Explore a destination located in Tennessee, United States
Tennessee is one of the fifty states in the United States of America, with 6.9 million residents as of 2020. The state’s diverse terrain has developed into many of Tennessee’s well known state parks and wilderness areas such as the Appalachian Trails and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which receive over 12 million visitors annually. Many people come to Tennessee for these landmarks in addition to the state’s musical heritage. Dolly Parton, in particular, left a legacy on Tennessee, creating the town’s most visited ticketed attraction, Dollywood. Due to the wide variety of outdoor attractions, the busiest time of the year for the state is during the summer months when temperatures are in the 90’s. The winter season receives the most rainfall, with annual precipitation at approximately 50 inches. The state is geographically, culturally, and legally divided into three different sections of East, Middle, and West Tennessee. East Tennessee includes high elevations and usually receives the most rainfall out of all areas of the state. Over 200 species of trees populate more than half of the state, as well as various species of wildlife. Tennessee has the third highest number of amphibian species in the nation and is additionally home to over 340 species of birds.
Based on the 2020 U.S. census, Tennessee's population is approximately 6.9 million residents, making the state the 36th largest in size and 16th most populous of all 50 states.[6] Though summer is the warmest and busiest season in Tennessee, many visitors come during the spring and fall months because the scenery is visually appealing and photogenic.[7] Country music is highly praised in Tennessee by many people. One of the state's most popular attractions is the Dollywood theme park, constructed in honor of Dolly Parton, one of Tennessee's most famous country singers. The park is 160 acres, includes more than 50 rides, and has an additional water park called Dollywood's Splash Country. The park frequently hosts festivals during a holiday or culture theme, typically featuring live music, new cuisines, and art showcases.[4]
Another of Tennessee's most widely known attractions is the Parthenon, a structure with Greek God representations, including a replica of Athena. It took Athenians nearly ten years to construct the original 65-foot tall building. The interior is divided into two rooms, the Naos on the east side, home to the Athena statue, and the Treasury on the west side. Visitors can see the depiction of Athena's birth story on the east side and the deities of the sun and moon, Helios and Selene, which tie into the story of Athena's birth. On the west side, the depiction of the contest between Athena and Poseidon is shown. The Parthenon was rebuilt in the 1920s as a full-scale replica of the ancient Parthenon. Funds accumulated from Tennessee's own residents resulted in the construction of the Parthenon. Local artist, Alan LeQuire, was commissioned by the City of Nashville to build a replica of the statue of Athena. The statue was constructed from 1982 to 1990.[5]
Tennessee has variety within its topography, including mountains with an average height of 5,000 feet above sea level and several wilderness areas and state parks scattered all around the state. From east to west, it contains a mix of cultural features characteristic of Appalachia.[6] The Appalachian Trails are one of the most well-known trails in the country. It stretches 160 miles along the Tennessee/North Carolina border and an additional 94 miles throughout the state.[8] The trail ranges from Maine to Georgia, making the Appalachian trail the longest hiking-only footpath globally. More than 71 miles of the path run through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It generally takes about seven days to hike the Smoky Mountains section of the Appalachian Trail, but midpoints along the trail make it possible for hikers to shorten the trek to 3 or 4 days.[9]
Typical weather in Tennessee consists of hot or humid summers, with temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and winters with an average low in the range of 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The state’s climate is generally humid subtropical due to its location in the southeastern region of the United States. Rainfall occurs throughout the year, with the wettest period from December to April and the driest between August and October. The higher parts of the mountains in the east tend to receive ample rainfall in mid-summer. The bordering states around Tennessee include Kentucky in the north, Virginia in the northeast, North Carolina in the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi in the south, and Arkansas in the west.[2] Tennessee is divided into three different parts: East, Middle, and West Tennessee. West Tennessee usually receives around 5 inches of snowfall, in contrast to East Tennessee, which receives nearly 80 inches in the higher areas of the Appalachian.[6]
Roughly half of Tennessee is woodlands, with over 200 tree species populating the area. Some of the trees include locust, poplar, elm, beech, hickory, spruce, walnut, oak, maple, sycamore, and pine. Due to the state’s position in the eastern side of the country and the diverse elevations, many plants and animals have been found throughout the area. A few of the more common animals in the area are deer, coyotes, weasels, skunks, opossums, various rodents, and foxes. The state also holds nearly 100 amphibian and reptile species[6]
It is believed that 20,000 years ago, the first inhabitants of Tennessee were Ice Age peoples descended from Asians. During the 1700s, Europeans arrived for exploration while Chickasaw tribes occupied the western territory, and Cherokee tribes resided in the east. Tennessee’s name origins derive from the Cherokee village, Tanasi. When the English traders from Virginia and South Carolina were among the Cherokee, the native people developed relations with them. They considered them as allies, especially in the French and Indian War. But eventually, the English traders wanted to overtake as much land as possible, causing the Cherokee to see them as a threat and creating conflict between the two parties. The outcome resulted in the Cherokee leaving the state in the 19th century. Congress had turned down a previous petition for Tennessee’s statehood due to North Carolina’s rescinded cession of western lands. However, in 1796, it became the 16th state admitted to the U.S. Union after being under the new federal constitution.[1]
Slavery played an important role in Tennessee’s expansion. The 1791 territorial census showed an African American population of 3,417. Within a nine-year span, the African American population had jumped to 13,584 by 1800. Slavery was more common in western Tennessee than in the eastern region, and most African Americans in the state were slaves. Shortly after the invention of the cotton gin, more slaves were brought to Tennessee. By 1860, The slave population had reached approximately 283,019 slaves, with only 7,300 free African Americans among the whole state. An Emancipation movement was developed after many slaveholders found it challenging to free their slaves, and free African Americans were losing many rights. In 1819, Elihu Embree advertised freedom of slaves through newspapers, and this progressively led to abolition throughout the state.[3]
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