In 1766, Shelby moved his family and settled at a place called Big Camp Meet (now Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia).

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.

[6] Samuel Goodson, who owned land that adjoined the original town of Bristol TN/VA at its northern boundary (Beaver Creek was the dividing line), started a development known as Goodsonville.

Due to having two different railroads companies, two depots served the cities; one in Bristol, Tenn. and the other in Goodson, Va.

It runs for 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) from the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue (State Route 381) and Keys/Church Streets in Bristol at exit 0 north to Interstate 81.

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

On the early hours of January 1, 1953, Hank Williams stopped in Bristol during some of the last moments of his life.

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.

The complex includes the Bristol Dragway, nicknamed "Thunder Valley", referencing the hills that echo the engine noise back toward the crowd.

School Board Members: Television: Newspaper: Radio: Despite its relatively small size, Bristol, Virginia, boasts one of the more advanced broadband networks in the country.

This project was to offer competition to local incumbents and provide broadband Internet, cable TV, and telephone service to the residents of Bristol.

A system known as Passive optical network (PON) was successfully deployed to over 6,000 customers in a matter of two years.

Serving around 12,500 customers,[31] BVU is recognized as the "first municipal utility in the United States to deploy an all-fiber network offering the triple play of video, voice and data services".

[31] On October 29, 2009, BVU received US$3.5 million in grant funding from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission.

[32] With these funds BVU will build "an additional 49 miles of its OptiNet fiber-optic backbone from Abingdon up I-81 to Virginia Route 16 from Marion into Grayson County".

[32] This will also allow for BVU to make a second connection with Mid Atlantic Broadband, increasing communication between different businesses in Northern Virginia.

On July 3, 2010, it was reported that they gave US$22.7 million in stimulus funds to Southwest Virginia to create a "388-mile optic backbone through an eight-county region".

[33] BVU Optinet continues operate a strong municipal broadband Internet service for Bristol and many other counties in Virginia.

Bristol's twin city in Tennessee has deployed an FTTP system similar to its neighbor across the state line.

Along with the sale of OptiNet, BVU's joint network with Cumberland Plateau Co. was sold to Sunset Digital.

[35] The Tri-Cities Regional Airport, with approximately 195,000 annual passengers, is 19 miles to the southwest of Bristol.

Ralph Northam described Amtrak service to Bristol as a "logical step" but said that it would be conditional upon the replacement of the Long Bridge with a higher-throughput rail crossing of the Potomac River.