Nashville's flag features a horizontally divided field: white on top, blue below. At the center is the municipal seal, showing a large fleur-de-lis surrounded by four stars.
The fleur-de-lis is not a symbol of Nashville – it is a French symbol. It appears here because Nashville is named after Francis Nash, a general of the American Revolution. The city's founders incorporated the fleur-de-lis as a nod to the French origins of Tennessee (explored by the French in the 17th century).
"Music City USA" is the world center of country music. The Grand Ole Opry, the longest-running radio show in America (since 1925), still records live every week. The Country Music Hall of Fame is the Vatican of country.
Broadway in Nashville is lined with "honky tonks" – bars where live music plays from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m., seven days a week. Tens of thousands of musicians live in Nashville, hoping to make it. The music industry generates $10 billion annually.
Nashville is also the capital of Tennessee. A full-scale Parthenon in Centennial Park is a reminder that Nashville is called the "Athens of the South." The blue-and-white flag with its fleur-de-lis hides its musical heart.