Nashville is the capital of theAmerican state ofTennessee. With 716,000 residents in 2022, it is the state's largest city. Nashville is sometimes called the "Country Music Capital of the World" or more often "Music City, USA"; however, Nashville has done much to escape its country music image and become a regional center of culture and commerce. In fact, Dell, Nissan, and Amazon have all moved some operations to or near the city. The music is various; major rap artists and rock bands (Young Buck, Haystak, Kings of Leon, Paramore, and Ben Folds) claim Nashville as their hometown, and the city is also the epicenter of the contemporary Christian music industry. Nashville has been the home of the world-famousGrand Ole Opry since 1925. Nashville also has a great bar scene. If you like to drink, you can go "Honky-tonking," also known as bar-hopping.
Nashville was founded in 1779 and it grew rapidly because of its excellent location on the Cumberland River. It was incorporated in 1806 and became the county seat of Davidson County. Nashville was named the capital of Tennessee in 1843.
Like manySouthern cities, Nashville was not immune to the economic woes of the post-Civil War South but it quickly rebounded. It only took a few years for the city to reclaim its important shipping and trading position and to develop a solid manufacturing base. The post-Civil War years of the late 19th century brought a new-found prosperity to Nashville. These healthy economic times left the city with a legacy of grand classical-style buildings, which can still be seen around the downtown area.
Since the 1970s, the city has experienced tremendous growth, particularly during the economic boom of the 1990s under the leadership of Mayor (former Tennessee Governor) Phil Bredesen, who made urban renewal a priority, and fostered the construction or renovation of several city landmarks, including the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Public Library downtown, Bridgestone Arena, and Nissan Stadium.
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Nashville sits in the middle of a geographic region known as the Nashville Basin. It is surrounded by the Cumberland Highlands and is bordered by the Cumberland Plateau to the east. The Nashville Basin is characterized by rich, fertile farm country and high natural wildlife diversity.
Nashville has cool, relatively short winters and hot, humid summers, with long spells of spring and autumn in between. Winter temperatures commonly hover slightly above freezing, and a fair amount of light snow generally falls throughout the months of December to February, though large storms of 6-plus inches in a day do occur every few years. Nashville can be prone to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes during the spring and fall months. Summers are hot and humid, but no more than the rest of the southeastern U.S. with temperatures around 90°F (32°C) during the day. The typical average heat index factoring in humidity in the summer months range between94 °F (34 °C) during the day and72 °F (22 °C) at night, but it's not unheard of to have a heat index above105 °F (41 °C) and not go below78 °F (26 °C) at night on some particularly sweltering days.
(updated Nov 2018)(updated Nov 2021)Nashville is a nexus of several interstate highways, includingI-65 (north-south),I-40 (east-west), andI-24 (northwest-southeast). The various highways sometimes merge and split without the typical exit-offramp design, so travellers should consult maps before attempting to navigate the area. There is easy access to/fromChattanooga,Knoxville,Memphis andLouisville, among others.
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(updated Mar 2015)The primary mode of transportation is by private car in Nashville. The average speed on highways ranges from 55-70 mph, but are usually much slower due to traffic congestion. City streets are generally 25-45 mph unless otherwise posted.
I-40, I-65, and I-24 are the major interstate highways that run through Nashville.
All major national car rental agencies operate in Nashville.
Taxis are also very prevalent in Nashville, especially Downtown. Taxi companies that operate in Nashville are:
Transportation network companies Uber and Lyft operate in Nashville.
For executive transportation, sedan or limousine services are available; these often work like black cars inNew York City, and offer executive sedans, SUVs, or even full limo transports to and from downtown or the airport.
If you are looking to park Downtown in a lot or garage, be sure to have a good idea of where to park. TheMetro Owned Facilities managed by theNashville Downtown Partnership (branded asParkIt Downtown[dead link]) seem to be the best deal. For example, theMetro Courthouse/Public Square Garage is $3 after 5PM and on weekends. This is much cheaper than nearby private lots.
