Portal:Tennessee

The Tennessee Portal

Tennessee (/ˌtɛnɪˈsiː/ ^ⓘ, locally /ˈtɛnɪsi/), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, Arkansas to the southwest, and Missouri to the northwest. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. According to the United States Census Bureau, the state's estimated population as of 2024 is 7.22 million.

Tennessee is geographically, culturally, and legally divided into three Grand Divisions of East, Middle, and West Tennessee. Nashville is the state's capital and largest city, and anchors its largest metropolitan area. Tennessee has diverse terrain and landforms, and from east to west, contains a mix of cultural features characteristic of Appalachia, the Upland South, and the Deep South. The Blue Ridge Mountains along the eastern border reach some of the highest elevations in eastern North America, and the Cumberland Plateau contains many scenic valleys and waterfalls. The central part of the state is marked by cavernous bedrock and irregular rolling hills, and level, fertile plains define West Tennessee. The state is twice bisected by the Tennessee River, and the Mississippi River forms its western border. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the nation's most visited national park, is in eastern Tennessee.

Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association, a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachian Mountains. Its name derives from Tanasi (ᏔᎾᏏ), a Cherokee town preceding the first European American settlement. Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina, and later the Southwest Territory, before its admission to the Union as the 16th state on June 1, 1796. It earned the nickname "The Volunteer State" due to a strong tradition of military service. A slave state until the American Civil War, Tennessee was politically divided, with most of its western and middle parts supporting the Confederacy, and most of the eastern region harboring pro-Union sentiment. As a result, Tennessee was the last state to officially secede from the Union and join the Confederacy, and the first former Confederate state readmitted to the Union after the war had ended during the Reconstruction era. (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Recognized content - show another

Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

Witherspoon in 2014

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2006 and 2015, and Forbes listed her among the world's 100 most powerful women in 2019 and 2021. In 2021, Forbes named her the world's highest earning actress, and in 2023, she was named one of the richest women in America with an estimated net worth of $440 million.

Witherspoon began her career as a teenager, making her screen debut in The Man in the Moon (1991). After starring in the 1996 films Freeway and Fear, her breakthrough came in 1999 with a supporting role in Cruel Intentions, and for her portrayal of Tracy Flick in the black comedy Election. She gained wider recognition for playing Elle Woods in the comedy Legally Blonde (2001) and its 2003 sequel, and for starring in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama (2002). She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying June Carter Cash in the musical biopic Walk the Line (2005). Following a career downturn, during which her sole box-office success was the romantic drama Water for Elephants (2011), Witherspoon made a comeback by producing and starring as Cheryl Strayed in the drama Wild (2014), which earned her a second Academy Award nomination. (Full article...)

List of recognized articles

Selected article - show another

Lorraine Motel in 2025. The wreath marks King's approximate location at the time of his assassination.

Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m at age 39.

King was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was known for his use of nonviolence and civil disobedience. The alleged assassin, James Earl Ray, an escaped convict from the Missouri State Penitentiary, was arrested on June 8, 1968, at London's Heathrow Airport, extradited to the United States and charged with the crime. On March 10, 1969, Ray pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in the Tennessee State Penitentiary. He later made many attempts to withdraw his guilty plea and to be tried by a jury, but was unsuccessful, before he died in 1998. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

