Nashville is the capital city of Tennessee, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 569,891. It is the county seat of Davidson County. It was named in honor of Francis Nash, and is the trailhead of the Natchez Trace.
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2 History 3 Geography 4 Demographics |
About Nashville
Nashville is located on the Cumberland River. Nicknamed "Music City, U.S.A.," it is the home of the Grand Ole Opry and a major recording center. Its largest industry, however, is actually insurance and finance, followed by publishing, especially religious publishing.
Some popular tourist sites include the Country Music Hall of Fame; the Ryman Auditorium, which was for many years the site of the Grand Ole Opry; 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.
Nashville has several professional sports teams, including the Nashville Predators (National Hockey League), the Nashville Sounds (minor league baseball), and the Tennessee Titans (National Football League). The Titans franchise was formerly the Houston Oilers of Houston, Texas, until moving in after the new stadium in Nashville (hit by a tornado during construction) was completed.
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; Fisk University's Van Vechten and Aaron Douglas Galleries; and the Parthenon. Nashville is also the home of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, where the Tennessee Repertory Theatre makes its home.
Nashville is also the home of Vanderbilt University, Tennessee State University, Belmont University, Lipscomb University, and Meharry Medical College. The city is served by Nashville International Airport.
History
The so-called Great Train Wreck of 1918 occurred on July 9, 1918 in Nashville when an inbound local train collided with an outbound express, killing 101.
On March 1, 1945 W47NV began operations in Nashville becoming the first FM radio station.
Nashville has had a metropolitan government as a consolidated city-county since 1963.
The 1998 tornado struck the downtown area on April 16 at around 3:30pm, causing serious damage and blowing out hundreds of windows from skyscrapers, raining shattered glass on the streets and closing the business district for nearly four days. Over 300 homes were damaged, and three cranes at the then-incomplete Tennessee Titans stadium were toppled. It was one of the most serious urban tornados on record in the U.S. [1]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,362.6 km² (526.1 mi²). 1,300.8 km² (502.3 mi²) of it is land and 61.8 km² (23.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 4.53% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 569,891 people, 237,405 households, and 138,169 families residing in the city. The population density is 438.1/km² (1,134.6/mi²). There are 252,977 housing units at an average density of 194.5/km² (503.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 66.99% White, 25.92% African American, 0.29% Native American, 2.33% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.42% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. 4.58% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 237,405 households out of which 26.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% are married couples living together, 14.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% are non-families. 33.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.96.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $39,797, and the median income for a family is $49,317. Males have a median income of $33,844 versus $27,770 for females. The per capita income for the city is $23,069. 13.0% of the population and 10.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 19.1% are under the age of 18 and 10.5% are 65 or older.\n