Chapter 18: Hawaii

Hawaii is a tourist center. The state and its island bring in millions of tourists to escape their everyday lifestyle, nothing is quite like Hawaii. Tennessee's landscape is nothing like Hawaii, however both states do have tourist attractions that help boost the economy and bring people into their states. Nashville city is a major tourist attraction. When I visited a few years ago I spent much of my time in the heart of Nashville. There was so much to do, especially if you are a country music fan. Even if you aren't a country music fan, there is so much history in Tennessee. Civil war trails, National Parks, Jazz music, horseback riding, and much more. All of these attractions are topped with a beautiful landscape and friendly people, Tennessee makes the perfect vacation spot. 

Graceland, Mephis. Home of Elvis Presley 

Graceland was the home of rock n' roll king, Elvis Presley. His estate sits on thirteen acres and takes in nearly 60,000 visitors annually making Graceland the second most visited residence in the United States right behind the White House. 

Grand Ole Opry, Nashville

The Grand Ole Opry has had many famous country music stars on its stage since 1925. The Opry is also the longest running live radio program. The Opry has thousands of visitors annually and to this day has country stars perform on its stage. 

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Tennessee

I fell in love with Tennessee when I had the opportunity to visit a few years back. My aunt moved to Tennessee in the eighties to pursue her music career. She showed me downtown Nashville, Memphis, Beale Street, Sunland Studios where Elvis got his start, horseback riding through Tennessee's forestry and much much more. Nashville, Tennessee is by far my favorite city in the United States and I am planning my visit this summer! See you there!!! 

Horseback riding in Nashville, Tennessee

http://www.tnvacation.com/
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_visit_Graceland_each_year

Chapter 16: The North Pacific Coast

Tennessee Forestry

Chapter 16 focused on the North Pacific Coast. The chapter touched on the physical geography and topography of the area. The North Pacific is gorgeous to say the least, full of forestry and wildlife. Tennessee shares many qualities with the North Pacific when it comes to beauty and forestry. When thinking of Tennessee, forestry might not be the first thing that comes to mind. The forestry in Tennessee cover half the state and supplies more than 60,000 jobs. Some types of trees in found in Tennessee are the Birch Tree, Hickory Tree, Oak, Sugar Maple just to list a few.

Tennessee is home to the Smoky Mountains. The mountains contains many National Parks that allow visitors to come relax and enjoy the scenery. The Smoky Mountains are home to 1,500 Black bears and 1,600 kinds of flowering plants. The mountains range in elevation from 875 feet to 6,643 feet. 

Tennessee has a few major cites, Nashville and Memphis being two of them. Memphis is the largest city in the state, it is located in the western corner of the state. Nashville is the second largest city in Tennessee, located almost in the center of the state. The third largest city in Tennessee is Knoxville. Knoxville is located on the eastern side of the state. 

http://www.tngenweb.org/tnland/trees.htm

http://www.state.tn.us/agriculture/forestry/http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm

Chapter 15: California

United States Fault Zones

California is has created a much bigger name for itself than Tennessee has. When people think of Tennessee they think of country. When people think of California...well....a lot can come to mind. One thing that normally does not come to mind when thinking of Tennessee is earthquakes. Unlike California, Tennessee does not have a bad earthquake record. Most earthquakes that do affect Tennessee usually take place in neighboring states. The Missouri earthquake had a strong effect on Tennessee back in 1811-1812 then again in 1843 and 1895.

Tennessee Fault Line

Tennessee is apart of the New Madrid Seismic Zone. It falls in the north western section of the state. It also effects several other states including Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Indiana. Most of the earthquakes or aftershocks that do hit Tennessee hit in the western part of the state. 

New Madrid Seismic Zone

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/tennessee/history.php

Chapter 14:The Southwest Border Area

America is made up of a diverse array of cultures. The Native Americans, Spanish Americans, and European Americans made up the Southwest Border Area. The Southwest Border area is to the west of Tennessee however the area shares some likeness with the state of Tennessee. 

