America at 250: Tennessee Uncovered — 20 Facts About the Volunteer State, the Home of Country Music, the Blues and Rock ’n’ Roll

America at 250: Tennessee Uncovered — 20 Facts About the Volunteer State, the Home of Country Music, the Blues and Rock ’n’ Roll

As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, a state-by-state journey — from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry and Memphis’s Graceland to the Great Smoky Mountains, no income tax and the FedEx superhub — through the numbers, the history and the emergency lifelines every traveler should carry.

As the United States marks the landmark 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 — its semiquincentennial — our state-by-state journey reaches Tennessee: the “Volunteer State,” a Southern crossroads that gave the world more of its music than perhaps any other. Country music in Nashville, the blues and soul of Memphis, and the birth of rock ’n’ roll all trace their roots to Tennessee.

From the Great Smoky Mountains in the east to the Mississippi River in the west, Tennessee blends musical heritage, natural beauty and a booming, low-tax economy. What follows is a fact-checked portrait drawn from official sources — the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, state agencies and federal registries — followed by the safety information every visitor to the Volunteer State should keep close at hand.

How Big Is Tennessee? About 7.2 Million People Across 42,144 Square Miles

Tennessee is a fast-growing Southern state. The U.S. Census Bureau put its population at about 7,227,750 in 2024, ranking it around 15th nationally and among the quicker-growing states, drawing newcomers to Nashville and its metros. It covers roughly 42,144 square miles, stretching about 440 miles from the Appalachian Mountains in the east to the Mississippi River in the west.

Tennessee is famously divided into three “Grand Divisions” — East, Middle and West — represented by the three stars on its flag. The largest city is Nashville, the capital and a booming music and health-care hub in Middle Tennessee; Memphis, on the Mississippi, anchors the west; and Knoxville and Chattanooga anchor the east, near the Smokies.

Tennessee’s geography runs from the high ridges of the Great Smoky Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau in the east, through the rolling hills and horse country of Middle Tennessee, to the flat, fertile Mississippi Delta lowlands of the west — a remarkable variety packed into one long state.

A Frontier History: The 16th State, Admitted in 1796

Home to the Cherokee, Chickasaw and other peoples, Tennessee was settled by frontiersmen pushing west through the Appalachians and became the 16th state on June 1, 1796. Its “Volunteer State” nickname comes from the large numbers of Tennesseans who volunteered to fight in the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War.

Tennessee was deeply divided in the Civil War — the last state to secede and the first to be readmitted, and the site of major battles like Shiloh and Chattanooga. In the 20th century, the federal Tennessee Valley Authority brought electricity and development to the region, the secret city of Oak Ridge helped build the atomic bomb, and Memphis and Nashville became world capitals of American music — while Memphis was also the tragic site of the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Economy: About $550 Billion GDP and No Income Tax

Tennessee’s economy, with a GDP of roughly $550 billion, has been one of the fastest-growing in the nation, helped by its low taxes — Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, having fully phased out its remaining tax on investment income in 2021.

The state is a logistics and distribution powerhouse: Memphis is the worldwide superhub of FedEx, and its airport is one of the busiest cargo airports on Earth. Tennessee is also a major center of automobile manufacturing (Nissan and Volkswagen have large plants, and Ford is building the massive “BlueOval City” electric-truck complex), health care (Nashville is a national capital of the health-care industry, home to HCA and hundreds of health companies), and, of course, music and tourism, from the Grand Ole Opry to Dollywood.

Schools and Universities: About 1 Million Pupils and the Vols

Tennessee’s public schools enroll roughly one million K-12 students, and the state has pursued major education initiatives, including free community college (the Tennessee Promise) and, more recently, statewide school vouchers.

In higher education, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville — the flagship, home of the beloved Volunteers — anchors the public system, alongside the University of Memphis, Tennessee State (a historically Black university) and East Tennessee State. Nashville is also home to Vanderbilt University, one of the top private research universities in the country, and to the famed Fisk University and Meharry Medical College.

Hospitals and Health Care: About 140 Hospitals

Tennessee has roughly 140 hospitals, and Nashville is one of the great business capitals of American health care — home to HCA Healthcare, one of the largest hospital operators in the world, and hundreds of health-care companies. Vanderbilt University Medical Center is the state’s leading academic medical center, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis is a world leader in pediatric cancer care.

