/03/01/nashville-sc-breaks-tennessee-soccer-attendance-record-59069-hand-mls-debut |url-status=live }}</ref> It moved into the newly completed soccer-specific stadium [[Geodis Park]] at the [[Nashville Fairgrounds]] in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last=Davenport |first=Turron |url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/nashville-sc/story/4655705/welcome-to-nashvillewhose-new-mls-stadium-is-the-largestand-might-be-loudestsoccer-stadium-in-the-us |title=Welcome to Nashville, Whose New MLS Stadium Is the Largest, and Might Be Loudest, Soccer Stadium in the U.S. |website=ESPN |date=May 2, 2022 |access-date=June 14, 2022 |archive-date=June 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614171747/https://www.espn.com/soccer/nashville-sc/story/4655705/welcome-to-nashvillewhose-new-mls-stadium-is-the-largestand-might-be-loudestsoccer-stadium-in-the-us |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Nashville Sounds]] baseball team was established in 1978 as an expansion franchise of the [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] [[Southern League (1964–present)|Southern League]]. The Sounds won the league championship in 1979 and 1982. In 1985, the Double-A Sounds were replaced by a [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] team of the [[American Association (1902–1997)|American Association]]. After the circuit dissolved in 1997, they joined the Triple-A [[Pacific Coast League]] in 1998 and won the league championship in 2005. The Sounds left their original ballpark, [[Herschel Greer Stadium]], in 2015 for [[First Horizon Park]], a new ballpark built on the site of the former [[Sulphur Dell]] ballpark. In 2021, they were placed in the Triple-A East, which became the [[International League]] in 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/news/minor-league-baseball-historical-league-names-to-return-in-2022|title=Historical League Names to Return in 2022|website=Minor League Baseball|date=March 16, 2022|access-date=March 16, 2022|archive-date=March 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325180745/https://www.milb.com/news/minor-league-baseball-historical-league-names-to-return-in-2022|url-status=live}}</ref> In total, the Sounds have won eleven division titles and three league championships.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.milb.com/nashville/team/history |title=Team History |work=Nashville Sounds |publisher=Minor League Baseball |access-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924040951/https://www.milb.com/nashville/team/history |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Music City Fire, an [[arena football]] team of the [[American Arena League]] began play at the Williamson County AgExpo Park in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.americanarenaleague.com/teams |title=Teams |work=AAL Football |access-date=September 6, 2021 |archive-date=August 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810190305/https://www.americanarenaleague.com/teams |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Nashville is the home of the second-oldest continually operating racetrack in the United States, the [[Fairgrounds Speedway]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxsports.com/tennessee/story/fairgrounds-speedway-primed-for-55th-season-040413 |title=Fairgrounds Speedway primed for 55th season |work=Fox Sports |first=Greg |last=Pogue |date=April 4, 2013 |access-date=November 18, 2016 |archive-date=November 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119120430/http://www.foxsports.com/tennessee/story/fairgrounds-speedway-primed-for-55th-season-040413 |url-status=live }}</ref> It hosted [[NASCAR Winston Cup]] races from 1958 to 1984, [[NASCAR Busch Series]] and [[NASCAR Truck Series]] in the 1980s and 1990s, and later the [[NASCAR Whelen All-American Series]] and [[ARCA Racing Series]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fairgroundsspeedwaynashville.com/?page_id=25736 |title=History |work=Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville |access-date=April 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414234702/http://fairgroundsspeedwaynashville.com/?page_id=25736 |archive-date=April 14, 2018 }}</ref>

[[Nashville Superspeedway]] is located {{convert|30|mi|0|abbr=on}} southeast of Nashville in [[Gladeville, Tennessee|Gladeville]], part of the [[Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. The track held [[NASCAR]] sanctioned events from 2001 to 2011 as well as [[IndyCar]] races from 2001 to 2008. Nashville Superspeedway reopened in 2021<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2021/06/15/nashville-superspeedway-welcomes-cup-debut-as-track-reopens/45988421/ |title=Nashville Superspeedway welcomes Cup debut as track reopens |website=[[USA Today]] |access-date=January 8, 2024 |archive-date=January 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108184202/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2021/06/15/nashville-superspeedway-welcomes-cup-debut-as-track-reopens/45988421/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and hosts the premier [[NASCAR Cup Series]] race [[Ally 400]] annually.

The [[Nashville Invitational]] was a golf tournament on the [[PGA Tour]] from 1944 to 1946. The [[Sara Lee Classic]] was part of the [[LPGA Tour]] from 1988 to 2002. The [[BellSouth Senior Classic]] of the Champions Tour was held from 1994 to 2003. The [[Nashville Golf Open]] is part of the [[Web.com Tour]] since 2016. The [[1961 Women's Western Open]] and [[1980 U.S. Women's Open]] were also held in Nashville.

===College and amateur===
Nashville is also home to four [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] athletic programs. Nashville is also home to the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[college football]] [[Music City Bowl]].

[[File:2004 Vanderbilt-Navy Game TE.jpg|thumb|right|2004 Vanderbilt-Navy Game]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- "
! Program !! Division !! Conference
|-
| [[Vanderbilt Commodores]]
| [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] ([[Football Bowl Subdivision|FBS]])
| [[Southeastern Conference]]
|-
| [[Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers|Tennessee State Tigers]]
| [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] ([[Football Championship Subdivision|FCS]])
| [[Ohio Valley Conference]]
|-
| [[Belmont Bruins]]
| [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] ([[NCAA Division I-AAA|non-football]])
| [[Missouri Valley Conference]]
|-
| [[Lipscomb Bisons]]
| [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] ([[NCAA Division I-AAA|non-football]])
| [[ASUN Conference]]
|}

[[Nashville Rollergirls|Nashville Roller Derby]] is Nashville's only women's flat track [[roller derby]] team. Established in 2006, Nashville Roller Derby competes on a regional and national level. They play their home games at the Nashville Fairgrounds Sports Arena. In 2014, they hosted the [[WFTDA Championships]] at Municipal Auditorium.

The [[Nashville Kangaroos]] are an Australian Rules Football team that compete in the [[United States Australian Football League]]. The Kangaroos play their home games at Elmington Park. The team is the reigning USAFL Central Region Champions.

Three [[Little League Baseball]] teams from Nashville (one in [[1970 Little League World Series|1970]]; one in [[2013 Little League World Series|2013]]; and, one in [[2014 Little League World Series|2014]]) have qualified for the [[Little League World Series]]. Teams from neighboring [[Goodlettsville]] qualified for the [[2012 Little League World Series|2012]] and [[2016 Little League World Series|2016]] series, giving the metropolitan area teams in three consecutive years to so qualify; and four teams in five years.

==Parks and gardens==
[[File:Parthenon.at.Nashville.Tenenssee.01.jpg|thumb|right|[[Parthenon (Nashville)|The Parthenon]] in Nashville's [[Centennial Park (Nashville)|Centennial Park]] is a full-scale reconstruction of the original Greek [[Parthenon]].]]
[[Nashville Board of Parks and Recreation|Metro Board of Parks and Recreation]] owns and manages {{convert|10200|acre}} of land and 99 parks and greenways (accounting for more than 3% of the total area of the county).