General images - load new batch

The following are images from various Tennessee-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A geomap showing the counties of Tennessee colored by the relative range of that county's median income. (from Tennessee)
Image 2Offices of The Tennessean in Nashville (from Tennessee)
Image 3The Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864 (from Tennessee)
Image 4Howard Baker served as Senate Minority and Majority Leader from 1977 to 1985, and was known as "The Great Conciliator" (from Tennessee)
Image 5The Tennessee at Chattanooga, 1872, by Harry Fenn (from History of Tennessee)
Image 6The Southwest Territory in 1790 (from Tennessee)
Image 7Mount Le Conte in the Great Smoky Mountains is the tallest mountain in eastern North America, measured from base to summit (from Tennessee)
Image 8The Ocoee River was home to the 1996 Summer Olympics whitewater slalom events, the only Olympic sporting event ever held in the state. (from Tennessee)
Image 9Surveyor Daniel Smith's "Map of the Tennassee State" (1796) (from Tennessee)
Image 10Workers at the Norris Dam construction camp site in 1933 (from Tennessee)
Image 11Calutron operators at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project (from Tennessee)
Image 12Köppen climate types of Tennessee, using 1991–2020 climate normals. (from Tennessee)
Image 13A geomap showing the counties of Tennessee colored by the relative range of that county's median income. (from Tennessee)
Image 14Reelfoot Lake in West Tennessee was formed by the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes (from Tennessee)
Image 15in 1946 the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp celebrating the 150th anniversary of Tennessee statehood. (from Tennessee)
Image 16Memphis International Airport, the hub of FedEx Corporation, is the busiest cargo airport in the world (from Tennessee)
Image 17John Bell (from History of Tennessee)
Image 18The Hermitage, plantation home of President Andrew Jackson in Nashville (from Tennessee)
Image 19Alvin C. York (from History of Tennessee)
Image 20Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville (from Tennessee)
Image 21Established in 1942, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest national laboratory in the Department of Energy system (from Tennessee)
Image 22Howard Baker served as Senate Minority and Majority Leader from 1977 to 1985, and was known as "The Great Conciliator" (from Tennessee)
Image 23Norris Dam, a hydroelectric dam operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. (from Tennessee)
Image 24Mount Le Conte in the Great Smoky Mountains is the tallest mountain in eastern North America, measured from base to summit (from Tennessee)
Image 25A Nissan Leaf, one of six models manufactured at the Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant, the largest automotive assembly plant in North America (from Tennessee)
Image 26The Grand Ole Opry, which was recorded in Nashville's Ryman Auditorium from 1943 to 1974, is the longest-running radio broadcast in US history. (from Tennessee)
Image 27The resort city of Gatlinburg borders the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is the most visited national park in the United States. (from Tennessee)
Image 28The Ryman Auditorium, home of the "Grand Ole Opry" in Nashville (from History of Tennessee)
Image 29Offices of The Tennessean in Nashville (from Tennessee)
Image 30in 1946 the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp celebrating the 150th anniversary of Tennessee statehood. (from Tennessee)
Image 31Third Battle of Chattanooga, November 23–25, 1863 (from History of Tennessee)
Image 32Vanderbilt University in Nashville is consistently ranked as one of the top research institutions in the nation (from Tennessee)
Image 33Chart showing poverty in Tennessee, by age and gender (red = female) (from Tennessee)
Image 34The Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864 (from Tennessee)
Image 35The resort city of Gatlinburg borders the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is the most visited national park in the United States. (from Tennessee)
Image 36Tennessee Volunteers football (from Tennessee)
Image 37Workers at the Norris Dam construction camp site in 1933 (from Tennessee)
Image 38Reconstruction of Fort Loudoun, the first British settlement in Tennessee (from Tennessee)
Image 39The 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville (from Tennessee)
Image 40A View of Memphis, Tennessee, 1871 (from History of Tennessee)
Image 41Memphis became known as the "Cotton Capital of the World" in the years following the Civil War (from Tennessee)
Image 42Tennessee Volunteers football (from Tennessee)
Image 43The 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville (from History of Tennessee)
Image 44The Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville (from History of Tennessee)
Image 45The Ocoee River was home to the 1996 Summer Olympics whitewater slalom events, the only Olympic sporting event ever held in the state. (from Tennessee)
Image 46Nashville's replica of the Parthenon (built 1897) (from History of Tennessee)
Image 47Chart showing poverty in Tennessee, by age and gender (red = female) (from Tennessee)
Image 48Memphis became known as the "Cotton Capital of the World" in the years following the Civil War (from Tennessee)

Map of counties in Tennessee by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census

Legend

Non-Hispanic White

50–60%

60–70%

70–80%

80–90%

90%+

Black or African American

50–60%

(from Tennessee)

