State Street - Bristol, TN-VA

State Street in downtown Bristol, TN-VA.
Markers designating the Tennessee-Virginia state line on State Street.

The city of Bristol, TN is widely known because of the NASCAR races that take place at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) every spring and fall, but most people are unaware that Bristol is actually a twin city with roughly half of it lying in Tennessee and the other half in Virginia.

Today's picture features State Street in downtown Bristol. The center of State Street is actually the state line - cars traveling in the right lane are in Tennessee and the ones in the left lane are in Virginia! Every 20 feet or so, there is a commemorative marker between the yellow lines designating the actual state line (see the photo at right).

Of course the NASCAR races have put Bristol "on the map", but there is a lot more to the city than just NASCAR! Bristol is also the "Birthplace Of Country Music" thanks to the Bristol Sessions of 1927. Those famous recordings began the process that transformed the music of the Appalachians, over time, into what we know as Country Music today.

Bristol is proud of its legacy as the "Birthplace Of Country Music", and in 1998 Congress made it official by passing a resolution recognizing the city as such. The sounds of the Appalachians are being preserved and promoted still today in the Bristol area by a large number of local Bluegrass and Old Time Music performers and groups.

The Bristol NASCAR races are among the most popular events on the NASCAR circuit, and perhaps you visit Bristol twice a year for the races. If so, the next time you're in town, be sure to check out the Birthplace Of Country Music Museum located in the Bristol Mall.

And of course you're also invited to take in the great live Bluegrass music performances that take place all around the region as well, including the summertime Tuesday evening performances that take place at the Country Music Mural right on State Street (just a few blocks from where the Bristol Sessions were recorded)!

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