[[Warner Parks]], situated on {{convert|2684|acre}} of land, consists of a {{convert|5000|sqft|adj=on}} learning center, {{convert|20|mi}} of scenic roads, {{convert|12|mi}} of hiking trails, and {{convert|10|mi}} of horse trails. It is also the home of the annual [[Iroquois (horse)|Iroquois]] [[Steeplechase (horse racing)|Steeplechase]].
[[File:4 parks in NHRF (2).png|thumb|Four parks located within Nashville's Highland Rim Forest]]
The [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] maintains parks on [[Old Hickory Lake]] and [[Percy Priest Lake]]. These parks are used for activities such as fishing, [[water skiing]], sailing and [[boating]]. The Harbor Island Yacht Club makes its headquarters on Old Hickory Lake, and Percy Priest Lake is home to the Vanderbilt Sailing Club and [[Nashville Shores]].

Other parks in Nashville include [[Centennial Park (Nashville)|Centennial Park]], [[Shelby Park (Nashville)|Shelby Park]], Cumberland Park, and [[Radnor Lake State Natural Area]]. Four of Nashville's major parks are located in a forest of rolling hills along the city's western border. These are Beaman Park, Bells Bend Park, Warner Parks, and [[Radnor Lake State Park]]. With urban tree canopy covering 56% of Nashville's total land surface, the city places at the very top in forest cover among major U.S. cities. The vast majority of this canopy is in the suburban western hills containing the four parks noted above. The density and continuous canopy have earned it the name of [[Nashville's Highland Rim Forest]]. If omitting towns with smaller populations like [[Sitka, Alaska]], with its huge city park, then Nashville has the largest urban tree canopy of major cities by area. In addition, with Nashville's being one of largest U.S. cities in geographic size at 320,000 acres, its 179,000 acres of forested surface may also rank it first in percentage of canopy cover at 56%.<ref>{{cite web | last=Eggers | first=Caroline | title=Nashville is 53-56% forested. Here's why it probably doesn't seem that way. | website=WPLN News | date=2024-06-28 | url=https://wpln.org/post/more-than-50-of-nashville-is-forested-heres-why-it-probably-doesnt-seem-that-way/ | access-date=2025-06-22}}</ref>

On August 27, 2013, Nashville mayor Karl Dean revealed plans for two new riverfront parks on the east and west banks of the Cumberland River downtown. Construction on the east bank park began in the fall of 2013, and the projected completion date for the west bank park is 2015. Among many exciting benefits of this Cumberland River re-development project is the construction of a highly anticipated outdoor amphitheater. Located on the west bank, this music venue will be surrounded by a new {{convert|12|acre|ha|adj=on}} park and will replace the previous thermal plant site. It will include room for 6,500 spectators with 2,500 removable seats and additional seating on an overlooking grassy knoll. In addition, the {{convert|4.5|acre|ha|adj=on}} east bank park will include a river landing, providing people access to the river. In regard to the parks' benefits for Nashvillian civilians, Mayor Dean remarked that "if done right, the thermal site can be an iconic park that generations of Nashvillians will be proud of and which they can enjoy".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wkrn.com/2013/08/27/amphitheater-more-parks-planned-for-nashville-riverfront/ |title=Amphitheater, more parks planned for Nashville riverfront |work=WKRN.com |first=Chris |last=Bundgaard |date=August 27, 2013 |access-date=October 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030003607/http://wkrn.com/2013/08/27/amphitheater-more-parks-planned-for-nashville-riverfront/ |archive-date=October 30, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Law and government==
{{See also|List of mayors of Nashville, Tennessee|Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County}}
[[File:Tennessee State Capitol 2009.jpg|thumb|The [[Tennessee State Capitol|State Capitol]] in Nashville]]

The city of Nashville and Davidson County merged in 1963 as a way for Nashville to combat the problems of [[urban sprawl]]. The combined entity is officially known as "the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County", and is popularly known as "Metro Nashville" or simply "Metro". It offers services such as [[Metropolitan Nashville Police Department|police]], [[Nashville Fire Department|fire]], [[Nashville Electric Service|electricity]], water and sewage treatment. When the Metro government was formed in 1963, the government was split into two service districts—the "urban services district" and the "general services district". The urban services district encompasses the 1963 boundaries of the former City of Nashville, approximately {{convert|72|sqmi}},<ref name="citypap20101121">{{cite news |url=http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/metros-two-tiered-revenue-system-raises-taxing-questions |title=Metro's two-tiered revenue system raises taxing questions |work=[[The City Paper]] |first=Charles |last=Maldonado |date=November 21, 2010 |access-date=February 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205195634/http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/metros-two-tiered-revenue-system-raises-taxing-questions |archive-date=February 5, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the general services district includes the remainder of Davidson County. There are six smaller municipalities within the consolidated city-county: [[Belle Meade, Tennessee|Belle Meade]], [[Berry Hill, Tennessee|Berry Hill]], [[Forest Hills, Tennessee|Forest Hills]], [[Oak Hill, Tennessee|Oak Hill]], [[Goodlettsville, Tennessee|Goodlettsville]] (partially), and [[Ridgetop, Tennessee|Ridgetop]] (partially). These municipalities use a two-tier system of government, with the smaller municipality typically providing police services and the Metro Nashville government providing most other services. Previously, the city of [[Lakewood, Tennessee|Lakewood]] also had a separate charter. However, Lakewood residents voted in 2010 and 2011 to dissolve its city charter and join the metropolitan government, with both votes passing.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newschannel5.com/story/14258754/residents-vote-to-surrender-lakewoods-charter |title=Residents Vote To Surrender Lakewood's Charter |work=NewsChannel5.com |first=Andy |last=Humbles |date=April 15, 2011 |access-date=August 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110320024943/http://www.newschannel5.com/story/14258754/residents-vote-to-surrender-lakewoods-charter |archive-date=March 20, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Nashville is governed by a mayor, vice-mayor, and [[Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County|40-member Metropolitan Council]]. It uses the strong-mayor form of the [[mayor–council government|mayor–council system]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-voices/rein-council-redefines-mayoral-relationship |title=Rein of Council redefines mayoral relationship |work=[[The City Paper]] |date=April 9, 2004 |access-date=August 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813194108/http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-voices/rein-council-redefines-mayoral-relationship |archive-date=August 13, 2011 }}</ref> The current mayor of Nashville is [[Freddie O'Connell]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jeong |first1=Yihyun |title=John Cooper sworn in as Nashville mayor, pledges to make city that 'works for everyone' |date=September 28, 2019 |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/09/28/john-cooper-sworn-nashville-mayor-oath-of-office/2439607001/ |work=The Tennessean |language=en |access-date=September 28, 2019 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022329/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/09/28/john-cooper-sworn-nashville-mayor-oath-of-office/2439607001/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Metropolitan Council is the legislative body of government for Nashville and Davidson County. There are five council members who are elected at large and 35 council members that represent individual districts. The Metro Council has regular meetings that are presided over by the vice-mayor, who is currently Jim Shulman. The Metro Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:00{{nbsp}}pm, according to the Metropolitan Charter.

Nashville is home to the [[Tennessee Supreme Court]]'s courthouse for [[Middle Tennessee]] and the [[Estes Kefauver Federal Building and United States Courthouse]], home of the [[United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee]].

