Bristol, Tennessee

Coordinates: 36°35′N 82°11′W / 36.583°N 82.183°W / 36.583; -82.183
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Bristol
State Street in downtown Bristol, Tennessee (left) and Bristol, Virginia (right)
State Street in downtown Bristol, Tennessee (left) and Bristol, Virginia (right)
FIPS code
47-08540
GNIS feature ID1327702[5]
Websitewww.bristoltn.org

Bristol is a city in

Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area, which had a population of 307,614 in 2020.[6] The metro area is a component of the larger Tri-Cities
region of Tennessee and Virginia, with a population of 508,260 in 2020.

Bristol is known for being the site of some of the earliest

U.S. Congress recognized Bristol as the "Birthplace of Country Music" in 1998, and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum is located in Bristol.[7] It also is the birthplace of Tennessee Ernie Ford
.

Bristol is the site of

Contura Energy, is based in Bristol. [8]

History

Before 1852, the land where Bristol is located was owned by Reverend James King. His son-in-law, Joseph R. Anderson of Blountville, Tennessee, bought 100 acres (40 ha) of the plantation and named it Bristol.[9] The G.W. Blackley House, one of the oldest houses in Bristol, was constructed in 1869.

Country Music

The Bristol Guitar

The U.S. Congress declared Bristol to be the "Birthplace of Country Music", according to a resolution passed in 1998, recognizing its contributions to early country music recordings and influence, and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum is located in Bristol.[7]

In 1927, record producer Ralph Peer of Victor Records began recording local musicians in Bristol, to attempt to capture the local sound of traditional "folk" music of the region. One of these local sounds was created by the Carter Family, who got their start on July 31, 1927, when A.P. Carter and his family journeyed from Maces Spring, Virginia, to Bristol to audition for Ralph Peer, who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry. They received $50 for each song they recorded. That same visit by Peer to Bristol also resulted in the first recordings by Jimmie Rodgers.[10]

Since 1994, the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance has promoted the city as a destination to learn about country music and the city's role in the creation of an entire music genre. The alliance is organizing the building of a new Cultural Heritage Center to help educate the public about the history of country music in the region.[11] On August 1, 2014, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum opened in Bristol, Virginia to commemorate the historical significance of the Bristol sessions. The museum features a 24,000-ft building that houses core exhibits, space for special exhibits, a performance theater, and a radio station.

Every year, during the third weekend in September, a music festival called the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion takes place. The festival is held downtown, where Tennessee and Virginia meet, and it celebrates Bristol's heritage as the birthplace of country music.[12]

Geography

Bristol is located in the northeast corner of Tennessee, at 36°34′9″N 82°11′51″W / 36.56917°N 82.19750°W / 36.56917; -82.19750 (36.569135, −82.197489).[13]

Bristol is located 20.95 miles east of Kingsport, Tennessee, 21.51 miles northeast of Johnson City, Tennessee, 38.74 miles northwest of Boone, North Carolina, 105.96 miles northeast of Knoxville, Tennessee, and 132.61 miles southwest of Roanoke, Virginia.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.5 square miles (76.4 km2), of which 29.4 square miles (76.1 km2) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km2) (0.44%) is covered by water.

Climate

Like much of the rest of the state, Bristol has a

June 30, 2012.[15]

Precipitation is low compared to much of East Tennessee, averaging 41.0 inches (1,040 mm) annually, and reaches a low during autumn. The rainiest calendar day on record is October 16, 1964, when 3.65 inches (93 mm) of rain fell; monthly precipitation has ranged from 0.02 inches (0.51 mm) in October 2002 to 12.70 inches (323 mm) in July 2012.[15] Bristol's normal (1981–2010) winter snowfall stands at 13.3 inches (34 cm), significantly more than what most of Tennessee receives. The most snow in one calendar day was 16.2 inches (41 cm) on November 21, 1952, while the most in one month is 27.9 inches (71 cm) during March 1960, which contributed to the winter of 1959–60, with a total of 51.0 inches (130 cm), finishing as the snowiest on record.[15]

Climate data for Bristol, Tennessee (Tri-Cities Regional Airport), 1991–2020 normals,[a] extremes 1937–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 79
(26)
82
(28)
85
(29)
90
(32)
94
(34)
103
(39)
102
(39)
101
(38)
100
(38)
94
(34)
84
(29)
78
(26)
103
(39)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 67.4
(19.7)
69.8
(21.0)
76.6
(24.8)
83.8
(28.8)
87.4
(30.8)
91.6
(33.1)
93.0
(33.9)
92.2
(33.4)
90.1
(32.3)
83.3
(28.5)
74.9
(23.8)
67.9
(19.9)
94.3
(34.6)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 46.5
(8.1)
50.9
(10.5)
59.4
(15.2)
69.4
(20.8)
77.1
(25.1)
83.8
(28.8)
86.4
(30.2)
85.8
(29.9)
80.7
(27.1)
70.2
(21.2)
58.7
(14.8)
49.5
(9.7)
68.2
(20.1)
Daily mean °F (°C) 36.4
(2.4)
40.0
(4.4)
47.4
(8.6)
56.4
(13.6)
64.7
(18.2)
72.3
(22.4)
75.6
(24.2)
74.5
(23.6)
68.6
(20.3)
57.3
(14.1)
46.4
(8.0)
39.3
(4.1)
56.6
(13.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 26.3
(−3.2)
29.2
(−1.6)
35.4
(1.9)
43.3
(6.3)
52.3
(11.3)
60.7
(15.9)
64.7
(18.2)
63.2
(17.3)
56.4
(13.6)
44.3
(6.8)
34.2
(1.2)
29.2
(−1.6)
44.9
(7.2)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 7.6
(−13.6)
11.9
(−11.2)
18.4
(−7.6)
27.7
(−2.4)
36.9
(2.7)
49.0
(9.4)
56.2
(13.4)
54.5
(12.5)
43.3
(6.3)
28.8
(−1.8)
19.4
(−7.0)
13.2
(−10.4)
4.5
(−15.3)
Record low °F (°C) −21
(−29)
−15
(−26)
−2
(−19)
21
(−6)
30
(−1)
38
(3)
45
(7)
43
(6)
33
(1)
20
(−7)
5
(−15)
−9
(−23)
−21
(−29)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.65
(93)
3.81
(97)
3.96
(101)
3.79
(96)
3.82
(97)
3.92
(100)
5.00
(127)
3.76
(96)
2.84
(72)
2.52
(64)
3.14
(80)
3.76
(96)
43.97
(1,117)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 3.0
(7.6)
3.0
(7.6)
1.1
(2.8)
0.1
(0.25)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.3
(0.76)
1.7
(4.3)
9.2
(23)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 12.7 12.7 13.6 11.7 12.6 12.4 12.8 10.8 8.4 8.5 9.8 12.2 138.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 2.8 2.7 1.1 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 1.6 8.8
Source: NOAA[15][16]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18801,647
18903,324101.8%
19005,27158.6%
19107,14835.6%
19208,04712.6%
193012,00549.2%
194014,00416.7%
195016,77119.8%
196017,5824.8%
197020,06414.1%
198023,98619.5%
199023,421−2.4%
200024,8216.0%
201026,7027.6%
202027,1471.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]
2018 Estimate[18][4]

