Stacked Actors

Today continues the three part series entitled “I’m a Southerner, a Tennessean and a Nashvillian.”  Last week I wrote about being a Southerner and all the charm which entails. This week I will be writing about being a Tennessean.

What I learned in grade school:

Growing up here in Middle Tennessee, most children are required to learn about Tennessee history in 6th Grade Social Studies.  We learned that the Mockingbird is the state bird, Iris is the state flower, the Tulip Poplar is the state tree and that we’re called the volunteer state because of the number of volunteers from this state to fight in the war of 1812.  Tennessee has also been the home of some quite famous (or infamous) politicians like Andrew Jackson, Al Gore, James K. Polk, John Ford, Andrew Johnson, Fred Thompson, Bill Frist and of course John Jay Hooker.

Tennessee has hailed quite a few cultural icons too including Elivs, Oprah, Alex Haley, B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Buford Pusser (that’s right, I said it), Dixie Carter, Reese Witherspoon, Kathy Bates, Quentin Tarantino and more famous musicians than I care to list.

Oh, and there’s a little place in Lynchburg, Tennessee that makes pretty good whiskey and then there’s Oak Ridge; a place that made the atomic bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan during World War II.

The state is divided into three grand divisions (thus the three stars on the flag):  East, West and Middle Tennessee.  There are four (semi) large cities in Tennessee:  Chattanooga and Knoxville in East Tennessee, Nashville in Middle Tennessee and Memphis in West Tennessee.  West Tennessee is flat and the Mighty Mississippi River borders the state, Middle Tennessee is hilly but not exactly mountainous and East Tennessee is bordered by the Appalacian Mountain Range (more specificaly the Smoky Mountains)

One large state “land-grant” institution of higher learning is in place which has branch campuses across the state in Chattanooga, Martin and Knoxville.  I chose to attend this school, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

What I learned in College:

The state is huge.  Just ridiculously LONG.  From tip to tip…Memphis to Johnson City takes 6 hours.

There is a BIG difference between people from East, Middle and West Tennessee.  Even accents are different.

There’s WAY more “country” than “city” in this state.

Being from Middle Tennessee means that I must come from the “city.”

East Tennesseans are much more prone to being either genuine hippies who live in the mountains or just plain hillbillies and could possibly be inbred.

West Tennesseans are much more prone to being farmers, hunters or truckers.  In some cases any combination of the three.

In Oak Ridge, where the atomic bomb was built, there are 7 legged deer running around and fish in the lakes with 12 eyes.

It can be 101 degrees in Memphis and 53 degrees in East Tennessee on Clingman’s Dome in the mountains.

East Tennessee is a backpacker / hiker / kayaker / outdoorsman’s dream.

Knoxville has 20 times better restaurants than Nashville does.

On UT football gamedays, Neyland Stadium itself becomes Tennessee’s 5th most populated city.

Chattanooga is a great place to raise a family.

Memphis’ Beale Street is one of the coolest places to hang out and is debateably a better music town than Nashville.

Nashville is the best city in the State, by far

Regardless of what area of the state you’re from, UT Football is something all Tennesseans can agree on….and…

I hate Jack Daniels.

You won’t want to miss next week when I conclude this series and post the best one out of the three.  I love Nashville and can’t wait to blog on it.