Virginia Tennessee State Line

Black text above and below a black and white photograph of a town on a white background

Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia are twin cities on opposite sides of the state line, which runs along State Street (the main street) and through both cities. A sign above State Street/the state line proclaims Bristol “a good place to live.” The cities were officially recognized by Congress in 1998 as the birthplace of country music. In the 1920s, Ralph Peer of Victor Records scouted the area and discovered the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. The two acts went on to record and popularize folk and country music. Descendants of the original Carter Family, including June Carter Cash, went on to shape American country music.