Bristol, Virginia

Bristol, Virginia
Bristol, Virginia
—   City  —
A sign welcomes visitors to the twin cities of Bristol, Virginia and Bristol, Tennessee.

Seal
Nickname(s): The Birthplace of Country Music
Motto: A Good Place To Live
Coordinates: 36°36′N 82°11′W / 36.6°N 82.183°W / 36.6; -82.183
Country United States
State Virginia
Government
 – Type Council-manager government
 – Mayor Ed Harlow
Area
 –  City 13.3 sq mi (34.1 km2)
 – Land 12.9 sq mi (33.4 km2)
 – Water 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Elevation 1,680 ft (512 m)
Population (2010)
 –  City 17,835
 – Density 1,346.4/sq mi (519.8/km2)
 – Metro 302,997
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 – Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s) 276
FIPS code 51-09816[1]
GNIS feature ID 1492633[2]
Website www.bristolva.org
State Street separates Virginia (left) and Tennessee (right)

Bristol is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Washington County, Virginia, Bristol, Tennessee, and Sullivan County, Tennessee.

The 2010 U.S. Census revealed a population of 17,835[3]. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State Street. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Bristol, Virginia with Washington County for statistical purposes. Bristol is a principal city of KingsportBristol–Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.

Originally named Goodson, it was renamed to Bristol (after Bristol, England) in 1890.

Contents

Geography

Bristol is located at 36°36′N 82°11′W / 36.6°N 82.183°W / 36.6; -82.183 (36.6111, -82.1762)[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.2 square miles (34 km2), of which, 12.9 square miles (33 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) of it (2.05%) is water. The city is served by I-81, US-58, US-421, and US-11.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 17,367 people, 7,678 households, and 4,798 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,346.4 people per square mile (519.8/km²). There were 8,469 housing units at an average density of 656.6 per square mile (253.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.54% White, 5.57% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,678 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the city, the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,389, and the median income for a family was $34,266. Males had a median income of $28,420 versus $20,967 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,311. About 13.2% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

As of July 2011:

  • Mayor: Ed Harlow
  • Vice Mayor: Don Ashley
  • Council Member: James R. Heaney
  • Council Member: Jim Steele
  • Council Member: Guy P. Odum
  • City Manager: Dewey Cashwell Jr.
  • City Attorneys: Ed Stout and Pete Curcio
  • City Clerk: Steve Allen
  • Sheriff: Jack Weisenburger
  • Circuit Court Clerk: Terry Rohr
  • Commissioner of Revenue: Terry Frye
  • Commonwealth Attorney: Jerry Wolfe
  • City Treasurer: Angel Harris
  • School Board Chairman: Ronald Cameron
  • School Board Vice Chairman: Randy White
  • School Board Member: Randy Alvis
  • School Board Member: Tyrone Foster
  • School Board Member: Beth Rhinehart

Technology

Despite its relatively small size, Bristol, Virginia boasts one of the most advanced broadband networks in the country. Bristol Virginia Utilities (BVU) started planning a fiber optic deployment in the city in the late 1990s. By the year 2001, BVU had been granted approval by the City Council of Bristol for a full deployment of a Fiber to the premises (FTTP or FTTU, fiber to the user) project. This project was to offer competition to local incumbents and provide broadband Internet, cable TV, and telephone service to the residents of Bristol. This deployment was one of the first of its kind in the United States and was widely watched by the telecommunications industry. A system known as Passive optical network (PON) was successfully deployed to over 6000 customers in a matter of 2 years.

Today, Bristol Virginia is still one of only a few FTTP deployments in the country with a significant number of customers online. Bristol’s twin, Bristol, Tennessee, is also deploying an FTTP system similar to its neighbor across the state line.

Education

In 2007 and 2008, Bristol was named one of the Best 100 Communities for Music Education[5][6][7]

Colleges

High School

Middle School

  • Virginia Middle School

Elementary Schools

  • Highland View Elementary School
  • Stonewall Jackson Elementary School
  • Van Pelt Elementary School
  • Washington Lee Elementary School

Private Schools

  • St Anne Catholic School (Pre-K - 8)
  • Sullins Academy Private School (Preschool - 8th Grade)

Culture

"Birthplace of Country Music"

Bristol is considered to be the "Birthplace of Country Music" according to a resolution passed by the US Congress in 1998 for its contributions to early country music recordings and influence.