===Politics===
<!--Hold place for image of David Briley when available-->

Nashville has been a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] stronghold since at least the end of [[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction]], and has remained staunchly Democratic even as the state as a whole has trended strongly [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]. Pockets of Republican influence exist in the wealthier portions of the city, but they are usually no match for the overwhelming Democratic trend in the rest of the city. The issue of school busing roiled politics for years but subsided after the 1990s.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cxWf4Yup1twC |title=The Burden of Busing: The Politics of Desegregation in Nashville, Tennessee |publisher=The University of Tennessee Press |first1=Richard A. |last1=Pride |first2=J. David |last2=Woodward |date=1985 |isbn=0-87049-474-0}}</ref> While local elections are officially nonpartisan, nearly all the city's elected officials are publicly known as Democrats. The city is split among 10 state house districts, all of which are held by Democrats. Three state senate districts and part of a fourth are within the county; three are held by Democrats and one by a Republican.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Tennessee: A Maturing Two-Party System |journal=American Review of Politics |first1=John M. |last1=Bruce |first2=John A. |last2=Clark |first3=Michael M. |last3=Gant |first4=Linda M. |last4=Daugherty |volume=24 |pages=165–182 |date=2003 |doi=10.15763/issn.2374-7781.2003.24.0.165-182|doi-access=free | issn = 2374-7781 }}</ref>

In the state legislature, Nashville politicians serve as leaders of both the [[Tennessee Senate|Senate]] and [[Tennessee House of Representatives|House]] Democratic Caucuses. Representative Mike Stewart serves as Chairman of the House Caucus. Senator [[Jeff Yarbro]] serves as Chairman of the Senate Caucus.

Democrats are no less dominant at the federal level. Democratic presidential candidates have failed to carry Davidson County only five times since Reconstruction; in 1928, 1968, 1972, 1984 and 1988.<ref name="uselectionatlas.org">[http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/comparemaps.php?year=2008&fips=18&f=1&off=0&elect=0 David Leip's Presidential Atlas (Maps for Indiana by election)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081130204636/http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/comparemaps.php?year=2008&fips=18&f=1&off=0&elect=0 |date=November 30, 2008 }} Results prior to 1960 available through subscription only</ref> In most years, Democrats have carried Nashville at the presidential level with relatively little difficulty, even in years when they lose Tennessee as a whole. This has been especially true in recent elections, as the state capitol has continued to trend more Democratic even as most of the rest of the state has become staunchly Republican. In the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]], Tennessean Democrat [[Al Gore]] carried Nashville with over 59% of the vote even as he narrowly lost his home state and thus the presidency. In the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 election]], Democrat [[John Kerry]] carried Nashville with 55% of the vote while [[George W. Bush]] won the state by 14 points. In [[2008 United States presidential election|2008]], [[Barack Obama]] carried Nashville with 60% of the vote while Republican [[John McCain]] won Tennessee by 15 points.

Nashville was in a single congressional district, the [[Tennessee's 5th congressional district|5th]], for most of its history. A Republican had not represented a significant portion of Nashville since 1874, until 2023 when the GOP-controlled state legislature controversially split Nashville into parts of the 5th, [[Tennessee's 6th congressional district|6th]], and [[Tennessee's 7th congressional district|7th]] districts in a partisan [[gerrymander]] an additional Republican to Tennessee's congressional delegation as part of the [[2020 United States redistricting cycle|2022 redistricting cycle]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Sutton |first=Caroline |date=February 7, 2022 |title=Gov. Lee signs congressional redistricting bill splitting Davidson County |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/gov-lee-signs-congressional-redistricting-bill-splitting-davidson-county |work=WTVF-TV |location=Nashville |access-date=February 7, 2022 |archive-date=February 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207192047/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/gov-lee-signs-congressional-redistricting-bill-splitting-davidson-county |url-status=live }}</ref> This Republican gerrymander 'cracked' the Democratic stronghold of Nashville across three otherwise Republican districts, ensuring three Republican representatives. This gerrymander 'diminished the influence of Black voters and other voters of color concentrated in Nashville', by splitting them up and adding portions of the Nashville community into districts that are overwhelmingly white and Republican, thus diluting the voting power of Black voters in the state.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Witherspoon |first1=Andrew |last2=Levine |first2=Sam |title=A masterclass in election-rigging: how Republicans 'dismembered' a Democratic stronghold |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2022/jan/25/nashville-tennessee-gerrymandering-congress-republicans |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=January 26, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

Prior to this gerrymander, Republicans made a few spirited challenges to the 5th district in the mid-1960s and early 1970s, almost winning the district in 1968. The last serious bid for the district while still a Democratic stronghold was in 1972, when the Republican candidate gained 38% of the vote even as Nixon carried the district in the presidential election by a large margin. The district's best-known congressman was probably [[Joseph W. Byrns Sr.|Jo Byrns]], who represented the district from 1909 to 1936 and was [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] for much of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]]'s first term as president. Another nationally prominent congressman from Nashville was [[Percy Priest]], who represented the district from 1941 to 1956 and was [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|House Majority Whip]] from 1949 to 1953. Former mayors [[Richard Fulton]] and [[Bill Boner]] also sat in the U.S. House before assuming the Metro mayoral office.

From 2003 to 2013, a sliver of southwestern Nashville was located in the [[Tennessee's 7th congressional district|7th District]], represented by Republican [[Marsha Blackburn]]. This area was roughly coextensive with the portion of Nashville she had represented in the state senate from 1998 to 2002. However, the 5th regained all of Nashville after the 2010 census.

===Crime===
According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting database, Metropolitan Nashville has a violent crime rate approximately three times the national average, and a property crime rate approximately 1.6 times the average.<ref name="FBIUCR1">{{cite web |url=https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-the-u.s.-2017/tables/table-6 |title=Table 6: Crime in the United States by metropolitan Statistical Area, 2017 |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation |date=2017 |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190206073538/https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-the-u.s.-2017/tables/table-6 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="FBIUCR2">{{cite web |url=https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-the-u.s.-2017/tables/table-1 |title=Table 1: Crime in the United States by Volume and Rate per 100,000 Inhabitants, 1998–2017 |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation |date=2017 |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224033116/https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-the-u.s.-2017/tables/table-1 |url-status=live }}</ref> The following table shows Nashville's crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants for seven UCR categories.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Crime
! Nashville (2017)<ref name="FBIUCR1" />
! National average (2017)<ref name="FBIUCR2" />
|-
|Murder and non-negligent manslaughter
|style="text-align:right;"|16.29
|style="text-align:right;"|5.3
|-
|Rape
|style="text-align:right;"|72.89
|style="text-align:right;"|30.7
|-
|Robbery
|style="text-align:right;"|303.13
|style="text-align:right;"|98.0
|-
|Aggravated assault
|style="text-align:right;"|745.84
|style="text-align:right;"|248.9
|-
|Burglary
|style="text-align:right;"|631.31
|style="text-align:right;"|430.4
|-
|Larceny-theft
|style="text-align:right;"|2,806.6
|style="text-align:right;"|1,694.4
|-
|Motor vehicle theft
|style="text-align:right;"|380.03
|style="text-align:right;"|237.4
|}

==Education==
[[File:Peabodyvu.JPG|thumb|Wyatt Center, [[Vanderbilt University]]]]
{{see also|List of private schools in Nashville, Tennessee}}
The city is served by [[Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools]], also referred to as Metro Schools. This district is the second largest school district in Tennessee, and enrolls approximately 85,000 students at 169 schools.{{NCES District ID|4703180|district_name=Davidson County|do_not_render=yes|access_date=April 27, 2020}} In addition, Nashville is home to numerous private schools, including [[Montgomery Bell Academy]], [[Harpeth Hall School]], [[University School of Nashville]], [[Lipscomb Academy]], [[The Ensworth School]], [[Christ Presbyterian Academy]], [[Father Ryan High School]], [[Pope John Paul II High School (Tennessee)|Pope John Paul II High School]], [[Franklin Road Academy]], [[Davidson Academy (Tennessee)|Davidson Academy]], [[Nashville Christian School]], [[Donelson Christian Academy]], and [[St. Cecilia Academy (Nashville, Tennessee)|St. Cecilia Academy]]. Combined, all of the private schools in Nashville enroll more than 15,000 students.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&County=Davidson&State=47&SchoolPageNum=1|title=Search for Private Schools|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=nces.gov|publisher=National Center for Education Statistics|access-date=April 26, 2020|archive-date=May 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520224136/https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&County=Davidson&State=47&SchoolPageNum=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Further|topic=the Nashville charter school organization|LEAD Public Schools}}

===Colleges and universities===
Nashville has been labeled the "Athens of the South" due to the many colleges and universities in the metropolitan area.<ref name="Kreyling1996">{{cite book |title=Classical Nashville: Athens of the South |publisher=Vanderbilt University Press |location=Nashville |first1=Christine M |last1=Kreyling |first2=Wesley |last2=Paine |first3=Charles W |last3=Warterfield |first4=Susan Ford |last4=Wiltshire |year=1996 |isbn=0-585-13200-3}}</ref> Total enrollment in post-secondary education in Nashville is around 43,000.

