Johnson City is a city in Washington,

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...

, and Sullivan counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it Tennessee's eighth-most populous city. 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 Tennessee's fifth-largest, 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 established a farm (now the Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site) just outside what is now Johnson City. During the

State of Franklin The State of Franklin (also the Free Republic of Franklin, Lost State of Franklin, or the State of Frankland) was an unrecognized proposed U.S. state, state located in present-day East Tennessee, in the United States. Franklin was created in ...

movement, Tipton was a leader of the loyalist faction, residents of the region who wanted to remain part of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

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 John Sevier (September 23, 1745 September 24, 1815) was an American soldier, frontiersman, and politician, and one of the founding fathers of the State of Tennessee. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, he played a leading role in Tennes ...

, the leader of the Franklin faction. Founded in 1856 by Henry Johnson as a

railroad station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing such ...

called "Johnson's Depot", Johnson City became a major rail hub for the

Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...

, 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 A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad The East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad , affectionately called the "Tweetsie" as a verbal acronym of its initials (ET&WNC) but also in reference to the sound of its steam whistles, was a primarily narrow gauge railroad established ...

(the ''ET&WNC'', nicknamed "Tweetsie") and the

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

Clinchfield Railroad The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina. The 35-mile segmen ...

. Both rail systems featured excursion trips through scenic portions of the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

and were engineering marvels of railway construction. The Southern Railway (now

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

) also passes through the city. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, before it was formally incorporated in 1869, the town's name was briefly changed to "Haynesville" in honor of Confederate Senator Landon Carter Haynes.Haskell, Jean
Johnson City
''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Accessed: December 25, 2009. 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. But 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 National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

(now the U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center and National Cemetery), Mountain Home, Tennessee was created by an act of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

introduced by Walter P. Brownlow. Johnson City began growing rapidly and became Tennessee's fifth-largest city by 1930. Together with neighboring

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, Johnson City was a hotbed for

old-time music Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, contra dance, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering ...

. It hosted

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

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 downtown featured a host of local and traveling street entertainers, including

Blind Lemon Jefferson Lemon Henry "Blind Lemon" Jefferson (September 24, 1893 – December 19, 1929) was an American blues and gospel singer-songwriter and musician. He was one of the most popular and successful blues singers of the 1920s and has been called the "Fat ...

. During the 1920s and the

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

era, Johnson City's ties to the bootlegging activity of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

earned the city the nickname of "Little

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

". 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 Bernard "Barney" Fife is a fictional character in the American television program ''The Andy Griffith Show'', portrayed by comic actor Don Knotts. Barney Fife is a deputy sheriff in the slow-paced, sleepy, southern community of Mayberry, North Ca ...

" 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 preventing or quelling riots, unlawful assemblies, or breaches of peace.

Geography

Johnson City is in northeastern Washington County, According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and , or 0.75 percent, is water. Buffalo Mountain, a ridge over high, is a city park on the south side of town. The

Watauga River The Watauga River () is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is long with its headwaters in Linville Gap to the South Fork Holston River at Boone Lake. Course The Watauga River rises from a spring located south to ...

arm of

Boone Lake Boone Lake is a reservoir in Sullivan and Washington counties in northeastern Tennessee, formed by the impoundment of the South Fork Holston River and Watauga River behind Boone Dam.Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...

reservoir, is partly within the city limits.

Climate

Johnson City has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Cfa''), with warm summers and cool winters. Temperatures in Johnson City are moderated somewhat by its elevation and proximity to the

. Precipitation is abundant, with an average of . Summer is typically the wettest part of the year, while early autumn is considerably drier. Snowfall is moderate and sporadic, with an average of .

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.

2000 census

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 Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 1,412.4 per square mile. There were 25,730 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.09 percent

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 6.40 percent

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.26% Native American, 1.22 percent Asian, 0.02 percent

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.69 percent from other races, and 1.32 percent from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people 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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $20,364. About 11.4 percent of families and 15.9 percent of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 18.9 percent of those under age 18 and 12.7 percent of those age 65 or over.

Economy

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, Franklin Woods Community Hospital, ETSU's Gatton College of Pharmacy, and ETSU's Quillen College of Medicine. The citrus soda

Mountain Dew Mountain Dew, stylized as Mtn Dew in some countries and colloquially known as Dew in some areas, is a soft drink brand owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in 1940 by Tennessee beverage Bottler (company), bottlers Barney and A ...

originated in Johnson City. In 2012,

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase, New York, Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the f ...

announced a new malt-flavored version of the drink named Mountain Dew Johnson City Gold. Johnson City and its metropolitan area had a

gross metropolitan product Gross metropolitan product (GMP) is a monetary measure that calculates the total economic output of a statistical metropolitan unit during a specific time period. It represents the market value of all final goods and services produced within the u ...

of in 2019.

