BAP site syndication http://www.brandonpatrick.com Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:38:45 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.brandonpatrick.com/images/M_images/ http://www.brandonpatrick.com BAP site syndication http://www.brandonpatrick.com/tennessee.html Tennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In 1796, it became the 16th state to join the Union. The capital and second largest city is Nashville, with a 2008 population of 626,144. The Nashville Metropolitan Area is the state's largest, at 1,521,437 people. Tennessee's largest city is Memphis, with a 2008 population of 670,902 and 1,280,533 in its metro area. Geography Map of Tennessee - PDF See also: List of counties in Tennessee and Geology of Tennessee Tennessee borders eight other states: Kentucky and Virginia to the north; North Carolina to the east; Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi on the south; Arkansas and Missouri on the Mississippi River to the west. Tennessee ties Missouri as the state bordering the most other states. The state is trisected by the Tennessee River. The highest point in the state is Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet (2,025 m). Clingmans Dome, which lies on Tennessee's eastern border, is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. The state line between Tennessee and North Carolina crosses the summit. The lowest point is the Mississippi River at the Mississippi state line. The geographical center of the state is located in Murfreesboro. The state of Tennessee is geographically and constitutionally divided into three Grand Divisions: East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. Tennessee features six principal physiographic regions: the Blue Ridge, the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region, the Cumberland Plateau, the Highland Rim, the Nashville Basin, and the Gulf Coastal Plain. Tennessee is home to the most caves in the United States, with over 8,350 caves registered to date. East Tennessee Main article: East Tennessee Map of Tennessee highlighting East Tennessee The Blue Ridge area lies on the eastern edge of Tennessee, bordering North Carolina. This region of Tennessee is characterized by the high mountains and rugged terrain of the western Blue Ridge Mountains, which are subdivided into several subranges, namely the Great Smoky Mountains, the Bald Mountains, the Unicoi Mountains, the Unaka Mountains and Roan Highlands, and the Iron Mountains. The average elevation of the Blue Ridge area is 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level. Clingmans Dome, the state's highest point, is located in this region. The Blue Ridge area was never more than sparsely populated, and today much of it is protected by the Cherokee National Forest, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and several federal wilderness areas and state parks. Stretching west from the Blue Ridge for approximately 55 miles (88 km) is the Ridge and Valley region, in which numerous tributaries join to form the Tennessee River in the Tennessee Valley. This area of Tennessee is covered by fertile valleys separated by wooded ridges, such as Bays Mountain and Clinch Mountain. The western section of the Tennessee valley, where the depressions become broader and the ridges become lower, is called the Great Valley. In this valley are numerous towns and two of the region's three urban areas, Knoxville, the 3rd largest city in the state, and Chattanooga, the 4th largest city in the state. Middle Tennessee Main article: Middle Tennessee Map of Tennessee highlighting Middle Tennessee To the west of East Tennessee lies the Cumberland Plateau; this area is covered with flat-topped mountains separated by sharp valleys. The elevation of the Cumberland Plateau ranges from 1,500 to 1,800 feet (450 to 550 m) above sea level. West of the Cumberland Plateau is the Highland Rim, an elevated plain that surrounds the Nashville Basin. The northern section of the Highland Rim, known for its high tobacco production, is sometimes called the Pennyroyal Plateau and is located in primarily in Southwestern Kentucky. The Nashville Basin is characterized by rich, fertile farm country and high natural wildlife diversity. Middle Tennessee was a common destination of settlers crossing the Appalachians in the late 1700s and early 1800s. An important trading route called the Natchez Trace, first used by Native Americans, connected Middle Tennessee to the lower Mississippi River town of Natchez. Today the route of the Natchez Trace is a scenic highway called the Natchez Trace Parkway. Some of the last remaining large American Chestnut trees still grow in this region and are being used to help breed blight resistant trees. West Tennessee Main article: West Tennessee Map of Tennessee highlighting West Tennessee West of the Highland Rim and Nashville Basin is the Gulf Coastal Plain, which includes the Mississippi embayment. The Gulf Coastal Plain is, in terms of area, the predominant land region in Tennessee. It is part of the large geographic land area that begins at the Gulf of Mexico and extends north into southern Illinois. In Tennessee, the Gulf Coastal Plain is divided into three sections that extend from the Tennessee River in the east to the Mississippi River in the west. The easternmost section, about 10 miles (16 km) in width, consists of hilly land that runs along the western bank of the Tennessee River. To the west of this narrow strip of land is a wide area of rolling hills and streams that stretches all the way to Memphis; this area is called the Tennessee Bottoms or bottom land. In Memphis, the Tennessee Bottoms end in steep bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. To the west of the Tennessee Bottoms is the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, less than 300 feet (90 m) above sea level. This area of lowlands, flood plains, and swamp land is sometimes referred to as the Delta region. Most of West Tennessee remained Indian land until the Chickasaw Cession of 1818, when the Chickasaw ceded their land between the Tennessee River and the Mississippi River. The portion of the Chickasaw Cession that lies in Kentucky is known today as the Jackson Purchase. Public lands Areas under the control and management of the National Park Service include: Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Greeneville Appalachian National Scenic Trail Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Foothills Parkway Fort Donelson National Battlefield and Fort Donelson National Cemetery near Dover Great Smoky Mountains National Park Natchez Trace Parkway Obed Wild and Scenic River near Wartburg Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Shiloh National Cemetery and Shiloh National Military Park near Shiloh Stones River National Battlefield and Stones River National Cemetery near Murfreesboro Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Fifty-four state parks, covering some 132,000 acres (534 km²) as well as parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cherokee National Forest, and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park are in Tennessee. Sportsmen and visitors are attracted to Reelfoot Lake, originally formed by an earthquake; stumps and other remains of a once dense forest, together with the lotus bed covering the shallow waters, give the lake an eerie beauty. Climate Most of the state has a humid subtropical climate, with the exception of the higher mountains, which are classified as having a maritime temperate climate due to cooler temperatures. The Gulf of Mexico is the dominant factor in the climate of Tennessee, with winds from the south being responsible for most of the state's annual precipitation. Generally, the state has hot summers and mild to cool winters with generous precipitation throughout the year. On average the state receives 50 inches (130 cm) of precipitation annually. Snowfall