Bristol is an independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State Street. As an independent city, Bristol is not part of any county, but it is adjacent to Washington County, Virginia. It is a principal city in the Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area, which had a population of 307,614 in 2020. The metro area is a component of the larger Tri-Cities region of Tennessee and Virginia, with a population of 508,260 in 2020.
History
thumb|left|[[Bristol Virginia–Tennessee slogan sign]]
Evan Shelby first appeared in what is now the Bristol area around 1765. In 1766, Shelby moved his family and settled at a place called Big Camp Meet (now Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia). It is said that Cherokee Indians once inhabited the area and the Indian village was named, according to legend, because numerous deer and buffalo met here to feast in the canebrakes. Shelby renamed the site Sapling Grove (which would later be changed to Bristol). In 1774, Shelby erected a fort on a hill overlooking what is now downtown Bristol. It was an important stopping-off place for notables such as Daniel Boone and George Rogers Clark, as well as hundreds of pioneers en route to the interior of the developing nation. This fort, known as Shelby's Station was actually a combination trading post, way station, and stockade.
By the mid-nineteenth century, when surveyors projected a junction of two railroad lines at the Virginia-Tennessee state line, Reverend James King conveyed much of his acreage to his son-in-law, Joseph R. Anderson. Anderson laid out the original town of Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia and building began in 1853.
Geography
thumb|State Street separates [[Virginia (left) and Tennessee (right).]]
thumb|Double yellow line on State Street, separating Virginia from Tennessee with a bronze marker embedded in pavement.
Bristol is in southwestern Virginia. It is bordered to the west, north, and east by Washington County, Virginia, and to the south by the city of Bristol in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.07%, is water. Little Creek and Beaver Creek flow south through the city; Little Creek flows into Beaver Creek two blocks south of the state line in Tennessee. Beaver Creek is a tributary of the South Fork Holston River.
The city is served by Interstates 81 and 381, and by U.S. Routes 11, 19, 58 and 421. I-81 leads northeast to Roanoke, Virginia, and southwest to Knoxville, Tennessee. Interstate 381 (I-381) is a spur from Interstate 81 that provides access to Bristol, Virginia, United States. It runs for from the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue (State Route 381) and Keys/Church Streets in Bristol at exit 0 north to Interstate 81. The I-81 interchange, the only one on I-381, is signed as exits 1A (I-81 north) and 1B (I-81 south). US 11 and US 19, running parallel to I-81, lead northeast to Abingdon, Virginia. US 11 splits into routes 11W and 11E in Bristol; US 11W leads west-southwest to Kingsport, Tennessee, while US 11E and US 19 lead south-southwest to Johnson City, Tennessee. US 58 runs with I-81 northeast for before splitting off to the east just beyond Abingdon; US 58 and 421 together lead west to Weber City, Virginia. US 421 leads southeast to Mountain City, Tennessee.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, Bristol has a marine west coast climate abbreviated as Cfb.