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Do not fill this in! ==History== {{Main|History of Nashville, Tennessee}} {{For timeline|Timeline of Nashville, Tennessee}} ===18th and 19th centuries=== In 1689, French-Canadian trader [[Martin Chartier]] established a trading post on the Cumberland River, near the present-day site of the city.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ajlambert.com/history/hst_ucpt.pdf |title=Alvin Wirt, "The Upper Cumberland of Pioneer Times," 1954. |access-date=July 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010100950/http://www.ajlambert.com/history/hst_ucpt.pdf |archive-date=October 10, 2015 }}</ref> In 1714, a group of French traders under the command of Charles Charleville established a settlement and trading post at the present location of downtown Nashville, which became known as French Lick. These settlers quickly established an extensive fur trading network with the local Native Americans, but by the 1740s the settlement had largely been abandoned.<ref>{{cite book | last = Albright | first = Edward | year = 1909 | title = Early History of Middle Tennessee | url = http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnsumner/early12.htm |pages=18–19}}</ref> In 1779, explorers [[James Robertson (explorer)|James Robertson]] and [[John Donelson]] led a party of [[Overmountain Men]] to the site of French Lick, and constructed [[Fort Nashborough]]. It was named for [[Francis Nash]], the [[American Revolutionary War]] hero. Nashville quickly grew because of its strategic location as a port on the [[Cumberland River]], a tributary of the [[Ohio River]]; and its later status as a major railroad center. By 1800, the city had 345 residents, including 136 enslaved African Americans and 14 free African Americans.<ref name=SP1L132>{{Cite book |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-3151-9 |last=Cumfer |first=Cynthia |title=Separate peoples, one land: The minds of Cherokees, Blacks, and Whites on the Tennessee frontier |location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina |date=2007 |page=132}}</ref> In 1806, Nashville was [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] as a city and became the [[county seat]] of [[Davidson County, Tennessee]]. In 1843, the city was named as the permanent capital of the state of [[Tennessee]]. Knoxville, Kingston & Murfreesboro were prior locations of the state capital.<ref>{{Cite book |title=All About Nashville: A Complete Historical Guide Book to the City |year=1912 |page=54}}</ref> The city government of Nashville owned 24 slaves by 1831, and 60 prior to the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. They were "put to work to build the first successful water system and maintain the streets."<ref name="slavemarketincludedauction"/> Auction blocks and brokers' offices were part of the slave market at the heart of the city.<ref name="slavemarketincludedauction">{{cite news |last1=Zepp |first1=George |title=Slave market included auction blocks, brokers offices in downtown Nashville |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/112668696/?terms=%22Rees%2BW.%2BPorter%22 |access-date=April 7, 2018 |work=The Tennessean |date=April 30, 2003 |page=16 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=registration}}</ref> It was the center of plantations cultivating tobacco and hemp as commodity crops, in addition to the breeding and training of thoroughbred horses, and other livestock. For years Nashville was considered one of the wealthiest southern capitals and a large portion of its prominence was from the iron business. Nashville led the south for iron production.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/iron-industry/ |title=Iron Industry |access-date=March 17, 2020 }}</ref> [[File:Old nashville riverfront.jpg|thumb|left|Nashville riverfront shortly after the [[American Civil War]]]] The cholera epidemic that struck Nashville in 1849–1850 took the life of former U.S. President [[James K. Polk]] and resulted in high fatalities. There were 311 deaths from cholera in 1849<ref>{{cite web |url=http://millercenter.org/president/polk/essays/biography/print |title=James Knox Polk |publisher=Miller Center, University of Virginia |work=American President: A Reference Resource |access-date=January 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609071701/http://millercenter.org/president/polk/essays/biography/print |archive-date=June 9, 2015 }}</ref><ref name=NashCityCemetery>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenashvillecitycemetery.org/masons.htm |title=Cumberland Masonic Lodge 8; Existing Tombstones |publisher=Nashville City Cemetery Association |access-date=December 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119150110/http://www.thenashvillecitycemetery.org/masons.htm |archive-date=January 19, 2019 }}</ref> and an estimated 316 to about 500 in 1850.<ref name=Bowling1866>{{cite book |url=http://collections.nlm.nih.gov/pdf/nlm:nlmuid-34720190R-bk |title=Cholera, as it appeared in Nashville in 1849, 1850, 1854 and 1866 |publisher=University Book and Job Office, Medical College |location=Nashville, TN |last=Bowling |first=William King |year=1866}}</ref> Before the Civil War, about 700 free [[free people of color|Blacks]] lived in small enclaves in northern Nashville. More than 3,200 enslaved African Americans lived in the city.