ranges from 5 inches (13 cm) in West Tennessee to over 16 inches (41 cm) in the higher mountains in East Tennessee. Summers in the state are generally hot, with most of the state averaging a high of around 90 °F (32 °C) during the summer months. Summer nights tend to be cooler in East Tennessee. Winters tend to be mild to cool, increasing in coolness at higher elevations and in the east. Generally, for areas outside the highest mountains, the average overnight lows are near freezing for most of the state. While the state is far enough from the coast to avoid any direct impact from a hurricane, the location of the state makes it likely to be impacted from the remnants of tropical cyclones which weaken over land and can cause significant rainfall. The state averages around 50 days of thunderstorms per year, some of which can be quite severe. Tornadoes are possible throughout the state, with West Tennessee slightly more vulnerable. On average, the state has 15 tornadoes per year. Tornadoes in Tennessee can be severe, and Tennessee leads the nation in the percentage of total tornadoes which have fatalities. Winter storms are an occasional problem—made worse by a lack of snow removal equipment and a population which might not be accustomed or equipped to travel in snow—although ice storms are a more likely occurrence. Fog is a persistent problem in parts of the state, especially in much of the Smoky Mountains. Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Tennessee Cities (F)[10] City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Chattanooga 49/30 54/33 63/40 72/47 79/56 86/65 90/69 89/68 82/62 72/48 61/40 52/33 Knoxville 46/29 52/32 60/39 69/47 76/56 84/64 87/68 86/67 81/61 70/48 59/39 50/32 Memphis 49/31 54/36 63/44 72/52 80/61 88/69 92/73 91/71 85/64 75/52 62/43 52/34 Nashville 46/28 51/31 61/39 70/47 78/57 85/65 89/70 88/68 82/61 71/49 59/40 49/32 Oak Ridge 46/27 52/30 61/37 70/44 78/53 85/62 88/66 87/65 81/59 71/46 59/36 49/30 History Main article: History of Tennessee Early history Mississippian art, carved from seashell, unearthed in Middle Tennessee. The area now known as Tennessee was first inhabited by Paleo-Indians nearly 12,000 years ago. The names of the cultural groups that inhabited the area between first settlement and the time of European contact are unknown, but several distinct cultural phases have been named by archaeologists, including Archaic (8000–1000 B.C.), Woodland (1000 B.C.–1000 A.D.), and Mississippian (1000–1600 A.D.), whose chiefdoms were the cultural predecessors of the Muscogee people who inhabited the Tennessee River Valley prior to Cherokee migration into the river's headwaters. The first recorded European excursions into what is now called Tennessee were three expeditions led by Spanish explorers, namely Hernando de Soto in 1540, Tristan de Luna in 1559, and Juan Pardo in 1567. At that time, Tennessee was inhabited by tribes of Muscogee and Yuchi people. Possibly because of European diseases devastating the Native tribes, which would have left a population vacuum, and also from expanding European settlement in the north, the Cherokee moved south from the area now called Virginia. As European colonists spread into the area, the native populations were forcibly displaced to the south and west, including all Muscogee and Yuchi peoples, the Chickasaw, and Choctaw. The first British settlement in what is now Tennessee was Fort Loudoun, near present-day Vonore. Fort Loudoun became the westernmost British outpost to that date. The fort was designed by John William Gerard de Brahm and constructed by forces under British Captain Raymond Demeré. After its completion, Captain Raymond Demeré relinquished command on 14 August 1757 to his brother, Captain Paul Demeré. Hostilities erupted between the British and the neighboring Overhill Cherokees, and a siege of Fort Loudoun ended with its surrender on 7 August 1760. The following morning, Captain Paul Demeré and most of his men were killed in an ambush nearby. In the 1760s, long hunters from Virginia explored much of East and Middle Tennessee, and the first permanent European settlers began arriving late in the decade. During the American Revolutionary War, Fort Watauga at Sycamore Shoals (in present-day Elizabethton) was attacked in 1776 by Dragging Canoe and his warring faction of Cherokee (also referred to by settlers as the Chickamauga) opposed to the Transylvania Purchase and aligned with the British Loyalists. The lives of many settlers were spared through the warnings of Dragging Canoe's cousin Nancy Ward. The frontier fort on the banks of the Watauga River later served as a 1780 staging area for the Overmountain Men in preparation to trek over the Appalachian Mountains, to engage, and to later defeat the British Army at the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina. Eight counties of western North Carolina (and now part of Tennessee) broke off from that state in the late 1780s and formed the abortive State of Franklin. Efforts to obtain admission to the Union failed, and the counties had re-joined North Carolina by 1790. North Carolina ceded the area to the federal government in 1790, after which it was organized into the Southwest Territory. In an effort to encourage settlers to move west into the new territory of Tennessee, in 1787 the mother state of North Carolina ordered a road to be cut to take settlers into the Cumberland Settlements—from the south end of Clinch Mountain (in East Tennessee) to French Lick (Nashville). The Trace was called the “North Carolina Road” or “Avery’s Trace,” and sometimes “The Wilderness Road (although it should not be confused with Daniel Boone's Wilderness Road through Cumberland Gap). Statehood Tennessee was admitted to the Union in 1796 as the 16th state. The state boundaries, according to the Constitution of the State of Tennessee, Article I, Section 31, stated that the beginning point for identifying the boundary was the extreme height of the Stone Mountain, at the place where the line of Virginia intersects it, and basically ran the extreme heights of mountain chains through the Appalachian Mountains separating North Carolina from Tennessee past the Indian towns of Cowee and Old Chota, thence along the main ridge of the said mountain (Unicoi Mountain) to the southern boundary of the state; all the territory, lands and waters lying west of said line are included in the boundaries and limits of the newly formed state of Tennessee. Part of the provision also stated that the limits and jurisdiction of the state would include future land acquisition, referencing possible land trade with other states, or the acquisition of territory from west of the Mississippi River. During the administration of U.S. President Martin Van Buren, nearly 17,000 Cherokees were uprooted from their homes between 1838 and 1839 and were forced by the U.S. military to march from emigration depots in Eastern Tennessee (such as Fort Cass) toward the more distant Indian Territory west of Arkansas. During this relocation an estimated 4,000 Cherokees died along the way west. In the Cherokee language, the event is called Nunna daul Isunyi— the Trail Where We Cried. The Cherokees were not the only Native Americans forced to emigrate as a result of the Indian removal efforts of the United States, and so the phrase Trail of Tears is sometimes used to refer to similar events endured by other Native American peoples, especially among the Five Civilized Tribes. The phrase originated as a description of the earlier emigration of the Choctaw nation. Civil War, Reconstruction and Jim Crow In February 1861, secessionists in Tennessee's state government—led by Governor Isham Harris—sought voter approval for a convention to sever ties with the United States, but Tennessee voters rejected the referendum by a 54–46% margin. The strongest opposition to secession came from East Tennessee (which later tried to form a separate Union-aligned