NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE DOWNTOWN

Lauren & I took a tour and got to see downtown Nashville as well as the many beautiful homes in town and in the suburbs. We both love the city and I plan to return and spend more time there and not just to look at all the cowboys.

Linda & I went to the Merritt Music Festival a few years back and as we went to park on the second day I was told that even though I has VIP parking there was no room. I turned the car around and parked in the lot to wait for a shuttle. Linda looked at me and said “That is the first time I have seen you give up without a fight.” I said “Did you see the cowboy’s smile and sweet blue eyes? How could I resist doing what he told me to do?” Be still my heart.

As the "home of country music", Nashville has become a major music recording and production center. All of the Big Four record labels, as well as numerous independent labels, have offices in Nashville, mostly in the Music Row area.[25] Since the 1960s, Nashville has been the second biggest music production center (after New York) in the U.S.[26] As of 2006, Nashville's music industry is estimated to have a total economic impact of $6.4 billion per year and to contribute 19,000 jobs to the Nashville area.[27]

Although Nashville is renowned as a music recording center and tourist destination, its largest industry is actually health care. Nashville is home to more than 250 health care companies, including Hospital Corporation of America, the largest private operator of hospitals in the world. As of 2006, it is estimated that the health care industry contributes $18.3 billion per year and 94,000 jobs to the Nashville-area economy.[28] The automotive industry is also becoming increasingly important for the entire Middle Tennessee region. Nissan North America moved its corporate headquarters in 2006 from Gardena, California (Los Angeles County) to Franklin. Nissan also has its largest North American manufacturing plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. Largely as a result of the increased development of Nissan and other Japanese economic interests in the region, Japan moved its New Orleans Consulate-general to Nashville's Palmer Plaza.

Other major industries in Nashville include insurance, finance, and publishing (especially religious publishing). The city hosts headquarters operations for several Protestant denominations, including the United Methodist Church, Southern Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention USA, and the National Association of Free Will Baptists.

Fortune 500 companies within Nashville include Dell,[29] HCA Inc. (formerly, Hospital Corporation of America) and Dollar General Corporation (in Goodlettsville).