The center of Nashville is not too big for an able-bodied person to traverse on foot in decent weather, and walking downtown can be quite pleasant. Outside downtown, Nashville is sprawling and lacks sidewalks.
Nashville is a very historic town and as such, many of its attractions are restorations or museums. Most attractions of interest to tourists are in the Downtown, Midtown, and Music Valley neighborhoods.
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(updated Dec 2020) (updated Feb 2021) (updated Mar 2020) (updated May 2017)Popular tourist souvenirs include cowboy paraphernalia (boots, hats, etc.) as well as any and all music themed items. Expect to find many local shops selling these items. Some downtown shops offer "buy 1, get 2 free" deals. Be sure to shop around.
(updated Mar 2015) The dominant local grocery chains in Nashville are Kroger, Publix, and Aldi. The city is also dotted with dozens of ethnic groceries, especially Hispanic, Kurdish, Indian and Vietnamese, around Nolensville Pike. For organic and/or specialty grocery stores, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's, and Fresh Market also have locations throughout the city.
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Many bars can be found in Printer's Alley in Lower Broadway.
(updated Feb 2021)Avoid walking in North Nashville, especially the Bordeaux and MetroCenter districts, and use caution when driving through the district at night.
Use caution when walking around Downtown Nashville at night, especially along the avenues south of Broadway. Use designated parking and avoid leaving valuables in your vehicle.Panhandlers do exist around these areas as well.
Most telephone numbers in Nashville consist of +1 615 plus a seven-digit number, but the region is now served by an overlay complex of two area codes, with +1 629 being the second. A local or in-state telephone call now requires all 10 digits of the local number be dialed (omitting just the leading +1 from a local landline call).
Signage on many established businesses may still display the original seven-digit numbers; dial 615 before these if no area code is indicated.
Unlike the more conservative suburbs surrounding it, the city of Nashville is more accepting of alternative sexualities and lifestyles.
In Nashville there is a growing gay entertainment district featuring a number of gay clubs, dance halls, lounges, restaurants and sex clubs on Church Street between 12th and 22nd Avenues with very chic spots offering lively, classy entertainment. LGBT individuals are mostly accepted in the areas of Downtown, West Nashville, Hillsboro, and East Nashville, with South Nashville and North Nashville being less friendly.
Denmark (Honorary),Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, 2200 Children's Way Rm 1424,☏+1 615-936-4952,fax:+1 615 936-4944,richard.heller@vanderbilt.edu. 
Germany (Honorary),201 Fourth Ave N Ste 1420,☏+1 615-251-5447,fax:+1 615-251-5453,dberry@hubbardberry.com. 
Italy (Honorary),113 Wynthrope Way, Franklin,☏+1 615-725-1669,micol_cons@hotmail.com. 
Japan,1801 W End Ave Ste 900,☏+1 615-340-4300,fax:+1 615-340-4311,con3@cgjnashville.org. | Routes through Nashville (Interstate highways) |
| Clarksville←Ashland City← | W  E | →Antioch→Chattanooga |
| Memphis←Dickson← | W  E | →Mount Juliet→Knoxville |
| Bowling Green←White House← | N  S | →Brentwood→Birmingham |
| Routes through Nashville (state and federal highways) |
Splits into and ← | N  S | →Brentwood→Birmingham |
| Glasgow←Hendersonville← | N  S | →Merges onto |
| Bowling Green←White House← | N  S | →Merges onto |
| Evansville←Hopkinsville← | N  S | →Murfreesboro→Chattanooga |
| Hopkinsville←Ashland City← | N  S | →Tullahoma→Monteagle |
| Memphis←Dickson← | W  E | →Hermitage→Knoxville |
| Owensboro←Adairville← | N  S | →Franklin→Huntsville |
| Routes through Nashville (other roads) |
| END← | N  S | → JctW E → E → JctW E →Tupelo→Jackson |
| Routes through Nashville (commuter rail) |
| END← | W  E | →Hermitage→Lebanon |
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