Insurance Requirements for Owner Operators Johnson City, Tennessee

Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it the eighth largest city in Tennessee. Johnson City is the principal city of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Carter, Unicoi, and Washington counties and had a population of 207,285 as of 2020. The MSA is also a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, Tennessee–Virginia Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the “Tri-Cities” region. This CSA is the fifth-largest in Tennessee with a population of 514,899 as of 2020.

William Bean, traditionally recognized as Tennessee’s first white settler, built his cabin along Boone’s Creek near Johnson City in 1769. In the 1780s, Colonel John Tipton (1730–1813) established a farm (now the Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site) just outside what is now Johnson City. During the State of Franklin movement, Tipton was a leader of the loyalist faction, residents of the region who wanted to remain part of North Carolina rather than form a separate state. In February 1788, an armed engagement took place at Tipton’s farm between Tipton and his men and the forces led by John Sevier, the leader of the Franklin faction.

Founded in 1856 by Henry Johnson as a railroad station called “Johnson’s Depot”, Johnson City became a major rail hub for the Southeast, as three railway lines crossed in the downtown area.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Johnson City served as headquarters for the narrow gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (the ET&WNC, nicknamed “Tweetsie”) and the standard gauge Clinchfield Railroad. Both rail systems featured excursion trips through scenic portions of the Blue Ridge Mountains and were engineering marvels of railway construction. The Southern Railway (now Norfolk Southern) also passes through the city.

During the American Civil War, before it was formally incorporated in 1869, the name of the town was briefly changed to “Haynesville” in honor of Confederate Senator Landon Carter Haynes.

Henry Johnson’s name was quickly restored following the war, with Johnson elected as the city’s first mayor on January 3, 1870. The town grew rapidly from 1870 until 1890 as railroad and mining interests flourished. However, the national depression of 1893, which caused many railway failures (including the Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad or “3-Cs”, a predecessor of the Clinchfield) and resulting financial panic, halted Johnson City’s boom town momentum.

In 1901, the Mountain Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (now the U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center and National Cemetery), Mountain Home, Tennessee was created by an act of Congress introduced by Walter P. Brownlow. Construction on this 450-acre (1.8 km) campus, which was designed to serve disabled Civil War veterans, was completed in 1903 at a cost of $3 million. Before the completion of this facility, the assessed value of the entire town was listed at $750,000. The East Tennessee State Normal School was authorized in 1911 and the new college campus directly across from the National Soldiers Home. Johnson City began growing rapidly and became the fifth-largest city in Tennessee by 1930.

Together with neighboring Bristol, Johnson City was a hotbed for old-time music. It hosted noteworthy Columbia Records recording sessions in 1928 known as the Johnson City Sessions. Native son “Fiddlin’ Charlie” Bowman became a national recording star via these sessions. The Fountain Square area in downtown featured a host of local and traveling street entertainers including Blind Lemon Jefferson.

During the 1920s and the Prohibition era, Johnson City’s ties to the bootlegging activity of the Appalachian Mountains earned the city the nickname of “Little Chicago”. Stories persist that the town was one of several distribution centers for Chicago gang boss Al Capone during Prohibition. Capone had a well-organized distribution network within the southern United States for alcohol smuggling; it shipped his products from the mountain distillers to northern cities. Capone was, according to local lore, a part-time resident of Montrose Court, a luxury apartment complex now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For many years, the city had a municipal “privilege tax” on carnival shows, in an attempt to dissuade traveling circuses and other transient entertainment businesses from doing business in town. The use of drums by merchants to draw attention to their goods is prohibited. Title Six, Section 106 of the city’s municipal code, the so-called “Barney Fife” ordinance, empowers the city’s police force to draft into involuntary service as many of the town’s citizens as necessary to aid police in making arrests and in preventing or quelling any riot, unlawful assembly or breach of peace.

Johnson City is in northeastern Washington County at 36°20′N 82°22′W / 36.333°N 82.367°W / 36.333; -82.367 (36.3354, -82.3728), with smaller parts extending north into Sullivan County and east into Carter County. Johnson City shares a contiguous southeastern border with Elizabethton. Johnson City also shares a small contiguous border with Kingsport to the far north along I-26 and a slightly longer one with Bluff City to the northeast along US 11E.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 43.3 square miles (112.1 km), of which 42.9 square miles (111.2 km) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km), or 0.75 percent, is water.

