In 2025, Nashville hotels saw their busiest tourism month ever. The zoo hit a high-water mark in its effort to restore the population of Puerto Rican crested toads. And Vanderbilt University Medical Center set a new world record for heart transplants.

The big picture: We were inspired by Spotify Wrapped to pull statistics that summed up different aspects of life in Nashville this year.

• Our findings are perfect conversation starters for all of the holiday parties and family dinners on your calendar.

📚 The Nashville Public Library logged more than 7 million book and e-book checkouts this year.

• Zoom in: The top fiction title was "Great Big Beautiful Life" by Emily Henry, while "The Let Them Theory" by Mel Robbins reigned supreme in nonfiction.

🧳 Tourism hit another peak, with 995,239 hotel room nights sold in October, according to Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp — the most in a single month in Nashville history.

🕯️ Thistle Farms team members poured a whopping 32,000 candles during their fiscal year, which ran July 2024-June 2025.

🐸 The Nashville Zoo produced and then released 6,681 endangered Puerto Rican crested toads back into the wild in Puerto Rico, the largest tally since the conservation program began.

🥕 Second Harvest of Middle Tennessee and its partners distributed 47,981,965 pounds of food through mid-December of this year. About a third of that was produce.

• Between the lines: The nonprofit was particularly busy this fall, when a lapse in SNAP benefits triggered a wave of intense need in Nashville and nationwide.

🌷 Gardeners at Cheekwood planted 152,690 seasonal plants throughout the year, including 100,000 tulips.

🩺 Vanderbilt University Medical Center's cardiac surgeons performed 200 heart transplants in 2025 — the largest total in history.

• Flashback: That eclipses the world record the Vanderbilt Transplant Center set last year with 174 adult and pediatric heart transplants.

🧺 Metro police are prepping to bring groceries and goodies to at least 235 families and 140 elderly residents through their Christmas Basket program. That includes toys for more than 1,000 kids.

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Tennessee's population has been on an upswing for years due to a surge of newcomers moving from other states.

By the numbers: The state added nearly 80,000 new residents between 2023 and 2024, according to a recent report from the University of Tennessee.

Zoom in: An analysis of interstate moves by Atlas Van Lines found the trend of Tennessee transplants extending into 2025.

• More than 53% of the company's calls in Tennessee this year were from movers coming into the state.

Gov. Bill Lee pardoned country star Jelly Roll on two decades-old convictions in Davidson County.

• "It was evident to me that this is a man who should get a pardon," Lee told reporters. (Tennessean)

🚧 This year's list of endangered properties in Nashville includes Emerald Sound Studio, where Johnny Cash and Bon Jovi recorded. (Nashville Scene)

🍔 In-N-Out fans are teaming up to crowdsource up-to-date wait times at the burger chain's new Nashville area locations. (WSMV)

👋 Mike Szvetitz, Axios Local managing editor, here. I spent two days in Nashville this week visiting our all-star team.

The big picture: Ever since being hired to oversee the South, it's been my goal to make it to every city on my watch before the end of the year to meet with the teams in person. This is a relationship business, y'all.

• Nashville was last on the list ... but definitely not least.

Adam and Nate took great care of me during my trip. We ate good, drank gooder (yes, that should be a word) and had a grand ole time.

State of play: We spent two days talking about journalism, the state of Nashville and why our coverage of the Music City is so vital. We also planned coverage that will serve you, our readers, better in 2026.

Zoom out: It's been a few years since I've been to Nashville, and most of my trips have revolved around downtown, Bridgestone Arena, Vanderbilt University and Nissan Stadium, because, well, sports.

Zoom in: But this week, I saw the city and its really freaking cool neighborhoods in a different light.

• Of course, Nashville is so, so much more than Lower Broadway.

Yes, but: There's just something cool about being able to listen to a solid three-piece band at 12:37pm on a Tuesday while scarfing down a meat and three.

Between the lines: While I enjoyed visiting a handful of Nashville gems (Attaboy, Otto's Bar, Noko and, of course, Hattie B's), the best part of the trip was the people, and seeing someone's hometown through their eyes.

Adam and Nate are such amazing reporters, who dive headfirst into their job with such passion and zeal for their city.

• As good as they are as journalists, they're even better people, who love this city and the folks in it.

The bottom line: Nashville is blessed to have them. As well as the meat and threes.

Sadly, we only have a handful of newsletters left in 2025. That means this will be our final news quiz of the year.

• So if there was ever a time to step it up and prove your smarts, it is now.

1. How many appeals have been filed following the latest Davidson County property reappraisals: More or less than 15,000?
2. Name one of the issues that was on the agenda for the latest Metro Council meeting.
3. Who was the college football legend who recently joined the Nashville Predators' ownership group?

✍️ Hit reply and share your answers. Winners will get a glorious shout-out next week.