Grand Divisions of Tennessee

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Tennessee's state flag. The three stars represent the state's three Grand Divisions. Flag of Tennessee.svg
Tennessee's state flag. The three stars represent the state's three Grand Divisions.

The Grand Divisions are three geographic regions in the U.S. state of Tennessee, each constituting roughly one-third of the state's land area, that are geographically, culturally, legally, and economically distinct. The Grand Divisions are legally recognized in the state constitution and state law and are represented on the flag of Tennessee by the flag's three prominent stars. [1]

Contents

The Grand Divisions, East, Middle, and West Tennessee, are sometimes referred to as "three states of Tennessee" or "the three Tennessees". [2]

Definitions

Map of East Tennessee counties.png
Map of Middle Tennessee counties.png
Map of West Tennessee counties.png
Maps of the Grand Divisions of Tennessee, with East Tennessee at the top, Middle Tennessee in the center, and West Tennessee at the bottom.

The three Grand Divisions, East, Middle, and West Tennessee, are formally defined in state law at Tennessee Code Annotated Title 4, Chapter 1, Part 2 ("Grand Divisions and State Capital") [3] as the "eastern, middle, and western" Grand Divisions of the state. The law lists the counties in each region.

The boundary between East Tennessee and Middle Tennessee is on the Cumberland Plateau, which was a major barrier to travel and commerce during much of the state's early history. [4] The boundary is close to the line between the Eastern and Central time zones. [5] All but three counties of East Tennessee (Bledsoe, Cumberland, and Marion) are in the Eastern Time Zone, while Middle and West Tennessee are entirely in the Central Time Zone. The reach of the Tennessee River that flows northward to Kentucky from Mississippi and Alabama demarcates the boundary between Middle and West Tennessee starting from the northern border of Hardin County, which is bisected by the Tennessee River but is located wholly in West Tennessee.

The assignments of counties can be changed by the state legislature, but few changes to the boundaries between the Grand Divisions have been made since the earliest legal reference to them, in The Acts of Tennessee 1835-1836, Chapter 3, "An Act to establish a Supreme Court in pursuance of the 2nd sec., art. 6, of the Constitution of the United States". [6] The most recent adjustment to the boundaries of the Grand Divisions occurred in 1965, when Perry County was shifted from West Tennessee to Middle Tennessee. [7] Earlier in the 20th century, there were definitional changes that shifted the assignments of Marion, Sequatchie, and Cumberland Counties between East and Middle Tennessee (Sequatchie moved from East to Middle Tennessee; Marion and Cumberland counties moved from Middle to East Tennessee). [6]

Statistics

Grand DivisionPopulation [8]
(2020 census)		Largest cityArea in mi2 (km2)Counties
East Tennessee 2,470,105 Knoxville 13,558 sq mi (35,120 km2)33 (list)
Middle Tennessee 2,883,086 Nashville 17,009 sq mi (44,050 km2)41 (list)
West Tennessee 1,557,649 Memphis 10,650 sq mi (27,600 km2)21 (list)
State of Tennessee6,910,840Nashville41,217 sq mi (106,750 km2)95 (list)

Characteristics

The three regions are geographically and culturally distinct. [9] East Tennessee's landscape is dominated by the Appalachian mountain chain, including the Great Smoky Mountains on the eastern border of the state, the ridge-and-valley region where East Tennessee's principal cities (Knoxville, Chattanooga, and the Tri-Cities) are located, and the rugged Cumberland Mountains. East and Middle Tennessee are separated along the Cumberland Plateau. Middle Tennessee, which includes the state's capital city of Nashville, is dominated by rolling hills and fertile stream valleys. West Tennessee, located between the Tennessee and the Mississippi Rivers, is the lowest-lying of the three Grand Divisions. It is part of the Gulf Coastal Plain physiographic region, characterized by relatively flat topography. Except for the Memphis metropolitan area, land use in this region is mostly agricultural. Historically, cotton was West Tennessee's dominant crop. [4]

The physiographic and economic differences between the three regions resulted in major divisions within Tennessee in the Civil War. The plantation agricultural system associated with cotton production meant that slavery was very important to the economy of West Tennessee, where voters strongly supported secession. Support for secession was not as strong in Middle Tennessee, where plantation agriculture was present but less important. In mountainous East Tennessee, where plantation agriculture was largely absent and slavery was not economically important, voters strongly opposed secession. Although the entire state seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy, East Tennessee remained an area of pro-Union sentiment and activity throughout the Civil War and afterward. The Republican Party dominated politics in the region. Before and during the Civil War, there was a movement in East Tennessee to counter-secede from the Confederacy and re-join the Union as the State of Nickajack, together with other Union-friendly Southern areas, such as North Alabama. [10]