As a large state with fast-growing metros and rural Appalachian and Delta communities, Tennessee works to balance advanced urban medicine with rural access. The Tennessee Department of Health coordinates statewide public-health services.

Getting Around: The World’s Busiest Cargo Airport and Music-City Growth

Tennessee is a logistics hub. Memphis International Airport is one of the busiest cargo airports on the planet, thanks to the FedEx superhub, and Nashville International Airport (BNA) has become one of the fastest-growing passenger airports in the country, serving the booming Music City. Knoxville and Chattanooga round out commercial service.

On the ground, Tennessee is a crossroads of the interstate system — I-40 crosses the entire state east–west, and I-24, I-65 and I-75 connect its cities — making it a natural distribution center for the eastern United States. The Mississippi and Tennessee rivers add major waterway commerce.

Culture: Country Music, the Blues and Rock ’n’ Roll

Tennessee’s cultural gift to the world is music. Nashville is “Music City,” home of the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and a global country-music industry. Memphis is the birthplace of the blues on Beale Street, the soul of Stax Records, and — at Sun Studio and Elvis Presley’s Graceland — a cradle of rock ’n’ roll. Bristol, on the Virginia line, is called the “Birthplace of Country Music.”

Beyond music, Tennessee offers the Great Smoky Mountains (the most-visited national park in the country), the whiskey trails of Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel, the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, and the family-entertainment mecca of Dollywood in Dolly Parton’s home region. Tennessee barbecue and hot chicken are culinary icons.

Sport and the Outdoors: 4 Major Pro Teams and the Smokies

Tennessee hosts several major professional franchises: the Tennessee Titans (NFL) and Nashville Predators (NHL) and Nashville SC (MLS) in Nashville, and the Memphis Grizzlies (NBA) in Memphis. College sports, above all University of Tennessee Volunteers football in front of more than 100,000 fans at Neyland Stadium, command deep devotion.

Outdoors, Tennessee is anchored by Great Smoky Mountains National Park, shared with North Carolina and the most-visited national park in the U.S., along with the Cumberland Plateau, the rivers and lakes of the TVA system, and the Mississippi River. Hiking, fishing, boating and whitewater rafting draw visitors across the state.

Faith and Places of Worship: Thousands of Congregations

Tennessee sits firmly within the Bible Belt, and religion is central to community life. The population is overwhelmingly Christian and predominantly evangelical Protestant — Nashville is even nicknamed the “Buckle of the Bible Belt” and is a major center of Christian publishing and the Southern Baptist Convention — alongside Methodist, Pentecostal, Catholic and historically significant Black church traditions.

Because no single official registry counts every congregation, the closest reliable measures come from religious censuses and the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns data on religious organizations, which together point to many thousands of congregations statewide.

The Justice System: About 19,000 People Incarcerated

The Tennessee Department of Correction holds roughly 19,000 people in its state prisons, with thousands more in local jails. The department operates state prisons across all three Grand Divisions, some of them privately managed.

Tennessee has enacted a mix of tough-on-crime measures and some reentry and sentencing reforms, and the state — like much of the South — works to balance public-safety priorities with the costs of incarceration and efforts to reduce recidivism.

5 Tennessee Laws and Distinctions That Set It Apart

Tennessee’s low-tax, conservative politics and unique government produce several notable features:

1. No income tax: Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, having fully eliminated its tax on investment income in 2021 — a major economic draw.

2. A uniquely appointed attorney general: Tennessee is the only state where the attorney general is appointed by the state Supreme Court rather than elected or named by the governor.

3. Abortion: Tennessee enforces a near-total abortion ban that took effect after the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade.

4. Permitless carry: Tennessee allows most adults to carry firearms without a permit.

5. School vouchers: Tennessee enacted a statewide school-voucher (education-freedom) program, part of a broad school-choice push.

Famous Tennesseans: World-Changing Talent From the Volunteer State

Tennessee’s musical roster is unmatched. Country legend Dolly Parton hails from Sevierville, and Memphis alone produced or launched Elvis Presley (whose Graceland is there), the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin (born in Memphis), pop superstar Justin Timberlake and blues and rock pioneers galore. Tina Turner grew up in Nutbush, and Miley Cyrus was born in Franklin.

The state’s history also claims frontier legend Davy Crockett, the “King of the Wild Frontier,” born in East Tennessee, and screen star Morgan Freeman, born in Memphis. From the Grand Ole Opry to Beale Street, the Volunteer State’s cultural influence echoes around the world.