Image 50The Hermitage, plantation home of President Andrew Jackson in Nashville (from Tennessee)
Image 51Calutron operators at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project (from Tennessee)
Image 52Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville (from Tennessee)
Image 53Fall Creek Falls, the tallest waterfall in the eastern United States, is located on the Cumberland Plateau (from Tennessee)
Image 54Cedar glades are an ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface (from Tennessee)
Image 55A Nissan Leaf, one of six models manufactured at the Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant, the largest automotive assembly plant in North America (from Tennessee)
Image 56Surveyor Daniel Smith's "Map of the Tennassee State" (1796) (from Tennessee)
Image 57Interstate 40 traverses Tennessee from east to west, and serves the state's three largest cities. (from Tennessee)
Image 58Interstate 40 traverses Tennessee from east to west, and serves the state's three largest cities. (from Tennessee)
Image 59The 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville (from Tennessee)
Image 60Detail of Tanasi (spelled "Tennessee") on Henry Timberlake's Draught of the Cherokee Country (from Tennessee)
Image 61Detail of Tanasi (spelled "Tennessee") on Henry Timberlake's Draught of the Cherokee Country (from Tennessee)
Image 62Memphis International Airport, the hub of FedEx Corporation, is the busiest cargo airport in the world (from Tennessee)
Image 63Vanderbilt University in Nashville is consistently ranked as one of the top research institutions in the nation (from Tennessee)
Image 64Conquistador Hernando de Soto, first European to visit Tennessee (from History of Tennessee)
Image 65The Grand Ole Opry, which was recorded in Nashville's Ryman Auditorium from 1943 to 1974, is the longest-running radio broadcast in US history. (from Tennessee)
Image 66Reelfoot Lake in West Tennessee was formed by the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes (from Tennessee)
Image 67Cedar glades are an ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface (from Tennessee)
Image 681861 Bank of Tennessee 1 dollar banknote (from History of Tennessee)
Image 69Map of counties in Tennessee by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census
Legend
- Non-Hispanic White
    50–60%
  
    60–70%
  
    70–80%
  
    80–90%
  
    90%+
  
  Black or African American
    50–60%
(from Tennessee)
Image 70Köppen climate types of Tennessee, using 1991–2020 climate normals. (from Tennessee)
Image 71Fall Creek Falls, the tallest waterfall in the eastern United States, is located on the Cumberland Plateau (from Tennessee)
Image 72The Hermitage, plantation home of President Andrew Jackson, now a museum in Davidson County (from History of Tennessee)
Image 73Al Gore served as a United States Senator from Tennessee (1985–1993) and as Vice President of the United States (1993–2001) (from Tennessee)
Image 74Norris Dam, a hydroelectric dam operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. (from Tennessee)
Image 75The Southwest Territory in 1790 (from Tennessee)
Image 76Al Gore served as a United States Senator from Tennessee (1985–1993) and as Vice President of the United States (1993–2001) (from Tennessee)
Image 77Mississippian-period shell gorget, Castalian Springs, Sumner County (from History of Tennessee)
Image 78Reconstruction of Fort Loudoun, the first British settlement in Tennessee (from Tennessee)
Image 79Established in 1942, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest national laboratory in the Department of Energy system (from Tennessee)

Did you know - load new batch

... that Mister Rogers said that Mr. Chuck, the host of a children's show on the public TV station in Memphis, Tennessee, was "truly remarkable" and "achieving things I still struggle to achieve"?
... that silver dimes kept a Tennessee TV station on the air?
... that portions of Tennessee State Route 158 have been called "Front Street", "Front Avenue", "Lakefront Drive", "Neyland Drive", and "James White Parkway"?
... that when guitarist Pete Wade was 19, he moved to Nashville with $3, his suitcase, two ham sandwiches, and the telephone numbers of Don Helms and Jerry Rivers?
... that Drag Isn't Dangerous is a charitable telethon set to be hosted by numerous drag queens to oppose the Tennessee drag-ban bill?
... that the Pellissippi Parkway in East Tennessee takes its name from a Native American name that was applied to both the Clinch and Ohio Rivers?