<ref name=BitterSoutherner>{{cite web |url=https://bittersoutherner.com/how-hot-chicken-really-happened/ |title=How Hot Chicken Really Happened |website=The Bitter Southerner |last=Martin |first=Rachel L. |year=2018}}</ref> By 1860, when the first [[American Civil War|rumblings of secession]] began to be heard across the [[Southern United States|South]], antebellum Nashville was a prosperous city. The city's significance as a shipping port and rail center made it a desirable prize for competing military forces that wanted to control the region's important river and railroad transportation routes. In February 1862, Nashville became the first Confederate state capital to fall to [[Union (American Civil War)|U.S.]] troops, and the state was occupied by the U.S. Army for the duration of the war. Many enslaved African Americans from Middle Tennessee fled as refugees to Union lines; they were housed in contraband camps around military installations in Nashville's eastern, western, and southern borders. The [[Battle of Nashville]] (December 15–16, 1864) was a significant Union victory and perhaps the most decisive tactical victory gained by either side in the war; it was also the war's final major military action in which Tennessee regiments played a large part on both sides of the battle. Afterward, the Confederates conducted a [[war of attrition]], making [[guerrilla]] raids and engaging in small skirmishes. Confederate forces in the [[Deep South]] were almost constantly in retreat. In 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War, the Nashville chapter of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] was founded by Confederate veteran [[John W. Morton (Tennessee politician)|John W. Morton]]. He was reported to have initiated General [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]] into the white-sepremacist organization.<ref name="tennesseanobit">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/119557576/?terms=%22John%2BW.%2BMorton%22 |title=John W. Morton Passes Away in Shelby |work=The Tennessean |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=registration |pages=1–2 |date=November 21, 1914 |access-date=September 25, 2016 |quote=To Captain Morton came the peculiar distinction of having organized that branch of the Ku Klux Klan which operated in Nashville and the adjacent territory, but a more signal honor was his when he performed the ceremonies which initiated Gen. [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]] into the mysterious ranks of the Ku Klux Klan.}}</ref> The latter became Grand Wizard of the organization, which had chapters of this secret, [[insurgent]] group forming throughout the state and across the South. They opposed voting and political organizing by [[freedmen]], tried to control their behavior by threats, violence and murder, and sometimes also attacked their White allies, including schoolteachers from the North and Freedman's Bureau officials. Whites directed violence against freedmen and their descendants both during and after the [[Reconstruction era]]. Two freedmen, [[Lynching of David Jones|David Jones]] and [[Lynching of Jo Reed|Jo Reed]], were lynched in Nashville by White mobs in 1872 and 1875, respectively.<ref>{{cite news|title=A Night of Excitement. David Jones, the Murderer of Murray, Taken from the Jail by a Mob. Murderer Offers Resistance, and is Shot Twice. Afterwards Taken to the Public Square and Hanged in Front of the Station House. The Hanging Witnesses by Immense Crowd of Excited Citizens. Efforts of the Mayor to Restore Quiet. Gov. Brown Makes an Appeal in Behalf of Law and Order.|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/80864273/?terms=lynching|access-date=May 3, 2018|work=Nashville Union and American|date=March 26, 1872|page=4|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=A Fearful Outrage. A Negro Murderer Lynched by a Few Citizens in Nashville—A Mob Looking On and Endorsing the Deed. The State Disgraced by a Supine Set of Officers—An Unmitigated Outrage Against Law and Decency. A Crime for Which the Perpetrators Out to be Made to Pay with Their Lives—The Whole State Demands It. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/39789147/?terms=%22jo%2Breed%22 |access-date=June 5, 2018 |work=Memphis Daily Appeal |date=May 3, 1875|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=registration }}</ref> Reed was hanged from a bridge over the river, but survived after the rope broke and he fell into the water. He successfully escaped the city soon thereafter.<ref>{{cite news |title=Marshall's Exit. A Fast Man's Career, with the Usual Ending. The Little Game He Played on Ex-Collector Peabody. His Address Is Now Somewhere Beyond the Rio Grande. What He Claimed to Know about the Jo Reed Affair. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/118747772/?terms=%22jo%2Breed%22 |access-date=June 5, 2018 |work=The American |date=December 25, 1875|location=Nashville, Tennessee|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=registration }}</ref> In the aftermath of the Civil War, the [[Fisk Jubilee Singers]] of [[Fisk University]] in Nashville emerged as a beacon of hope and cultural pride. By 1871, this ensemble began touring the U.S. and Europe, earning international acclaim for their performances of [[Negro spirituals]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=II |first=Vann R. Newkirk |date=November 13, 2023 |title=How the Negro Spiritual Changed American Popular Music—And America Itself |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/12/fisk-university-jubilee-singers-choir-history/675813/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> Their success not only provided vital funding for their university<ref>{{Cite web |title=About The Fisk Jubilee Singers |url=https://fiskjubileesingers.org/about-the-singers/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=Fisk Jubilee Singers |language=en-US}}</ref> but also marked Nashville as a significant center for African American music and culture, laying the groundwork for the city's enduring musical legacy. In 1873, Nashville suffered another cholera epidemic, along with towns throughout Sumner County along railroad routes and the Cumberland River. This was part of a larger epidemic that struck the Mississippi Valley system and other areas of the United States, such as New York and towns along its major lakes and rivers. The epidemic is estimated to have killed around 1,000 people in Nashville,<ref>{{cite book|last=Barnes|first=Joseph K.|date=1875|title=The Cholera Epidemic of 1873 in the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HwwPAAAAYAAJ|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=478|author-link=Joseph Barnes (American physician)|via=Google Books}}</ref> and 50,000 total. [[File:View from Capitol. Nashville, Tennessee (5614200862).jpg|thumb|View from the [[Tennessee State Capitol]] {{Circa|1865}}]] Meanwhile, the city had reclaimed its important shipping and trading position and developed a solid manufacturing base. The post–Civil War years of the late 19th century brought new prosperity to Nashville and Davidson County. Wealthy planters and businessmen built grand, classical-style buildings. A replica of the [[Parthenon (Nashville)|Parthenon]] was constructed in [[Centennial Park (Nashville)|Centennial Park]], near downtown.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Nashville-History.html |title=Nashville: History |website=City-data.com |access-date=September 28, 2016}}</ref> On April 30, 1892, [[Ephraim Grizzard]], an African-American man, was [[lynching in the United States|lynched]] in a spectacle murder in front of a European-American mob of 10,000 in Nashville. He was a suspect in the assault of two white sisters.<ref name="richmondthemobhaditsway">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/246663111/?terms=%22ephraim%2Bgrizzard%22 |title=The Mob Had Its Way. Ephraim Grizzard Taken from Jail at Nashville and Lynched |work=The Richmond Item |location=Richmond, Virginia |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |page=2 |date=May 2, 1892 |access-date=April 27, 2018 |url-access=registration}}</ref> His lynching was described by journalist [[Ida B. Wells]] as: "A naked, bloody example of the blood-thirstiness of the nineteenth century civilization of the Athens of the South."<ref name="wellsuniedstatesatrocities">{{cite book |url=http://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.beal/usatro0001&i=17 |title=United States Atrocities: Lynch Law |publisher="Lux" Newspaper and Publishing |first=Ida Bell |last=Wells |author-link=Ida B. Wells |page=7 |date=1892 |jstor=60222131}}</ref> His brother, Henry Grizzard, had been lynched and hanged on April 24, 1892, in nearby Goodlettsville as a suspect in the same assault incident. From 1877 to 1950, a total of six lynchings of Blacks were conducted in Davidson County, four before the turn of the century.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-third-edition-summary.pdf |title=Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror. Supplement: Lynchings by County |website=Equal Justice Initiative |edition=3rd |page=9 |date=2017 |access-date=May 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023063004/https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-third-edition-summary.pdf |archive-date=October 23, 2017 }}</ref> ===Earlier 20th century=== [[File:Sky line view of Nashville, Tenn (74039).jpg|thumb|Depiction of Nashville skyline c. 1940s|alt=|left]] By the turn of the century Nashville was home to numerous organizations and individuals associated with revisionist [[Lost Cause of the Confederacy]] pseudohistory, and it has been referred to as the "cradle of the Lost Cause."<ref name="simpson29">{{cite book |last1=Simpson |first1=John A. |title=Edith D. Pope and Her Nashville Friends: Guardians of the Lost Cause in the Confederate Veteran |date=2003 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=Knoxville, Tennessee |isbn=978-1-57233-211-9 |oclc=428118511 |pages=29–31}}</ref> In 1893, the magazine ''[[Confederate Veteran]]'' began publication in the city.<ref name="goffjstorarticle">{{cite journal|last=Goff|first=Reda C.|title=The Confederate Veteran Magazine|journal=Tennessee Historical Quarterly|volume=31|issue=1|pages=45–60|jstor=42623281|date=Spring 1972}}</ref> In 1894, the first chapter of [[United Daughters of the Confederacy]] was founded in the city, and it hosted the first two conventions of the organization.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Simpson|first1=John A.|title=Edith D. Pope and Her Nashville Friends: Guardians of the Lost Cause in the Confederate Veteran|date=2003|publisher=University of Tennessee Press|location=Knoxville, Tennessee|isbn=978-1-57233-211-9|oclc=428118511|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dwh0dEOFS8C&q=9781572332119&pg=PA75}}</ref> Prominent proponents of the mythology, the so-called "guardians of the Lost Cause," were concentrated Downtown and in the West End, near [[Centennial Park (Nashville)|Centennial Park]].