Memphis, in Shelby County, is the largest city in Tennessee. The greater Memphis area, with a population of over 1.2 million, is the biggest metropolitan area in the state, after Nashville.

The Memphis area initially belonged to the Chickasaw tribe. Europeans came much later, with a Spanish explorer named Hernando de Soto who is believed to have been in the area in the 1540s. By the late 17th century, French explorers such as Sieur de La Salle and Ren