state). Following the Confederate attack upon Fort Sumter in April and Lincoln's call for troops from Tennessee and other states in response, Governor Isham Harris began military mobilization, submitted an ordinance of secession to the General Assembly, and made direct overtures to the Confederate government. The Tennessee legislature ratified an agreement to enter a military league with the Confederate States on May 7, 1861. On June 8, 1861, with people in Central Tennessee having significantly changed their position, voters approved a second referendum calling for secession, becoming the last state to do so. Many major battles of the American Civil War were fought in Tennessee—most of them Union victories. Ulysses S. Grant and the U.S. Navy captured control of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers in February 1862. They held off the Confederate counterattack at Shiloh in April. Memphis fell to the Union in June, following a naval battle on the Mississippi River in front of the city. Capture of Memphis and Nashville gave the Union control of the western and middle sections; this control was confirmed at the Battle of Murfreesboro in early January 1863 and by the subsequent Tullahoma Campaign. Confederates held East Tennessee despite the strength of Unionist sentiment there, with the exception of extremely pro-Confederate Sullivan County. The Confederates besieged Chattanooga in early fall 1863, but were driven off by Grant in November. Many of the Confederate defeats can be attributed to the poor strategic vision of General Braxton Bragg, who led the Army of Tennessee from Perryville, Kentucky to Confederate defeat at Chattanooga. The last major battles came when the Confederates invaded Middle Tennessee in November 1864 and were checked at Franklin, then totally destroyed by George Thomas at Nashville in December. Meanwhile the civilian Andrew Johnson was appointed military governor of the state by President Abraham Lincoln. When the Emancipation Proclamation was announced, Tennessee was mostly held by Union forces. Thus, Tennessee was not among the states enumerated in the Proclamation, and the Proclamation did not free any slaves there. Nonetheless, enslaved African Americans escaped to Union lines to gain freedom without waiting for official action. Old and young, men, women and children camped near Union troops. Thousands of former slaves ended up fighting on the Union side, nearly 200,000 in total across the South, and some 30,000 blacks fought for the Confederates. Tennessee's legislature approved an amendment to the state constitution prohibiting slavery on February 22, 1865. Voters in the state approved the amendment in March. It also ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (abolishing slavery in every state) on April 7, 1865. In 1864, Andrew Johnson (a War Democrat from Tennessee) was elected Vice President under Abraham Lincoln. He became President after Lincoln's assassination in 1865. Under Johnson's lenient re-admission policy, Tennessee was the first of the seceding states to have its elected members readmitted to the U.S. Congress, on July 24, 1866. Because Tennessee had ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, it was the only one of the formerly secessionist states that did not have a military governor during the Reconstruction period. After the formal end of Reconstruction, the struggle over power in Southern society continued. Through violence and intimidation against freedmen and their allies, white Democrats regained political power in Tennessee and other states across the South in the late 1870s and 1880s. Over the next decade, the white-dominated state legislature passed increasingly restrictive laws to control African Americans. In 1889 the General Assembly passed four laws described as electoral reform, with the cumulative effect of essentially disfranchising most African Americans in rural areas and small towns, as well as many poor whites. Legislation included implementation of a poll tax, timing of registration, and recording requirements. Tens of thousands of taxpaying citizens were without representation for decades into the 20th century. Disfranchising legislation accompanied Jim Crow laws passed in the late 19th century, which imposed segregation in the state. In 1900, African Americans made up nearly 24% of the state's population, and numbered 480,430 citizens who lived mostly in the central and western parts of the state. In 1897, Tennessee celebrated its centennial of statehood (though one year late of the 1896 anniversary) with a great exposition in Nashville. A full scale replica of the Parthenon was constructed for the celebration, located in what is now Nashville's Centennial Park. 20th century On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the thirty-sixth and final state necessary to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provided women the right to vote. Disfranchising voter registration requirements continued to keep most African Americans and many poor whites, both men and women, off the voter rolls. The need to create work for the unemployed during the Great Depression, a desire for rural electrification, the need to control annual spring flooding and improve shipping capacity on the Tennessee River were all factors that drove the Federal creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933. Through the power of the TVA projects, Tennessee quickly became the nation's largest public utility supplier. During World War II, the availability of abundant TVA electrical power led the Manhattan Project to locate one of the principal sites for production and isolation of weapons-grade fissile material in East Tennessee. The planned community of Oak Ridge was built from scratch to provide accommodations for the facilities and workers. These sites are now Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Y-12 National Security Complex, and the East Tennessee Technology Park. Despite recognized effects of limiting voting by poor whites, successive legislatures expanded the reach of the disfranchising laws until they covered the state. In 1949 political scientist V. O. Key Jr. argued that the size of the poll tax did not inhibit voting as much as the inconvenience of paying it. County officers regulated the vote by providing opportunities to pay the tax (as they did in Knoxville), or conversely by making payment as difficult as possible. Such manipulation of the tax, and therefore the vote, created an opportunity for the rise of urban bosses and political machines. Urban politicians bought large blocks of poll tax receipts and distributed them to blacks and whites, who then voted as instructed. In 1953 state legislators amended the state constitution, removing the poll tax. In many areas both blacks and poor whites still faced subjectively applied barriers to voter registration that did not end until after passage of national civil rights legislation, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Tennessee celebrated its bicentennial in 1996. With a yearlong statewide celebration entitled Tennessee 200 , it opened a new state park (Bicentennial Mall) at the foot of Capitol Hill in Nashville. Demographics Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1790 35,691 — 1810 261,727 — 1820 422,823 61.6% 1830 681,904 61.3% 1840 829,210 21.6% 1870 1,258,520 — 1880 1,542,359 22.6% 1900 2,020,616 — 1910 2,184,789 8.1% 1920 2,337,885 7.0% 1930 2,616,556 11.9% 1940 2,915,841 11.4% 1950 3,291,718 12.9% 1960 3,567,089 8.4% 1970 3,923,687 10.0% 1980 4,591,120 17.0% 1990 4,877,185 6.2% 2000 5,689,283 16.7% Est. 2008[1] 6,214,888 9.2% The center of population of Tennessee is located in Rutherford County, in the city of Murfreesboro. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2006, Tennessee has an estimated population of 6,038,803, which is an increase of 83,058, or 1.4%, from the prior year and an increase of 349,541, or 6.1%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 142,266 people (that is 493,881 births minus 351,615 deaths) and an increase from net migration of 219,551 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 59,385 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 160,166 people. 20% of Tennesseans were born outside the South, though such people had been only 13.5% of the total population in 1990. In recent years, Tennessee has seen an explosion of people relocating from several northern states, California, and Florida, for the low cost of living, and the booming healthcare and automobile industries. Metropolitan Nashville is one of the fastest growing areas in the country due in part to these very factors. Demographics of Tennessee (csv) By race White Black AIAN* Asian NHPI* 2000 (total population) 82.08% 16.81% 0.69% 1.22% 0.08% 2000 (Hispanic only) 1.99% 0.14% 0.05% 0.03% 0.02% 2005 (total population) 81.53% 17.22% 0.69% 1.47% 0.09% 2005 (Hispanic only) 2.81% 0.17% 0.06% 0.03% 0.02% Growth 2000–05 (total population) 4.11% 7.37% 3.86% 26.24% 12.40% Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only) 3.02% 7.23% 2.41% 26.26% 12.66% Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only) 48.16% 24.52% 22.34% 25.23% 11.23% * AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Tennessee Population Density Map In 2000, the five most common self-reported ethnic groups in the state were: American (17.3%), African American (16.4%), Irish (9.3%), English (9.1%), and German (8.3%). 6.6% of Tennessee's population were reported as under 5 years of age, 24.6% under 18, and 12.4% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.3% of the population. Religion The religious affiliations of the people of Tennessee are: Christian: 82% Baptist: 39% Methodist: 10% Church of Christ: 6% Roman Catholic: 6% Presbyterian: 3% Church of God: 2% Lutheran: 2% Pentecostal: 2% Other Christian (includes unspecified Christian and Protestant ): 12% Other religions: 3% Islam: 1%[21] Judaism: 0.5%[21] Non-religious: 9% The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2000 were the Southern Baptist Convention with 1,414,199; the United Methodist Church with 393,994; the Churches of Christ with 216,648; and the Roman Catholic Church with 183,161. Tennessee is home to several Protestant denominations, such as the Church of God in Christ, the Church of God and The Church of God of Prophecy, both located in (Cleveland, Tennessee), and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The Free Will Baptist denomination is headquartered in Antioch, and its main Bible college is in Nashville. The Southern Baptist Convention maintains its general headquarters in Nashville. Publishing houses of several denominations are located in Nashville. The state's small Roman Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish communities are mainly centered in the metropolitan areas of Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga. Economy According to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2005 Tennessee's gross state product was $226.502 billion, making Tennessee the 18th largest economy in the nation. In 2003, the per capita personal income was $28,641, 36th in the nation, and 91% of the national per capita personal income of $31,472. In 2004, the median household income was $38,550, 41st in the nation, and 87% of the national median of $44,472. Major outputs for the state include textiles, cotton, cattle, and electrical power. As proof of interest in beef production, Tennessee has over 82,000 farms, and beef cattle are found in roughly 59 percent of the farms in the state. Although cotton was an early crop in Tennessee, large-scale cultivation of the fiber did not begin until the 1820s with the opening of the land between the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers. The upper wedge of the Mississippi Delta extends into southwestern Tennessee, and it was in this fertile section that cotton took hold. Currently West Tennessee is also heavily planted in soybeans, focusing on the northwest corner of the state. Major corporations with headquarters in Tennessee include FedEx Corporation, AutoZone Incorporated and International Paper, all based in Memphis; Pilot Corporation and Regal Entertainment Group, based in Knoxville; Eastman Chemical Company, based in Kingsport, the North American headquarters of Nissan, based in Franklin; and the head-quarters of Caterpillar Financial (the finance division of the well know mining company Caterpillar) based in Nashville. Tennessee is well-known for the location of a large manufacturing facility owned by Nissan, and has been since 1982 in Smyrna. The Tennessee income tax does not apply to salaries and wages, but most income from stocks, bonds and notes receivable is taxable. All taxable dividends and interest which exceed the $1,250 single exemption or the $2,500 joint exemption are taxable at the rate of 6%. The state's sales and use tax rate for most items is 7%. Food is taxed at a lower rate of 5.5%, but candy, dietary supplements and prepared food are taxed at the full 7% rate. Local sales taxes are collected in most jurisdictions, at rates varying from 1.5% to 2.75%, bringing the total sales tax to between 8.5% and 9.75%, one of the highest levels in the nation. Intangible property is assessed on the shares of stock of stockholders of any loan company, investment company, insurance company or for-profit cemetery companies. The assessment ratio is 40% of the value multiplied by the tax rate for the jurisdiction. Tennessee imposes an inheritance tax on decedents' estates that exceed maximum single exemption limits ($1,000,000 for deaths 2006 and after.) Tennessee is a right to work state, as are most of its Southern neighbors. Unionization has historically been low and continues to decline as in most of the U.S. generally. Transportation Interstate highways Interstate 40 crosses the state in an east-west orientation. Its branch interstate highways include I-240 in Memphis; I-440 and I-840 in Nashville; and I-140 and I-640 in Knoxville. I-26, although technically an east-west interstate, runs from the North Carolina border below Johnson City to its terminus at Kingsport. I-24 is an east-west interstate that runs cross-state from Chattanooga to Clarksville. In a north-south orientation are highways I-55, I-65, I-75, and I-81. Interstate 65 crosses the state through Nashville, while Interstate 75 serves Chattanooga and Knoxville and Interstate 55 serves Memphis. Interstate 81 enters the state at Bristol and terminates at its junction with I-40 near Dandridge. I-155 is a branch highway from I-55. The only spur highway of I-75 in Tennessee is I-275, which is in Knoxville. Airports Major airports within the state include Nashville International Airport (BNA), Memphis International Airport (MEM), McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA), Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI), and McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport (MKL), in Jackson. Because Memphis International Airport is the major hub for FedEx Corporation, it is the world's largest air cargo operation. Railroads Memphis and Dyersburg, Tennessee, are served by the Amtrak City of New Orleans line on its run between Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. Law and government Welcome sign entering Memphis, Tennessee on the Hernando De Soto Bridge over the Mississippi River leaving from Arkansas. Tennessee's governor holds office for a four-year term and may serve a maximum of two terms. The governor is the only official who is elected statewide. Unlike most states, the state does not elect the lieutenant governor directly, contrary to most other states; the Tennessee Senate elects its Speaker, who serves as lieutenant governor. The Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature, consists of the 33-member Senate and the 99-member House of