The steep mountains, rolling hills, and valleys surrounding the region are part of the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley Province, and Johnson City is just west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Roan Mountain, with an elevation of over 6,000 feet (1,800 m), is approximately 20 miles (32 km) to the southeast of the city. Buffalo Mountain, a ridge over 2,700 feet (820 m) high, is the location of a city park on the south side of town. The Watauga River arm of Boone Lake, a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir, is partly within the city limits. The Nolichucky River flows 12 miles (19 km) to the south of Johnson City. Whitewater rafting and kayaking opportunities exist 20 miles (32 km) south of Johnson City where that river flows from the North Carolina state line near Erwin.

Johnson City has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with warm summers and cool winters. Temperatures in Johnson City are moderated somewhat by its elevation and proximity to the Appalachian Mountains. Precipitation is abundant, with an average of 45.22 in (1,149 mm). Summer is typically the wettest part of the year, while early autumn is considerably drier. Snowfall is moderate and sporadic, with an average of 15.6 in (40 cm).

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 71,046 people, 30,724 households, and 15,904 families residing in the city.

As of the census of 2000, there were 55,469 people, 23,720 households, and 14,018 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,412.4 per square mile. There were 25,730 housing units at an average density of 655.1 per square mile (252.9/km). The racial makeup of the city was 90.09 percent white, 6.40 percent African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.22 percent Asian, 0.02 percent Pacific Islander, 0.69 percent from other races, and 1.32 percent from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.89 percent of the population.

There were 23,720 households, out of which 25.0 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1 percent were married couples living together, 11.6 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9 percent were non-families. 33.9 percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20, and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.8 percent under the age of 18, 13.7 percent from 18 to 24, 28.1 percent from 25 to 44, 22.5 percent from 45 to 64, and 15.9 percent who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,835, and the median income for a family was $40,977. Males had a median income of $31,326 versus $22,150 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,364. About 11.4 percent of families and 15.9 percent of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9 percent of those under age 18 and 12.7 percent of those age 65 or over.

Johnson City is an economic hub largely fueled by East Tennessee State University and the medical “Med-Tech” corridor, anchored by the Johnson City Medical Center and Niswonger Children’s Hospital (of Ballad Health), Franklin Woods Community Hospital (also of Ballad Health), ETSU’s Gatton College of Pharmacy and ETSU’s Quillen College of Medicine.

The popular citrus soda Mountain Dew traces its origins to Johnson City. In July 2012, PepsiCo announced a new malt-flavored version of the drink named Mountain Dew Johnson City Gold in honor of the city. The drink was test marketed in the Chicago metropolitan area, Denver, and Charlotte, beginning in late August.

Johnson City and its metropolitan area had a gross metropolitan product of US$9.1 billion in 2019.

Through the efforts of the Public Art Committee, Johnson City has developed a world-class public art program that has contributed to the beatification and revitalization of the downtown district.

At the time of writing, the Committee has spearheaded the completion of several large-format murals, created by critically acclaimed artists from around the United States, and two distinct sculptural installations. The first of these installations, the Phil Pindzola Biennial Sculpture Exhibit, is a rotating juried selection of 12 to 15 sculptures that change every two years; the sculptures are concentrated around Founders Park and King Common, but in recent years have also expanded to areas outside downtown. The second installation, the Wildabout Walkabout Scavenger Hunt, is the result of a collaboration between the Public Art Committee, the East Tennessee State University Department of Art and Design, and the Johnson City Public Library. It consists of two dozen bronze statuettes of animals indigenous to the Appalachian Highlands, which were cast by faculty and students at ETSU and installed in various locations around downtown. To accompany the installation, staff at the Johnson City Public Library created a list of clues to aid children and their families in their search for all the animals. The Committee has also worked to visually enhance public infrastructure by, for example, decorating light poles around downtown with banners carrying artwork made by local artists of all ages, wrapping traffic boxes with designs of regionally based artists, and laying quote stones along highly trafficked sidewalks and paths.

A map showing the location of all current public art installations can be accessed here.

