95 Counties · 3 Regions
Tennessee
Cities
From Nashville’s neon Broadway to Memphis’s Beale Street blues, from the mountains of Knoxville to the river bluffs of Chattanooga — a complete guide to every major city and town in the Volunteer State.
Tennessee’s Biggest Cities
The six cities that define Tennessee — each with its own identity, economy, and way of life.
Music City. The fastest-growing large city in America for the past decade. Healthcare capital, global music hub, and one of the most dynamic cities in the South.
Birthplace of the blues, rock and roll, and soul music. Home to FedEx, the NBA Grizzlies, and the most celebrated BBQ tradition in America.
Gateway to the Smokies. Home to UT, an exploding food scene, and some of the most affordable housing of any major Southern city. Rocky Top country.
The gig city — first US city with municipal gigabit internet. Stunning river and mountain scenery, a booming downtown, and a growing reputation as a remote worker’s paradise.
One of the fastest-growing cities in the US. An affordable Nashville suburb with its own identity — MTSU campus, strong job market, and family-friendly neighborhoods.
Tennessee’s fifth-largest city and home to Fort Campbell. A growing city with a strong military community, Austin Peay State University, and rapid residential development.
Defined by the Appalachian Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A region of deep culture, Scots-Irish heritage, and stunning natural landscapes stretching from the Virginia border to Chattanooga.
The economic and cultural center of the state. Nashville dominates, but the surrounding counties — Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Robertson — are among the fastest-growing in the entire country.
The flat, fertile lowlands west of the Tennessee River, stretching to the Mississippi. A region shaped by the Delta, by cotton agriculture, and by the deep African American cultural heritage that produced the blues and soul music.
Tennessee’s Major Cities at a Glance
Key stats for the ten largest cities in the state — side by side.
| City | Region | Population | Median home | Median income | Cost index | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | Middle | 695K | $340K | $62K | 97 | Music, healthcare, tech |
| Memphis | West | 618K | $145K | $47K | 78 | Blues, BBQ, FedEx HQ |
| Knoxville | East | 195K | $235K | $52K | 84 | UT Vols, Smokies, outdoor |
| Chattanooga | East | 181K | $265K | $53K | 88 | Gigabit internet, outdoors |
| Clarksville | Middle | 166K | $220K | $54K | 82 | Fort Campbell, APSU |
| Murfreesboro | Middle | 160K | $280K | $58K | 91 | MTSU, Nashville suburb |
| Jackson | West | 68K | $160K | $44K | 76 | West TN hub, Carl Perkins |
| Franklin | Middle | 90K | $640K | $102K | 118 | Top suburb, historic downtown |
| Johnson City | East | 71K | $210K | $46K | 81 | ETSU, Tri-Cities, outdoors |
| Kingsport | East | 55K | $175K | $48K | 79 | Eastman Chemical, Tri-Cities |
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