Nashville

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Nashville which is the second biggest city in Tennessee after Memphis wears the nickname - Music city. Locals often joke that Music call Nashville its home because of the many conventions, concerts and other music festival with which the city if famous for.

City Profile
City: Nashville
Country: USA
Area: 1,362.5 km2
Population: 607,413
Mayor: Karl Dean
Language: English

LOCATION
The state capital is situated in Davidson County on the banks of Cumberland River. Also Nashville is located northwest of the Nashville Basin and in the north-central part of Tennessee.

TIME TO VISIT
Nashville's climate can be described as humid subtropical with winters being hot and humid and winters rather chilly and cool. Spring and fall aren't recommended to tourist with pollutants allergies, because of the quantity of trees and grass around the city.

POPULATION
The statistics from 2000 show that there were 569,891 people, 237,405 households, and 138,169 families in Nashville, from them 40% are married couples and 33.4% are individual residents. The average household earns $39,797 per year as males' income is more than the females' - $33,844 versus $27,770.

DISTRICTS

Downtown District - Except encompassing the business area and the government buildings this district also offers some of the most visited tourist spots - the Gaylord Entertainment Center and the Country Music Hall of Fame. It is also very popular with its bars, cafeterias and restaurant with live music.
Opryland District - this complex is a heaven for country music lovers. The Opry town (because it is literally one mini town) has its own Grand Ole Opry, the Opry Hotel and one of the largest shopping malls - the Opry mills.
West End District - this area is the home for presenters of almost every record company in US. Here is also the famous Music Roll that is releasing best record after best record. The place has some very luxury hotels and green parks.
East Nashville District - the district cradles between past and present, modern and old. It has old churches and places with historical value and it also has modern golf courses and tree-lined streets. It has old-fashioned houses and sophisticated modern buildings. And here is Adelphia Coliseum the proud of the locals where the Tennessee Titans play.

SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum - if you are a true fan of the genre one day will probably not be enough to see the entire building. It is 40,000-square-foot long and takes a place for an entire block. Inside are stored tons of records, golden and platinum hits - a unique collection of exhibits. There are several ticket fees depending what you want to see and how to be presented to you. http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/
Ryman Auditorium Self-Guided Tours - I this hall you will have a chance to sink in the past glory that can be felt in its atmosphere. The tour will start with an audio-video presentation and after that you can go on the stage and make a picture of you singing in front of the crowd. http://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com/NashvilleTN/activity/RymanAuditoriumSelf.cfm
Europa Go Karts and Golf - a very nice place for you to spent a day full of adventure and high-speed thrill. The tree acres of the park are one of Nashville finest places to have fun outdoors. http://www.europagokartsandgolf.com/
General Jackson Showboat - the trip with an old-fashioned paddle-wheel ship down the Cumberland River will be a nice experience. You will drop in the spirit of 19th century, have a dinner and do the traditional on-board attractions - singing, dancing and listening to swing bang. http://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com/NashvilleTN/activity/GeneralJacksonShowboatEveningCruiseShowandDinner.cfm
Wave Country - a giant water-park with a lot of attractions, slides, water pools, picnic areas, wave machines etc. Both adults and children will have great time enjoying all the facilities. www.wavecountry.org.
Nashville Zoo - the zoo is stretching on 80-hectare land and has various animals, reptiles, many rare birds and several endangered species. There is also a playground for children, a gift shop and some cafeterias. http://www.nashvillezoo.org/

AIRPORT
Nashville International Airport is the main airport that services the city. It is located just 5 miles from the downtown and it easily reachable. There are regular buses as well as taxis and rental services. The airport has 4 airlines and operates domestic and some international flights.

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

Buses: bus traveling is very inconvenient especially in the evenings and nights because the schedule is very limited after 5p.m. The ticket cost is $1.25 or $3.75 for all-day pass.
Trains: the trains run only from Monday to Friday and cover a relatively limited area. With them you can travel mainly I the city center and to some of the biggest tourist spots. The tickets are 5$ each.
Taxis: They can be found almost at every corner or your hotel can get you one. If you want to visit all the attractions with a cab it will cost you a lot but just for a tour around the city it won't be as expensive.
Cars: It seems like to rent a car is the best way to travel around. There are several bigger car rental agencies that are quite reliable - Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Thrify. Driving in the downtown area may be a bit disturbing but it the best choice for going outside the city.

HISTORY
The original city is found in 1779 and had the name Fort Nashborough after Francis Nash who was a war hero. Because of its location and the proximity with the river port it quickly started growing and enlarging its territory. In 1806 it officially become a big city and soon became county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. Since 1843 it has been a capital of the state of Tennessee.

CITY LINKS

Nashville public library - http://www.library.nashville.org/
Nashville maps - http://nashville.about.com/od/nashvillemaps/Nashville_Maps.htm
Nashville hospitals - http://www.nashvillelife.com/health/page7.html
Nashville government - http://www.nashville.gov/

UNIVERSITY LINKS

Vanderbilt University - http://www.vanderbilt.edu/
American Baptist College - http://www.abcnash.edu/
Belmont University - http://www.belmont.edu/
Fisk University - http://www.fisk.edu/redirect.asp
Lipscomb University - http://www.lipscomb.edu/
Vanderbilt University - http://www.vanderbilt.edu/