In addition to these projects, the Public Art Committee organizes two annual events that aim to make art accessible to all while highlighting the creativity and vibrancy of the local artist community: the 5 x 5 Fundraiser and Exhibit and ArtStruck. The 5 x 5 takes place every year on the first Friday in August at the Founders Pavilion; at the event, visitors can acquire artwork donated by local and regional artists for 25 dollars, with the proceeds benefiting the Public Art Committee. At ArtStruck, the Committee gives back to local and regional artists, by organizing a daylong festival at Founders Pavilion (typically in spring). The festival is entirely free to the public, offering a wide array art on sale by local artists and family friendly activities and entertainment, from crafting tables and roadroller printmaking to live musical and dance performances and the Cattywampus puppet parade.

As a regional hub for a four-state area, Johnson City is home to a large variety of retail businesses, from well-known national chains to local boutiques and galleries.

The Mall at Johnson City is the city’s only enclosed shopping mall. California-based Forever 21 opened an XXI Forever flagship store on the mall’s upper level, and Express opened in late 2010. The nearby Target Center houses Target, T.J.Maxx, and Books-A-Million.

Much of the new retail development is in North Johnson City, along State of Franklin Road. Johnson City Crossings is the largest of these developments and houses Michael’s, Ross, Old Navy, Shoe Carnival, and more. On the other side of the highway are retailers Kohl’s, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club and Barnes & Noble.

Several Minor League Baseball teams have been based in Johnson City. Professional baseball was first played in the city by the Johnson City Soldiers in the Southeastern League in 1910. The city’s longest-running team was the Johnson City Cardinals, who played in the Appalachian League as the Rookie affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1975 to 2020. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league, and the Cardinals were replaced by the Johnson City Doughboys, a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshman and sophomores.

In the United States House of Representatives, Johnson City is represented by Republican Diana Harshbarger of the 1st district.

Johnson City is run by a five-person board of commissioners:

The city manager is Cathy Ball.

East Tennessee State University has around 16,000 students in addition to a K-12 University School, a laboratory school of about 540 students. University School was the first laboratory school in the nation to adopt a year-round academic schedule.

Milligan University is just outside the city limits in Carter County, and has about 1,200 students in undergraduate and graduate programs.

Northeast State Community College has renovated a building in downtown Johnson City for use as a new satellite teaching site.

Tusculum College has a center on the north side of Johnson City in the Boones Creek area.

Elementary schools

Middle schools

High schools

Johnson City is served by Tri-Cities Regional Airport (IATA Code TRI) and Johnson City Airport (0A4) in Watauga.

Johnson City is bisected by Interstate 26, which connects the city to Kingsport to the north and Asheville, North Carolina, and Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the south. Interstate 81 intersects I-26 16 miles (26 km) northwest of the city center and carries drivers to Knoxville to the southwest and Bristol to the northeast.

Johnson City Transit (JCT) operates a system of buses inside the city limits, including a route every fifteen minutes along Roan Street. Main transit routes operate 6:15 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. on Saturdays. JCT also has an evening route that operates weeknights between 6:15 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. The Johnson City Transit Center is located downtown on West Market Street. JCT operates the BucShot, a system serving the greater ETSU campus.

The Southern Railway used to serve Johnson City with several trains: the Birmingham Special (ended, 1970), the Pelican (ended, 1970) and the Tennessean (ended, 1968).

Johnson City serves as a regional medical center for northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia, along with parts of western North Carolina and southeastern Kentucky.

The Johnson City Medical Center, designated a Level 1 Trauma Center by the State of Tennessee, is one of Ballad Health’s three tertiary hospitals. Also affiliated with the center are the Niswonger Children’s Hospital, a domestic affiliate of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Woodridge Hospital, a mental health and chemical dependency facility.

Franklin Woods Community Hospital is a LEED-certified facility in North Johnson City. The “green” hospital (opened July 12, 2010) encloses approximately 240,000 square feet (22,000 m) on a 25-acre (100,000 m) lot adjacent to The Wellness Center inside MedTech Park. The hospital has 80 licensed beds and a 22-room Emergency Department. Of the licensed beds, 20 are dedicated to Women’s and Children’s Services.

The James H. & Cecile C. Quillen Rehabilitation Hospital, also in North Johnson City, serves patients who have suffered debilitating trauma, including stroke and brain-spine injuries.

Additionally, the James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in the Mountain Home community in Johnson City’s southside, serves veterans in the four-state region. The center is closely involved with the East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine.

Johnson City’s sister cities are: