Biggest Cities in Tennessee

Tennessee's three Grand Divisions — East, Middle, and West — each have their own dominant city, giving the state an unusual three-anchor urban geography.

Nashville — 689,000 (city); 2.1 million (metro). The state capital and the fastest-growing major city in Tennessee. Nashville has transformed from a regional Southern city into a national cultural and economic powerhouse. Country music remains central, but the city has also become a destination for food, tech, healthcare, and general urban migration. The "it city" label stuck in the 2010s and the city has continued to grow in stature. Lower Broadway's honky-tonks, the Gulch neighborhood's restaurants, and East Nashville's independent culture all attract visitors.

Memphis — 633,000 (city); 1.35 million (metro). Tennessee's western anchor on the Mississippi River. Memphis is the birthplace of the blues and rock and roll, home to Graceland and Beale Street, and the global headquarters of FedEx and AutoZone. The city has a majority-Black population and a deeply embedded music, food, and civil rights heritage. Memphis has struggled with poverty and crime, but its cultural significance is unmatched in the state.

Knoxville — 196,000 (city); 900,000 (metro). East Tennessee's largest city, home to the University of Tennessee (the flagship campus of the state university system). Knoxville serves as the gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and has a revitalized downtown centered around Market Square and the Tennessee Theatre.

Chattanooga — 181,000 (city); 580,000 (metro). The most scenically situated major city in Tennessee, in a bend of the Tennessee River surrounded by mountains. Chattanooga has become known for its urban innovation — it was the first US city to deploy a citywide 1-gigabit fiber network — and its outdoor recreation access.

Clarksville — 166,000. Adjacent to Fort Campbell (home of the 101st Airborne Division), Clarksville is one of the fastest-growing cities in the state. Austin Peay State University anchors the city's education sector.