Tennessee

Long before statehood, the Cherokee, Chickasaw and other Indigenous nations inhabited the region that became Tennessee, a history brutally interrupted when the Cherokee were forcibly removed along the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. Tennessee became the 16th U.S. state in 1796, named for a Cherokee town, and later earned the nickname the Volunteer State for the many soldiers who enlisted for the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War.

Tennessee seceded during the Civil War but was also home to significant Union sentiment in its eastern mountains, and it became the first Confederate state readmitted to the Union in 1866. The 20th century brought profound cultural influence, as Nashville grew into Music City USA through the Grand Ole Opry and country music industry, while Memphis nurtured the blues, soul and rock and roll of Sun Studio, Stax Records and a young Elvis Presley.

Today Tennessee's economy spans music and entertainment, healthcare, automotive manufacturing and logistics, anchored by Nashville and Memphis. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, straddling the border with North Carolina, is the most-visited national park in the country, drawing millions each year to its misty ridgelines, historic Cades Cove and the family-friendly gateway towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.