Smyrna is not a Japanese word, but it is well known in the Japanese auto industry.

A sprawling plant in Smyrna has been manufacturing vehicles for Nissan North America Inc. since 1982, and production capacity there has grown to 550,000 vehicles annually. With a workforce of 6,500, the plant produces Altima and Maxima cars, the Frontier pickup truck, Xterra compact SUV and the Pathfinder mid-size SUV.

It was the Japanese company’s first assembly plant in the United States, and it’s still Nissan’s largest on U.S. soil.