List of cities and towns in Tennessee

There are 347 incorporated municipalities in the state of Tennessee. [U.S. Census Bureau, [http://www.census.gov/govs/cog/GovOrgTab03ss.html Local Governments and Public School Systems by Type and State: 2007] , February 25, 2008] Incorporated municipalities in the state are designated as "cities" or "towns". This list includes all 351 municipalities that were in existence as of the 2000 U.S. Census.

As of the 2000 U.S. Census, 3,159,375 Tennesseans," [http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/05-06/48-data.pdf Incorporated Municipalities] " in "Tennessee Blue Book", 2005-2006 edition, pages 618-625.] or 55.5% of the state's total population of 5,689,283, resided in incorporated municipalities. The remainder resided in unincorporated areas.

Municipal charters

Before 1954, all Tennessee municipalities were established by private act of the state legislature and operated under charters established by private act of the legislature. As of 2007, 212 of the state's municipalities were operating under charters established by private act of the legislature. In 1953, amendments to the Tennessee Constitution prohibited subsequent incorporations by private act and provided for several new forms of municipal charter. Fourteen cities, including Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, three of the state's four largest cities, are "home rule cities" organized under charters approved by referendum of the citizens. Home rule charters are authorized by Article XI, Section 9, of the Tennessee State Constitution, as amended in 1953. Other municipalities are incorporated under one of several standardized types of charter authorized by state statute:cite web |url=http://www.mtas.utk.edu/public/web.nsf/Search/CitiesCharter?opendocument |title=Directory of Municipal Officials - Charter |publisher=University of Tennessee: Municipal Technical Advisory Service |accessdate=2007-10-15]
* 67 cities use a mayor-aldermanic charter under Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) §6-1-101 "et seq." Hendersonville is the largest city using this type of charter.
* 49 cities use a uniform city manager-commission charter under TCA §6-18-101 "et seq." Brentwood is the largest city operating with a uniform manager-commission charter.
* Two cities (Elizabethton and Union City) are incorporated under a modified city manager-council charter under TCA §6-30-101 "et seq."
* Consolidated city-county governments exist in three places: Nashville and Davidson County, Lynchburg and Moore County, and Hartsville and Trousdale County. City-county government consolidation is authorized by the Tennessee Constitution as amended in 1953 and TCA Title 7.

Some Tennessee municipalities are called "cities" and others are called "towns." [cite web |url=http://www.comptroller.state.tn.us/lg/2000city.htm |title= Tennessee 2000 Population Summary |publisher=Office of Local Government, Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury |accessdate=2007-10-15] These terms do not have significance with respect to population, date of establishment, or type of municipal charter.

Under current state law (TCA Title 6), a minimum of 1,500 residents are required to incorporate as a new municipality under the mayor-alderman or city manager-commission charter, and a minimum of 5,000 residents are required to incorporate under a modified city manager-council charter. In general, unincorporated areas within three miles of an existing municipality (within five miles if the municipality has a population of 100,000 or more) are not permitted to incorporate as new municipalities. Provisions for incorporation were less restrictive in the past.

List of incorporated cities and towns

legend2|#EEEEAA|County seat|border=1px solid #AAAAAAref label|seat|A|
Click on the double triangles at the top of a column to sort the table by that column.

*ANote|seat All but one of Tennessee's county seats are incorporated municipalities. The exception is Blountville, county seat of Sullivan County."
*BNote|primary For municipalities located in more than one county, the primary county (according to U.S. Census) is listed first.
*CNote|invalid Was incorporated as of 2000 Census; incorporation was subsequently dissolved. [See Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, " [http://www.tennessee.gov/tacir/PDF_FILES/Growth_Policy/annexation00.pdf Tennessee's Growth Policy Act, a Vision for the Future] ", April 2000, pages 21-23, and [http://www.tba.org/tba_files/AG/2004/op58.pdf State of Tennessee Office of the Attorney General Opinion No. 04-058: Amendment to Municipal Incorporation Statute] , April 6, 2004, pages 3-6. For Midtown, also see [http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/opinions/TCA/PDF/044/williamsj.pdf Court of Appeals of Tennessee, No. E2004-01007-COA-R3-CV] , filed December 16, 2004. For Walnut Grove, also see [http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/tca/PDF/012/SUMMERS.pdf Court of Appeals of Tennessee, No. M2000-02430-COA-R3-CV] , filed April 30, 2001. For Helenwood, also see [http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/opinions/tca/PDF/994/huntsville.pdf Court of Appeals of Tennessee, No. E1999-01571-COA-R3-CV] , filed October 4, 1999.]

References

External links

* [http://www.michie.com/tennessee/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=main-h.htm&cp=tncode Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA)]
* [http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/online/tnconst.pdf Constitution of the State of Tennessee]
* " [http://www.mtas.utk.edu/KnowledgeBase.nsf/0/135309f583c765b385256f7700469f4b/$FILE/charter.pdf Getting to Know and Maybe Love Your Municipal Charter] ", by Sidney D. Hemsley, Municipal Technical Advisory Service, 1992.