Major companies headquartered in Johnson City

* American Water Heater Company (owned by A.O. Smith Corp.) * Advanced Call Center Technologies * Cantech Industries *

General Shale General Shale, Inc. is an American manufacturer of bricks, masonry, pipes and architectural building products. It is a subsidiary of the Austrian company wienerberger. History Early history The company was formed by a merger of the Kingsport Br ...

(owned by

Wienerberger Wienerberger AG is an Austrian brick maker which is Europe's leading manufacturer of roof tiles and the world’s largest producer of bricks. In addition to clay products, the company is one of the leading suppliers of plastic pipe in Europe. W ...

) * LPI, Inc. * Moody Dunbar, Inc. * Mullican Flooring * R.A. Colby, Inc. * TPI Corporation * VCV Rack

Other companies

* JD Squared, manufacturer of tube and pipe benders and other fabrication tools

Arts and culture

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 The Mall at Johnson City is an enclosed shopping mall in Johnson City, Tennessee, United States. The mall features over 90 stores and a food court. It is managed by Washington Prime Group. Opened in 1971, the mall features Dick's Sporting Goods, ...

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 ETSU Athletics Center, previously known as the Memorial Center, and popularly referred to as the "Mini-Dome", is an 8,539-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. Until 2014, it hosted ...

*Founders Park *

Freedom Hall Civic Center Freedom Hall Civic Center is a multi-purpose arena in Johnson City, Tennessee. Starting in 2014, it became the basketball venue for East Tennessee State University. History Former and current entertainment include concerts from Van Halen, Bon ...

* Johnson City STOLport * Thomas Stadium, baseball venue * Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site *Tweetsie Trail *

William B. Greene Jr. Stadium William B. Greene Jr. Stadium is a American football, football stadium on the campus of East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in Johnson City, Tennessee. Located on the southwestern corner of campus at the foot of Buffalo Mountain, the new stad ...

Sports

Several

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

teams have been based in Johnson City.

Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

was first played in the city by the Johnson City Soldiers in the

Southeastern League The Southeastern League was the name of four separate baseball leagues in minor league baseball which operated in the Southeastern and South Central United States in numerous seasons between 1897 and 2003. Two of these leagues were associated w ...

in 1910. The city's longest-running team was the

Johnson City Cardinals The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie League, Rookie-level Appalachian Leagu ...

, who played in the

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...

as the

Rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

affiliate of the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

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.

Government

In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Johnson City is represented by Republican

Diana Harshbarger Diana Lynn Harshbarger ( ; born January 1, 1960) is an American pharmacist, businesswoman, and politician. Harshbarger has served as the U.S. representative for since 2021. Her district is based in the Tri-Cities area in northeastern Tennessee ...

of the 1st district. Johnson City is run by a five-person board of commissioners. The mayor is John Hunter, the vice mayor is Greg Cox, and the commissioners are Jenny Brock, Joe Wise, and Todd Fowler. The city manager is Cathy Ball.

Education

Colleges and universities

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...

has around 16,000 students in addition to a K-12 University School, a

laboratory school A laboratory school or demonstration school is an elementary or secondary school operated in association with a university, college, or other teacher education institution and used for the training of future teachers, educational experimentatio ...

of about 540 students. University School was the first laboratory school in the nation to adopt a year-round academic schedule.

Milligan University Milligan University is a Private university, private Christian university in Milligan College, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1866 as the Buffalo Male and Female Institute, and known as Milligan College from 1881 to May 2020, the school ha ...

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

Northeast State Community College Northeast State Community College is a public community college based in Blountville, Tennessee. It offers technical education and college transfer programs in Blountville and at teaching sites in Elizabethton, Gray, and Kingsport. The school ...

has renovated a building in downtown Johnson City for use as a new satellite teaching site. After a dispute over the leasing amount being increased from $1,000/month to nearly $30,000/month, Northeast State decided not to renew their lease in 2023. This building is now being utilized by

to house the Department of Biological Sciences whilst Brown Hall, the main academic hall for the department on ETSU's main campus, goes through a new phase of renovations. Classes will begin being offered at this downtown satellite campus by ETSU in the Fall 2025 semester.

Tusculum University Tusculum University is a Private university, private Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian university with its main campus in Tusculum, Tennessee. It is Tennessee's first university and the 28th-oldest operating college or university in the ...

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

K-12 schools

Within Washington County, the vast majority of the city is in the

Johnson City Independent School District Johnson City Independent School District is a public school district based in Johnson City, Texas, Johnson City, Texas (United States, USA). Located in Blanco County, Texas, Blanco County, small portions of the district extend into Hays County, ...

