menu search

Posted in Tennessee July 11, 2015 by Meghan Kraft

14 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About The State Of Tennessee

Tennessee is a pretty magic place, from Music City to the golden shores of Memphis, down to Chattanooga and up to Knoxville. How much do you actually happen to know about it, though? We thought we’d test the waters!

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life. While we continue to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, please take proper precautions or add them to your bucket list to see at a later date. If you know of a local business that could use some extra support during these times, please nominate them here: onlyinyourstate.com/nominate

14) Three presidents were born in Tennessee: Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson.

13) Only 77,000 people were registered living in Tennessee when it became a state.

12) The woman who stole our hearts with that beautiful voice was born right here in Ol' Rocky Top.

11) The nation's absolute oldest African-American institution in the finance arena is Citizen Savings Bank and Trust Company, and it is based in Nashville.

10) There are legends about the beginning of Coca-Cola, but supposedly it was first bottled in Chattanooga after the rights were bought for $1.00.

9) The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is not only the most visited park in the nation - it also breeds more than 1,400 flowering plants.

8) Harper Lee may hail from Alabama, but the Mockingbird is the Tennessee state bird.

7) Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment, supporting a woman's right to vote.

6) Murfreesboro is the geographical center of the state.

5) Did you ever wonder what the state animal is? A raccoon!

4) Memphis resident Robert R. Church, Sr is supposed to be the first African-American millionaire in the southern region.

3) Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort has a 5-acre artificial ski surface, that is the world's largest.

2) Tennessee became the sixteenth state on June 1, 1796.

1) Although Nashville gets all the attention nowadays, Memphis is still the largest city in the state.

How many did YOU know? Tell us something interesting in the comments below, please!

Meghan Kraft

Meghan Kraft loves to travel the world, but she makes her home right here in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a degree in English, and has worked in the digital marketing realm with companies such as Apartments.com, USA Today and HarperCollins Publishing.