The largest is [[Vanderbilt University]], with about 13,000 students.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vanderbilt University |url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Vanderbilt+University&s=all&id=221999 |website=National Center for Education Statistics |access-date=April 26, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022349/https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Vanderbilt+University&s=all&id=221999 |url-status=live }}</ref> Vanderbilt is considered one of the nation's leading research universities and is particularly known for its medical, law, business, engineering, and education programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/colleges/vanderbilt-university/#353b4ac46c61|title=Vanderbilt University|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2019|work=[[Forbes]]|access-date=April 26, 2020|archive-date=April 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414070049/https://www.forbes.com/colleges/vanderbilt-university/#353b4ac46c61|url-status=live}}</ref>

Nashville is home to more [[historically black colleges and universities|historically Black]] institutions of higher education than any other city save for [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]]: [[Fisk University]], [[Tennessee State University]], [[Meharry Medical College]], and [[American Baptist College]].<ref name="tribune20130418">{{cite news |url=http://tntribune.com/education/american-baptist-college-designated-as-hbcu/ |title=American Baptist College Designated as HBCU |work=The Tennessee Tribune |date=April 18, 2013 |access-date=January 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715200039/http://tntribune.com/education/american-baptist-college-designated-as-hbcu/ |archive-date=July 15, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Other schools based in Nashville include [[Belmont University]], [[Lipscomb University]], [[Trevecca Nazarene University]], and [[John A. Gupton College]]. The [[Tennessee Board of Regents]] operates [[Nashville State Community College]] and the Nashville branch of the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tbr.edu/institutions/our-institutions|title=Our Institutions|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=tbr.edu|date=May 2018|publisher=[[Tennessee Board of Regents]]|access-date=April 26, 2020|archive-date=April 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427135423/https://www.tbr.edu/institutions/our-institutions|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other nearby institutes of higher education include [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro's]] [[Middle Tennessee State University]] (MTSU) and [[Clarksville, Tennessee|Clarksville's]] [[Austin Peay University]], both full-sized public university with Tennessee's second- and eighth-largest undergraduate populations, respectively; [[Daymar College]] in Franklin; and [[Cumberland University]] in [[Lebanon, Tennessee|Lebanon]].

==Media==
{{Main|Media in Nashville, Tennessee}}
[[File:Tennessean office.jpg|thumb|Former offices of ''[[The Tennessean]]'']]

The daily newspaper in Nashville is ''[[The Tennessean]]'', which until 1998 competed with the ''[[Nashville Banner]]'', another daily paper that was housed in the same building under a [[joint operating agreement|joint-operating agreement]].<ref name=jacksonsun>{{cite news|title=Nashville Banner prints its own true 'final edition'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/282249277/|access-date=November 4, 2017|work=[[The Jackson Sun]]|date=February 21, 1998|location=Jackson, Tennessee|page=6|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=registration|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022330/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/282249277/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''The Tennessean'' is the city's most widely circulated newspaper. Online news service ''[[NashvillePost.com]]'' competes with the printed dailies to break local and state news. Several weekly papers are also published in Nashville, including ''The Nashville Pride'', ''[[Nashville Business Journal]]'', ''[[Nashville Scene]]'' and ''The Tennessee Tribune''. Historically, ''The Tennessean'' was associated with a broadly liberal editorial policy, while ''The Banner'' carried staunchly conservative views in its editorial pages;<ref name=jacksonsun/> ''The Banner'''s heritage had been carried on, to an extent, by ''[[The City Paper]]'' which folded in August 2013 after having been founded in October 2000. The ''Nashville Scene'' is the area's [[alternative newspaper|alternative weekly]] broadsheet. ''The Nashville Pride'' is aimed towards community development and serves Nashville's entrepreneurial population. ''Nashville Post'' is an online news source covering business, politics and sports.

Nashville is home to eleven broadcast television stations, although most households are served by direct [[Cable television|cable]] network connections. [[Comcast|Comcast Cable]] has a monopoly on terrestrial cable service in Davidson County (but not throughout the entire [[media market]]). Nashville is ranked as the 26th largest television market in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=2021 Nielsen DMA Rankings |url=https://oaaa.org/Portals/0/Public%20PDFs/OAAA%202021%20NIELSEN%20DMA%20Rankings%20Report.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224031435/https://oaaa.org/Portals/0/Public%20PDFs/OAAA%202021%20NIELSEN%20DMA%20Rankings%20Report.pdf |archive-date=February 24, 2022 |access-date=March 10, 2022 |work=Out of Home Advertising Association of America }}</ref> Major stations include [[WKRN-TV]] 2 ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]), [[WSMV-TV]] 4 ([[NBC]]), [[WTVF]] 5 ([[CBS]]), [[WNPT (TV)|WNPT]] 8 ([[PBS]]), [[WTNX-LD]] 15 ([[Telemundo]]), [[WZTV]] 17 ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]], with [[The CW]] on DT2), [[WNPX-TV]] 28 ([[Ion Television|ion]]), [[WPGD-TV]] 50 ([[Trinity Broadcasting Network|TBN]]), [[WLLC-LD]] 42 ([[Univision]]), [[WUXP-TV]] 30 ([[MyNetworkTV]]), ([[WJFB]]) 44 ([[MeTV]]), and [[WNAB]] 58 ([[Dabl]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=print_market&mktid=37 |title=Stations for Nashville, Tennessee |website=Rabbitears.info |access-date=June 19, 2016 |archive-date=April 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418224424/http://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=print_market&mktid=37 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nashville is also home to cable networks [[Country Music Television]] (CMT) and [[RFD-TV]], among others. CMT's [[master control]] facilities are located in New York City with other [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]] properties. The Top 20 Countdown and CMT Insider are taped in their Nashville studios. [[Shop at Home Network]] was once based in Nashville, but the channel signed off in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|last=Harrington|first=Carly|date=January 8, 2008|title=Jewelry Television pulls plug on Shop at Home network|url=http://archive.knoxnews.com/business/jewelry-television-pulls-plug-on-shop-at-home-network-ep-412248288-360041231.html/|work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]]|location=Knoxville, Tennessee|access-date=March 15, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022346/http://archive.knoxnews.com/business/jewelry-television-pulls-plug-on-shop-at-home-network-ep-412248288-360041231.html/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Several [[Frequency modulation|FM]] and [[Amplitude modulation|AM]] radio stations broadcast in the Nashville area, including five [[Campus radio|college stations]] and one [[low-power broadcasting|LPFM]] [[community radio]] station. Nashville is ranked as the 39th largest radio market in the United States. [[WSM-FM]] is owned by Cumulus Media and is 95.5 FM. [[WSM (AM)|WSM-AM]], owned by Gaylord Entertainment Company, is based on the [[Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center]]. WSM is famous for carrying live broadcasts of the Grand Ole Opry, through which it helped spread the popularity of country music in America, and continues to broadcast country music throughout its broadcast day. [[WLAC]], whose over-the-air signal is heard at 1510 AM, is an [[iHeartMedia]]-owned talk station which was originally sponsored by the [[Life and Casualty Insurance Company of Tennessee]], and its competitor [[WWTN]] is owned by [[Cumulus Media|Cumulus]].

