Travel Guide Bristol

Straddling Tennessee and Virginia, Bristol is divided into two twin cities by State Street, the main street that marks the border between the two states. There are 26,000 inhabitants on the Tennessee side and 18,600 on the Virginia side. While it is no longer possible, as in the past, to escape the police by siding on either side of State Street, it is still possible to take advantage of the differences in tax regulations between states. Thus, most of the locals go shopping in the northern part (Bristol-Virginia), where department stores offer better prices, and go to bars and restaurants in the south (Bristol-Tennessee), where taxes on food are lower. When we add to this the fact that income tax does not exist in Tennessee, we can understand why the separation of the population between the two cities is more favourable to Bristol-Tennessee. Beyond these amusing details, Bristol is above all known as the birthplace of country music. It was here, in the mid-1920s, that Ralph Peer, a music recording pioneer in search of new talent, discovered the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. Without wishing to remove Bristol's title of "Birthplace of Country Music", it will be remembered that the first commercial recordings of this musical style took place in 1922, with artists Eck Robertson (1887-1975) and Henry C. Gilliland (1845-1924). While music plays a central role in Bristol, particularly with the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, which takes place every year in September, it has been competing for several years with motor sports and in particular NASCAR races (production cars). The Bristol Motor Speedway, south of the city, is a circuit well known by enthusiasts. Its stands can accommodate 165,000 spectators.