<ref name="simpson29" /> At the same time, [[Jefferson Street (Nashville)|Jefferson Street]] became the historic center of the African American community, with similar districts developing in the Black neighborhoods in East and North Nashville. In 1912, the [[Tennessee State University|Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial and Normal School]] was moved to Jefferson Street.<ref name=BitterSoutherner /> The first [[Prince's Hot Chicken Shack]] originated at the corner of Jefferson Street and 28th Avenue in 1945.<ref name=BitterSoutherner /> Jefferson Street became a destination for jazz and blues musicians,<ref name=BitterSoutherner /> and remained so until the federal government split the area by construction of [[Interstate 40]] in the late 1960s.<ref name="tennesseanfootpathbecame">{{cite news |last1=Deville |first1=Nancy |title=Footpath became heart of city's black middle class. From '40s to '60s, Jefferson Street among best known music districts in the nation |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/244959050 |access-date=May 6, 2018 |work=The Tennessean |date=June 24, 2004 |pages=1; 11 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=registration}}</ref> In 1925, the establishment of the [[Grand Ole Opry]] marked the beginning of Nashville's journey as the 'Country Music Capital of the World',<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2, 2024 |title=Nashville: Country music capital of the world |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/nashville-country-music-capital-of-the-world/MAES5BENW4PUSZL3HQYQ5IP7RQ/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=NZ Herald |language=en-NZ}}</ref> drawing musicians and fans alike to the city and setting the stage for its future as a country music powerhouse.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Senator & William Frist |first=Senator Fred Thompson-- Collector |date=2000 |title=Grand Ole Opry |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200003532/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=lcweb2.loc.gov}}</ref> In 1950, the state legislature approved a new city charter that provided for the election of city council members from [[single-member district]]s, rather than [[at-large]] voting. This change was supported because at-large voting required candidates to gain a majority of votes from across the city. The previous system prevented the minority population, which then tended to support Republican candidates, from being represented by candidates of their choice; apportionment under single-member districts meant that some districts in Nashville had Black majorities. In 1951, after passage of the new charter, African American attorneys [[Z. Alexander Looby]] and Robert E. Lillard were elected to the city council.<ref>Spinney 1998, p. 96</ref> During the mid-1950s, Nashville underwent a musical transformation with the emergence of the '[[Nashville sound|Nashville Sound]],' which was characterized by "smooth strings and choruses", "sophisticated background vocals" and "smooth tempos" associated with [[traditional pop]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Byworth |first=Tony |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music |publisher=London: Flame Tree Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-84451-406-9 |pages=115–117, 169}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dawidoff |first=Nicholas |title=In the Country of Country |date=March 10, 1997 |publisher=Faber and Faber |isbn=0-571-19174-6 |location=Great Britain |pages=48–50}}</ref> The new sound broadened country music's appeal and solidified Nashville's status as a music recording and production center. With the United States Supreme Court ruling in 1954 that public schools had to desegregate with "all deliberate speed", the family of student Robert Kelley filed a lawsuit in 1956, arguing that Nashville administrators should open all-White East High School to him. A similar case was filed by [[Reverend]] Henry Maxwell due to his children having to take a 45-minute bus ride from South Nashville to the north end of the city. These suits caused the courts to announce what became known as the "Nashville Plan", where the city's public schools would desegregate one grade per year beginning in the fall of 1957.<ref name=BitterSoutherner /> Urban redevelopment accelerated over the next several decades, and the city grew increasingly segregated. An interstate was placed on the edge of East Nashville while another highway was built through Edgehill, a lower-income, predominantly minority community.<ref name=BitterSoutherner /> ===Postwar development to present=== Rapid suburbanization occurred during the years immediately after [[World War II]], as new housing was being built outside city limits. This resulted in a demand for many new schools and other support facilities, which the county found difficult to provide. At the same time, suburbanization led to a declining tax base in the city, although many suburban residents used unique city amenities and services that were supported financially only by city taxpayers. After years of discussion, a referendum was held in 1958 on the issue of consolidating city and county government. It failed to gain approval although it was supported by the then-elected leaders of both jurisdictions, County Judge [[Beverly Briley]] and Mayor [[Ben West]].