Memphis is Tennessee’s biggest city with about 674,000 people, according to the 2007 U.S. Census. Nashville is Tennessee’s second largest city with about 591,000 residents and it is in Davidson County. The state itself ranks 17th for population with more than 6 million people. The Volunteer State is divided geographically into three regions: east, middle and west. Memphis is in West Tennessee and Nashville, the state capital, is located in Middle Tennessee.
Native Americans were drawn to the area’s bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River that protected them from floods while they used the river for transportation. Spain was the first of three countries to claim the land with France and England to follow. In 1796, Tennessee became the 16th state of the union and Memphis incorporated in 1818, when Chickasaw Indians sold the land to the U.S. government. The town boomed in the 1840s because of its nearby cotton fields.
Some history highlights include the Battle of Memphis during the Civil War in 1861 and a catastrophic Yellow Fever epidemic in 1873. “Memphis Blues,” the first Blues song published in the United States, was written by William Christopher Handy. Another first was the opening of America’s first self-serve grocery store, Piggly Wiggly in 1916. A famous World War II bomber, the Memphis Belle, was first to complete 25 missions over Europe, and all without casualties. No history of Memphis, even a short one, would not be complete without a mention of Elvis Presley who grew up on the blues music of Beale Street, rocked the world in the '60s and '70s and died at his home, Graceland, in the Whitehaven neighborhood in 1977. The city is also infamous as the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968.
Today Memphis is home to a revitalized downtown area. The city attracts tourists to a wide variety of destinations and it has booming residential and commercial sectors. Many of the city’s historic buildings have been restored as has the riverfront area around Beale Street. More than 600,000 visit Graceland yearly and the city’s rich music history of blues, gospel and rock 'n' roll brings people to Sun Studios, the Smithsonian Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Gibson Guitar Factory and Beale Street. The National Civil Rights Museum, in the former Lorraine Motel where King was assassinated, draws large numbers of visitors. Memphis is also known for its barbecue cuisine, celebrated annually in May with its annual international Memphis in May Barbeque Cookoff.
The fort of Nashborough was constructed on the west banks of the Cumberland River in 1780. It was named after Gen. Francis Nash, a Revolutionary War hero, and then renamed Nashville 10 years later. Nashville was home to Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, elected in 1828. The city became Tennessee’s capital in 1843, and a year later, another city resident became president, James Polk. Nashville, or as it is now called, Music City, has its own rich music history. It was home to the Grand Ole Opry, recording studio Castle Studio, the Country Music Association and RCA Studio B where performers like Elvis, the Everly Brothers and Dolly Parton recorded their groundbreaking music.
Downtown Nashville has been revitalized and is now home to Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. In addition to music-related attractions, events and tours, such as Ryman Auditorium – home to the Grand Ole Opry -- Nashville is one of the country’s oldest working state capitals and is known for its beautiful homes like the Belle Meade Plantation and historical battlefields such as the Stones River National Battlefield. Visitors can tour the Jack Daniel and George Dickel whiskey distilleries, take a trip down the Cumberland River in a paddle boat, or visit the Lane Motor Museum, with its alternative fuel vehicles and micro-cars.
