How well do you know Tennessee?
Tennessee is famous for music, but its landscapes hold just as many surprises. Six questions, from easy to hard, with explanations.
Did you know?
- Bristol sits right on the Tennessee–Virginia border. The line runs down the middle of State Street, so people can stand with one foot in each state while shopping downtown.
- During the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812, witnesses reported that the Mississippi River appeared to flow backward for a short time. The quakes were felt across much of the eastern United States.
- Rock City, a famous attraction on Lookout Mountain, advertised itself by painting 'See Rock City' on hundreds of barn roofs across the South and Midwest from the 1930s on. Some of these painted barns still survive.
Three states in one
Tennessee stretches about 440 miles from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River. Tennesseans often describe it as three states in one: mountainous East Tennessee, the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee and the flat, fertile farmland of West Tennessee. Each region has its own character, and the state flag's three stars celebrate them together.
Mountains in the east
East Tennessee includes part of the Great Smoky Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau. Knoxville and Chattanooga are its largest cities. Forests, waterfalls and caves make the region popular with hikers, paddlers and cavers.
A land of caves
Tennessee has more than 10,000 known caves, one of the highest totals of any state. Limestone rock, slowly dissolved by water over millions of years, created underground rivers, waterfalls and lakes like the Lost Sea.
Rivers and dams
Starting in 1933, the Tennessee Valley Authority built dams across the region to control floods, improve river travel and bring electricity to rural areas. The dams created large reservoirs that are now used for boating and fishing.
Music across the state
Each part of Tennessee helped shape American music. Memphis is linked to blues and early rock and roll, Nashville to country music, and the city of Bristol hosted 1927 recording sessions often called the Big Bang of country music.
Life on the land
Middle and West Tennessee grow soybeans, corn and cotton, and the state is known for raising Tennessee Walking Horses, a breed famous for its smooth running walk. Farms and small towns remain an important part of Tennessee life.
A Cherokee name
The name Tennessee comes from Tanasi, a Cherokee town in what is now the eastern part of the state. Spanish explorers recorded a similar name in the 1500s, and the spelling changed over time before settling on the current form.
Whitewater and lakes
Tennessee's rivers and reservoirs attract anglers, boaters and paddlers. The Ocoee River in the southeast hosted canoe and kayak slalom events at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the first Olympic whitewater course built on a natural river.