<P> Tennessee is a state located in the Southern United States . There are 346 municipalities in the state of Tennessee . Municipalities in the state are designated as "cities" or "towns". As of the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,564,494 Tennesseans, or just over 56% of the state's total population of 6,346,105, resided in municipalities . The remainder resided in unincorporated areas . </P> <P> Before 1954, all Tennessee municipalities were established by private act of the state legislature and operated under charters established by private act of the legislature . As of 2007, 212 of the state's municipalities were operating under charters established by private act of the legislature . In 1953, amendments to the Tennessee Constitution prohibited subsequent incorporations by private act and provided for several new forms of municipal charter . Fourteen cities, including Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, three of the state's four largest cities, are "home rule cities" organized under charters approved by referendum of the citizens . Home rule charters are authorized by Article XI, Section 9, of the Tennessee State Constitution, as amended in 1953 . Other municipalities are incorporated under one of several standardized types of charter authorized by state statute: </P>

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