Jamie Stitt

Assistant Commissioner, Business and Workforce Development

Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
312 Rosa L. Parks Ave., Nashville, TN 37243
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Location and Infrastructure

Make it here. Take it anywhere.

Making the best products in the world is only the first step—you also have to get them to your customers. When you bring your business to Tennessee, you’ll have unparalleled access to all markets within the U.S. and across the globe.

We’re not short on ways to get here. Our central location means your business can connect to customers and suppliers faster.

We’re home to one of the busiest cargo airports in the world, one of the largest rail centers in the U.S. and the nation’s sixth largest inland port. If you’re up for a day trip, Tennessee is conveniently accessible within a day’s drive to a majority of U.S. markets. In fact, we feel honored to be the center of attention—and the center of world for that matter.

Quick Facts

96K+

Miles of highway

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1.2k+

Miles of interstate

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6

Commercial airports

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970+

Miles of navigable waterways

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2.9k+

Miles of main and short line railroads

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25

Rail systems, including 6 Class 1 railroads and 23 short-line railroads serving small communities and rural areas

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Port of Memphis

FedEx World Hub

Knoxville Downtown

Port of Memphis

We believe by relocating our headquarters to Nashville, Hankook Tire can benefit from the people, resources and infrastructures of Tennessee.

- Mr. Seung Hwa Suh, Hankook Tire Vice Chairman and CEO
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  • Tennessee Business By Land

    Tennessee businesses enjoy access to fast and efficient railroad service. Six Class 1 railroads (out of seven in the U.S.) operate in Tennessee, creating over 2,100, miles of rail. Railroads include BNSF, Canadian National/Illinois Central Railroad, CSX Transportation, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific. Nineteen shortline railroads provide an additional 817 miles of rail.

    Memphis is one of the largest rail centers in the U.S. and is one of only four U.S. cities served by five or more of the seven long-haul Class 1 rail systems.

    Our network of seven interstate highways puts most major U.S. markets within a day’s drive or less.

    Distance in driving miles from Tennessee cities to selected major markets:+

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    MemphisNashvilleChattanoogaKnoxvilleJacksonJohnson City
    Atlanta383248118213376256
    Birmingham237193147256220361
    Charlotte619408340230538149
    Chicago534471603541518603
    Cincinnati485275359251492313
    Cleveland732522609501651484
    Dallas451662796841538946
    Detroit747537621513664537
    Indianapolis464287419358414419
    Kansas City452556687733501838
    Little Rock137349480528223632
    Miami10069117798741040845
    New Orleans395534491599477705
    New York City10968868187071015631
    Philadelphia1011800732621929546
    St. Louis284309440485268590
    Toronto976766850742893731
    Washington, D.C.878666598487796411
  • Tennessee Business By Air

    Tennessee is home to 77 airports, including the busiest cargo airport in the North America(Memphis International). Besides our six commercial airports, Tennessee businesses are served by 71 general aviation airports and 150 heliports.

  • Tennessee Business By Water

    In Tennessee, you’ll have access to more than 1,000 miles of navigable waterways, plus 950 miles of inland waterways.

    Tennessee has 165 miles of Mississippi River-front property. Of the nation’s inland and navigable waterways, an estimated 75% are within the Mississippi River system, making it the busiest water transportation artery in the country.

    Memphis is the sixth busiest inland port in the U.S. The International Port of Memphis is the largest stillwater harbor on the Mississippi River and is ice free year-round.

    The port of Cates Landing is located on the Mississippi River. It is accessible to barge traffic year-round on a 9,000 linear foot slack-water harbor with the port’s 400-acre land side development constructed above the 100-year flood plain. The port of Cates Landing is in an Opportunity Zone and a Foreign Trade Zone.

    Tennessee is part of the four-state region of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, which provides the state access of the Gulf of Mexico harbors and international markets. The waterway links to 4,500 miles of navigable waterways serving 23 states throughout the South and Midwest.

  • Tennessee Business By Utilities

    Tennessee ranks first inenergy availability and costs  in 2022, according to Area Development.

    Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is the nation’s largest public power provider, TVA delivers reliable and competitively priced electric power that gives businesses and families more opportunity to prosper.

    • The TVA service area in Tennessee covers about 42,028 square miles, about 49 percent of TVA’s territory and 99.7 percent of Tennessee. This includes an electricity service area of 42,143 square miles and a watershed management area of 22,514 square miles.
    • In fiscal year 2021, TVA sold over 94.1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to 61 municipals and 22 cooperatively owned utilities that distribute power in Tennessee.
    • Since 2000, the TVA system has delivered 99.999 percent transmission reliability.
    • TVA’s rates remain well below the national average, largely due to TVA’s diversified generation sources and fuel cost hedging activities.
    • TVA has made the strategic decision to continually increase generation capacity through low-cost, carbon-free sources. To that end, TVA is continuing to expand its nuclear resources.

    Telecommunications

    • 93.5% of Tennesseans live in census blocks where at least one provider offers broadband according to the Federal Communication Commission’s Fourteenth Broadband Deployment Report.
    • The recently enacted Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act (TBAA) aims to spread broadband access to more Tennesseans while promoting practices that increase deployment and encourage broadband adoption. The legislation established the Broadband Accessibility Grant Program providing funding for deployment to unserved homes and businesses. Over $59.1 million has been awarded during the program’s first four years to provide service to an estimated 83,500 unserved Tennesseans across the state.  The TBAA also provides a tax credit to private service providers totaling $15 million over three years ($5 million per year) based on the purchase of broadband equipment used to provide broadband access in our most economically challenged counties.
    • For more information on all of Tennessee’s efforts to close the broadband gap including the Broadband Accessibility Grant, please visit tn.gov/broadband.
  • Tennessee by Location and Infrastructure Awards
    • #8 for Best Infrastructure – CNBC ranked Tennessee as No. 8 for Best Infrastructure in its rankings of America’s Top States for Business (2022).
    • Tennessee ranks No. 1 in the nation for employment concentration in transportation and material moving occupations (2023).
    • WalletHub ranked Tennessee No. 8 for Best State to Drive in and No. 1 for “Cost of Ownership and Maintenance” in their 2023 rankings.
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