text: does anyone know what was the name of tennessee capital?   nashville is the capital of the u.s. state of tennessee. it is located on the cumberland river in davidson county in the north-central part of the state. nashville is a major hub for the health care, music, publishing, and transportation industries.  nashville's population stood at 575,261 as of 2005, according to united states census bureau estimates, making it the second-largest city in tennessee (after memphis). the 2005 population of the entire 13-county nashville metropolitan statistical area was 1,422,544, making it the largest and fastest-growing metropolitan area in the state-.