During the War of 1812, many of the city's residents left for New Orleans to fight, helping Tennessee earn the nickname "The Volunteer State." The soldiers fought under Gen. Andrew Jackson, who went on to become a U.S. president.

Initially held by the Confederates during the Civil War, Nashville was occupied by Federal troops in 1862 and remained in Union hands for the rest of the war. Several brutal battles were fought in the rolling hills of middle Tennessee in late 1864, however, including the Battle of Nashville, a decisive Union victory. Reconstruction brought recovery, progress and growth to the city. Several colleges based in the city became prominent in this period, including Fisk University, an influential school attended primarily by African Americans, and Vanderbilt University. Today, the city is home to some 16 colleges and universities.

Promoting its educational facilities and cultural refinement, the city championed itself as the "Athens of the South." To drive the point home, it built a full-scale replica of the Parthenon for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897. Then came country music—much to the horror of some of the city's high-minded promoters. The main reason Nashville became the home of country was radio station WSM, which began broadcasting the hugely popular Grand Ole Opry in 1925. In time, record labels and recording studios established themselves there, and Nashville had a new nickname: "Music City."

In the early 1960s, the Nashville sit-ins were among the first nonviolent protests for civil rights in the country. Around the same time, Nashville and Davidson County merged their operations to form a more unified and effective local government. Since then, the city has added communications- and computer-related businesses to its portfolio and has experienced significant growth. It continues to be a top choice for corporate relocations and expansions.

The city's visibility increased further in the mid-1990s, when Nashville became home to two professional sports teams, the Tennessee Titans NFL football team and the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators. In 2001, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts opened, strengthening the city's cultural offerings; those offerings were boosted with the 2006 opening of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the European-like concert hall that the Nashville Symphony now calls home.

Today, music continues to be the city's most visible industry, and one that reaches beyond country to embrace all types of music. Nashville's diverse economy also remains on an even keel as the city continues to grow, attracting visitors and new residents alike.