West Tennessee
West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that roughly comprises the western quarter of the state.[1] The region includes 21 counties between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers, delineated by state law.[2] Its geography consists primarily of flat lands with rich soil and vast floodplain areas of the Mississippi River.[3][1] Of the three regions, West Tennessee is the most sharply defined geographically, and is the lowest-lying.[4] It is both the least populous and smallest, in land area, of the three Grand Divisions. Its largest city is Memphis, the state's second most populous city.
West Tennessee
27,600 km2 (10,650 sq mi)
1,557,649
56.47/km2 (146.26/sq mi)
West Tennessean
West Tennessee was originally inhabited by the Chickasaw, and was the last of the three Grand Divisions to be settled by Europeans. The region officially became part of the United States with the Jackson Purchase in 1818, 22 years after Tennessee's statehood. As part of the Mississippi River basin, West Tennessee enjoys rich soil that led to large-scale cotton farming during the antebellum period that was heavily dependent on slave labor.[4] As a result, it forms the northwestern tip of the Black Belt.[5]
Area codes[edit]
Until the year 2001, West Tennessee, including all of Hardin County, was in the area code 901. After a large amount of population growth necessitated two area codes for West Tennessee, Memphis, its northern and eastern suburbs, as well as Fayette and Tipton counties, retained the 901 area code, with the remainder of West Tennessee being placed into area code 731. The Memphis area is one of the largest metropolitan areas that does not require 10-digit dialing, and it is anticipated it will remain this way for many years to come.[55]
Transportation[edit]
Roads and highways[edit]
Interstate 40 (I-40) is West Tennessee's primary interstate highway, which runs for 134 miles (216 km) from the Mississippi River in Memphis and crosses the Tennessee River in Benton County, passing near Brownsville and through Jackson in between. Interstate 240 (I-240) is an auxiliary bypass route of I-40 that runs to the south of Memphis. Interstate 55 (I-55) runs for 13 miles (21 km), entirely within southwest Memphis, from the Mississippi state line to the Mississippi River. I-155 is located in the northwestern part of West Tennessee, running from the Mississippi River to Dyersburg. I-269 serves as an outer bypass around Memphis, passing to the east of the city.[56] An extension of I-69 is proposed to run from the Mississippi state line in Memphis to the Kentucky line near South Fulton.[57] The U.S. Highways that travel through West Tennessee are:[56]
Universities and colleges[edit]
The public universities and colleges in West Tennessee are the University of Memphis, the University of Tennessee at Martin, Dyersburg State Community College, Jackson State Community College, Southwest Tennessee Community College, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, which has state medical, dental, nursing, and pharmacy schools, as well as a graduate program in health sciences. The University of Memphis has a branch campus in Jackson after taking over the former Lambuth University campus.
Private institutions of higher education located in the region include Christian Brothers University, LeMoyne–Owen College, Rhodes College, Union University, Lane College, Bethel University, and Freed-Hardeman University.