Several major motion pictures have been filmed in Nashville, including ''[[The Green Mile (film)|The Green Mile]]'', ''[[The Matrix]]'', ''[[The Last Castle]]'', ''[[Gummo]]'', ''[[Starman (film)|Starman]]'', ''[[The Thing Called Love]]'', ''[[Two Weeks (2006 film)|Two Weeks]]'', ''[[Coal Miner's Daughter (film)|Coal Miner's Daughter]]'', ''[[Nashville (film)|Nashville]]'',<ref name="Romine2006–32">{{cite book |title=Frommer's Nashville & Memphis |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Wiley]] |location=Hoboken |first=Linda |last=Romine |year=2006 |edition=7th |page=32 |isbn=0-471-77614-9}}</ref> and ''[[Country Strong]]'', as well as the ABC television series ''[[Nashville (2012 TV series)|Nashville]]'' and another upcoming ABC television series ''9-1-1 Nashville''.

==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
According to the 2016 [[American Community Survey]], 78.1% of working Nashville residents commuted by driving alone, 9.8% carpooled, 2% used public transportation, and 2.2% walked. About 1.1% used all other forms of transportation, including taxicab, motorcycle, and bicycle. About 6.7% of working Nashville residents worked at home.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B08101&geo_ids=16000US4752006&primary_geo_id=16000US4752006 |title=Means of Transportation to Work by Age: American Community Survey 1-year estimates |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=2016 |access-date=May 19, 2018 |archive-date=May 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520054707/https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B08101&geo_ids=16000US4752006&primary_geo_id=16000US4752006 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, 7.9% of city of Nashville households were without a car; this figure decreased to 5.9% in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Nashville averaged 1.72 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8 per household.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-vehicles-by-city-map.html |title=Car Ownership in U.S. Cities Data and Map |work=Governing |date=December 9, 2014 |access-date=May 19, 2018 |archive-date=May 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511162014/http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-vehicles-by-city-map.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Highways====
Nashville is centrally located at the crossroads of three [[Interstate Highway System|Interstate Highways]], [[Interstate 40 in Tennessee|I-40]] (east-west), [[Interstate 24#Tennessee|I-24]] (northwest-southeast) and [[Interstate 65 in Tennessee|I-65]] (north-south). I-40 connects the city between [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] to the west and [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]] to the east, I-24 connects between [[Clarksville, Tennessee|Clarksville]] to the northwest and [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]] to the southeast, and I-65 connects between [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]] to the north and [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]] to the south. All three of these interstate highways, which also serve the suburbs, form brief [[Concurrency (road)|concurrencies]] with each other in the city, and completely encircle downtown. [[Interstate 440 (Tennessee)|I-440]] is a bypass route connecting I-40, I-65, and I-24 south of Downtown Nashville. [[Tennessee State Route 155|Briley Parkway]], the majority of which is a [[Controlled access highway|freeway]], forms a bypass around the north side of the city and its interstates. Ellington Parkway, a freeway made up of a section of [[U.S. Route 31E#Tennessee|US 31E]], runs between east of downtown and Briley Parkway, serving as an alternative route to I-65. [[Interstate 840 (Tennessee)|I-840]] provides an outer southern bypass for the city and its suburbs. [[United States Numbered Highway System|U.S. Routes]] [[U.S. Route 31 in Tennessee|31]], 31E, [[U.S. Route 31W#Tennessee|31W]], [[U.S. Route 31A|31 Alternate]], [[U.S. Route 41 in Tennessee|41]], [[U.S. Route 41 Alternate (Tennessee–Kentucky)|41 Alternate]], [[U.S. Route 70 in Tennessee|70]], [[U.S. Route 70S|70S]], and [[U.S. Route 431 in Tennessee|431]] also serve Nashville, intersecting in the city's center as arterial surface roads and radiating outward. Most of these routes are called "pikes" and many carry the names of nearby towns to which they lead. Among these are Clarksville Pike, Gallatin Pike, Lebanon Pike, Murfreesboro Pike, Nolensville Pike, and Franklin Pike.<ref>{{cite map|author = Tennessee Department of Transportation Long Range Planning Division Office of Data Visualization|title = Davidson County|year = 2018|url = https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/maps/county-maps-(us-shields)/a-g/Davidson%20County.pdf|publisher = [[Tennessee Department of Transportation]]|access-date = March 16, 2020|archive-date = April 19, 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220419222325/https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/maps/county-maps-(us-shields)/a-g/Davidson%20County.pdf|url-status = live}}</ref>

====Public transit====
[[File:Map showing Lines Owned and Operated by the Nashville Railway and Light Company c 1907.png|thumb|Map showing Lines Owned and Operated by the Nashville Railway and Light Company {{circa|1907}}]]

[[WeGo Public Transit]] provides bus transit within the city. Routes utilize a [[spoke–hub distribution paradigm|hub and spoke]] method, centered around the Music City Central transit station in downtown.<ref name="tenn20141008">{{cite news |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/davidson/2014/10/08/getting-around/16929479/ |title=Getting around |work=The Tennessean |date=October 8, 2014 |access-date=May 7, 2018 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022337/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/davidson/2014/10/08/getting-around/16929479/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2018 [[Let's Move Nashville|expansion plan]] that included use of [[bus rapid transit]] and [[light rail]] service was rejected by voters.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nashville voters overwhelmingly reject transit referendum |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/01/nashville-transit-vote-davidson-county-mass-transit/564991002/ |work=The Tennessean |last=Garrison |first=Joey |date=May 2, 2018 |access-date=May 2, 2018 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022334/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/01/nashville-transit-vote-davidson-county-mass-transit/564991002/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A [[Choose How You Move (Nashville)|subsequent expansion plan]] focused on improving sidewalks, adding smart signals, upgrading bus stops and transit centers, implementing a 24-hour bus service and adding 54 miles of high-capacity transit corridors was passed in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mealins |first=Kelly Puente and Evan |title=Nashville voters overwhelmingly approve $3.1 billion transit plan |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/05/nashville-transit-referendum-election-results/75918047007/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}}</ref>

Nashville is considered a gateway city for rail and air traffic for the [[Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cqgrd.gatech.edu/program_areas/megaregions/pam.php |title=Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion (PAM) |work=GATech.edu |year=2009 |access-date=September 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719200447/http://www.cqgrd.gatech.edu/program_areas/megaregions/pam.php |archive-date=July 19, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Air====
[[File:Nashville International Airport restaurants.jpg|thumb|Interior of the terminal at the Nashville International Airport]]

The city is served by [[Nashville International Airport]] (BNA), which is operated by the [[Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority]] (MNAA). Nearly 23 million passengers visited the airport in 2023, making it the 29th busiest airport in the US.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flynashville.com/about/Airport%20Data//122019TotalPassengers.pdf |title=Total Passengers |access-date=January 31, 2020 |archive-date=January 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131113310/https://www.flynashville.com/about/Airport%2520Data//122019TotalPassengers.pdf }}</ref> BNA is ranked the fastest growing airport among the top 50 airports in the United States. Nashville International Airport serves 600 daily flights to more than 100 nonstop markets.

