Tennessee

History: Paleo-Indians entered the Tennessee area almost 12,000 years ago. They developed into the Muscogee people, and were joined later by the Yuchi, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Cherokee. The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto passed through in 1540. People from South Carolina first settled in Tennessee in 1756, followed by settlers from other colonies. After the Revolutionary War, other colonies gave up their claims and Tennessee became part of the Southwest Territory. Tennessee became the 16^th state on June 1, 1796. It seceded from the U.S. in 1861 and joined the Confederacy; Tennessee rejoined the U.S. in 1866.

Economy: Tennessee has more than 80,000 farms, of which more than half are raising beef cattle. Cotton and soybeans are the major crops raised. The development of the Tennessee River Valley led to large-scale production of electricity. Three major automobile companies have manufacturing plants in Tennessee. Oak Ridge is a center for nuclear technology.

Geography: Tennessee is divided into six natural geological regions. The Unaka Mountains (Great Smoky) are in the far east, then the Great Appalachian Valley, in the east with low ridges and valleys, west of the Appalachians, the Cumberland Plateau with a flat, smooth surface, cut by wide river valleys. In Middle Tennessee, there is Nashville, or Central, Basin and the Highland Rim.

Climate: The climate in Tennessee is moderate with cool, but not cold winters and warm summer. The state receives lots of precipitation (rainfall), about 50 inches per year, distributed evenly over the seasons and regions.

Fun Facts:

The only monument dedicated to both Union and Confederate soldiers is in Greenville.
Tennessee has more than 3,500 caves.
The most visited national park in the U.S. is the “Great Smoky Mountains National Park”
At Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, seven states are visible (on a clear day).
Nashville (state’s capital) is known as “Music City”, the country music capital of the world.
The strongest earthquakes to hit the United States (east of the Rocky Mountains) in American history, the New Madrid Earthquakes happened in the winter of 1811-1812.

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