Timeline Of Nashville, Tennessee
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timeline A timeline is a list of events displayed in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representing t ...
of the
history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
of the city of
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, United States.


Prior to 19th century

* 1780 **
Fort Nashborough Fort Nashborough, also known as Fort Bluff, Bluff Station, French Lick Fort, Cumberland River Fort and other names, was the stockade established in early 1779 in the French Lick area of the Cumberland River valley, as a forerunner to the sett ...
established. **
Cumberland Compact {{Short description, 1780 document establishing the law of settlers in present-day Tennessee The Cumberland Compact was signed at a Longhunter and native American trading post and camp near the French Lick aka the "Big Salt Springs" on the Cumberl ...
signed; Cumberland Association formed. * 1784 – Nashville established. * 1785 – Davidson Academy incorporated. * 1789 – Methodist church built. * 1796 – Settlement becomes part of the
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
of Tennessee. * 1797 – ''Tennessee Gazette and Mero District Advertiser'' newspaper begins publication.


19th century

* 1806 ** Town incorporated. ** Joseph Coleman becomes
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
. * 1812 –
Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Tennessee Senate, Senate and a Tennessee House of Representa ...
relocates to Nashville from
Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
. * 1813 – Nashville Library Co., Inc. established. * 1817 –
Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Tennessee Senate, Senate and a Tennessee House of Representa ...
relocates from Nashville to Knoxville. * 1818 ** Earl's Nashville Museum opens. ** Population: 3,000 (approximate). * 1820 – Christian Church built. * 1822 –
Nashville City Cemetery Nashville City Cemetery is the oldest public cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee. Many of Nashville's prominent historical figures are buried there. It includes the tombs of 22,000 people, 6,000 of whom were African Americans. Overview Nashville ...
established. * 1823 –
Presbyterian church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
built. * 1825 – Decker & Dyer Reading Room established. * 1826 **
Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Tennessee Senate, Senate and a Tennessee House of Representa ...
relocates to Nashville from
Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...
. ** Cumberland College opened. * 1829 – Christ Church built. * 1830 –
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 5,566. * 1831 –
Tennessee State Penitentiary Tennessee State Prison is a former correctional facility located six miles west of downtown Nashville, Tennessee on Cockrill Bend. It opened in 1898 and has been closed since 1992 because of overcrowding concerns. The facility was severely damage ...
built. * 1833 – Waterworks established. * 1835 – Tennessee Society for the Diffusion of Knowledge organized. * 1837 – House of Industry for Females established. * 1838 – First Baptist Church built. * 1840 –
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 6,929. * 1841 – Mechanics' Library Association formed. * 1842 – Burns & Co. in business. * 1843 – Nashville becomes capital of Tennessee. * 1844 – Tennessee School for the Blind and Mechanics Institute and Library Association established. * 1845 – Protestant Orphan Asylum established. * 1847 – St. Mary's Cathedral built. * 1849 – Merchants' Library and Reading Room and Tennessee Historical Society founded. * 1850 ** June:
Nashville Convention {{Events leading to US Civil War The Nashville Convention was a political meeting held in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 3–11, 1850. Delegates from nine slave states met to consider secession, if the United States Congress decided to ban slavery ...
held. ** Suspension bridge built over the
Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...
. **
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 10,165. * 1851 ** Nashville Gas Light Company in operation. **
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a Rail transport company, railway company that operated in the U.S. states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, ...
starts operating. * 1852 ** Public school system inaugurated. ** Davidson County Jail built. * 1854 ** Southern Methodist Publishing House headquartered in Nashville. **
Tennessee State Library The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA), established in 1854, currently operates as a unit of the Tennessee Department of State. According to the Tennessee Blue Book, the Library and Archives "collects and preserves books and records of h ...
established. * 1855 – Giers photo studio in business. * 1856 – Church of the Assumption built. * 1857 – Davidson County Court House rebuilt. * 1858 – City Workhouse and Church of St. Ann's built. * 1859 **