Representatives. Senators serve four-year terms, and House members serve two-year terms. Each chamber chooses its own speaker. The speaker of the state Senate also holds the title of lieutenant-governor. Most executive officials are elected by the legislature. The highest court in Tennessee is the state Supreme Court. It has a chief justice and four associate justices. No more than two justices can be from the same Grand Division. The Supreme Court of Tennessee also appoints the Attorney General, a practice that is not found in any of the other 49 states in the Union. Both the Court of Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals have 12 judges. Tennessee's current state constitution was adopted in 1870. The state had two earlier constitutions. The first was adopted in 1796, the year Tennessee joined the union, and the second was adopted in 1834. The Tennessee Constitution outlaws martial law within its jurisdiction. This may be a result of the experience of Tennessee residents and other Southerners during the period of military control by Union (Northern) forces of the U.S. government after the American Civil War. Politics See also: List of Tennessee Governors, U.S. Congressional Delegations from Tennessee, Tennessee's congressional districts, and Political party strength in Tennessee Presidential elections results Year Republican Democratic 2008 56.85% 1,479,178 41.79% 1,087,437 2004 56.80% 1,384,375 42.53% 1,036,477 2000 51.15% 1,061,949 47.28% 981,720 1996 45.59% 863,530 48.00% 909,146 1992 42.43% 841,300 47.08% 933,521 1988 57.89% 947,233 41.55% 679,794 1984 57.84% 990,212 41.57% 711,714 1980 48.70% 787,761 48.41% 783,051 1976 42.94% 633,969 55.94% 825,879 1972 67.70% 813,147 29.75% 357,293 1968 37.85% 472,592 28.13% 351,233 1964 44.49% 508,965 55.50% 634,947 1960 52.92% 556,577 45.77% 481,453 Tennessee politics, like that of most U.S. states, is dominated by the Democratic and Republican Parties. After going for Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower twice in the 1950s, Tennessee currently tilts towards the Republican Party, but tends to be somewhat more moderately conservative than its staunchly conservative neighbors to the south. While the Republicans control slightly more than half of the state, Democrats have strong support in the cities of Memphis and Nashville and in parts of Middle Tennessee and in West Tennessee north and east of Memphis The latter area includes a large rural African-American population. Historically, Republicans had their greatest strength in East Tennessee prior to the 1960s. Tennessee's 1st / 2nd congressional districts based in East Tennessee are one of the few ancestrally Republican districts in the South; the 1st has been in Republican hands continuously since 1881, and the 2nd district has been held continuously by Republicans since 1873. In contrast, long disfranchisement of African Americans and their proportion as a minority (16.45% in 1960) meant that white Democrats generally dominated politics in the rest of the state until the 1960s. The GOP in Tennessee was essentially a sectional party. Former Gov. Winfield Dunn and former U.S. Sen. Bill Brock wins in 1970 built the Republican Party into a competitive party for the statewide victory. Tennessee has selected governors from different parties since 1966. In the 2000 Presidential Election, Vice President Al Gore, a former U.S. Senator from Tennessee, couldn't carry his home state. The majority of voters support for Republican George W. Bush increased in 2004, with his margin of victory in the state increasing from 4% in 2000 to 14% in 2004. Southern Democratic nominees (e.g., Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton) usually fare better in Tennessee, especially among split-ticket voters outside the metropolitan areas. Tennessee sends nine members to the US House of Representatives, of whom there are five Democrats and four Republicans. Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey is the first Republican speaker of the state Senate in 140 years. In 2008 elections, the Republican party gained control of both houses of the Tennessee state legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. Now considered as 30% of the state's electorate are independents. The Baker v. Carr (1962) decision of the US Supreme Court, which established the principle of one man, one vote, was based on a lawsuit over rural-biased apportionment of seats in the Tennessee legislature. This significant ruling led to an increased (and proportional) prominence in state politics by urban and, eventually, suburban, legislators and statewide officeholders in relation to their population within the state. The ruling also applied to numerous other states long controlled by rural minorities, such as Alabama. Law enforcement The State of Tennessee maintains two dedicated law enforcement entities, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), as well as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and the Tennessee State Parks department. The Highway Patrol is the primary law enforcement entity that concentrates on highway safety regulations and general non-game state law enforcement and is under the jurisdiction of the Tennessee Department of Safety. The TWRA is an independent agency tasked with enforcing all wild game, boating, and fisheries regulations outside of state parks. The TBI maintains state-of-the-art investigative facilities and is the primary state-level criminal investigative department. Tennessee State Park Rangers are responsible for all activities and law enforcement inside the Tennessee State Parks system. Local law enforcement is divided between County Sheriff's Offices and Municipal Police Departments. Tennessee's Constitution requires that each County have an elected Sheriff. In 94 of the 95 Counties the Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in the County and has jurisdiction over the county as a whole. Each Sheriff's Office is responsible for warrant service, court security, jail operations and primary law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of a county as well as providing support to the Municipal Police Departments. Incorporated municipalities are required to maintain a Police Department to provide police services within their corporate limits. The three Counties in Tennessee to adopt Metropolitan governments have taken different approaches to resolving the conflict that a Metro government presents to the requirement to have an elected Sheriff. Nashville/Davidson County split law enforcement duties and authority between the Metro Sheriff and the Metro Police Chief. In this instance the Sheriff is no longer the chief law enforcement officer for Davidson County. The Davidson County Sheriff's duties focus on warrant service and jail operations. The Metropolitan Police Chief is the chief law enforcement officer and the Metropolitan Police Department provides primary law enforcement for the entire county. Lynchburg/Moore County took a much simpler approach and abolished the Lynchburg Police Department when it consolidated and placed all law enforcement responsibility under the Sheriff's Office. Trousdale County, although the smallest county in Tennessee, adopted a system similar to Nashville's that retains the Sheriff's Office but also has a Metropolitan Police Department. Important cities and towns The capital is Nashville, though Knoxville, Kingston, and Murfreesboro have all served as state capitals in the past. Memphis has the largest population of any city in the state, but Nashville has had the state's largest metropolitan area since circa 1990; Memphis formerly held that title. Chattanooga and Knoxville, both in the eastern part of the state near the Great Smoky Mountains, each has approximately one-third of the population of Memphis or Nashville. The city of Clarksville is a fifth significant population center, some 45 miles (70 km) northwest of Nashville. Murfreesboro