Shirley Harker, age 12, of Nashville, Tenn., for her question:
WHEN DID COUNTRY MUSIC AND NASHVILLE GET TOGETHER?
Nashville is the capital of Tennessee. It is often called the Athens of the South because of its many educational institutions and its buildings in the Greek classical style. Nashville is also called Music City, U.S.A., because since the 1920s it has become a recording and broadcasting center for country and western music.
Broadcasting of the Grand Ole Opry radio programs began in 1925. This long lasting show helped to strengthen Nashville's tie with country and western songs and entertainers.
Until 1974, Ryman Auditorium was the site of the Grand Ole Opry performances. Now the show originates from Opryland, an outdoor entertainment park in the Nashville suburb of Donelson.
Nashville's economy received a big boost during the 1950s when the city became a major recording center. Now about 20U recording companies, about 25 recording studios and almost 500 song publishing firms operate in the city.
Nashville covers all of Davidson County, an area of 533 square miles. It ranks as one of the nation's largest cities in area.
The city was founded in 1779 by settlers from North Carolina who were looking, for fertile farmland. The settlers built a log stockade on a bluff overlooking the west bank of the Cumberland River. They called the settlement Fort Nashborough after Brigadier General Francis Nash, a Revolutionary War hero and a friend of one of the settlers. The settlement was renamed Nashville in 1784.
In addition to country and western music, there's also the Nashville Symphony Orchestra which performs in the Municipal Auditorium. A nearby Nashville attraction is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Vanderbilt University is the largest of Nashville's many institutions of higher education.
In addition to Vanderbilt University, other Nashville colleges and universities include Belmont College, Fisk University, George Peabody College for Teachers, Meharry Medical College, Scarritt College for Christian Workers, Tennessee State University, Trevecca Nazarene College and the University of Tennessee at Nashville.
Among the points of interest in and around Nashville are the State Capitol (completed in 1855), on the grounds of which is the tomb of President James K. Polk; the Georgian style Governor's mansion; the Hermitage, the home of Andrew Jackson; and the Parthenon, an exact replica of the famous building in Athens.
Early in the American Civil War, Nashville was a strategic military post for the Confederacy, but in 1862 the city was captured by Union troops. The Confederates made an unsuccessful attempt to retake the city in the Battle of Nashville (December 1864).
After the Civil War, Nashville quickly grew as a trade center.
Beginning in the 1930s the city's industrial development was spurred by the availability of cheap electric power produced by the Tennessee Valley Authority.