In late 2014, BNA became the first major U.S. airport to establish dedicated pick-up and drop-off areas for [[vehicle for hire]] companies.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2014/09/25/nashville-airport-bna-uber-lyft-ride-sharing/16209319/ | title=Nashville airport first in U.S. to allow Uber, Lyft | work=[[The Tennessean]] | first=Jamie | last=McGee | date=September 25, 2014 | access-date=August 14, 2020 | archive-date=December 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226042945/https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2014/09/25/nashville-airport-bna-uber-lyft-ride-sharing/16209319/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

The airport authority also operates the [[John C. Tune Airport]], a [[Class E airspace]] [[general aviation]] airport.

====Intercity rail====
[[File:Music City Star.jpg|thumb|A [[WeGo Star]] commuter train beneath the [[Shelby Street Bridge]]]]

Although a major freight hub for [[CSX Transportation]], Nashville is not currently served by [[Amtrak]], the [[List of major cities in the United States lacking inter-city rail service|third-largest metropolitan area]] in the U.S. to have this distinction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.narprail.org/resources/fact-sheets/2056-msaservice |title=National Association of Railroad Passengers - Amtrak Service by Metro Area |access-date=December 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227131656/http://www.narprail.org/resources/fact-sheets/2056-msaservice |archive-date=December 27, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nashville's [[Union Station (Nashville)|Union Station]] had once been a major intercity passenger rail center for the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]]; [[Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway]]; and the [[Tennessee Central Railway]], reaching Midwestern cities and cities on the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. However, by the time of Amtrak's founding, service had been cut back to a single train, the ''[[Floridian (train, 1971–1979)|Floridian]]'', which ran from [[Chicago]] to [[Miami]] and [[St. Petersburg, Florida]]. It served Union Station until its cancellation on October 9, 1979, due to poor track conditions resulting in late trains and low ridership, ending over 120 years of intercity rail service in Nashville.

While there have been few proposals to restore Amtrak service to Nashville, there have been repeated calls from residents.<ref name=amtrak>{{cite news |first=Kate |last=Howard |title=Fans of rail want Amtrak here; Nashville not ready to support train service, state says |work=[[The Tennessean]] |date=July 2, 2007 |url=http://reporterkatehoward.blogspot.com/2007/07/tennessean-7207-fans-of-rail-want.html |access-date=October 30, 2012 |archive-date=September 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903173107/http://reporterkatehoward.blogspot.com/2007/07/tennessean-7207-fans-of-rail-want.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to scarce federal funding, Tennessee state officials do not believe that Nashville is large enough to support intercity rail. "It would be wonderful to say I can be in Memphis and jump on a train to Nashville, but the volume of people who would do that isn't anywhere close to what the cost would be to provide the service," said Ed Cole, chief of environment and planning with the Tennessee Department of Transportation.<ref name=amtrak/> Ross Capon, executive director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, said rail trips would catch on if routes were expanded, but conceded that it would be nearly impossible to resume Amtrak service to Nashville without a substantial investment from the state.<ref name=amtrak/> However, in 2020, Amtrak indicated it was considering [[Nashville–Atlanta passenger rail|a service that would run from Atlanta to Nashville by way of Chattanooga]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/amtrak-pitches-passenger-train-from-nashville-to-atlanta|title=Amtrak pitches passenger train from Nashville to Atlanta|date=January 17, 2020|website=WTVF|language=en|access-date=February 6, 2020|archive-date=February 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206215113/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/amtrak-pitches-passenger-train-from-nashville-to-atlanta|url-status=live}}</ref>

Nashville launched a passenger commuter rail system called the Music City Star (now the [[WeGo Star]]) on September 18, 2006. The only currently operational leg of the system connects the city of Lebanon to downtown Nashville at the [[Nashville Riverfront station]]. Legs to Clarksville, Murfreesboro and Gallatin are currently in the feasibility study stage. The system plan includes seven legs connecting Nashville to surrounding suburbs.

====Bridges====
Bridges within the city include:

{| class="wikitable"
|- "
! Official name !! Other names !! Length !! Date opened !! Notes
|-
| [[Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge]]
| Gateway Bridge
| style="text-align:right;" | {{convert|1660|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| style="text-align:right;" | May 19, 2004
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nashville.gov/Public-Works/Capital-Projects/Gateway-Bridge.aspx |title=Gateway Boulevard Bridge |website=Nashville.gov |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226111348/https://www.nashville.gov/Public-Works/Capital-Projects/Gateway-Bridge.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| Kelly Miller Smith Memorial Bridge
| Jefferson Street Bridge
| style="text-align:right;" | {{convert|1,835|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| style="text-align:right;" | March 2, 1994
| <ref>{{cite news |last1=Tran |first1=Tini |title=New bridge honors Kelly Miller Smith |url=https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/60788976/new-bridge-honors-kelly-miller-smith/ |page=1B, [https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/60789030/kelly-miller-smith-memorial-bridge-opens/ 2B] |access-date=October 9, 2020 |work=The Tennessean |date=March 3, 1994 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=December 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226042945/https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/60788976/new-bridge-honors-kelly-miller-smith/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| Old Hickory Bridge
|
| style="text-align:right;" | {{convert|1222|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| style="text-align:right;" | 1928; second span built 1967
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=tennessee/oldhickory/ |title=Old Hickory Bridge |website=HistoricBridge.org |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226111730/https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=tennessee/oldhickory/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge
| Bordeaux Bridge
| style="text-align:right;" | 
| style="text-align:right;" | September 18, 1980
| <ref>{{cite news |title=New Bordeaux Bridge Slated for Use Today |url=https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/60788903/new-bordeaux-bridge-slated-for-use-today/ |access-date=October 9, 2020 |work=The Tennessean |date=September 18, 1980 |page=68 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=December 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226043015/https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/60788903/new-bordeaux-bridge-slated-for-use-today/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge]]
| Shelby Street Bridge
| style="text-align:right;" | {{convert|3150|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| style="text-align:right;" | July 5, 1909
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://cdn.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/tn/tn0300/tn0302/data/tn0302data.pdf |title=Sparkman Street Bridge (Shelby Street Bridge) |work=Historic American Engineering Record |publisher=National Park Service |first1=Margaret |last1=Slater |first2=Nancy |last2=Skinner |date=August 1998 |id=HAER No. TN-38 |access-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-date=February 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224114835/http://cdn.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/tn/tn0300/tn0302/data/tn0302data.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Silliman Evans Bridge]]
|
| style="text-align:right;" | {{convert|2362|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| style="text-align:right;" | January 14, 1964
| <ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Nashville Then: Best of 1964|url=https://www.tennessean.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2014/12/30/nashville-then-best-of-1964/21047109/|work=The Tennessean|location=Nashville, Tennessee|date=December 30, 2014|access-date=March 15, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022403/https://www.tennessean.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2014/12/30/nashville-then-best-of-1964/21047109/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Lyle H. Fulton Memorial Bridge]]
|
|style="text-align:right;"|
|style="text-align:right;"|
March 15, 1971
|<ref>{{cite news |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title = Interstate Sections To Open Monday |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56531207/interstate-sections-to-open-monday/ |page = 1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56531304/i-40-sections-open-monday/ 12] |work = The Nashville Tennessean |date = March 12, 1971 |access-date = April 24, 2020 |via = Newspapers.com |archive-date = December 26, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201226042946/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56531207/interstate-sections-to-open-monday/ |url-status = live }}</ref>
|-
| Victory Memorial Bridge
|
| style="text-align:right;" | 
| style="text-align:right;" | May 19, 1956
| <ref>{{cite news |last1=Horn |first1=Huston |title=Traffic Moves On New Bridge |url=https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/60789180/traffic-moves-on-new-bridge/ |access-date=October 9, 2020 |work=The Nashville Tennessean |date=May 20, 1956 |pages=1, [https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/60789227/traffic-moves/ 12] |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=December 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226043013/https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/60789180/traffic-moves-on-new-bridge/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| William Goodwin Bridge
| Hobson Pike Bridge
| style="text-align:right;" | {{convert|2215|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| style="text-align:right;" | 
| 
|-
| Woodland Street Bridge
|
| style="text-align:right;" | {{convert|639|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| style="text-align:right;" | April 10, 1886; replaced 1965
| <ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/structures/historic-bridges/chapter2.pdf |chapter=A History of Bridge Building in Tennessee |title=Tennessee's Survey Report for Historic Highway Bridges |publisher=Tennessee Department of Transportation |first=Martha |last=Carver |page=29 |date=2008 |access-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-date=June 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622225158/https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/structures/historic-bridges/chapter2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ezstreetasphalt.com/case-studies/bridges/nashville-woodland-street-bridge/ |title=Nashville's Woodland Street Bridge Repaired with Minimal Traffic Impedance |publisher=EZ Street Asphalt |access-date=February 25, 2019 |archive-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226111410/https://www.ezstreetasphalt.com/case-studies/bridges/nashville-woodland-street-bridge/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|}