Partly because of West Tennessee's history of slavery, it has had a higher concentration of African Americans in the population. In the census in 2000, West Tennessee's population was found to be 37% black, while in Middle and East Tennessee, black people made up 12% and 6% of their respective populations. [11]

The Tennessee State Constitution mandates that no more than two of the five justices on the state's supreme court can be from any one Grand Division. The court must also meet regularly in each division in the cities of Jackson in West Tennessee, Nashville in Middle Tennessee, and Knoxville in East Tennessee. [12] Similar rules apply to some other state institutions. For example:

Symbolic representations

In describing his design for the Tennessee state flag, which was adopted in 1905, LeRoy Reeves wrote, "The three stars are of pure white, representing the three grand divisions of the state." He explained the placement of the stars inside a blue circle as symbolic of "three bound together in one—an indissoluble trinity." [1]

The state formerly featured the Grand Divisions in tourism promotions. In the 1960s, billboards at the state's borders greeted visitors with the words, "Welcome to the Three States of Tennessee". [15] [16] The slogan was abandoned during the governorship of Winfield Dunn (who was from Memphis, but as a Republican got his strongest vote from East Tennessee), due to concerns that it might encourage sectionalism. [16]

2002 State commemorative quarter

Reverse of the 2002 Tennessee state quarter, issued as part of the 50 State quarters series 2002 TN Proof.png
Reverse of the 2002 Tennessee state quarter, issued as part of the 50 State quarters series

The Tennessee commemorative quart issued by the U.S. Mint in 2002 was designed to honor the musical heritage of the three grand divisions, [17] each of which is strongly associated with a particular style of music. East Tennessee is known for Appalachian bluegrass, Middle Tennessee for country music and the Grand Ole Opry, and West Tennessee for the Delta blues. [18] Below a trio of stars that represent the three grand divisions, the quarter depicts a guitar for the country music of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, a fiddle and a book of music for the bluegrass tradition of East Tennessee, and a trumpet for the blues music of Memphis and the Mississippi Delta (part of West Tennessee). [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee</span> U.S. state

Tennessee, officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, Arkansas to the southwest, and Missouri to the northwest. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. Tennessee is geographically, culturally, and legally divided into three Grand Divisions of East, Middle, and West Tennessee. Nashville is the state's capital and largest city, and anchors its largest metropolitan area. Other major cities include Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Clarksville. Tennessee's population as of the 2020 United States census is approximately 6.9 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Warren County is a county located on the Cumberland Plateau in Middle Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,953. Its county seat is McMinnville. Warren County comprises the McMinnville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sequatchie County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Sequatchie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,826. Its county seat is Dunlap. Sequatchie County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardin County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831. The county seat is Savannah. Hardin County is located north of and along the borders of Mississippi and Alabama. The county was founded in November 1819 and named posthumously for Col. Joseph Hardin, a Revolutionary War soldier and a legislative representative for the Province of North Carolina; the State of Franklin; and the Southwest Territory. Hardin County was the site of the Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fentress County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Fentress County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,489. Its county seat is Jamestown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Tennessee</span> Geographic and cultural region of Tennessee, United States

West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that roughly comprises the western quarter of the state. The region includes 21 counties between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers, delineated by state law. Its geography consists primarily of flat lands with rich soil and vast floodplain areas of the Mississippi River. Of the three regions, West Tennessee is the most sharply defined geographically, and is the lowest-lying. It is both the least populous and smallest, in land area, of the three Grand Divisions. Its largest city is Memphis, the state's second most populous city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Tennessee</span> Geographic and cultural region of Tennessee, United States

Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the state's capital and largest city, Nashville, as well as Clarksville, the state's fifth largest city, and Murfreesboro, the state's sixth largest city and largest suburb of Nashville. The Nashville metropolitan area, located entirely within the region, is the most populous metropolitan area in the state, and the Clarksville metropolitan area is the state's sixth most populous. Middle Tennessee is both the largest, in terms of land area, and the most populous of the state's three Grand Divisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Tennessee</span> Geographic region of Tennessee

East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely Bledsoe, Cumberland, and Marion. East Tennessee is entirely located within the Appalachian Mountains, although the landforms range from densely forested 6,000-foot (1,800 m) mountains to broad river valleys. The region contains the major cities of Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee's third and fourth largest cities, respectively, and the Tri-Cities, the state's sixth largest population center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association</span>

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), along with the affiliated Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association (TMSAA), is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee. The TSSAA is the only high school athletic organization in the United States to have a five-sport, Olympic-style spring sport championship tournament, known as Spring Fling, for baseball, softball, track and field, team and individual tennis, and soccer. Spring Fling began in Chattanooga in 1993, later moving to Memphis, and then establishing itself in Murfreesboro. The TSSAA was one of the first high school athletic organizations to host a central site for football championships, beginning in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Tennessee</span>

