Apartments in Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol,Tri-City, TN

Bristol, Virginia is located at the Virginia-Tennessee line and is Bristol, Tennessee’s sister city. The city is home to 26,803 residents and is part of the larger Tri-Cities region. Originally Bristol was known as Goodson, and then the city was renamed in 1890 after the original city of Bristol in England.

Before Bristol existed as an American city, the area was inhabited by Cherokee and Yuchi tribes. In the 1800’s, the land where Bristol now stands was on a plantation owned by Rev. James King. In 1856, the city was founded by Mr. King’s son-in-law, Joseph R. Anderson and was built around the connection of two railroad lines.

Land adjoining the original site of Bristol, TN was owned by Samuel Goodson, who turned it into an establishment named, “Goodsonville”. Eventually Bristol, TN and Goodsonville, VA merged into the town of Goodson. Before the turn of the twentieth century, the sister cities both changed their names to Bristol in their respective states.

Bristol, VA shares a great deal of history with its sister city in Tennessee. Due to the locations of the cities on the railroad lines, both were important during the Civil War for transporting supplies and soldiers. In the twentieth century, Bristol became famous for being the birthplace of country music. The first recordings of country music were made by the Victor Talking Machine Company of regional and local musicians in Bristol. After Bristol became famous for country music, local radio stations frequently featured big-name country and bluegrass groups like Flatt and Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers.

Bristol is a scenic Appalachian city with a historic past. Its location in the Blue Ridge Mountains makes it a fantastic spot for any lover of the outdoors. Like its sister in Tennessee, Bristol is “A Good Place to Live”.