Who Runs Tennessee? Governor Bill Lee and State Leadership

Tennessee’s executive branch is led by Governor Bill Lee, a Republican who became the 50th governor in 2019 and won re-election in 2022. A businessman and seventh-generation Tennessean who ran a family construction and mechanical-services company, Lee has focused on economic development, school choice, workforce training and rural investment.

Tennessee’s government is distinctive: the lieutenant governor is the Speaker of the state Senate, and the attorney general is appointed by the state Supreme Court. Key members of state leadership include:

As listed by the State of Tennessee and the Office of the Governor (tn.gov/governor), key members of state leadership include:

Source: State of Tennessee and the Office of the Governor (tn.gov/governor). The lieutenant governor is the Senate Speaker and the attorney general is appointed by the state Supreme Court; commissioners are appointed by the governor. Officeholders change over time.

Traveling to Tennessee? 1 App for Every Emergency Number

Whether you are exploring Tennessee during this 250th-anniversary year, following its history, or simply passing through, one piece of preparation matters more than any other: knowing who to call in an emergency. The free InfoCons app puts that information in your pocket. Its dedicated SOS section gathers the essential emergency and consumer-protection numbers for the United States and for the individual states, so travelers and residents alike can reach the right service instantly — without searching, without roaming confusion, and without wasting the precious minutes that matter most in a crisis.

Nationwide Emergency Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

Across the United States, the single universal emergency number is 911, which connects callers to police, firefighters, and ambulance services alike. For non-emergency municipal services and information in many cities, 311 is available. The app also lists 1-800-342-3377 for telecommunications complaints and 202-326-2180 for consumer-protection matters at the federal level.

Tennessee Emergency and Assistance Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

For Tennessee specifically, the InfoCons SOS section provides a detailed directory. The core lifelines are:

Police, Ambulance, and Firefighters: 911. State Police (Highway Patrol): 615-862-8600. Road conditions: 511. Electricity emergency: 1-877-777-9111. Gas emergency: 931-526-9591.

Consumer protection: Division of Consumer Affairs / Attorney General: 615-741-4737 and 615-741-1671. Identity theft: 1-877-438-4338. Department of Financial Institutions (Banking): 615-253-2023. Department of Commerce & Insurance: 615-741-2218. Public Utility Commission: 615-741-2904.

Support: Child abuse reporting (Department of Children’s Services): 1-877-237-0004. Domestic violence and sexual assault hotline: 800-656-4673. Animal protection: 865-463-6856. (The nationwide Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached at any time by dialing 988.)

These numbers are provided for convenience and may change over time; in any life-threatening situation, always dial 911 first.

The InfoCons Travel Passport: 1 App, 33 Languages, Every Destination

The InfoCons app is more than an emergency directory — it is designed to function as a genuine “travel passport” for the modern consumer. Available free of charge and offered in 33 internationally spoken languages, it gives users access to accurate, transparent, and independent information wherever they go. For a traveler moving between states — or between countries — that means the emergency numbers, consumer-protection contacts, and practical guidance for each destination are all gathered in a single place, ready before you even land.

The idea is simple but powerful: your safety information should travel with you as reliably as your passport does. Whether you are exploring Tennessee during this 250th-anniversary year or planning a trip abroad next month, the InfoCons app aims to be the first thing you check when you arrive somewhere new — helping you make informed decisions, protect your rights as a consumer, and know exactly whom to call if something goes wrong. Download the free InfoCons app and let your phone become your travel passport for a safer, smarter 250th-anniversary year and beyond.

A Fitting Way to Celebrate 250 Years of Independence

Tennessee’s story — of frontier volunteers and Civil War battlefields, of Oak Ridge’s secret science, of the Grand Ole Opry and Graceland and the blues of Beale Street — is a soulful Southern chapter of the American story, and its music has become part of the soundtrack of the nation itself. As the country marks 250 years of independence, the Volunteer State supplies much of the melody.

To visit Tennessee is to hear country in Nashville, the blues in Memphis and the quiet of the Smokies. And to visit it prepared — with the InfoCons app and its emergency lifelines close at hand, valuable in a state that knows tornadoes and river floods — is simply to travel wisely. Here is to the next 250 years — happy semiquincentennial, America.

InfoCons Communication Department