[6] The metro area is a component of the larger Tri-Cities region of Tennessee and Virginia, with a population of 508,260 in 2020.

Bristol is known for being the site of some of the earliest commercial recordings of country music, showcasing Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, and later a favorite venue of mountain musician Uncle Charlie Osborne.

The world's fifth-largest coal producer, Contura Energy, is based in Bristol.

His son-in-law, Joseph R. Anderson of Blountville, Tennessee, bought 100 acres (40 ha) of the plantation and named it Bristol.

Carter and his family journeyed from Maces Spring, Virginia, to Bristol to audition for Ralph Peer, who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry.

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.

Every year, during the third weekend in September, a music festival called the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion takes place.

The festival is held downtown, where Tennessee and Virginia meet, and it celebrates Bristol's heritage as the birthplace of country music.

Like much of the rest of the state, Bristol has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa), although with significantly cooler temperatures, especially in the summer, due to elevation; it is part of USDA hardiness zone 6b, with areas to the southwest falling in zone 7a.

[15] Bristol's normal (1981–2010) winter snowfall stands at 13.3 inches (34 cm), significantly more than what most of Tennessee receives.

[23] Television: Note-WEMT is licensed to Greeneville, Tennessee, but co-located with sister station WCYB-TV.

[25] The Bristol Police Department is the municipal law enforcement agency for the city.

It also makes use of citizen volunteers as an auxiliary staff, which saves the department over $100,000 annually.