is the sixth-largest city in Tennessee, consisting of some 100,500 residents. Major cities Chattanooga Clarksville Knoxville Memphis Murfreesboro Nashville Secondary cities Bartlett Bristol Cleveland Collierville Columbia Cookeville Franklin Germantown Hendersonville Jackson Johnson City Kingsport Morristown Oak Ridge Murfreesboro Chattanooga Clarksville Cleveland Knoxville Memphis Morristown Murfreesboro Nashville Education University of Tennessee, Knoxville Vanderbilt University Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro Colleges and universities Main article: List of colleges and universities in Tennessee American Baptist College Aquinas College (Tennessee) The Art Institute of Tennessee- Nashville Austin Peay State University Baptist Memorial College of Health Sciences Belmont University Bethel College Bryan College Carson-Newman College Chattanooga State Technical Community College Christian Brothers University Columbia State Community College Crichton College Cumberland University Dyersburg State Community College East Tennessee State University Fisk University Free Will Baptist Bible College Freed-Hardeman University Johnson Bible College King College Knoxville College Lambuth University Lane College Lee University LeMoyne-Owen College Lincoln Memorial University Lipscomb University Martin Methodist College Maryville College Meharry Medical College Memphis College of Art Memphis Theological Seminary Middle Tennessee State University Milligan College Motlow State Community College Nashville School of Law Nashville State Community College Nossi College of Art O'More College of Design Pellissippi State Technical Community College Rhodes College Roane State Community College Sewanee: The University of the South Southern Adventist University Southern College of Optometry Southwest Tennessee Community College Tennessee State University Tennessee Technological University Tennessee Temple University Tennessee Wesleyan College Trevecca Nazarene University Tusculum College Union University University of Memphis University of Tennessee System University of Tennessee (Knoxville) University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Memphis) University of Tennessee Space Institute University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University of Tennessee at Martin Vanderbilt University Volunteer State Community College Watkins College of Art and Design Sports Professional teams Club Sport League Memphis Redbirds Baseball Pacific Coast League (Triple-A) Nashville Sounds Baseball Pacific Coast League (Triple-A) Chattanooga Lookouts Baseball Southern League (Double-A) Tennessee Smokies Baseball Southern League (Double-A) West Tenn Diamond Jaxx Baseball Southern League (Double-A) Elizabethton Twins Baseball Appalachian League (Rookie) Greeneville Astros Baseball Appalachian League (Rookie) Johnson City Cardinals Baseball Appalachian League (Rookie) Kingsport Mets Baseball Appalachian League (Rookie) Memphis Grizzlies Basketball National Basketball Association Tennessee Titans Football National Football League Nashville Predators Ice hockey National Hockey League Knoxville Ice Bears Ice hockey Southern Professional Hockey League Nashville Metros Soccer USL Premier Development League Tennessee is also home to Bristol Motor Speedway which features NASCAR Sprint Cup racing two weekends a year, routinely selling out more than 160,000 seats on each date. Name origin Monument near the ancient site of Tanasi in Monroe County The earliest variant of the name that became Tennessee was recorded by Captain Juan Pardo, the Spanish explorer, when he and his men passed through a Native American village named Tanasqui in 1567 while traveling inland from South Carolina. In the early 1700s, British traders encountered a Cherokee town named Tanasi (or Tanase ) in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee. The town was located on a river of the same name (now known as the Little Tennessee River), and appears on maps as early as 1725. It is not known whether this was the same town as the one encountered by Juan Pardo, although recent research suggests that Pardo's Tanasqui was located at the confluence of the Pigeon River and the French Broad River, near modern Newport. The meaning and origin of the word are uncertain. Some accounts suggest it is a Cherokee modification of an earlier Yuchi word. It has been said to mean meeting place , winding river , or river of the great bend . According to James Mooney, the name can not be analyzed and its meaning is lost. The modern spelling, Tennessee, is attributed to James Glen, the governor of South Carolina, who used this spelling in his official correspondence during the 1750s. The spelling was popularized by the publication of Henry Timberlake's Draught of the Cherokee Country in 1765. In 1788, North Carolina created Tennessee County , the third county to be established in what is now Middle Tennessee. (Tennessee County was the predecessor to current-day Montgomery County and Robertson County). When a constitutional convention met in 1796 to organize a new state out of the Southwest Territory, it adopted Tennessee as the name of the state. Nickname Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State , a nickname earned during the War of 1812 because of the prominent role played by volunteer soldiers from Tennessee, especially during the Battle of New Orleans. State symbols Main article: List of Tennessee state symbols State symbols include: State bird - Mockingbird State game bird - Bobwhite Quail State wild animal - Raccoon State sport fish - Largemouth Bass State commercial fish - Channel Catfish State horse - Tennessee Walking Horse State insect - Lightning Bug and the Lady Bug State cultivated flower - Purple Iris State wild flower - Passion Flower State tree - Tulip Poplar State fruit - Tomato Main Content - General Content Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:07:12 +0100 http://www.brandonpatrick.com/tennessee.html http://www.brandonpatrick.com/spring-hill-tennessee.html Spring Hill is a city in Maury and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, located approximately 30 miles (48 km) south of Nashville. The population was 7,715 at the 2000 census. Rapid growth has occurred in recent years with a population of 23,462 in 2007. Geography Spring Hill is located at 35°45′9″N 86°54′50″W / 35.7525°N 86.91389°W / 35.7525; -86.91389 (35.752556, -86.914021). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.7 square miles (45.9 km²), of which, 17.7 square miles (45.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.17%) is water. History Spring Hill was the site of a Civil War battle, now known as the Battle of Spring Hill, on November 29, 1864. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 7,715 people, 2,634 households, and 2,159 families residing in the city. The population densityWhite, 7.80% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.81% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.98% of the population. was 435.6 people per square mile (168.2/km²). There were 2,819 housing units at an average density of 159.2/sq mi (61.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.33% There were 2,634 households out of which 50.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.3% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.0% were non-families. 14.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.24. In the city the population was spread out with 32.