<ref name="bucy"/> Following the referendum's failure, Nashville annexed some 42 square miles of suburban jurisdictions to expand its tax base. This increased uncertainty among residents, and created resentment among many suburban communities. Under the second charter for metropolitan government, which was approved in 1962, two levels of service provision were proposed: the General Services District and the Urban Services District, to provide for a differential in tax levels. Residents of the Urban Services District had a full range of city services. The areas that made up the General Services District, however, had a lower tax rate until full services were provided.<ref name="bucy">{{cite web |url=http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/Government/docs/MetroHistoryBucy.pdf |title=A Short History of the Creation of Metropolitan Government for Nashville-Davidson County |publisher=Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County |first=Carole |last=Bucy |date=2015 |access-date=January 27, 2015 |archive-date=January 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150125023240/http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/Government/docs/MetroHistoryBucy.pdf }}</ref> This helped reconcile aspects of services and taxation among the differing jurisdictions within the large metro region. In the early 1960s, Tennessee still had racial segregation of public facilities, including lunch counters and department store fitting rooms. Hotels and restaurants were also segregated. Between February 13 and May 10, 1960, [[Nashville sit-ins|a series of sit-ins]] were organized at lunch counters in downtown Nashville by the [[Nashville Student Movement]] and Nashville Christian Leadership Council, and were part of a broader [[sit-in movement]] in the southeastern United States as part of an effort to end racial segregation of public facilities.<ref>Houston 2012, p. 91-99</ref> On April 19, 1960, the house of [[Z. Alexander Looby]], an African American attorney and council member, was bombed by segregationists.<ref name="oshkoshblastwreckshome">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14347170/blast-wrecks-home-of-nashville-negro/ |title=Blast Wrecks Home Of Nashville Negro Lawyer |work=The Oshkosh Northwestern |location=Oshkosh, Wisconsin |agency=United Press International |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=April 19, 1960 |access-date=September 8, 2017}}</ref> Protesters marched to the city hall the next day. Mayor Ben West said he supported the desegregation of lunch counters, which civil rights activists had called for.<ref name="newspalladiumnashvillesmayorforintegration">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60788427/nashvilles-mayor-for-integration/ |title=Nashville's Mayor for Integration |work=The News Palladium |location=Benton Harbor, Michigan |agency=Associated Press|page=8 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=April 20, 1960 |access-date=September 8, 2017}}</ref> In 1963, Nashville consolidated its government with Davidson County, forming a [[Consolidated city-county|metropolitan government]]. The membership on the Metro Council, the legislative body, was increased from 21 to 40 seats. Of these, five members are elected [[at-large]] and 35 are elected from [[single-member district]]s, each to serve a term of four years.<ref name="bucy"/> As Nashville evolved in the 1960s, its music scene diversified, welcoming [[Rock music|rock]], [[Pop music|pop]], and other genres and the 'Nashville Sound' transformed into '[[Countrypolitan]]'. Artists like [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Johnny Cash]] came to Nashville to record, reflecting the city's expanding influence in the music industry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bob Dylan in Nashville |url=https://countrymusichalloffame.org/exhibit/dylan-cash-and-the-nashville-cats-a-new-music-city/dylan-in-nashville/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=Country Music Hall of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Johnny Cash |url=https://countrymusichalloffame.org/exhibit/dylan-cash-and-the-nashville-cats-a-new-music-city/johnny-cash/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=Country Music Hall of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1960, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' reported that Nashville had "nosed out [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] as the nation's second biggest (after [[New York City|New York]]) record-producing center."<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 16, 2008 |title=Country After Elvis {{!}} Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum {{!}} Nashville, Tennessee |url=http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/explore-history-postelvis.aspx |access-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516033857/http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/explore-history-postelvis.aspx |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> In 1957 Nashville desegregated its school system using an innovative grade a year plan, in response to a class action suit ''Kelly vs. Board of Education of Nashville''. By 1966 the Metro Council abandoned the grade a year plan and completely desegregated the entire school system at one time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://historicnashvilleinc.org/|title=Historic Nashville {{!