[3] Bristol is the location of the general studios of ESPN, the location of Lake Compounce, the United States's oldest continuously operating theme park, and is facing approval in 2024 to become home to one of the largest biomedical waste incineration operations in the United States.

[7] The area that includes present-day Bristol was originally inhabited by the Tunxis Native American tribe, one of the Eastern Algonquian-speaking peoples that shared the lower Connecticut River Valley.

[9] The first actual settler of Bristol was Daniel Brownson, who built a house near West Street, but did not stay in the area very long.

The following year the first settlement arrived in what became East Bristol when Nathaniel Messenger of Hartford and Benjamin Buck of Southington bought land and built houses along King Street.

By 1742, the families inhabiting the area petitioned the Connecticut Colony General Court for permission to create their own Congregational Society, citing the difficulties traveling to Farmington during winter.

The Court approved their petition for the winter months only, and in 1744, agreed that area residents could set up their own ecclesiastical society.

However, since homes were so widely scattered, the General Court formed a committee to locate the geographic center of the settlement.

Roberts began making wooden moment clocks and peddled them by horseback through Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania.

As Roberts' sons grew up and began helping with the business, Gideon increased production and Bristol clocks were soon sold all over the country.

By the early 19th century, nearly all of the capital and skill in town was involved in the clock industry in some form or fashion.

Today, Bristol is mostly residential and best known as the home of ESPN (which arrived in 1979), the American Clock & Watch Museum (since 1952), and Lake Compounce, America's oldest operating theme park—opened in 1846.

[12] In the 1990s, the Blight Committee was formed to enforce appearance laws, and even demolish[13] properties which it deems are unsightly and unkempt.

This new committee has even greater powers and can now deal with both appearances and structural integrity issues of buildings in Bristol.

The law requires all structures to be free of "abandoned vehicles, nuisances, refuse, pollution and filth ... broken glass, loose shingles, holes, cracked or damaged siding, crumbling brick and other conditions 'reflective of deterioration or inadequate maintenance.

The boundaries of Forestville go from the Plainville town line, south to the Southington town line, west up to the industrial development along Middle street and crosses King Street, including properties on Kingswood Drive and Bernside Drive, north up to Bristol Eastern High School, then north up to the south edge of properties on Louisiana Avenue, then to the west of properties on the west side of Brook Street and from there, goes up to commercial development along Farmington Avenue.

Forestville village has a library branch (Manross), post office, meeting hall, community group (Forestville Village Association), fire station, cemetery, funeral home, two urban parks (Quinlan Veterans Park and Clock Tower Park), Pequabuck Duck Race, Memorial Day Parade, Summer Concert Night, Pumpkin Festival, and a railroad station (no longer in use).

[25] Founded in 1857 and headquartered in Bristol, Barnes Group is a diversified international manufacturer of precision metal components and assemblies and a distributor of industrial supplies, serving a wide range of markets and customers.

[28][29] According to Bristol's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[30] the top employers in the city were: Bristol holds an annual street festival in September with a car show and a family farms weekend at Minors Farm, Shepherd Meadows and Roberts Orchard.

The members of the Chamber of Commerce and City of Bristol officials met and completed a list of activities to take place over six days.

[32][33][34] Parks in Bristol include Peck, Page, Rockwell, Bracket, Barnes Nature Center, Indian Rock, and Forestville Memorial.

[35] The city is also home to Lake Compounce (1846), the oldest continuously operated amusement park in North America, and to the New England Carousel Museum.

At the federal level, Bristol is in Connecticut's 1st congressional district and is currently represented by Democrat John B. Larson.

The report states that more than 87% of Bristol students scored at or above the proficient level in each of the content areas assessed.

In addition, it has been proposed that the entire education system of the city be redesigned, eliminating the middle school category.

The Bristol Hospital's EMS are carried out using six emergency ambulances (including spares), two paramedic intercept vehicles and four wheelchair vans.