Join me in Bristol, the only city in the USA whose downtown is split exactly down the middle between two states! Bristol TN and Bristol VA are considered “twin cities” which occur when two urban centers are built so close together that they grow into each other over time. But twins don't always mean “double the pleasure”. Discover the good, the bad, and the beautiful of Bristol TN / VA in this week's video, which you can also watch and share on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
The two cities share a library, water system, and emergency medical services. They also take turns paying the electricity bill on the city's giant welcome sign which takes over 1300 bulbs to illuminate each night.
In 1856, these conjoined twin cities were separated, and Virginia's Bristol became incorporated into Goodson VA, but everyone continued to refer to its train depot as the Bristol Station, so in 1890, Goodson once again took the name Bristol.
And that's how it's been ever since – two rival cities separated by the main street that runs through downtown. Watch the video to learn more about the cities' sports and economic rivalries.
Watch more videos from the southeastern USA:
I'm from Asheville NC and whenever I come back home to visit, I try to tell stories from nearby because this part of the country offers a lot of history. Here are some of my favorites below, or you can view all of my travel videos from around the world.
The House That Won't Die – At 220 years old, after surviving through two wars, 413 hurricanes, and demolition plans to be replaced by a housing development, this house in North Carolina refuses to die!
Asheville: The Greatest City in the USA – I'm from Asheville North Carolina – the greatest city in the USA! I've been telling people this for so many years that I decided on my last visit home that it was time to put a video where my mouth is.
Dogs Welcome – This hotel in Asheville fosters dogs! Guests arrive, fall in love with these pups, and then discover that they can adopt them. Polly was their 101st dog to find a home.
They Have TWO Downtowns – Join me and my brother Jason in Fuquay-Varina North Carolina as we explore his town's not ONE but TWO downtowns!
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That’s really cool! I had no idea about the twin cities!
My name is Geoff, I live in Bristol UK, Bristol lies in between to counties Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south ;the River Avon runs through the middle of Bristol it is tidal as it is only 7 miles from the Bristol Channel