Modern Tennessee

The industrialization that began during World War II has continued in modern-day Tennessee. In 1980 Nissan built what was then the largest truck assembly plant in the world at Smyrna, Tennessee. In 1987 Saturn Corporation chose Spring Hill as the site for its $2.1 billion automobile plant.

At the same time, however, the state’s older industries—including textiles and manufacturing—have suffered losses over the past three decades, due in part to the movement of industry outside of the United States.

During the 1950s and beyond, Tennessee developed a reputation as a hotbed of musical talent. Memphis’s Elvis Presley may have invented rock ’n’ roll, and his Graceland [1] mansion remains one of the state’s most enduring tourist attractions. The Grand Ole Opry [2] in Nashville [3] was representative of a second musical genre that came to call Tennessee home: country music.