===Utilities===
The city of Nashville owns the [[Nashville Electric Service]] (NES),  Metro Water Services (MWS) and Nashville District Energy System (NDES). The Nashville Electric Service provides electricity to the entirety of Davidson County and small portions of the six adjacent counties, and purchases its power from the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tva.gov/Energy/Public-Power-Partnerships/Local-Power-Companies/Nashville-Electric-Service|title=Nashville Electric Service|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2018|website=tva.gov|publisher=Tennessee Valley Authority|access-date=March 16, 2020|archive-date=January 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125032616/https://www.tva.gov/Energy/Public-Power-Partnerships/Local-Power-Companies/Nashville-Electric-Service}}</ref> Metro Water Services provides water, wastewater, and stormwater to Nashville and the majority of Davidson County, as well as water services to small portions of Rutherford and Williamson counties, and wastewater services to small portions of all of the surrounding counties except for Cheatham County. MWS sources its water from the Cumberland River and operates two water treatment plants and three wastewater treatment plants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nashville.gov/Water-Services/About-Us.aspx|title=About Metro Water Services|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=nashville.gov|access-date=March 16, 2020|archive-date=June 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609230537/https://www.nashville.gov/Water-Services/About-Us.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Ten additional utility companies provide water and sewer service to Nashville and Davidson County. The Nashville District Energy System provides heating and cooling services to certain buildings in downtown, including multiple government buildings.<ref>{{cite news|last=Jeong|first=Yihyun|date=April 23, 2019|title=Nashville wants to sell its downtown energy system to a private buyer for $60M|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/04/22/nashville-wants-sell-its-downtown-energy-system-private-buyer-60-m/3538183002/|work=The Tennessean|access-date=March 16, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022334/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/04/22/nashville-wants-sell-its-downtown-energy-system-private-buyer-60-m/3538183002/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Natural gas]] is provided by [[Piedmont Natural Gas]], a subsidiary of [[Duke Energy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.piedmontng.com/our-company/about-piedmont/service-territories/tn-service-territory|title=Tennessee Service Territory|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=piedmontng.com|publisher=Piedmont Natural Gas|access-date=March 16, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022335/https://www.piedmontng.com/our-company/about-piedmont/service-territories/tn-service-territory|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Healthcare===
{{See also|List of hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee}}
As a major center for the healthcare industry, Nashville is home to several hospitals and other primary care facilities. Most hospitals in Nashville are operated by [[Vanderbilt University Medical Center]], the TriStar Division of [[Hospital Corporation of America]], and [[Ascension Saint Thomas]].<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Nashville-area hospitals|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/life/health/2015/09/10/nashville-area-hospitals/72017914/|work=The Tennessean|date=September 10, 2015|access-date=March 16, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022351/https://www.tennessean.com/story/life/health/2015/09/10/nashville-area-hospitals/72017914/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Metropolitan Nashville Hospital Authority operates Nashville General Hospital, which is affiliated with [[Meharry Medical College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nashville.gov/Hospital-Authority.aspx|title=Nashville General Hospital|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=nashville.gov|publisher=Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County|access-date=March 16, 2020|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804200811/https://www.nashville.gov/Hospital-Authority.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

==International relations==
===Sister cities===
Nashville's [[Sister city|sister cities]] are:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scnashville.org/sister-cities.html|title=Sister Cities|publisher=Sister Cities of Nashville|access-date=November 1, 2020|archive-date=January 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116023650/http://www.scnashville.org/sister-cities.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*{{flagicon|NIR|union}} [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Caen]], France
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Chengdu]], China
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Edmonton]], Canada
*{{flagicon|IRQ}} [[Erbil]], Kurdistan Region, Iraq<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eu.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2022/12/16/nashville-seeking-sister-city-with-kurdish-capital/69728529007/|title=Kurdish presence in Nashville grows as city hopes to link with Erbil as sister city |publisher=The Tennessean|access-date=July 8, 2023}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Kamakura]], Japan
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Magdeburg]], Germany
*{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Mendoza, Argentina|Mendoza]], Argentina
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Taiyuan]], China
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Tamworth Regional Council|Tamworth]], Australia
{{div col end}}

;Candidates<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scnashville.org/candidate-cities.html|title=Candidate Cities|publisher=Sister Cities of Nashville|access-date=November 1, 2020|archive-date=January 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113050943/http://www.scnashville.org/candidate-cities.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Gwangjin District|Gwangjin (Seoul)]], South Korea

;International Friendship City<ref name="friendshipcity">{{cite web|url=http://www.scnashville.org/friendship-cities.html|title=Friendship City|publisher=Sister Cities of Nashville|access-date=November 1, 2020|archive-date=January 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118054901/http://www.scnashville.org/friendship-cities.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Crouy]], France

;Municipality United in Friendship<ref name="friendshipcity"/>
*{{flagicon|SPA}} [[El Port de la Selva]], Spain

