Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County in the central part of the state. Nicknamed "Music City", Nashville is the home of the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and many major record labels. Since much earlier times it has been called the "Athens of the South", for its educational institutions and classical architecture. Nashville is also a major hub for the health care and publishing industries.

Culture

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 twentieth century, the Fugitives and the Agrarians.

Related Topics:
Fugitives - Agrarians

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Many popular tourist sites involve country music, including the Country Music Hall of Fame and Ryman Auditorium, which was for many years the site of the Grand Ole Opry. Each year, the Country Music Association's Fan Fair (renamed "CMA Music Festival" in 2003) brings many thousands of country fans to the city.

Related Topics:
Country Music Hall of Fame - Ryman Auditorium - Grand Ole Opry - Country Music Association - Fan Fair

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Other popular destinations include Fort Nashborough, a reconstruction of the original settlement; the Tennessee State Museum; and The Parthenon, a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The graceful State Capitol is one of the oldest working state capitol buildings in the nation, while The Hermitage is one of the older presidential homes open to the public. The Nashville Zoo is one of the city's newer attractions.

Related Topics:
Tennessee State Museum - The Parthenon - Parthenon - Athens, Greece - State Capitol - The Hermitage - Nashville Zoo

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Civil War history is also important to the city's tourism industry. Sites pertaining to the Battle of Nashville and the nearby Battle of Franklin and Battle of Stones River can be seen, along with several well-preserved antebellum plantation houses such as Belle Meade Plantation and Belmont Mansion.

Related Topics:
Battle of Nashville - Battle of Franklin - Battle of Stones River

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Nashville is also the home of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, where the Tennessee Repertory Theatre makes its home. The Tennessee Performing Arts Center is also home to the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Opera, and Nashville Ballet. The Nashville Symphony Orchestra will eventually move to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which is scheduled to be completed in 2007.

Related Topics:
Tennessee Performing Arts Center - Schermerhorn Symphony Center

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An intersting note is that more Kurds call Nashville home than any other city outside of the Middle East, according to Vanderbilt University. The city has a large and active Kurdish neighborhood of more than 5,000 in the Nolensville Road area. During the Iraqi election of 2005, Nashville was one of the few international locations where Iraqi expatriates could vote. This kind of ethnic make-up is quite unusual for a southern American city and reflects Nashville's embracing atmosphere and "New-South" image.

Related Topics:
Kurds - Vanderbilt University - Iraqi election of 2005

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Art museums

Nashville has several arts centers and museums, including the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, located in what was formerly the main post office; Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art; the Tennessee State Museum; Fisk University's Van Vechten and Aaron Douglas Galleries; and The Parthenon.

Related Topics:
Frist Center for the Visual Arts - Post office - Tennessee State Museum - Fisk University - The Parthenon

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Major annual events

The most well-known annual event in Nashville is the CMA Music Festival (previously known as Fan Fair). The CMA Music Festival is a four day event in June featuring performances by country music stars, autograph signings, artist/fan interaction, and other activities for country music fans. In September, Nashville hosts the Tennessee State Fair at the State Fairgrounds. The State Fair lasts nine days and includes rides, exhibits, rodeos, tractor pulls, and performances of all kinds. The Nashville Film Festival takes place each year for a week in April. It features hundreds of independent films and is one of the biggest film festivals in the Southern United States. In June, the Nashville LGBT community celebrates gay pride at the Nashville Pride Fest in Centennial Park. In September, the African Street Festival takes place on the campus of Tennessee State University. Other big events in Nashville include the Fourth of July celebration which takes place each year at Riverfront Park, and the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon which normally include over 10,000 runners from around the world.

Related Topics:
CMA Music Festival - Country music - Tennessee State Fair - Rodeo - Tractor pulls - Nashville Film Festival - Southern United States - LGBT - Gay pride - Centennial Park - Tennessee State University - Fourth of July

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Media

Nashville is served by numerous newspapers, television stations, and radio stations. The primary daily newspaper in Nashville is The Tennessean, which, until 1998, competed fiercely with another daily, the Nashville Banner. Although The Tennessean now enjoys a relative monopoly on the local newspaper market, a smaller free daily called The City Paper has recently begun publication. Several weekly papers are also published in Nashville, including the Nashville Scene, Nashville Business Journal, and The Tennessee Tribune.

Related Topics:
The Tennessean - Nashville Banner

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Nashville is home to nearly a dozen broadcast television stations, although most households are served by direct cable network connections. Comcast Cable has a monopoly on terrestrial cable service in Davidson County (but not throughout the entire DMA). Nashville is ranked as the 30th largest television market in the United States.

Related Topics:
Cable - Comcast Cable - DMA

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Several dozen FM and AM radio stations broadcast in the Nashville area, including five college stations and one LPFM community station. Nashville is ranked as the 44th largest radio market in the United States.

Related Topics:
FM - AM - College stations - LPFM - Community station

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Sports

Nashville has several professional sports teams, most notably the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League and the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. Several other pro sports teams also call Nashville home.

Related Topics:
Sports - Nashville Predators - National Hockey League - Tennessee Titans - National Football League

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Sports venues in Nashville are:

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• The Coliseum
• Gaylord Entertainment Center
• Nashville Municipal Auditorium
• Greer Stadium
• Vanderbilt Stadium
• Memorial Gymnasium at Vanderbilt University
• Curb Event Center at Belmont University
• Gentry Center at Tennessee State University
• Allen Arena at Lipscomb University