}} Keeping Nashville Unique Since 1968.|website=historicnashvilleinc.org|access-date=September 2, 2019}}</ref> Congress passed civil rights legislation in 1964 and 1965, but tensions continued as society was slow to change. On April 8, 1967, a riot broke out on the college campuses of Fisk University and Tennessee State University, [[historically black colleges and universities|historically Black colleges]], after [[Stokely Carmichael]] spoke about [[Black Power]] at [[Vanderbilt University]].<ref name="frizzellnotjustamatter">{{cite journal |last1=Frizzell |first1=Scott |title=Not Just a Matter of Black and White: The Nashville Riot of 1967 |journal=Tennessee Historical Quarterly |date=Spring 2011 |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=26–51 |jstor=42628733}}</ref> Although it was viewed as a "race riot", it had classist characteristics.<ref name="frizzellnotjustamatter"/> In 1979, the [[Ku Klux Klan]] burnt crosses outside two African American sites in Nashville, including the city headquarters of the [[NAACP]].<ref name="tennesseanebertbustatthe">{{cite news |url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/08/18/nathan-bedford-forrest-bust-tennessee-capitol-what-you-need-know/578112001/ |title=Nathan Bedford Forrest bust at the Tennessee Capitol: What you need to know |work=The Tennessean |last1=Ebert |first1=Joel |date=August 18, 2017 |access-date=September 5, 2017}}</ref> Historically, Nashville [[Zoning in the United States|zoning]] permitted the construction of [[Duplex (building)|duplex]] housing. In the 1980s and 1990s, Nashville lawmakers downzoned sections of Nashville to exclusively permit [[Single-family detached home|single-family housing]]. Proponents of these downzonings said they would raise home values.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McKnight |first=Gail |date=June 4, 1984 |title=Bill requires Council nod on duplexes |work=The Tennessean}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=McKnight |first=Gail |date=July 6, 1984 |title=Council advances housing controls |work=The Tennessean}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Roland |first=Cindy |date=January 27, 1993 |title=Neighbors target duplexes |work=The Tennessean}}</ref> Since the 1970s, the city and county have undergone tremendous growth, particularly during the [[boom and bust|economic boom]] of the 1990s under the leadership of then-Mayor and later-[[List of governors of Tennessee|Tennessee Governor]], [[Phil Bredesen]]. Making urban renewal a priority, Bredesen fostered the construction or renovation of several city landmarks, including the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]], the downtown [[Nashville Public Library]], the [[Bridgestone Arena]], and [[Nissan Stadium]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Ammenheuser |first=David |date=January 22, 2016 |title=Arena took downtown Nashville from eerie to epic |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/columnist/dave-ammenheuser/2016/01/22/arena-took-downtown-nashville-eerie-epic/77092054/ |work=The Tennessean |location=Nashville, TN |access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Allison |first=Natalie |date=October 27, 2018 |title=Phil Bredesen holds event celebrating 20 years of Titans, Predators in Nashville |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/tn-elections/2018/10/27/tennessee-elections-bredesen-holds-celebration-titans-predators-nissan-stadium/1763225002/ |work=The Tennessean |location=Nashville, TN |access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref> Nissan Stadium (formerly Adelphia Coliseum and LP Field) was built after the [[National Football League]]'s (NFL) [[Houston Oilers]] agreed to move to the city in 1995. The NFL team debuted in Nashville in 1998 at [[Vanderbilt Stadium]], and Nissan Stadium opened in the summer of 1999. The Oilers changed their name to the [[Tennessee Titans]] and finished the season with the [[Music City Miracle]] and a close [[Super Bowl XXXIV|Super Bowl]] game.<ref>{{cite news |last=Boclair |first=David |date=July 27, 2017 |title=20 Moments From 20 Years of Titans in Tennessee |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/cover-story/article/20970366/miracles-fumbles-and-birds |work=Nashville Scene |location=Nashville, TN |access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref> The [[St. Louis Rams]] won in the [[Final play of Super Bowl XXXIV|last play]] of the game.<ref>{{cite news |last=Maske |first=Mark |title=Rams Get Late Score, Final Tackle to Win, 23–16 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nfl/longterm/1999/superbowl/stories/super31.htm |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 31, 2000 |access-date=November 19, 2016}}</ref> In 1997, Nashville was awarded a [[National Hockey League]] expansion team; this was named the [[Nashville Predators]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Nashville Predators Timeline|url=http://www.wsmv.com/sports/13383940/detail.html|publisher=WSMV|access-date=May 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108112928/http://www.wsmv.com/sports/13383940/detail.html|archive-date=January 8, 2009|location=Nashville, TN}}</ref> Since the 2003–04 season, the Predators have made the playoffs in all but four seasons. In 2017, they made the [[Stanley Cup Finals]] for the first time in franchise history, but ultimately fell to the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]], 4{{nbsp}}games to 2, in the best-of-seven series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/19609982/2017-stanley-cup-finals-penguins-win-stanley-cup-controversial-game-6|title=Penguins win Stanley Cup after controversial early whistle cancels out Predators goal|last=Pinchevsky|first=Tal|date=June 12, 2017|website=ESPN|access-date=July 23, 2019}}</ref> ===21st century=== {{Recentism|date=March 2023}} On January 22, 2009, residents rejected [[Nashville Charter Amendment 1]], which sought to make English the official language of the city.