2020 census

Bristol racial composition[19]
Race Number Percentage
White
(non-Hispanic)
24,200 89.14%
Black or African American
(non-Hispanic)
802 2.95%
Native American
43 0.16%
Asian
243 0.9%
Pacific Islander
9 0.03%
Other/Mixed
1,164 4.29%
Latino
686 2.53%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,147 people, 11,450 households, and 6,808 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

racial makeup
of the city was 95.15% White, 2.97% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.68% of the population.

Of the 10,648 households, 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were not families. Nearly 32% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26, and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city, the age distribution was 21.1% under 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,039, and for a family was $37,341. Males had a median income of $28,210 versus $21,173 for females. The

poverty line
, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

Sports

Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol is the location of Bristol Motor Speedway, a motorsports venue that hosts several NASCAR events. It is also home to Bristol Dragway, which hosts the Ford Thunder Valley Nationals, an NHRA national event.

A

rookie Minor League Baseball affiliate, the Bristol Pirates, played its home games at DeVault Memorial Stadium in Bristol, Virginia, from 1969 to 2020. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League, in which the Pirates played, was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league, and the Pirates were replaced by a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshman and sophomores.[21]

Education

Colleges and universities

Primary and secondary schools

Bristol Tennessee City Schools operates public schools serving almost all of the city, with Tennessee High School being its public high school. Small sections are in the Sullivan County School District.[22]

Media

Television:

Note-WEMT is licensed to Greeneville, Tennessee, but co-located with sister station WCYB-TV.

Radio

  • WZAP (AM 690 kHz) Christian
  • WFHG (FM 92.9 MHz) SuperTalk WFHG
  • WWTB (AM 980 kHz) The Sports Fox
  • WXBQ
    (FM 96.9 MHz) Twenty-four Carrot Country
  • WAEZ (FM 94.9 MHz) Electric 94.9
  • WEXX (FM 99.3 MHz) The X 99.3
  • WTFM (FM 98.5 MHz) WTFM 98.5
  • WBCM-LP (FM 100.1 MHz) WBCM Radio Bristol

Newspapers

Infrastructure

Fire Department

The Bristol Fire Department has 82 full-time and six part-time employees. It responds to over 5,000 calls per year and has five stations. The department is accredited by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International.[24]

Police department

The Bristol Police Department is the municipal law enforcement agency for the city. The department has 73 sworn officers and 27 civilian support staff. It also makes use of citizen volunteers as an auxiliary staff, which saves the department over $100,000 annually.[25]

Notable people

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.

References

  1. ^ Tennessee Blue Book (PDF). 2005–2006. pp. 618–625. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2006.
  2. ^ Bristol Chamber of Commerce, "About Bristol Archived December 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved: January 17, 2013.
  3. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. August 12, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Birthplace of Country Music", AmericasLibrary.gov, 2011, web: AL.
  8. ^ "Alpha, Contura sounding an optimistic note".
  9. ^ "History of Bristol | Bristol, TN - Official Website". www.bristoltn.org. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  10. (paper). p. 158.
  11. ^ "BCMA - Birthplace of Country Music Alliance", BCMA, 2012, webpage: BCMA.
  12. ^ "Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion", BristolRhythm.com, 2011, webpage: BR
  13. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  14. ^ United States Department of Agriculture. "USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map". United States National Arboretum. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d e "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  16. ^ "Station: Bristol Tri City AP, TN". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  17. ^ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  18. ^ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  19. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  20. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  21. ^ "MLB, USA Baseball Announce New Format for Appalachian League". Major League Baseball. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  22. U.S. Census Bureau
    . Retrieved September 24, 2021. Page 14 (13/21) shows sections of Bristol in the Sullivan County district.
  23. ^ "Bristol Herald Courier". heraldcourier.com.
  24. ^ "Fire Department". Bristol, Tennessee. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  25. ^ "Police Department". Bristol, Tennessee. Retrieved November 26, 2023.

Further reading

  • Phillips, V.N. Bud. (1992) Bristol Tennessee/Virginia: A History-1852-1900. Johnson City: Overmountain Press.

External links