Topics

New articles

This list was generated from these rules. Questions and feedback are always welcome! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results. Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.

Rules | Match log | Results page (for watching) | Last updated: 2025-04-26 23:32 (UTC)

Note: The list display can now be customized by each user. See List display personalization for details.

Craig Woodson (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by BeanieFan11 (talk · contribs · new pages (41)) started on 2025-04-26, score: 34
Time Indefinite (album) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Frost (talk · contribs · new pages (63)) started on 2025-04-26, score: 34
UFC Fight Night 257 (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Marty2Hotty (talk · contribs · new pages (4)) started on 2025-04-26, score: 34
William Beckmann (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Jackedano (talk · contribs · new pages (4)) started on 2025-04-25, score: 24

Nelma Crutcher (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Willthacheerleader18 (talk · contribs · new pages (17)) started on 2025-04-25, score: 32
Grady Brown (American football) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Pealingofthebell (talk · contribs · new pages (5)) started on 2025-04-25, score: 36
Hands of Time (song) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by MC-123 (talk · contribs · new pages (30)) started on 2025-04-24, score: 34
Gloria White-Hammond (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Joorrddaann (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-04-24, score: 20

Richard Blankenbecler (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Kwhartman137 (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-04-22, score: 20
UFC Fight Night 258 (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Gsfelipe94 (talk · contribs · new pages (3)) started on 2025-04-13, score: 34

WHEY (Tennessee) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by PoppysButterflies (talk · contribs · new pages (48)) started on 2025-04-23, score: 60

Danny Johnathan Bond (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Davidmullar (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-04-22, score: 20
2024–25 Tennessee State Lady Tigers basketball team (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by RedSox39 (talk · contribs · new pages (10)) started on 2025-04-22, score: 51
Natchez Expedition (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Jengod (talk · contribs · new pages (28)) started on 2025-04-22, score: 44

Bill Bomar (American football) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Thetreesarespeakingtome (talk · contribs · new pages (16)) started on 2025-04-21, score: 46

Omer Netzer (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Challahbai15 (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-04-18, score: 34

Battle of Ladiga (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Lieutcoluseng (talk · contribs · new pages (6)) started on 2025-04-18, score: 30
Birdtalker (band) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Bilbohaggis (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-04-17, score: 34

Alan LeForce (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Polythene-psychonaut (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-04-17, score: 36
Hugh W. Sanford (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Engineerchange (talk · contribs · new pages (31)) started on 2025-04-17, score: 20
Radiator Building – Night, New York (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Bkissin (talk · contribs · new pages (12)) started on 2025-04-16, score: 30

Trachemys haugrudi (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Anteosaurus magnificus (talk · contribs · new pages (71)) started on 2025-04-16, score: 30
José Mangin (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by 30Four (talk · contribs · new pages (3)) started on 2025-04-14, score: 27
Samara Cyn (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by SpelunkerOfMine (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-04-12, score: 20

England Furniture (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by WiinterU (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-04-15, score: 38
Douglas Williams (clarinetist) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Flopthecat (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-04-15, score: 34

Spaceship House (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Dclemens1971 (talk · contribs · new pages (11)) started on 2025-04-14, score: 40

1986 Bridgestone Doubles Championships (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Wolbo (talk · contribs · new pages (19)) started on 2025-04-13, score: 30
Nashville's Highland Rim Forest (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Theroadislong (talk · contribs · new pages (6)) started on 2025-04-13, score: 30

Carlos Sepúlveda (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Cocu15 (talk · contribs · new pages (20)) started on 2025-04-12, score: 30
Jake Merklinger (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Butters.From.SouthPark (talk · contribs · new pages (43)) started on 2025-04-12, score: 36

Cleveland Southern Railway Depot (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Mjdestroyerofworlds (talk · contribs · new pages (21)) started on 2025-04-10, score: 40

Related portals

WikiProjects

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Commons
Free media repository
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals
Wikidata
Free knowledge base
Wikinews
Free-content news
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations
Wikisource
Free-content library
Wikiversity
Free learning tools
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus

Sources