City Town Info

Bristol, VA


  • Overview
  • Almanac
  • People
  • Local
  • Schools
  • Comments

Bristol, Virginia

Introduction to Bristol, Virginia

Bristol, Virginia is 22 miles NE of Johnson City, Tennessee (center to center) and 121 miles NW of Charlotte, North Carolina. The city benefits from easy access to the nearby cities and towns with which it shares the Johnson City - Kingsport - Bristol metropolitan area. Bristol contains a population of approximately 17,367.

Bristol History

Bristol originally went by the name Goodson. Initially, it was inhabited by the Cherokee Indians. In the 1700s, Scotch-Irish pioneers settled in this region. The community came into existence in the early 1800s when a railway survey was re-routed into this region which was then located on a tract of land called Sapling Grove. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, and is located directly on the Tennessee-Virginia state line. Bristol is also known as the "Birthplace of Country Music", with the first commercial country music recordings organized in 1927 by Ralph Peer of the Victor Talking Machine Company.

Bristol and nearby Attractions

  • J F Hicks Memorial Library
  • Birthplace of Tennessee Ernie Ford
  • Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area
  • Literacy Academy of Bristol
  • Eastern Park
  • Clear Creek Lake

Things To Do In Bristol

While in Bristol, one can visit the Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area which is a reconstructed fort on the Watauga river. The birthplace of Tennessee Ernie Ford is also close by. The city’s public libraries provide a host of valuable information about the regional history and culture. Bristol also has a number of reservoirs and creeks that are worth visiting. Among these are Clear Creek Lake, Beaver Creek Lake, Goose Creek, and the Susong Branch. The Eastern Park, Randolph Field, and Mumpower Park are places where one can enjoy a variety of sports and other physical activities. The Literacy Academy of Bristol hosts a number of cultural events and functions. The Rhythm and Roots Reunion festival is celebrated in the city every year.

Bristol Transportation

Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA Airport is close by.

Bristol Higher Education

Residents of Bristol can enroll at Virginia Intermont College or Graham Bible College. Other higher educational institutes nearby include Northeast State Technical Community College and East Tennessee State University.

High Points

Bristol strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Virginia):

CategoryTrophy
Short Commute Times
(vs. State)		Top 13%Bristol Short Commute Times
Affordability of Rents
(vs. Peers)		Top 17%Bristol Affordability of Rents
Affordability of Property Taxes
(vs. Peers)		Top 18%Bristol Affordability of Property Taxes

Comparative Profile of Bristol, VA

Comparing Bristol to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Virginia (State):

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Female Share of the Population108
Senior Citizens108
Age of the Population98
Racial Diversity43
Well-Paid Single Men23
Children Under 5 Years Old24
Male Share of the Population13

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Portion of People Married36
Average Household Size13

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
College Educated Adults46
People Above Poverty34
People in Middle Class or Better34
Median Family Income22

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Short Commute Times89
Public Transportation Use68
Working at Home34
Walking and Biking to Work12

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
People Living Alone97
Affordability of Rents97
Affordability of Property Taxes95
Seasonal and Vacation Housing64
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals67
Housing Recently Built44

Crime

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Low Property Crime53
Low Violent Crime31

Detailed pages on related topics: Bristol colleges • Bristol travel • Bristol mortgage and property.

You are visiting:
All States > Virginia > Bristol

Additional Details

Bristol CollegesBristol Colleges
Bristol colleges and trade schools.
Bristol Hotels & TravelBristol Hotels & Travel
Bristol hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation.
Bristol MortgageBristol Mortgage
Bristol property, mortgage, and real estate.

Career and College Resources on CityTownInfo

Real-World Career Reports

Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.

Career Videos. Professional videos on 800+ jobs, featuring actual employees.

Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!

Career Reference and Data

Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.

Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.

Top Cities for each career. Lists and maps; salaries by city.

Top Industries. Lists of major hiring industries by career, with salaries.

City Comparisons, showing most common jobs, highest paying, etc.

Original Career Articles and Studies

Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.

Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".

Interactive College Search Tools

College Search Scout™. Search by degree, location, major, athletics, etc.

CollegeMatch™. Find school most similar to one of interest.

College Directories and Lists

These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.

Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.

Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.

Exceptional Schools. Lists of the "best/most/highest/lowest" schools.

Places Similar to Bristol

We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.

Find places similar to Bristol

Additional Resources


Large City Map

Info for Bristol Government Officials

Are you an official in the Bristol government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.

Spread The Word

Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Bristol. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.


Copyright © 2004-2009, Moving Traffic, Inc. All Rights Reserved.