Founded in 1779, Nashville is the capital of the Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, located on the Cumberland River. With a 2008 population of 625,000, it ranked as the second largest city in the state, after Memphis. It is part of the greater Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Columbia area, with an estimated population of 1.6 million. Nashville is a major center for the health care, music, banking and transportation industries.
Although Music City's main claim to fame is being a major music recording destination (the second largest after New York), its largest industry is, in fact, health care, with more than 250 health care companies calling Nashville home, including Hospital Corporation of America, the largest private hospital operator in the world.
Popular areas to own a home in Nashville include its vibrant Downtown, Richland/ West End, Sylvan Park, trendy Elliston Place, Brentwood, historic Franklin, Hillsborough Village, upscale Belle Mead, Green Hills, Belmont/12th South, walkable Five Points in East Nashville, and Donelson. Nearby cities include Metropolitan Government, Berry Hill, Oak Hill, Forest Hills, Lakewood, and Green Hill.
The city is served by the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Colleges and universities include one of the top universities in the country, Vanderbilt University, as well as American Baptist College, Aquinas College, The Art Institute of Tennessee, Fisk University, Gupton College, International Academy of Design and Technology, Lipscomb University, Meharry Medical College, Nashville School of Law, Nashville State Community College, Tennessee State University, Trevecca Nazarene University, and Watkins College of Art, Design & Film.
The NFL Tennessee Titans play in Nashville at LP Field.
