Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat for Davidson County. In 2020, its population was 689,447. Located on the Cumberland River, the city is the center of the Nashville metropolitan area, and is one of the fastest growing in the nation.

Named for Francis Nash, a general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, the city was founded in 1779. Nashville grew quickly due to its strategic location as a port on the Cumberland River and, in the 19th century, a railroad center. In 1862 during the American Civil War, Nashville was the first state capital in the Confederacy to be taken by Union forces.

Since 1963, Nashville has had a consolidated city-county government, which includes six smaller municipalities in a two-tier system. The city is governed by a mayor, a vice-mayor, and a 40-member metropolitan council; 35 of the members are elected from single-member districts, while five are elected at-large. Reflecting the city's position in state government, Nashville is home to the Tennessee Supreme Court's courthouse for Middle Tennessee, one of the state's three divisions.