===Consulates===
Nashville is also home to [[consulates]] for the following countries:
*{{flagdeco|DEN}} [[Denmark]]<ref>{{cite web|website=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark|title=Danish Consulate in Nashville, Tennessee|url=https://usa.um.dk/en/about-us/list-of-danish-honorary-consulates-in-the-us/nashville-tennessee|access-date=2024-10-06}}</ref>
*{{flagdeco|ESA}} [[El Salvador]]<ref>{{cite web|website=Consulados de El Salvador en Estados Unidos|title=Consulado de El Salvador en Nashville, TN|date=November 20, 2023 |url=https://consuladodeelsalvadorenusa.com/tennessee/consulado-de-el-salvador-en-nashville-tn/|access-date=2024-10-06|language=Spanish}}</ref>
*{{flagdeco|FRA}} [[France]] (honorary)<ref>{{cite web|website=Consulate General of France in Atlanta|title=Amélie de Gaulle, a "petite France" in Nashville|url=https://atlanta.consulfrance.org/amelie-de-gaulle-a-petite-france-in-nashville|date=2011-04-13|access-date=2024-10-06}}</ref>
*{{flagdeco|GER}} [[Germany]] (honorary)<ref>{{cite web|website=German Missions in the United States|title=Tennessee|url=https://www.germany.info/us-en/hc-state-tn/905530|access-date=2024-10-06}}</ref>
*{{flagdeco|GUA}} [[Guatemala]]<ref>{{cite web|website=Cita Consular de Guatemala|title=Consulate of Guatemala in Nashville|date=August 2024 |url=https://citaconsuladosdeguatemala.com/en/consulate-nashville-tn/|access-date=2024-10-06}}</ref>
*{{flagdeco|IRE}} [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] (honorary)<ref>{{cite web|website=Consulate General of Ireland, Atlanta|title=Amy Seigenthaler Pierce Appointed Honorary Consul in Tennessee|url=https://www.ireland.ie/en/usa/atlanta/news-and-events/news-archive/amy-seigenthaler-pierce-appointed-honorary-consul-in-tennessee/|date=2024-03-07|access-date=2024-10-06}}</ref>
*{{flagdeco|ITA}} [[Italy]]<ref>{{cite web|website=Embassies.net|title=Consulate General of Italy in Nashville|url=https://embassies.net/italy-in-united-states/nashville#google_vignette|access-date=2025-08-02}}</ref>
*{{flagdeco|JPN}} [[Consulate-General of Japan, Nashville|Japan]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville|url=https://www.nashville.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html|access-date=2024-10-06}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of people from Nashville, Tennessee]]
* [[Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency]]
* ''[[The Children (Halberstam)|The Children]]'', 1999 book about the [[Nashville Student Movement]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Davidson County, Tennessee]]
* [[USS Nashville|USS ''Nashville'']], 3 ships
{{Portal bar|Geography|North America|United States|Tennessee}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/biographicalske00nash |title=Biographical Sketches and Pictures of Company B, Confederate Veterans of Nashville, Tenn. |publisher=Beverly Pearson Barnes |location=Brentwood, Tennessee |first=Melville Marshall |last=Barnes |others=Illustrated by Giers' Art Gallery |date=1974 |orig-date=1st pub. Foster & Webb, 1902}}
* {{Cite book |title=Fortunes, Fiddles, & Fried Chicken: A Nashville Business History |publisher=Hillsboro Press |location=Franklin, Tennessee |first=Bill |last=Carey |year=2000 |isbn=1-57736-178-4}}
* {{Cite book |title=Historic Photos of Nashville |publisher=Turner |location=Nashville, Tennessee |first=Jan |last=Duke |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-59652-184-1}}
* {{Cite book |title=Nashville: The Occupied City, 1862–1863 |publisher=[[University of Tennessee Press]] |location=Knoxville, Tennessee |first=Walter T |last=Durham |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-57233-633-9}}
* {{Cite book |title=Reluctant Partners: Nashville and the Union, 1863–1865 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=Knoxville, Tennessee |first=Walter T |last=Durham |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-57233-634-6}}
* {{Cite book |title=Nashville: The Faces of Two Centuries, 1780–1980 |publisher=PlusMedia |location=Nashville, Tennessee |editor1-first=John |editor1-last=Egerton |year=1979 |lccn=79089173 |oclc=5875892 |display-editors=etal}}
* {{Cite book |title=Nashville: An American Self-Portrait |publisher=Beaten Biscuit |location=Nashville, Tennessee |editor1-first=John |editor1-last=Egerton |year=2001 |isbn=0-9706702-1-4 |display-editors=etal}}
* {{Cite book |title=Historic Photos of Nashville in the 50s, 60s and 70s |publisher=Turner |location=Nashville, Tennessee |first=Ashley D |last=Haugen |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-59652-539-9}}
* {{Cite book |title=The Nashville Way: Racial Etiquette and the Struggle for Social Justice in a Southern City |publisher=[[University of Georgia Press]] |location=Athens |first=Benjamin |last=Houston |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-8203-4327-3}}
* {{Cite book |title=African-American History of Nashville, Tennessee, 1780–1930: Elites and Dilemmas |publisher=[[University of Arkansas Press]] |first=Bobby L |last=Lovett |year=1999 |isbn=1-55728-555-1}}
* {{Cite book |title=Historic Photos of the Opry: Ryman Auditorium, 1974 |publisher=Turner |location=Nashville, Tennessee |first=Jim |last=McGuire |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-59652-373-9}}
* {{Cite book |title=Nashville & Memphis |series=Moon Handbooks |publisher=Avalon Travel |location=Berkeley, California |first=Susanna H |last=Potter |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-59880-102-6}}
* {{Cite book |title=Nashville & Memphis |series=Frommer Guides |publisher=Frommer's |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |first=Linda |last=Romine |edition=7th |year=2006 |isbn=0-471-77614-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Spinney|first=Robert Guy|date=May 1, 1998|title=World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hFHsJ3Cv8p0C|location=Knoxville, Tennessee|publisher=[[University of Tennessee Press]]|isbn=978-1-57233-004-7}}
* {{Cite book |title=Nashville in the New Millennium: Immigrant Settlement, Urban Transformation, and Social Belonging |publisher=Russell Sage Foundation |location=New York |first=Jamie |last=Winders |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-61044-802-4}}
* {{Cite book |title=History of Nashville, Tennessee |publisher=Methodist Episcopal Church, South |location=Nashville, Tennessee |editor1-first=John |editor1-last=Wooldridge |year=1890 |lccn=76027605 |oclc=316211313 |display-editors=etal}}
* {{Cite book |title=Hidden History of Nashville |publisher=History Press |location=Charleston, South Carolina |first=George R |last=Zepp |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-59629-792-0}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Nashville, Tennessee|voy=Nashville}}

; Government
* [https://www.nashville.gov/ Official website]

; Other
* [http://www.visitmusiccity.com/ Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003222351/http://www.visitmusiccity.com/ |date=October 3, 2013 }}
* [http://www.nashvillechamber.com/ Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106043946/http://www.nashvillechamber.com/ |date=January 6, 2010 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100726095748/http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nashvillearchives/index.html Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150615020718/http://www.library.nashville.org/research/res_nash_history_timeline.asp Nashville/Davidson County timeline] from the [[Nashville Public Library]]

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Nashville
|North = [[Springfield, Tennessee|Springfield]]
|Northeast = [[Hendersonville, Tennessee|Hendersonville]], [[Gallatin, Tennessee|Gallatin]]
|East = [[Mount Juliet, Tennessee|Mt. Juliet]], [[Lebanon, Tennessee|Lebanon]]
|Southeast = [[La Vergne, Tennessee|La Vergne]], [[Smyrna, Tennessee|Smyrna]], [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]]
|South = [[Brentwood, Tennessee|Brentwood]], [[Franklin, Tennessee|Franklin]]
|Southwest = [[Belle Meade, Tennessee|Belle Meade]], [[Bellevue, Tennessee|Bellevue]]
|West = [[Dickson, Tennessee|Dickson]]
|Northwest = [[Clarksville, Tennessee|Clarksville]]
|image =
}}
{{Metro Nashville}}
{{Davidson County, Tennessee}}
{{Nashville Metro}}
{{Tennessee}}
{{US state capitals}}
{{USPopulousCities}}
{{Tennessee county seats}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Nashville, Tennessee| ]]
[[Category:1779 establishments in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Cities in Davidson County, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Cities in Nashville metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Cities in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Consolidated city-counties]]
[[Category:County seats in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1779]]
[[Category:Railway towns in Tennessee]]
[[Category:State capitals in the United States]]