Tennessee State Capitol The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly–the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tenn ...
, draw-bridge, and Central Baptist Church built. **
Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of ...
begins operating. * 1860 -
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 16,988. * 1862 ** City under Union control. **
Fort Negley Fort Negley was a fortification built by Union (American Civil War), Union troops after the capture of Nashville, Tennessee during the American Civil War, located approximately south of the city center. It was the largest inland fort built in th ...
built. * 1863 – St. Mary's Catholic Orphan Asylum founded. * 1864 – December 15–16:
Battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 18 ...
. * 1865 – Fisk Free Colored School, Ward Seminary for Young Ladies, and Earhart's Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College established. * 1866 – Central Tennessee College founded. * 1867 **
Montgomery Bell Academy Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) is a preparatory day school for boys in grades 7 through 12 in Nashville, Tennessee. The school is located in the Whitland Area Neighborhood. History MBA was established in 1867 in the aftermath of the American ...
opens. ** Nashville Lyceum Association incorporated. * 1869 – Howard Chapel built. * 1870 **
Sulphur Dell Sulphur Dell, formerly known as Sulphur Spring Park and Athletic Park, was a baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It was located just north of the Tennessee State Capitol building in the block bounded by modern-day Jackson Street ...
ballpark opens. **
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 25,865. * 1871 ** Tennessee and Pacific Railroad (
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
-Nashville) begins operating. ** Fisk University Jubilee Singers, Library Association, and Nashville Saddlery Company established. * 1873 –
Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
established. * 1874 – Hebrew temple and First Cumberland Presbyterian Church built. * 1876 – ''
Nashville Banner The ''Nashville Banner'' is a defunct daily newspaper of Nashville, Tennessee, United States, which published from April 10, 1876 until February 20, 1998. The ''Banner'' was published each Monday through Friday afternoon (as well as Saturdays unt ...
'' newspaper begins publication. * 1880 –
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 43,350. * 1884 –
Nashville Athletic Club The Nashville Athletic Club (NAC) was a sports club for young men founded in Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. I ...
formed. * 1885 – Industrial School and Query Club (women's group) established. * 1889 ** The Hermitage museum opens. ** Boscobel College for Young Ladies established. ** Peabody Normal College active. * 1890 –
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 76,168. * 1891 ** Nashville Bible School founded. ** Cumberland Park opened as a horse racing track. * 1892 ** March 17:
St. Patrick's Day Snowstorm The St. Patrick's Day Snowstorm was a powerful winter storm that hit the Southeastern United States in mid-March 1892, with the heaviest snowfalls occurring in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Mid-State region. The event was atypical for this humid ...
dumps 17 inches of snow on the city. ** Union Gospel Tabernacle built. **
Maxwell House Maxwell House is an American brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Heinz in North America and JDE Peet's in the rest of the world. Introduced in 1892 by wholesale grocer Joel Owsley Cheek, it was named in honor of the Ma ...
coffee introduced. * 1893 -
Tennessee Central Railway The Tennessee Central Railway was founded in 1884 as the Nashville and Knoxville Railroad by Alexander S. Crawford. It was an attempt to open up a rail route from the coal and minerals of East Tennessee to the markets of the midstate, a service ...
starts operating. * 1894 -
United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, a ...
headquartered in Nashville. * 1897 **
Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was an exposition held in Nashville from May 1 – October 31, 1897 in what is now Centennial Park. A year late, it celebrated the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's entry into the union in 17 ...
held. **
Parthenon The Parthenon (; ; ) is a former Ancient Greek temple, temple on the Acropolis of Athens, Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the Greek gods, goddess Athena. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of c ...
opened, a replica of the original, functions as an art museum. * 1898 ** Howard Library established. **
Tennessee State Penitentiary Tennessee State Prison is a former correctional facility located six miles west of downtown Nashville, Tennessee on Cockrill Bend. It opened in 1898 and has been closed since 1992 because of overcrowding concerns. The facility was severely damage ...
rebuilt. * 1900 ** Meharry Medical College active. **
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 80,865. ** Polk Place demolished.