<ref>{{cite news|date=January 22, 2009|title=Nashville voters reject English-only measure|url=https://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/tenn.english.only.vote/|work=CNN|access-date=June 22, 2020}}</ref> Between May 1 and 7, 2010, much of Nashville was [[2010 Tennessee floods|extensively flooded as part of a series of 1,000 year floods]] throughout Middle and West Tennessee. Much of the flooding took place in areas along the Cumberland and [[Harpeth River|Harpeth]] Rivers and [[Mill Creek (Davidson County, Tennessee)|Mill Creek]], and caused extensive damage to the many buildings and structures in the city, including the [[Grand Ole Opry|Grand Ole Opry House]], [[Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center]], [[Opry Mills|Opry Mills Mall]], [[Schermerhorn Symphony Center]], [[Bridgestone Arena]], and [[Nissan Stadium]]. Sections of Interstate 24 and Briley Parkway were also flooded. Eleven people died in the Nashville area as a result of the flooding, and damages were estimated to be over $2 billion.<ref>{{cite news|last=Grigsby|first=Karen|date=April 30, 2015|title=20 things to know about the 2010 Nashville flood|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2015/04/30/nashville-flood-20-things-to-know/26653901/|work=The Tennessean|location=Nashville, Tennessee|access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref> The city recovered after the [[Great Recession]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} In March 2012, a Gallup poll ranked Nashville in the top five regions for job growth.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/153494/Oklahoma-City-Leads-Large-Cities-Job-Creation.aspx |title=Oklahoma City Leads Large Cities in Job Creation |agency=[[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] |first1=Lymari |last1=Morales |first2=Joe |last2=Daly |date=March 29, 2012 |access-date=February 9, 2017}}</ref> In 2013, Nashville was described as "Nowville" and "It City" by ''[[GQ]]'', ''[[Forbes]]'', and ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauljankowski/2013/01/23/nashville-is-nowville-and-has-been-for-a-while/ |title=Nashville Is Nowville...And Has Been For A While |work=[[Forbes]] |first=Paul |last=Jankowski |date=January 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gq.com/gallery/nashville-guide-travel-fashion |title=Nowville: The GQ Guide to Nashville, Tennessee |work=[[GQ]] |date=July 2, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/us/nashville-takes-its-turn-in-the-spotlight.html |title=Nashville's Latest Big Hit Could Be the City Itself |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Kim |last=Severson |date=January 8, 2013}}</ref> Nashville elected its first female mayor, [[Megan Barry]], on September 25, 2015.<ref name="tennesseangarrisonbarrypicks">{{cite news |url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2015/09/22/barry-picks-we-make-nashville-inauguration-theme/72639988/ |title=Barry picks 'We make Nashville' as inauguration theme |work=The Tennessean |last1=Garrison |first1=Joey |date=September 22, 2015 |access-date=May 31, 2017}}</ref> As a council member, Barry had officiated at the city's first same-sex wedding on June 26, 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wjhl.com/2015/06/26/mayoral-candidate-megan-barry-performs-1st-wedding-for-same-sex-couple-in-nashville/ |title=Mayoral candidate Megan Barry performs first wedding for same-sex couple in Nashville |work=WJHL.com |date=June 26, 2015}}</ref> In 2017, Nashville's economy was deemed the third fastest-growing in the nation,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://headlightdata.com/fastest-growing-large-metro-economies/ |title=Fastest Growing Large Metro Economies Of 2016 Are Grand Rapids, Orlando, Nashville; Slowest Are Oklahoma, Houston, New Orleans |work=Headlight Data |date=July 5, 2017}}</ref> and the city was named the "hottest housing market in the US" by Freddie Mac realtors.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/residential-real-estate/article/20845554/freddie-mac-says-nashville-still-hottest-housing-market-in-us |title=Freddie Mac says Nashville still hottest housing market in U.S. |work=Nashville Post |first=Geert |last=De Lombaerde |date=December 1, 2016}}</ref> In May 2017, census estimates showed Nashville had passed [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] to become most populated city in Tennessee.