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 42.0% from 25 to 44, 15.2% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $60,872, and the median income for a family was $62,643. Males had a median income of $50,819 versus $29,821 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,688. About 3.1% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over. Education Schools in Maury County Spring Hill Elementary School (Public) Wright Elementary E.A. Cox Middle School (Public) Spring Hill High School (Public) Schools in Williamson County Heritage Elementary (Public) Heritage Middle (Public) Bethesda Elementary (Public) Longview Elementary (Public) Chapmans Retreat Elementary Independence High (Public) Economy Spring Hill is home to Dawson McAllister Ministries, which broadcasts Dawson McAllister Live weekly on local radio stations. Spring Hill was the site of the Saturn Corporation production facility, which operated from 1990 to 2007. The Saturn S-Series, Saturn ION, and Saturn VUE were produced there. In 2007 the General Motors Corporation (GM), the parent company of Saturn, shut the facility down to retool the facility for production of other GM vehicles. The plant reopened in February 2008 and became the assembly point for the new Chevrolet Traverse. However, after a battle among plants in Spring Hill, TN, Orion Township, MI and Janesville, WI; GM announced on June 26, 2009 that they had chosen to build a new small car in Orion Township. Nearly 2,500 Spring Hill auto workers now face layoffs, buyouts and early retirements once the factory is idled in late 2009. Notable residents Peter Jenkins, noted travel author, and author of A Walk Across America (1979). Scott Wells, 2005 NFL player (Green Bay Packers) From Wikipedia Main Content - General Content Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:33:49 +0100 http://www.brandonpatrick.com/spring-hill-tennessee.html http://www.brandonpatrick.com/thompson-s-station-tennessee.html Thompson's Station is a town in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,283 at the 2000 census. Geography Thompson's Station is located at 35°47′55″N 86°54′26″W / 35.79861°N 86.90722°W / 35.79861; -86.90722 (35.798670, -86.907341). It is approximately 25 miles south of Nashville, just south of Franklin, and just north of Spring Hill. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.7 square miles (38.1 km²), all of it land. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 1,283 people, 447 households, and 375 families residing in the town. The population densityWhite, 7.01% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.62% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.57% of the population. was 87.2 people per square mile (33.7/km²). There were 473 housing units at an average density of 32.2/sq mi (12.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.19% There were 447 households out of which 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.2% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.9% were non-families. 14.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.17. In the town the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $66,875, and the median income for a family was $70,568. Males had a median income of $50,337 versus $31,528 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,143. About 4.1% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over. From Wikipedia Main Content - General Content Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:22:16 +0100 http://www.brandonpatrick.com/thompson-s-station-tennessee.html http://www.brandonpatrick.com/brentwood-tennessee.html Brentwood is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States, and an affluent suburb of Nashville. The population was 23,445 at the 2000 census. Geography Brentwood is located at 35°59′53″N 86°47′33″W / 35.99806°N 86.7925°W / 35.99806; -86.7925 (35.998194, -86.792619). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of approximately 41 square miles (110 km2). History The first settlers came to the Brentwood area in the late 1700’s. Much of the land was granted to Revolutionary War soldiers by the State of North Carolina. The original site of business activity in the area was at the Frost place on Old Smyrna Road. The general store, the grist mill and the post office were located there. With the coming of the railroad and the highway the town center shifted. Brentwood grew and prospered and by the time of the Civil War, the area was one of the richest in the state. The soils were fertile and plantations flourished as was evidenced by the stately homes built. During the war many of these homes were used for providing food and treating wounded soldiers, both Confederate and Union. By the end of the War, there were very few farm animals or growing crops left. The war left its scar on the economy and many homes and plantations fell to ruin. The Brentwood area recovered from the Civil War. In the 1920’s it was rediscovered. Gradually many of the plantation homes were bought and restored. As the Phoenix rose from the ashes, with the construction of the Interstate in the 1960’s Brentwood grew and prospered and by the 1990’s the area was again one of the richest in the state. -- http://www.brentwood-tn.org/ Parks and recreation Concord Park Concord Park is a 40-acre (160,000 m2) park at Concord Road and Knox Valley Drive. It is home to the Brentwood Library and near Lipscomb Elementary School. Concord Park features paved walking and biking trails. A trailhead for a portion of the Concord Park walking trail is located adjacent to the Brentwood Family YMCA. Crockett Park Crockett Park is Brentwood's largest park, at more than 170 acres (0.7 km2). It features seven lit tennis courts, restroom/concessions buildings, eight lit ball fields, 11 multi-purpose fields, bikeway/jogging trails, two historic homes, a community playground, picnic shelters, and the Eddy Arnold amphitheater. It also serves as the home for Brentwood's yearly 4th of July fireworks celebration. Deerwood Arboretum and Nature Area The Deerwood Arboretum and Nature Area is 27 acres (110,000 m2) and has a full observation deck, outdoor covered classrooms, and an amphitheater, the Arboretum. It contains man-made lakes, nature trails, and indigenous wildlife, and the Little Harpeth River flows through it. Granny White Park Granny White Park is a 32-acre (130,000 m2) park with several sporting facilities including four lighted tennis courts, softball/baseball fields, jogging/biking trails, a multi-purpose field, sand volleyball court, playground, and picnic pavilion and is located near Brentwood Middle School. Maryland Way Park Maryland Way Park is located in the Maryland Farms area and includes a paved walking and biking path with 20 exercise stations on 7 acres (28,000 m2). Maryland Way park is adjacent to the Maryland Farms YMCA. Primm Park Primm Park is a 31-acre (130,000 m2) park off Moores Lane. Located on the site is Boiling Springs Academy, a historic schoolhouse built in 1832 and restored in 2003. The park is also home to the Fewkes Native American mounds site, a Mississippian mound complex consisting of five mounds arrayed around a central plaza. The Fewkes site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Owl Creek Park Owl Creek Park is Brentwood's newest park, completed in the summer of 2007. It is 21 acres (85,000 m2) and includes a playgroud, picnic shelters, walking paths, and basketball courts. River Park River Park is a 43-acre (170,000 m2) park adjacent to Crockett Park. It features a restroom facility, playground, outdoor basketball court, and borders the YMCA soccer fields. Adjacent to River Park is the Brentwood Family YMCA, now complete with a skate park. Tower Park Tower Park is a 47-acre (190,000 m2) park north of the WSM Tower off Concord Road. It includes multi-purpose fields, natural open spaces, and jogging and biking trails. The new Williamson County Indoor Sports Complex is located here. At 76,000 square feet (7,100 m2), it consists of a fifty meter indoor pool, five indoor tennis courts, a fitness center, full-service locker rooms, a childcare room, and a multi-purpose room. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 23,445 people, 7,693 households, and 6,808 families residing in the city. The population density was 676.7 inhabitants per square mile (261.3 /km2). There were 7,889 housing units at an average density of 227.7 per square mile (87.9 /km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.63% White, 1.89% African American, 0.16% Native American, 2.50% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population. Brentwood is Tennessee's best educated city, proportionately, with 69.4% of adult residents (25 and older) holding an associate degree or higher, and 64.7% of adults possessing a bachelor's degree or higher (2000 Census). There were 7,693 households out of which 48.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 82.2% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.5% were non-families. 10.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.24. In the city the population was spread out with 31.5% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 32.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males. The median home price in Brentwood is $679,000. The median household income in Brentwood is $133,668 as of 2007. The per capita income for the city is $56,701. About 1.5% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line. About 95.4% of residents own their homes. A special census conducted in counted 35,262 residents. Maryland Farms Business Park Located in Brentwood, Maryland Farms is an upscale suburban office park of almost 5,000,000 square feet (500,000 m2) of prime office space and home to several national headquarters. Education Brentwood is served by Williamson County Schools. Elementary Schools Crockett Edmondson Grassland Kenrose Lipscomb Scales Sunset Middle Schools Brentwood Middle Sunset Woodland High Schools Brentwood High Ravenwood High Brentwood Academy (private) Notable residents Athletics Barry Trotz (NHL Coach) Scott Wells (NFL) Brandan Wright (NBA) Ryan Suter (NHL Player Nashville Predators) Vince Young (NFL Player Tennessee Titans) Musicians Skeeter Davis Melinda Doolittle Ronnie Dunn Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts lead guitarist) John Schlitt Margo Smith CeCe Winans Jack White Dolly Parton Carrie Underwood Faith Hill Tim McGraw Donna Summer Jeremy Camp Aaron Neville Kix Brooks Other Dave Ramsey, talk radio host Brad Stine, comedian Niki Taylor, supermodel Gwen Shamblin, Best Selling Christian Author, Philanthropist and Founder of The Weigh Down Workshop and The Remnant Fellowship Church Marsha Blackburn, Current sitting US Congressman from the Tennessee 7th From Wikipedia Main Content - General Content Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:07:15 +0100 http://www.brandonpatrick.com/brentwood-tennessee.html http://www.brandonpatrick.com/franklin-tennessee.html Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 41,842 as of the 2000 census. History The City of Franklin was founded by Abram Maury, Jr. (1766-1825), who was also a State Senator and is buried with his family in Founders Pointe, October 26, 1799 and was named after Benjamin Franklin, a close friend of Dr. Hugh Williamson, a member of the Continental Congress for whom Williamson County was named. For most of its first 180 years, Franklin was a tranquil, small county seat. In the years prior to the American Civil War, Williamson County was one of the wealthiest counties in Tennessee and Franklin was the center of plantation economy. However, the Civil War devastated the economy. Union troops occupied the area for nearly three years. The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, resulting in almost 10,000 casualties (killed, wounded, captured and missing) and turning forty-four buildings in town into field hospitals. It took 120 years for the county's economy to reach pre-war levels. Franklin has grown from a very small, agricultural community into a strong blend of residential, commercial and corporate citizens. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 41,842 people, 16,128 households, and 11,225 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,393.3 people per square mile (538.0/km2). There were 17,296 housing units at an average density of 575.9/sq mi (222.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 84.53% Caucasian, 10.35% Black, 4.84% Hispanic/Latino, 1.61% Asian, 0.24% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.17% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. There were 16,128 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 38.1% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $65,506, and the median income for a family was $69,431 (these figures had risen to $74,914 and $87,125 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $50,226 versus $31,531 for females. The per capita income for the city was $32,160. About 5.1% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over. Notable events In November 1864, the Second Battle of Franklin of the Civil War took place, with the first fifteen minutes being the most bloody fifteen minutes in all of American history. The movie premieres of Friday Night Lights and Elizabethtown were held in Franklin. At Close Range, staring Christopher Wlken and Sean Penn was filmed in Franklin Notable residents Scott Hamilton, professional figure skater Hayley Williams, singer / songwriter / member of Paramore Russell Branyan, professional baseball player Steve Camp, contemporary artist / evangelical minister Nick Carter, singer Kenny Chesney, singer Paul Colman, singer / songwriter / member of The Newsboys, Christian music Dario Franchitti, Indycar Series 2007 Champion, former NASCAR driver Sheryl Crow, singer / songwriter, technically lives in College Grove Steven Curtis Chapman, Christian singer/songwriter Leanne Rimes, singer Dave Ramsey, author, talk show host, The Dave Ramsey Show Walter Egan, Singer Sara Evans, Country Singer Jeff Fisher, head coach of the NFL team, Tennessee Titans Robin Mark, Irish christian artist Troy Gentry, country singer and one-half of country music duo Montgomery Gentry Kurt Heinecke, composer of the Christian series VeggieTales Will Hoge, singer/songwriter, born and raised in Franklin Alan Jackson, Country Singer George Jones, country singer Ashley Judd, actress Wynonna Judd, singer Naomi Judd, singer Alison Krauss, singer Phil Joel, Christian musician Peter Furler, member of Newsboys David LaBruyere, songwriter / producer / touring bassist for John Mayer Burney Lamar, NASCAR Driver TobyMac, Christian rap singer Michael McDonald, singer George Maney, Confederate general in the American Civil War McGee Brothers[10] — Long-time Grand Ole Opry performing duo David Meece, Christian musician Krystal Meyers[11], pop punk / Christian rock singer Mike Nawrocki, co-creator of the Big Idea Productions Christian series VeggieTales Brad Paisley, country singer Michael W. Smith[12], pop / Christian singer Joe Smyth, drummer for Sawyer Brown Rebecca St. James, Christian singer James Storm, professional wrestler Hank Sweeney, baseball player Billy Strange, singer, songwriter for Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr. Gary Talley, guitarist for The Boxtops Derrick Turnbow, baseball player Darrell Waltrip, 3-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Taylor Ware, country singer Holly Watson, Christian singer, tv spokeswoman Kirk Whalum, jazz / blues saxophonist Adam Wright, rugby player Bob Demoss, Author Sterling Marlin, NASCAR driver Tamera Alexander, Christian author Carrie McGavock, The Widow of the South Luke Benward, Actor and singer Michael S. Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing Miley Cyrus, Singer and Actress Festivals Main Street Festival Franklin’s Main Street Festival is a street festival that brings more than 200 artisans crafters, four stages, two carnivals and two food courts to the historic Franklin Square and Downtown District. Arts and crafts booths line Main Street from First to Fifth Avenue. From Wikipedia Main Content - General Content Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:25:22 +0100 http://www.brandonpatrick.com/franklin-tennessee.html