KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Tennessee lawmakers in recent years have not been shy about adding to the state’s long list of official state symbols.
The Bluetick coonhound became the official dog of Tennessee in 2019, while Steve Earle’s country-rock hit “Copperhead Road” was added to the list of state songs in 2023. Here’s a few official state symbols you may not have been familiar with.
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Wild animal: Raccoon
Long before the Tennessee Walking Horse was made the state’s official horse in 2000, lawmakers crowned the raccoon as the state wild animal back in 1971.
This year, lawmakers approved a bill lifting the permit fee to own a pet raccoon as long as the animal is obtained from a legal source; has been vaccinated; is non-native; was not captured from the wild; and a possession permit for the raccoon has been issued by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
State fruit: Tomato
Lawmakers designed the tomato as Tennessee’s state fruit back in 2003. The Tennessee Secretary of State’s website notes that, “while commonly considered, and commonly functioning as, a vegetable, the tomato is, botanically speaking, a fruit.”…