20th century


1900s-1940s

* 1904 – Carnegie Library opens. * 1905 – Centennial Club (women's group) active. * 1906 **
Tennessee State Fair The Tennessee State Fair is an annual state fair, formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee. Until 2021, the fair was generally held in the second week of September, as well as the weekends surrounding it. The fair regularly had attendance over 200,0 ...
begins. ** '' Nashville Globe'' newspaper begins publication. * 1907 – ''
Nashville Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...
'' newspaper in publication. * 1909 ** Sparkman Street Bridge opens. ** Cumberland College closes. * 1910 ** Nashville Art Association chartered **
Hermitage Hotel The Hermitage Hotel, is a historic hotel located at 231 6th Avenue North in Nashville, Tennessee. Commissioned by 250 Nashville residents in 1908 and named for Andrew Jackson's estate, The Hermitage near Nashville, the hotel opened in 1910. It w ...
in business ** Advance Publishing Company incorporated **
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 110,364 * 1912 -
Urban League The National Urban League (NUL), formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for Afri ...
branch established. * 1916 – Nashville Housewives League organized. * 1918 ** July 9: Great Train Wreck of 1918. **
1918 influenza epidemic The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest document ...
. * 1920 –
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 118,342. * 1922 - Nashville's first radio station, WDAA, signs on * 1925 ** War Memorial Auditorium dedicated. ** WSM radio and its
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...
begin broadcasting. ** Belcourt Theatre built. * 1926 - WLAC
radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3  hertz (Hz) and 300  gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...
begins broadcasting. * 1927 **
Warner Parks Edwin Warner Park and Percy Warner Park, collectively known as Warner Parks, are two major public parks in Nashville, Tennessee. They are part of the park system managed by the Nashville Board of Parks and Recreation, Metropolitan Board of Parks ...
open. ** WSIX
radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3  hertz (Hz) and 300  gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...
begins broadcasting. * 1930 **
First American National Bank First American National Bank was a subsidiary of First American Corporation, a financial institution based in Nashville, Tennessee, that served the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Virginia. It was headquartered in the First America ...
formed. **
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 153,866. * 1931 **
Nashville Children's Theatre Nashville Children's Theatre (NCT) is one of the oldest continually operating professional children's theatre company in America. It is a member of the Theatre for Young Audiences, the ASSITEJ, and is affiliated with the Actors' Equity Associati ...
established. **
Parthenon The Parthenon (; ; ) is a former Ancient Greek temple, temple on the Acropolis of Athens, Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the Greek gods, goddess Athena. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of c ...
rebuilt. * 1936 – Berry Field (airport) dedicated. * 1937 –
Tennessee State Museum The Tennessee State Museum is a large museum in Nashville depicting the history of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The current facility opened on October 4, 2018, at the corner of Rosa Parks Boulevard and Jefferson Street at the foot of Capitol Hill ...
established. * 1940 -
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 167,402. * 1941 ** W47NV radio licensed. **
Iroquois Steeplechase The Iroquois Steeplechase (also known as the Iroquois Hurdle Stakes) is an American Grade I NSA sanctioned steeplechase race run the second Saturday of May every year at Percy Warner Park in Nashville, Tennessee. The race dates back to 1941 an ...
begins. * 1942 –
Acuff-Rose Music Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. was an American music publishing firm formed in 1942 by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose (songwriter), Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Currently, the company's catalog is owned by Sony Music Publishing. Early hi ...
and
Harveys (department store) Harveys was a department store chain best known for its original store in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The original Harveys department store was opened by Fred Harvey in 1942 at the corner of 6th Avenue North and Church Street in Nashville, Tenn ...
in business. * 1946 –
Nashville Symphony The Nashville Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in Nashville, Tennessee. The orchestra is resident at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. History In 1920, prior to the 1946 founding of the Nashville Symphony, a group of amateur a ...
founded.


