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Nashville, Tennessee

"Music City"
The undisputed capital of country music and the buckle of the Bible Belt — Nashville grew from a frontier fort on the Cumberland River into one of the fastest-growing cities in America.
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Founded 1779 | Population 689,447 | Peak 689,447 (2020) | County Davidson County

Top 10 Most Important Events for Nashville, Tennessee

1
1925Grand Ole Opry Begins Broadcasting: WSM Radio launched the 'Barn Dance' program, later renamed the Grand Ole Opry. It became the longest-running live radio show in history and made Nashville the global capital of country music.
2
1960Nashville Sit-In Movement: Students from Fisk, Tennessee State, and other Black colleges staged sit-ins at downtown lunch counters. The Nashville sit-ins became a model for nonviolent direct action across the South.
3
1864Battle of Nashville: Union forces under General George Thomas decisively defeated the Confederate Army of Tennessee, effectively destroying it as a fighting force and ending major Confederate operations in the West.
4
1962Nashville-Davidson County Consolidation: Nashville merged with Davidson County, creating a metropolitan government that doubled the city's size and became a model for other Southern cities.
5
2010Great Nashville Flood: Two days of torrential rain caused the Cumberland River to overflow, flooding downtown Nashville and causing over $2 billion in damage. Thousands of homes were destroyed.
6
2020Christmas Day Bombing: A massive bomb detonated from an RV on Second Avenue on Christmas morning, damaging 41 buildings and disrupting AT&T communications across the Southeast. The bomber was killed.
7
1897Tennessee Centennial Exposition: Nashville hosted the Tennessee Centennial, building a full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon that still stands in Centennial Park — earning Nashville the nickname 'Athens of the South.'.
8
1998Tennessee Titans Arrive: The NFL's Houston Oilers relocated to Nashville and became the Tennessee Titans, bringing major-league professional sports and national visibility to the growing city.
9
1943Music Row Emerges: Nashville's Music Row began taking shape as recording studios and music publishers clustered along 16th and 17th Avenues, creating the infrastructure that would dominate country music for decades.
10
2013Nashville's Bachelorette Boom: Nashville emerged as America's top bachelorette and bachelor party destination, driven by Broadway honky-tonks, live music, and a booming hospitality industry.
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Population Over Time

0 172,362 344,724 517,085 689,447 1830 1850 1860 1880 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Latest News in Nashville

News articles will appear here as they're published.

Complete Historical Timeline

1779 Government
Fort Nashborough established on the Cumberland River
1784 Government
Nashville incorporated
1843 Government
Nashville becomes permanent state capital of Tennessee
1862 Politics
Union forces capture Nashville early in Civil War
1864 Politics
Battle of Nashville destroys Confederate Army of Tennessee
1897 Culture
Tennessee Centennial Exposition builds the Parthenon replica
1920 Civil Rights
Tennessee ratifies 19th Amendment, granting women suffrage
1925 Culture
Grand Ole Opry begins broadcasting on WSM Radio
1943 Culture
Music Row begins forming along 16th Avenue
1960 Civil Rights
Student sit-ins challenge segregation downtown
1962 Government
Nashville-Davidson County metropolitan government created
1974 Culture
Opryland USA theme park opens
1998 Sports
Tennessee Titans begin play in Nashville
2010 Disaster
Great Flood causes $2 billion in damage
2017 Sports
Nashville Predators reach Stanley Cup Finals
2020 Crime
Christmas Day bombing on Second Avenue
2023 Crime
Covenant School shooting kills six

Did You Know?

1
Nashville's full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon is the only one in the world — it was built as a temporary structure for the 1897 Exposition but was so popular that it was rebuilt permanently in concrete.
2
Nashville's Lower Broadway has more live music venues per block than any street in America — and most of them have no cover charge, playing live music from 10 AM until 3 AM.
3
Tennessee's ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 was the deciding vote that gave American women the right to vote — and it came down to a single legislator who changed his mind after receiving a letter from his mother.
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