So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in Tennessee?

Found in the southern United States, Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State." This is due to the fact that, in the War of 1812, volunteer soldiers living in this state played a important role in the war's outcome, especially during the Battle of New Orleans. Tennessee is bordered by a total of eight other states: Kentucky and Virginia to the north, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, and Arkansas and Missouri to the west.

When talking about the terrain of Tennessee, it is often broken into three distinct areas. The first of these is East Tennessee. This region is composed primarily of high mountains, though, in the western part of this area, there can be found fertile valleys separated by wooded ridges. Middle Tennessee is the second landscape region. This area is characterized by flat-topped mountains separated by sharp valleys. Near the Nashville Basin, however, rich, fertile farm country can be found. The final area of the state is West Tennessee. It lies in the Gulf Coastal Plain and is generally a hilly area with plenty of streams and, in some parts, lowlands, flood plains, and swamp land mixed in.

Generally, the state of Tennessee has hot summers and mild to cool winters. It also receives a generous amount of precipitation throughout the year. Summer temperatures usually average a high or around 90°F. In winter, lows can average near freezing for most of the state. Tennessee gets approximately 50 inches of precipitation during the course of a year. This includes snowfall that ranges from 5 inches in the west to over 16 inches in some of the higher mountains of East Tennessee.

Tennessee can experience some severe weather during any given year. While it is far enough away from the coast to avoid a direct impact by a hurricane, it often receives a tremendous amount of rain from hurricanes that have been weakened from passing over land. The state also averages about 50 days of thunderstorm activity a year with some producing tornadoes. On average, Tennessee experiences 15 tornadoes during a year. The state leads the nation in the percentage of tornadoes which cause fatalities as well. On top of these, Tennessee can experience the occasional winter storm, with ice storms being the most common of these. Parts of the state are also subject to frequent fog.

In 2006, Tennessee had an estimated population of around 6,038,803. Of these, 6.6% were reported to be under 5 years of age, 24.6% were under 18 years old, and 12.4% were 65 or older.

The political composition of Tennessee is fairly evenly divided. The Democratic Party is strongest in the metropolitan areas of Memphis and Nashville as well as most of Middle Tennessee and the section of West Tennessee lying north of Memphis. The Republicans, however, hold sway over East Tennessee and the suburbs of Memphis and Nashville. This has helped make it so that, of the nine members that the state currently sends to the U.S. House of Representatives, five are Democrats while four are Republicans.

In terms of religion, the residents or Tennessee are strongly Christian. 82% say they are Christian. This includes 39% who are Baptist and only 6% which identify themselves as Roman Catholic. Out of the remaining population, around 3% follow a religion other than Christianity while 9% say they are non-religious.

The income tax of Tennessee does not apply to salaries and wages. Instead, it only affects income from stocks, bonds, and notes receivable. The sales tax, on the other hand, is one of the highest of the country. While the state sales tax is set at 7% for most items (only 6% for food, not including candy, dietary supplements or prepared food), local jurisdictions are allowed to impose an additional percentage to this, ranging from 1.5% to 2.75%. This can lead to the total sales tax in some areas falling between 8.5% and 9.75%.

The state of Tennessee has numerous colleges and universities to choose from within its borders. These include such places as:

• Tennessee State University

• The University of Memphis

• The University of Tennessee

• Rhodes College

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degrees page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tennessee".

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