Tennessee is one of the 50 states of the United States. What is now Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina, and later part of the Southwest Territory. It was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796, as the 16th state. Tennessee earned the nickname "The Volunteer State" during the War of 1812, when many Tennesseans helped with the war effort, especially during the Americans victory at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. The nickname became even more applicable during the Mexican–American War in 1846, after the Secretary of War asked the state for 2,800 soldiers, and Tennessee sent over 30,000 volunteers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee</span> Diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States

The Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee is the diocese of the Episcopal Church that geographically coincides with the political region known as the Grand Division of West Tennessee. The geographic range of the Diocese of West Tennessee was originally part of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, which was partitioned into three separate dioceses during 1982–1985. Phoebe A. Roaf is the current bishop of West Tennessee. It is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee on the close of St. Mary's Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee in the American Civil War</span> Overview of the situation and role of the U.S. state of Tennessee during the American Civil War

The American Civil War significantly affected Tennessee, with every county witnessing combat. It was a divided state, with the Eastern counties harboring pro-Union sentiment throughout the conflict, and it was the last state to officially secede from the Union, in protest of President Lincoln's April 15 Proclamation calling forth 75,000 members of state militias to suppress the rebellion. Although Tennessee provided a large number of troops for the Confederacy, it would also provide more soldiers for the Union Army than any other state within the Confederacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee</span> Diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States

The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee is the diocese of the Episcopal Church that geographically coincides with the political region known as the Grand Division of East Tennessee. The geographic range of the Diocese of East Tennessee was originally part of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, which was partitioned into three separate dioceses during 1982–1985. It is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The U.S. state of Tennessee is geographically diverse, with varying terrains and several distinct physiographic regions. Its landforms range from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the eastern part of the state to flat and fertile plains along the Mississippi River. The state is geographically, legally, culturally, and economically divided into three Grand Divisions: East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Tennessee Convention</span> Political assembly

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1948 United States presidential election in Tennessee</span> Election in Tennessee

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920 United States presidential election in Tennessee</span> Election in Tennessee

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1916 United States presidential election in Tennessee</span> Election in Tennessee

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References

  1. 1 2 Tennessee Department of State. "Tennessee Symbols and Honors" (PDF). Tennessee Blue Book, 2005–2006. p. 516.
  2. ↑ Williams, Amanda Colleen (January 10, 2020). "The Three States of Tennessee". Songlife. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Table of Contents". Tennessee Code Unannotated– via LexisNexis.
  4. 1 2 "Advanced Geography Part Three: Physical Regions". Tennessee History for Kids. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  5. ↑ Astor, Aaron (2015). The Civil War Along Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. p. 11. ISBN   978-1-62619-404-5. LCCN   2015932376 . Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Lee, Ronald (March 3, 1998). "Three Grand Divisions of Tennessee". Tennessee GenWeb Project.
  7. ↑ "Advanced Geography Part Two: Grand Divisions, Rivers and Cities". Tennessee History for Kids. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  9. ↑ Tennessee Department of State. "A History of Tennessee" (PDF). Tennessee Blue Book, 2005–2006.
  10. ↑ 12 proposed U.S. states that didn't make the cut from The Week
  11. ↑ Mabry, Lisa M.; Mirvis, David M. (January 2010). "The Three Tennessees: Child and Infant Health in the Three Grand Divisions of Tennessee" (PDF). Tennessee Medicine. Tennessee Medical Association: 35–38.
  12. ↑ "Tennessee State Constitution, Article VI, Section 2" (PDF). Tennessee Blue Book . p. 547.
  13. ↑ Sanford, Valerius. "Tennessee Public Service Commission". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture .
  14. ↑ Adams, Josh; Sisk, Chas (June 5, 2013). "TN book commission faces scrutiny after lawmakers say textbooks show bias". The Tennessean– via WBIR-TV.
  15. ↑ Summitt, Pat (November 3, 2003). "Three-Part Harmony: The Lady Vols coach sings the praises of her state's trio of distinct regions". Sports Illustrated .
  16. 1 2 Jolley, Harmon (August 24, 2011). "Welcome to East Tennessee; Some Wanted Separate State at Time of Civil War". The Chattanoogan.
  17. 1 2 Cate, Matthew (January 15, 2002). "Tennessee quarter celebrates musical heritage". Scripps Howard Foundation Wire.
  18. ↑ University of Tennessee. "Tennessee Newspaper Digitization Project 1836-1922" (PDF). National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
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