In 1927 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. The Carter Family got their start on July 31, 1927, when A.P. Carter and his family journeyed from Maces Spring, Virginia, to Bristol, Tennessee, to audition for record producer Ralph Peer who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry. They received $50 for each song they recorded.

Since 1994 the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance has promoted the city as a destination to learn about the history of the region and its role in the creation of an entire music genre. Currently, 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.

Professional sports

Bristol hosts the Bristol White Sox baseball team of the Appalachian League.

Former NASCAR driver Kelly Denton is from the city.

On the Tennessee side, Bristol is home to Bristol Motor Speedway, the "world's fastest half mile" which hosts two races per year on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, two races per year on the NASCAR Nationwide Series circuit, one race per year on the Camping World Truck Series circuit, and various other racing events. The complex includes the Bristol Dragway, nicknamed "Thunder Valley," referencing the hills that echo the engine noise back toward the crowd.

Media

Television:

  • WCYB-TV in Bristol, VA (NBC Channel 5)
  • WEMT-TV in Bristol, VA (Fox Channel 10)
  • WJHL-TV in Johnson City, TN (CBS Channel 11)

Newspaper:

Radio:

Public Library

See also

References

External links

Coordinates: 36°36′40″N 82°10′34″W / 36.6111°N 82.1762°W / 36.6111; -82.1762


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bristol (Virginia) — Bristol Spitzname: The Birthplace of Country Music Großes Willkommensschild an der State Street, die in zwei Staaten liegt …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bristol Virginia Utilities — Infobox Company name = Bristol Virginia Utilities type = Municipal foundation = Bristol, Virginia 1945 location city = Bristol, Virginia location country = United States area served = Bristol, Virginia Washington County, Virginia industry =… …   Wikipedia

  • Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign — Infobox nrhp name = Bristol Virginia Tennessee Slogan Sign nrhp type = caption = location = E. State St. Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia nearest city = lat degrees = lat minutes = lat seconds = lat direction = long degrees = long minutes …   Wikipedia

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Bristol, Virginia — Map of all coordinates from Google Map of all coordinates from Bing Export al …   Wikipedia

  • Bristol (Tennessee) — Bristol Spitzname: The Birthplace of Country Music Willkommensschild zur Zwillingsstadt Bristol Lage in Tennessee …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bristol (disambiguation) — Bristol is a city and county in England, but may also refer to:Terms where Bristol refers to the English cityPlaces*The Bristol Channel, a body of water between England and Wales *Port of Bristol, the commercial and formerly commercial docks in… …   Wikipedia

  • Bristol (Begriffsklärung) — Bristol ist der Name von: Ortschaften: Bristol, Stadt im Südwesten von England Bristol (Connecticut), USA Bristol (Florida), USA Bristol (Illinois), USA Bristol (Indiana), USA Bristol (Maine), USA Bristol (New Hampshire), USA Bristol (New York),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Virginia locations by per capita income — Virginia has the sixth highest per capita income of any state in the United States of America, at $23,975 (2000). Its personal per capita income is $33,671 (2003). Virginia Counties Ranked by Per Capita Income There are 135 counties and… …   Wikipedia

  • Virginia High School (Virginia) — Infobox School name= Virginia High School imagesize= streetaddress= 1200 Long Crescent Dr city= Bristol state= Virginia zipcode= 24201 country= USA url= [http://www.bristolvaschools.org/vhs/ Official Site] district= Bristol Virginia Public… …   Wikipedia

  • Bristol — /bris tl/, n. 1. a seaport in Avon, in SW England, on the Avon River near its confluence with the Severn estuary. 420,100. 2. a city in central Connecticut. 57,370. 3. a city in NE Tennessee, contiguous with but politically independent of Bristol …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”