Tennessee Indian Tribes

Tennessee was home to the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Shawnee, and Creek Native Americans when it was first visited by European explorers in 1540. The French tried to settle in Tennessee however they were under constant harassment by the local native americans. The French explorers lost their land in Tennessee during the French and Indian wars that took place around 1763. Not only were the French under siege from the native americans, but they were also pushed aside by the English fur traders and huntsman that came into the area. 

Cherokee Indians

The first Anglo settlers came to Tennessee and made it home in 1769. A permanent settlement was made in Tennessee by Virginians then joined by North Carolinians. 

According to the Census Bureau, whites make up 80.2 percent of Tennessee followed by an African American population of 16.3 percent. Hispanics make up 4.3 percent of the state while American Indians make up 0.3 percent of the population. As we can see the Indian population which once dominated the Tennessee area has drastically diminished since the 1540. 

http://tn-tgs.com/TN-Main/Intro.htm

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/us/A0861484.html

Chapter 13: The Empty Interior

The Empty Interior

The empty interior lies on the west coast away from Nashville, Tennessee. The empty interior gets its name from the area's sparse population. Tennessee does not have such a large population as the state of California which is partially in the empty interior. Tennessee is home to over six million people. 

A noticeable trait of the empty interior is the major religion in the area. Most of the interior's inhabitants are of mormon belief. In Tennessee the vast majority of people are of christian belief, 82% of its people to be exact. Mormons are almost nonexistent in Tennessee, the next largest religion following Christianity is Catholicism.

Tennessee's population 

http://awesomeamerica.com/tennessee/ 

Chapter 12: The Great Plains and Prairies

In chapter 12 we discussed America's Great Plains, Prairies and their affect on the country. The Great Plains are located to the west of Tennessee. The plains tend to have more acres for wheat harvesting in comparison to Tennessee, and larger farm sizes. However, just like the Great Plains region, Tennessee has water issues. 


The drought in Tennessee continues to expand as the summer season kicks in. This past month the drought has risen to twenty-five percent of the state. With the state increasing its drought percentage, agriculture is in harm's way. The drought can significantly affect the agriculture production in Tennessee. Nashville is in severe drought, however is is not located in the worst part of the state which is in the south. 


The USGS monitors the floods in Tennessee and they also focus on drought. The USGS has monitored the droughts in the past. Along with drought monitoring, Tennessee's government is also reaching out to it's people in order to conserve water. 






http://wpln.org/?p=21131
http://tn.water.usgs.gov/projects/metronashville/index.html
http://www.tn.gov/environment/water.shtml

Chapter 11: The Agricultural Core

Tennessee is full of agriculture. Plenty of farmland and room to grow. The agricultural core is arranged in the center of the state, Nashville included. Sunburst Tomatoes make their home in Nashville, Tennessee. They grow undercover in outside the center of the city. Tennessee is an excellent state for growing soybeans, cotton, tomatoes, and tobacco. Wheat, hay, and sorghum also contribute to the state's agriculture. The state receives roughly 50' of rain annually. Tennessee averages 40 F in winter and 78 F in summer. West Tennessee averages 5” of snow while northeastern Tennessee gets 16”. These conditions make it easy for crops to flourish. 


The state is divided into three subdivisions: 

West: row crop land

Middle: fertile rolling land 

East: hilly to mountainous.

Tennessee has more to offer than just crops. The state is also known for dairy farming and its cattle. Tennessee’s top agricultural commodities are cattle and calves, chickens,  and greenhouse products.There are 2,040,000 cattle, 131,400 goats, 2,808,000 chickens and 210,000 horses within Tennessee. The dairy cattle produce over 909 million pounds of milk each year! Tennessee farmers produce 323 million eggs per year.

http://www.netstate.com/economy/tn_economy.htm
http://www.agclassroom.org/kids/stats/tennessee.pdf