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31 Aug 2025

Exploring Bristol: The City Split by a State Line

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August 31, 2025

Bristol is one of the most unusual cities in the United States because it is split down the middle of its main street between two states: Virginia and Tennessee. Technically, Bristol is two cities, with a state line running along the double-yellow line in the middle of State Street. However, except for separate governments for each side, Bristol functions as a single city.

The two cities of Bristol — split down the double-yellow line between Tennessee (left) and Virginia (right).

Looking east this time — Virginia is on the left, and Tennessee is on the right.

A historical sign (located on the Virginia side of town) explains the history of Bristol, but it doesn’t explain how Main Street was placed on top of a state boundary. Wikipedia provides some explanation in its article on Bristol, Virginia (link here).

Originally, Bristol was located in both Goodson, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee, and had two train lines and two train depots — one for each side of the state line. When visitors began referring to the entire area as “Bristol,” Goodson, Virginia, abandoned its original name and adopted the name Bristol as well.

The old Bristol (Virginia) railway depot (left) and its accompanying historical sign.

Bristol, Virginia, is one of Virginia’s independent cities, which means it also functions as its own county. Bristol, Tennessee, is located in Sullivan County, Tennessee, but it is not the county seat. Because this blog is about county courthouses and county seats, the rest of this post will focus on Bristol, Virginia.

As the seat of both the city and county of Bristol, the Bristol Courthouse serves as a combination of a courthouse and City Hall. The building itself is a simple two-story red brick structure.

The George M. Warren Justice Center / Bristol, Virginia Courthouse in Bristol, Virgina

Across the street from Bristol City Hall and Courthouse, Cumberland Park features a Vietnam-era helicopter and a memorial dedicated to Vietnam veterans. Nearby, I found ducks feeding in the creek and the town’s old Confederate memorial.

The Bristol Hotel is only a few blocks away. Built in 1925, the Bristol has been restored and converted into a boutique hotel. It’s a fun place and boasts a rooftop bar.

The 1925 Bristol Hotel in Bristol, Virginia

Just two blocks away, I walked down State Street, which separates Virginia from Tennessee. This is Bristol’s main street in almost all respects — the largest shops and restaurants are here.

Have a look for yourself — except for the two mid-street shows below, all of these are photos of the Virginia side of the street:

Here’s to the Axe & Ale, the Corner Bar & Grill, Michael Waltrip Brewing, and an art gallery — the HollerHouse of Bristol.

Bristol, Virginia, also boasts a great musical history and is the home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

Below: a statue of a country music duo in Cumberland Park, and a Virginia road sign for the Crooked Road — Virginia’s music heritage roadway and trail.

If you’re curious, the Tennessee side of town is the larger of the two Bristols. Bristol, Tennessee, has a population of about 27,000, while Bristol, Virginia, has only 17,000 residents. Historically, the Tennessee city has always been larger than its counterpart, and this disparity has grown in recent years due to Tennessee’s more favorable tax policies compared to Virginia. Also, Bristol, Tennessee, can boast of the Bristol Motor Speedway.

Bristol, Virginia, within the state of Virginia

Click here for a list of all TimManBlog American County Seats Series posts.
The photos in this post were taken on July 9, 2023, and are copyrighted by Tim Seibel.

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Posted in County Seats, Travel Posts and tagged art, Axe & Ale, Birthplace of Country Music, Birthplace of Country Music Museum, books, Bristol, Bristol (city), Bristol (city) Virginia, Bristol Hotel, Bristol Hotel Rooftop Bar, Bristol Tennessee, Bristol Virginia, food, HollerHouse, Michael Waltrip Brewing, news, The Crooked Road, travel | Leave a comment

31 Jul 2025

Miller, South Dakota: A Peek into Small Town America

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July 31, 2025

Welcome to Miller, South Dakota! It’s a bright and clear Sunday afternoon here in South Dakota. There is only a slight breeze and a hint of humidity, which belies the temperature of 84°. It feels much warmer though.

Miller’s giant water tower proclaims this burg to be the home of the “Rustlers.” The lettering and the cowboy icon are green like the surrounding grain fields. Over the years, Miller has produced a state governor and a few other notables. These days, Miller is a town of two business blocks and thirteen hundred occupants.

A mural around the corner provides some historical context for this little prairie town. Miller, like so many other places in the Great Plains states, began in 1889 with the coming of the railroad.

Miller’s town mural reminds everyone of the day the railroad brought the world to town.

Miller has grown substantially since the early railroad days; here’s Main Street today.

Traffic along Broadway in Miller, South Dakota

The countryside surrounding Miller supports a mix of corn and soybean fields. The plains are nearly flat here, with only slight ripples to interrupt the cultivation. The soil must be excellent since I saw very few cattle ranches interrupting the cultivated acres.

Miller is the market town for those surrounding farms. It’s a nice-looking place. Let’s take a closer look.

The line-up: Miller Rexall Drug, the Clothes Garden, and Helping Hands at the end of the block.

Hand County Title Company, Farm Bureau Financial Services, and Sommers Bar.

(Every South Dakota bar has a few video poker machines hidden in the corner, hidden out of sight to encourage shame, I think. I played a machine at Sommers and won $20 — I bought a beer with it.)

Here are some more pillars of the community. I say that with no sarcasm; people couldn’t survive without these services.

The Sa’ Hair’ rah Hair Stylist, Anson Law Office, and the Main Street Lunch Box.

Above are the town’s shops, below are the homes of the town’s shopkeepers and their customers. I’d sure love to have a house on a corner lot with a front porch and balcony like this one.

It’s nice to see a small town have a photography studio; here memories are created and saved for generations.

Reflections by Leah. Miller, South Dakota.

Hand County was created in 1873 by the Dakota territorial legislature (before “Dakotah” became states and were split into North and South) and named for George A. Hand, territorial secretary. The Hand County Courthouse, built in 1925, is the most prominent building in the town, and in the county too. The building is an prime example of neo-classical architectural style prevalent in the decade of the 1920s.

Hand County Courthouse, Miller, South Dakota

Hand County Veterans Memorial (every good courthouse has a veterans memorial).

Carved marble walls and stairways fill the courthouse’s interior. The stained-glass ceiling and the old-fashioned elevator are both time pieces of neo-classical design of the 1920s. Whenever I see the prolific use of marble in courthouses (and I’ve seen it often in 1920s courthouses), I’m awestruck at how expensive and investment it must have been. It’s all beautiful and magnificent, but sadly such decor is a relic of a bygone era — it would be of the question to build in such a manner today.