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The region can also be defined by telephone area codes. Until fairly recently, West Tennessee, including all of Hardin County, was in area code 901. After a code split, Memphis and its suburbs retained 901, while the rest of West Tennessee received area code 731.
While the region west of the Tennessee River was technically part of Tennessee at its statehood in 1796, it did not come under definitive U.S. control until it was purchased by Andrew Jackson from the Chickasaw Indians in 1818, an acquisition known as the Jackson Purchase. The purchase also included the westernmost tip of Kentucky. Although the vast majority of Jackson's purchase lies in Tennessee, the term " Jackson Purchase" is used today to refer solely to the Kentucky portion of the acquisition.
The largest city in West Tennessee, by far, and the most populous in the state, is Memphis. Outside the greater Memphis area, the region is mostly agricultural. Much of the region geologically lies within the Mississippi embayment.
Among the region's smaller cities (not including Memphis suburbs), some of the more important are JacksonJackson is a city located in Madison County, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 59,643. It is the county seat of Madison County 6. Jackson is home to the following colleges Union University Lambuth University Lane College, DyersburgDyersburg is a city located in Dyer County, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 17,452. It is the county seat of Dyer County 6. Geography Dyersburg is located at 36°2'22" North, 89°22'58" West (36. 039440, -89. According t, Union CityUnion City is a city located in Obion County, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 10,876. It is the county seat of Obion County 6. Geography Union City is located at 36°25'28" North, 89°3'3" West (36. 424395, -89. Accordin, BrownsvilleBrownsville is a city located in Haywood County, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 10,748. It is the county seat of Haywood County 6. Geography Brownsville is located at 35°35'26" North, 89°15'39" West (35. 590558, -89., MartinMartin is a city located in Weakley County, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 10,515. Martin is the home of the University of Tennessee-Martin. Geography Martin is located at 36°20'31" North, 88°51'6" West (36. 341836, -, ParisParis is a city located in Henry County, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,763. It is the county seat of Henry County 6. Geography Paris is located at 36°18'4" North, 88°18'50" West (36. 301229, -88. According to the U, HumboldtHumboldt is a city located in Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,467. Geography Humboldt is located at 35°49'21" North, 88°54'40" West (35. 822564, -88. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total, and CovingtonCovington is a city located in Tipton County, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,463. It is the county seat of Tipton County 6. Geography Covington is located at 35°33'54" North, 89°38'50" West (35. 564937, -89. Accordi. Of these, only Jackson and Dyersburg have populations in excess of 15,000.
The principal public universities in West Tennessee are the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee at Martin; the University of Tennessee also maintains a medical campus in Memphis.
The entire region, especially the area closest to the Mississippi, lies in a zone of high earthquake risk; the Mississippi flows at the edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone. In 1811 and 1812, three of the most devastating quakes in U.S. history hit the region when it had little European settlement. By some reports, the quakes briefly reversed the flow of the Mississippi; a lasting legacy of the quakes is Reelfoot Lake, a shallow lake created due to topographic changes caused by that event.
Unlike the geographic designations of regions of most U.S. states, the term West Tennessee has legal as well as socioeconomic meaning. West Tennessee, along with East Tennessee and Middle Tennessee, comprises one of the state's three Grand Divisions. According to the state constitution, no more than two of the state supreme court's five justices can come from any one Grand Division, and the Supreme Court meets in each of the three (the State Supreme Court building for West Tennessee is in Jackson). A similar rule applies to certain other commissions and boards as well, to prevent them from showing a geographic bias.
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