1950s-1990s

* 1950 **
WSM-TV WSMV-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Media alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTNX-LD (channel 29). The two stations share studios on Knob Road in wes ...
begins broadcasting. **
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 174,307. * 1951 **
Ben West Raphael Benjamin West (March 31, 1911 – November 20, 1974) was an American attorney and politician who served as mayor of Nashville from 1951 to 1963, and as a Tennessee state senator from 1949 to 1951. While a state senator, he supported a ...
becomes mayor. ** The
Harpeth Hall School Harpeth Hall School is a Independent school, private, college-preparatory school for Single-sex education, girls in the Green Hills, Nashville, Tennessee, Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Its beginning dates back ...
opens. * 1952 - Tennessee Theatre opens. * 1953 –
WSIX-TV WKRN-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with American Broadcasting Company, ABC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Murfreesboro Road (U.S. Routes U.S. R ...
begins broadcasting. * 1954 – WLAC-TV begins broadcasting. * 1955 - Brothers
Owen Owen may refer to: People and fictional characters * Owen (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Places United States * Owen, Missouri, a ghost town * Owen, Wisconsin * Owen County, Indiana ...
and
Harold Bradley Harold Bradley may refer to: Others * Harold Bradley (guitarist) (1926–2019), American country and pop guitarist * Harold Bradley (pianist) (1906–1984), Canadian pianist * Harold Bradley (trade unionist) (1895–1979), British trade union leade ...
establish
Bradley Film and Recording Studio Quonset Hut Studio is the nickname given to Bradley Studios, an independent recording studio complex established in 1954 in Nashville, Tennessee by brothers Harold and Owen Bradley. The first commercial recording studio facility in what would la ...
, the first studio in what will become Nashville's
Music Row Music Row is a historic district located southwest of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Widely considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry, Music Row has also become a metonymous nickname for the music industry as ...
neighborhood. * 1957 **
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a Rail transport company, railway company that operated in the U.S. states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, ...
stops operating. **
Life & Casualty Tower The Life & Casualty Tower (also known as the L & C Tower) is a skyscraper in Nashville, Tennessee located at 401 Church Street. It stands 152.5 meters (409 ft) and has 30 floors. It was designed by Edwin A. Keeble, with structural engineer ...
built. ** RCA Studios begins operation at the corner of 17th Ave. S. and Hawkins St. It will become known as RCA Studio B. * 1960 **
Nashville sit-ins The Nashville sit-ins, which lasted from February 13 to May 10, 1960, were part of a protest to end racial segregation at lunch counters in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee. The sit-in campaign, coordinated by the Nashville S ...
for civil rights occur. ** Cheekwood Museum opens. **
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 170,874. * 1961 –
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...
established. * 1962 ** WDCN-TV begins broadcasting. **
Nashville Municipal Auditorium The Nashville Municipal Auditorium is an indoor sports and concert venue in Nashville, Tennessee. It opened October 7, 1962 with both an arena and exhibition hall. The former exhibition hall has been permanent home to the Musicians Hall of Fame ...
opens. * 1963 ** City consolidates its government with Davidson County. **
Metropolitan Council (Nashville) The Metropolitan Council (officially the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County) is the legislative body of the consolidated city-county government of Nashville, Tennessee and Davidson County. Membership The Council has 40 membe ...
established. **
Beverly Briley Clifton Beverly Briley (January 11, 1914 – September 14, 1980) was an American attorney and politician, the first mayor of the newly consolidated metropolitan government of Nashville and Davidson County in Tennessee. Elected to the mayor's ...
becomes mayor. * 1964 -
American Association for State and Local History The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is a non-profit association for state and local history, with a primary focus on history professionals, history volunteers, museums, historical societies, and other history-related organi ...
headquartered in Nashville. * 1967 –
100 Oaks Mall 100 Oaks Mall (sometimes written out as One Hundred Oaks Mall) is a shopping mall located three miles south of downtown Nashville, Tennessee along Interstate 65 and Tennessee State Route 155. Neighborhoods and cities around the area include Ber ...
in business near city. * 1968 – Third National Bank Building constructed. * 1970 -
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 448,003. * 1972 ** Fan Fair music festival begins. **
Opryland USA Opryland USA (later called Opryland Themepark and colloquially known as Opryland) was a amusement park, theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The park was located between the Cumberland River and Tennessee State Route 155, Briley Pa ...
opens. * 1974 ** Regions Center (Nashville) built. **
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...
