Johnson City, Tennessee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Johnson City
City
Downtown Johnson City
Flag Seal Logo
Location of Johnson City in Carter, Sullivan and Washington counties, Tennessee
Johnson City Location in Tennessee Show map of Tennessee Johnson City Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Counties	Washington, Carter, Sullivan
Founded	1856
Incorporated	1869
Founded by	Henry Johnson
Government
• Type	Council-manager government
Area
• City	43.75 sq mi (113.32 km2)
• Land	43.44 sq mi (112.52 km2)
• Water	0.31 sq mi (0.80 km2)
Elevation	1,634 ft (498 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	71,046
• Estimate  (2022)	72,514
• Density	1,635.38/sq mi (631.42/km2)
• Urban	128,519 (US: 261st)
• Metro	207,285 (US: 215th)
• CSA	514,899 (US: 87th)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	37601-37604, 37614, 37615 & 37684
Area code(s)	423
FIPS code	47-38320
GNIS feature ID	1328579

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 Tri-Cities region. This CSA is the fifth-largest in Tennessee, with a population of 514,899 as of 2020.

History

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. 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".

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.

Geography

Midtown Johnson City

Johnson City is in northeastern Washington County,

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 43.3 square miles (112.1 km²), of which 42.9 square miles (111.2 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²), or 0.75 percent, is water.

Buffalo Mountain, a ridge over 2,700 feet (820 m) high, is 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.

Climate

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).

Demographics

2020 census

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

Arts and culture

Monument of Chief Junaluska in Metro-Kiwanis Park, Johnson City

Public art

Public art includes 12 to 15 sculptures that change every two years. Also, 24 bronze statuettes of animals indigenous to the Appalachian Highlands, cast by faculty and students at ETSU, are installed in various downtown locations; staff at the Johnson City Public Library created a list of clues to aid in the search for all the animals. Other public art includes banners and art on light poles and traffic boxes, and quote stones along sidewalks and paths. Two annual art events take place in the city.

Shopping

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. 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.

Points of interest

• Buffalo Mountain Park
• East Tennessee State University Arboretum
• ETSU/Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Center
• Founders Park
• Freedom Hall Civic Center
• Johnson City STOLport
• Thomas Stadium, baseball venue
• Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site
• Tweetsie Trail
• Watauga River
• William B. Greene Jr. Stadium

The Pavilion at Founder's Park hosts the local farmer's market.

Sports

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.

Education

Colleges and universities

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.

Johnson City School System

Elementary schools

Middle schools

• Indian Trail Middle School
• Liberty Bell Middle School

High schools

• Science Hill High School

Private schools

• Ashley Academy (PreK-8)
• St. Mary's (K-8)
• Providence Academy (K-12)
• Tri-Cities Christian Schools (PreK-12)
• University School (K-12)

Notable people

Sister cities

Johnson City's sister cities are:

• Guaranda, Ecuador
• Ronneby, Sweden
• Rybinsk, Russia
• Teterow, Germany

Images for kids

• 

  Founders Park in fall.

See also

In Spanish: Johnson City (Tennessee) para niños