Country music has its roots somewhere in the South during the 1920s. Some called it cowboy music. However, it has a relationship with gospel and bluegrass music as well. In the 1950s, its audience grew outside its traditional boundaries as Johnny Cash became a national star and Elvis Presley emerged from Memphis. Today, Billboard treats it as a major part of the music industry and publishes a Hot Country Song list of the most popular albums every week. The annual CMT Awards are part of the TV music calendar.
Lawn Starter recently released its “2021’s Best Cities for Country Music Fans” ranking. The study looked at 182 large American cities and ranks them based on “the number of country radio stations, concerts, and performance venues.” The ranking methodology also turned to social media: “We also gauged the size of the local fandom based on Google search trends and availability of museums dedicated to the genre.”
On a scale of 1 to 100, the worst city for country music fans by far is Killen, Texas, with a rating of 34. In contrast, the top city should be no surprise to anyone. Nashville took that spot. Its score of 77.13 on a scale from 0 to 100 was well above any other city.
Killen has a population of just over 150,000. Much of its economy is supported by the huge military base, Fort Hood. Killen is located 55 miles north of Austin and 125 miles southeast of Dallas. It is among the fastest-growing cities in America. Forty-five percent of the population is white. Another 35% is Black and another 20% is Hispanic. The median household income is just about $44,000, which is well below the national average.
The next lowest on the list is Brownsville, Texas, which sits on the Gulf of Mexico, just north of the Mexican border. It has a score of 54.
Click here to see which is the best city for country music fans.
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