House opens. * 1975 –
Richard Fulton Richard Harmon Fulton (January 27, 1927 – November 28, 2018) was an American Democratic politician who served as a member of the Tennessee State Senate and of the United States House of Representatives, and the second mayor of the Metropolit ...
becomes mayor. * 1978 - The
Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
minor-league baseball team plays its inaugural season. * 1980 **
Tennessee Performing Arts Center The Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) is located in the James K. Polk Cultural Center at 505 Deaderick Street in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. It occupies a city block between 5th and 6th Avenues North and Deaderick and Union Streets. ...
opens. ** Sri Ganesha Temple established. **
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 455,651. * 1981 – Nashville Opera Guild chartered. * 1982 **
Foreign trade zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to ...
established. **
Bluebird Cafe The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...
opens * 1983 -
Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
car manufactory begins operating in nearby
Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...
. * 1985 –
Starwood Amphitheatre The Starwood Amphitheatre was the primary outdoor music venue in the Nashville, Tennessee area from 1986 to 2006. It was owned by Live Nation and had a capacity of 17,137. It had previously been owned by SFX Entertainment and Clear Channel Wor ...
opens. * 1986 – Tennessee Players founded. * 1987 ** Nashville Airport terminal built. **
Bill Boner William Hill Boner (born February 14, 1945) is an American educator and former Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician from Tennessee. He was the third list of mayors of Nashville, Tennessee, mayor of the Metropolitan governmen ...
becomes mayor. * 1988 –
Nashville Shakespeare Festival The Nashville Shakespeare Festival is a Shakespeare festival in Nashville, Tennessee. History The Nashville Shakespeare Festival (NSF) originated as the political theatre group Theatrevolution. Theatrevolution was started by theatre director C ...
and
Nashville Pride Nashville Pride is a non-profit based in Nashville, Tennessee that produces a yearly LGBT Pride Festival. Its goal is to celebrate the existence and identity of the LGBT community and "connect people with the services and resources that they need ...
begin. * 1989 ** ''
Nashville Scene ''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...
'' begins publication. ** Prince's Hot Chicken Shack in business (approximate date). * 1990 ** Grassmere Wildlife Park established. **
Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
: 488,374. * 1991 –
Phil Bredesen Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. (; born November 21, 1943) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected in ...
becomes mayor. * 1994 ** City website online. ** South Central Bell Building constructed. ** American Airlines begins nonstop service between London and Nashville. * 1996 ** Bicentennial Mall State Park opens. **
Magdalene program Magdalene is a recovery program in Nashville, Tennessee for women who have histories of substance abuse and prostitution. It was founded in 1996 by Becca Stevens, an Episcopal priest and the current chaplain of Saint Augustine's Chapel at Vanderbi ...
for women, and
Nashville Zoo at Grassmere The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere is a zoological garden and historic plantation farmhouse located southeast of Downtown Nashville. the zoo was middle Tennessee's top paid attraction and contained 3,736 individual animals, encompassing 352 specie ...
established. **
Nashville Arena Bridgestone Arena (originally Nashville Arena, and formerly Gaylord Entertainment Center and Sommet Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Completed in 1996, it is the home of the Nashville Predat ...
built. * 1998 ** April 15–16:
Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
. ** After playing in Memphis for one season, the
Tennessee OIlers The Tennessee Titans are the professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Previously known as the Ho ...
football team plays its first Nashville games at
Vanderbilt Stadium FirstBank Stadium (formerly Dudley Field and Vanderbilt Stadium) is a football stadium located in Nashville, Tennessee. Completed in 1922 as the first stadium in the South to be used exclusively for college football, it is the home of the Vander ...
. **
Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...
ice hockey team formed. * 1999 **
Adelphia Coliseum Nissan Stadium may refer to: * Nissan Stadium (Nashville) * Nissan Stadium (Yokohama) The , currently known as for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, which opened in March 1998. It is ...
opens. ** Bill Purcell becomes mayor. **
Al Gore presidential campaign, 2000 The 2000 presidential campaign of Al Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States under President Bill Clinton, began when he announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Carthage, Tennessee, on June 16, 1999. Gor ...
headquartered in city. * 2000 – ''
The City Paper ''The City Paper'' (also known as ''The Nashville City Paper'') was a free, weekly newspaper that served Nashville, Tennessee from November 1, 2000 to August 9, 2013. History ''The City Paper'' began publication as a daily, Monday through ...
'' begins publication.