<ref>{{cite news|last=McKenzie|first=Kevin|date=May 25, 2017|title=Nashville overtakes Memphis as Tennessee's largest city|url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2017/05/25/nashville-overtakes-memphis-tennessees-largest-city/342624001/|work=[[The Commercial Appeal]]|location=Memphis, Tennessee|access-date=January 5, 2019}}</ref> Nashville has also made national headlines for its "homelessness crisis". Rising housing prices and the opioid crisis have resulted in more people being out on the streets: {{As of|2018|lc=yes}}, between 2,300 and 20,000 Nashvillians are homeless.<ref name="nashscenehomelessnesscrisis">{{cite news |last1=Hale |first1=Steven |title=Nashville's Homelessness Crisis in the National Spotlight |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/21000955/nashvilles-homelessness-crisis-in-the-national-spotlight |access-date=June 3, 2018 |work=Nashville Scene |date=April 16, 2018}}</ref> On March 6, 2018, due to felony charges filed against Mayor Barry relating to the misuse of public funds, she resigned before the end of her term. A [[2018 Nashville mayoral special election|special election]] was called. Following a ruling by the [[Tennessee Supreme Court]], the Davidson County Election Commission set the special election for May 24, 2018, to meet the requirement of 75 to 80 days from the date of resignation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2018/04/11/nashville-mayor-election-date-2018-may/506731002/ |title=Nashville mayoral election now set for May 24 |work=The Tennessean |first=Joey |last=Garrison |date=April 11, 2018 |access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> [[David Briley]], who was Vice Mayor during the Barry administration and Acting Mayor after her resignation, won the special election with just over 54% of the vote,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nashville.gov/Election-Commission/About/Historical-Information/Election-Returns/May-24-Election-Results.aspx |title=May 24 Election Results |publisher=Davidson County Election Commission |date=May 24, 2018 |access-date=May 24, 2018 |archive-date=May 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525133547/http://www.nashville.gov/Election-Commission/About/Historical-Information/Election-Returns/May-24-Election-Results.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> becoming the 70th mayor of Nashville.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nashvillearchives.org/documents/mayors-of-nashville.pdf |title=List of Mayors of Nashville, Tennessee |work=Metro Archives |publisher=Nashville Public Library |access-date=January 23, 2019}}</ref> On May 1, 2018, voters rejected [[Let's Move Nashville]], a referendum which would have funded construction of an $8.9 billion mass transit system under the [[Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority]], by a 2 to 1 margin.<ref>{{cite news|last=Tabuchi |first=Hiroko |author-link=Hiroko Tabuchi |date=June 19, 2018 |title=How the Koch Brothers Are Killing Public Transit Projects Around the Country |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/climate/koch-brothers-public-transit.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=New York City |access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref> On September 28, 2019, [[John Cooper (Tennessee politician)|John Cooper]] became the ninth mayor of Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mayor's Office|url=https://www.nashville.gov/departments/mayor|access-date=September 2, 2021|website=Nashville.gov|language=en}}</ref> On March 3, 2020, [[March 2020 Tennessee tornado outbreak|a tornado]] tracked west to east, just north of the downtown Nashville area, killing at least 25 people and leaving tens of thousands without electricity. Neighborhoods impacted included North Nashville, Germantown, East Nashville, Donelson, and Hermitage.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tornadoes kill at least 19 people, leave trail of destruction in and around Nashville|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/03/03/nashville-tornado/|author1=Gee, Brandon|author2=Timothy Bella|author3=Kim Bellware|author4=Matthew Cappucci|newspaper=Washington Post|date=March 3, 2020|access-date=March 3, 2020}}</ref> On December 25, 2020, [[2020 Nashville bombing|a vehicle exploded on Second Avenue]], killing the perpetrator and injuring eight others.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 25, 2020|title=LIVE COVERAGE: Police release photo of RV before explosion in downtown Nashville|url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/explosion-reported-downtown-nashville-police-investigating|access-date=December 25, 2020|website=WTVF|language=en}}</ref> On March 27, 2023, [[2023 Covenant School shooting|a gunman killed three children and three staff]] at the Covenant School, before getting killed by police.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 27, 2023|title=Nashville school shooting live updates: Six killed, including three children|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-live-updates-rcna76861|access-date=March 27, 2023|website=NBC|language=en}}</ref> On [[Tornado outbreak of December 9–10, 2023|December 9, 2023]], tornadoes caused considerable destruction and left three people dead.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2023/12/09/tennessee-tornadoes-clarksville-springfield-nashville-madison-hendersonville-fatalities-severe-storm/71866438007/ | title='Sad day for our community': At least 6 dead as tornadoes rampage through Middle Tennessee | website=[[The Tennessean]] }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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