21st century

* 2001 *
Tennessee Immigrant Rights Coalition
headquartered in city. **
Frist Center for the Visual Arts The Frist Art Museum, formerly known as the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, is an art exhibition hall in Nashville, Tennessee, housed in the city's historic United States Postal Service, U.S. Post Office building, which is listed on the Nationa ...
established. * 200
Nashville Public Education Foundation established by Nelson C. Andrews and Thomas J. Sherrard
* 2003 – Shelby Street pedestrian bridge opens. * 2006 **
Schermerhorn Symphony Center The Schermerhorn Symphony Center is a concert hall in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Ground was broken on December 3, 2003. The center formally opened on September 9, 2006, with a gala concert conducted by Leonard Slatkin and broadcast by PBS a ...
opens. ** Viridian Tower built. ** Car manufacturer
Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
's North American headquarters in business in nearby
Franklin Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...
. * 2007 –
Karl Dean Karl Foster Dean (born September 20, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 6th Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Nashville's Director of Law under Mayor Bill P ...
becomes mayor. * 2008 â€
Nashville for All of Us
(group) organized. * 2009 **
Third Man Records Third Man Records is an eclectic, vinyl-focused independent record label founded and owned by Jack White, Ben Blackwell, and Ben Swank. The company operates out of three locations—Nashville, Detroit, and Soho in London—with multiple entitie ...
in business. **
The Pinnacle at Symphony Place The Pinnacle at Symphony Place is a 29-story, office and retail skyscraper located in Nashville, Tennessee, in the city's SoBro (South of Broadway) district. Located adjacent to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the building officially opened on ...
built. **
Live on the Green Live On The Green (LOTG) is a free outdoor music festival in Nashville, Tennessee produced and presented by local radio station WRLT Lightning 100 that showcases the city's emerging musical talent and highlights well-known national acts. Since i ...
begins. ** Voters reject Nashville English Only Amendment. * 2010 ** April–May:
Flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...
. ** Population: 601,222. * 2011 ** October: Occupy Nashville begins. ** Parnassus Books in business. * 2012 ** March: Occupy Vanderbilt begins. *
MyCity Academy
(government program) established. ** Fictional ''
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
'' TV series makes national premiere on ABC, transfers to CMT in 2016 after being canceled by the former and due to fan efforts * 2013 –
Music City Center The Music City Center is a convention complex located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It opened in May 2013. The complex was designed by tvsdesign with Associated Architects: Tuck-Hinton Architects, Moody No ...
opens. * 2015 ** Construction begins on
505 Year 505 ( DV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodorus and Sabinianus (or, less frequently, year 1258 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 505 for t ...
skyscraper. **
Megan Barry Megan Christine Barry (née Mueller; born September 22, 1963) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the seventh mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County from 2015 until March 6, 2018, when she res ...
becomes mayor. * 2020 ** Tornado outbreak of March 2-3, 2020: 22 people killed in tornadoes in Tennessee and Kentucky; the Nashville EF-3 tornado, which kills 4, north of downtown, somewhat mirrors the 1998 tornado's path ** The Nashville bombing occurs, injuring eight people and causing major damage * 2023 ** The
Covenant School shooting On March 27, 2023, a mass shooting occurred at The Covenant School, a Presbyterian Church in America parochial school, parochial elementary school in the Green Hills, Nashville, Tennessee, Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, when 2 ...
occurs, killing six people and the perpetrator. **
Freddie O'Connell Thomas Frederick O'Connell (born 1976/1977) is an American politician and currently serves as the List of mayors of Nashville, Tennessee, 10th Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. From 2015 to 2023, he served as a ...
becomes mayor.


See also

*
History of Nashville, Tennessee This article pertains to the history of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, the state capital of Tennessee. What is now Nashville was the center of civilization for the Mississippian culture around 1300. In 1779, Fort Nashborough was built here in ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Davidson County, Tennessee __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Davidson County, Tennessee. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Davidson County, ...
*
List of mayors of Nashville, Tennessee The Mayoralty in the United States, Mayor of Nashville is the chief executive of the government of Nashville, Tennessee. The current mayor is Freddie O'Connell. Each mayor serves a term of four years, with a limit of two consecutive terms, unless ...
* List of companies based in Nashville * Nashville
sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...
timelines:
Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
,
Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
* Timelines of other
cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in Tennessee:
Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
, Clarksville,
Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
,
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...
,
Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...
* Nashville Market House


References


Bibliography


Published in 19th century

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Published in 20th century


1900s-1940s

* * * * * * *
Map
* * * * *


1950s-1990s

* * * * Doyle, Don H. (1985). ''Nashville Since the 1920s'' * (Includes information about Nashville) * * * * *


Published in 21st century

* * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* * * * Library of Congress, Prints & Photos Division
Materials related to Nashville, Tennessee
various dates * Tennessee State Library and Archives
Nashville City Directories
various dates (digitized) * Digital Public Library of America
Items related to Nashville
various dates. * {{Metro Nashville
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
Nashville, Tennessee-related lists