, while small parts of the city are in the Washington County School District. The portion in Carter County is within the Carter County School District. The portion in Sullivan County is within the Sullivan County School District. Schools in the Johnson City School System include: Elementary schools
Middle schools *Indian Trail Middle School *Liberty Bell Middle School High schools *

Science Hill High School Science Hill High School is a public high school in Johnson City, Tennessee, United States. Campus The Science Hill/ Liberty Bell/ Freedom Hall complex includes multiple athletic fields, large parking lots, and a -mile walking track that encircle ...

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)

Infrastructure

Transportation

Johnson City is served by

Tri-Cities Regional Airport Tri-Cities Airport (also known as Tri-Cities Airport, TN/VA), serves the Tri-Cities, Tennessee, Tri-Cities area (Johnson City, Tennessee; Kingsport, Tennessee; Bristol, Tennessee-Bristol, Virginia, Virginia) of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest ...

( IATA Code TRI) and Johnson City Airport (0A4) in Watauga.

Highways

Interstate 26 Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W, US Route 11W (US 11W) ...

* U.S. Route 19W *

U.S. Route 11E U.S. Route 11E (US 11E) is a divided highway of US 11 in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia. The United States Numbered Highway, which is complemented by US 11W to the north and west, runs from US 11, US ...

* U.S. Route 321 * U.S. Route 23

Public transport

Johnson City Transit operates a system of buses inside the city limits, including BucShot, a system serving the greater ETSU campus. The Southern Railway used to serve Johnson City with several trains: the ''

Birmingham Special The ''Birmingham Special'' was a passenger train operated by the Southern Railway, Norfolk and Western Railway, and Pennsylvania Railroad in the southeastern United States. The train began service in 1909 and continued, with alterations, after ...

'' (ended 1970), the ''

Pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

'' (ended 1970) and the '' Tennessean'' (ended 1968).

Hospitals

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

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. Johnson City Medical Center includes a level 1 trauma center, the Niswonger Children's Hospital, and Woodridge Hospital, an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Franklin Woods Community Hospital is an 80-bed hospital with emergency services. James H. and Cecile C. Quillen Rehabilitation Hospital serves patients who have suffered debilitating trauma, including stroke and brain-spine injuries.

Notable people

* Bill Bain,

management consultant Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultant ...

, one of the founders of the management consultancy

Bain & Company Bain & Company is an American management consulting company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm provides advice to public, private, and nonprofit organizations. One of the Big Three (management consultancies), Big Three management co ...

Sam Bettens Sam Bettens (formerly Sarah Bettens, born September 23, 1972) is a Belgian singer and musician, best known as the lead singer of the Belgian band, K's Choice. In May 2019, he came out as a transgender man. Career K's Choice In the mid-1990 ...

, lead singer of rock band

K's Choice K's Choice is a Belgian rock band from Antwerp, formed in 1994. The band's core members are brothers Sam (lead vocals, guitar) and Gert Bettens (guitar, keyboard, vocals). Since 2014, the Bettenses have been joined by Bart van Lierde (bass), To ...

; Johnson City firefighter for a year *

Jerry Blevins Jerry Richard Blevins (born September 6, 1983), nicknamed Gordo (Spanish for "fat"), is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Blevins was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 17th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, and made ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher (

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

) * Ernie Bowman, Major League Baseball (

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, 1961–63) * Joe Bowman,

bootmaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or ''cordwainers'' (sometimes misidentified as cobblers, who repair shoes rather than make them). In the 18th cent ...

and

marksman A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting. In modern military usage this typically refers to the use of projectile weapons such as an accurized telescopic sight, scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle (or a sniper ri ...

; guardian of

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

culture * Mike Brown,

American Motorcyclist Association The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its motto, mission statement is "t ...

rider *

Jonny Campbell Jonny Campbell is a British film and television director. Biography Campbell studied French and German at Durham University and began his career at Granada TV working on documentaries. He soon moved into drama. Selected filmography Film * '' Al ...

, soccer player *

Jo Carson Josephine Catron Carson (October 9, 1946 – September 19, 2011) was an American playwright, poet, fiction writer, and actor, as well as the author of three children's books. Her best-known play is ''Daytrips'' (1991), and her poetry is collected ...

, playwright and author * George Lafayette Carter, entrepreneur *

David Cash David Tyler Cash (born July 31, 1969), better known by his ring name Kid Kash, is an American mixed martial artist and retired professional wrestler, best known for his tenures with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Total Nonstop Action Wre ...

, professional wrestler * David Cole, founding member of

C+C Music Factory C+C Music Factory was an American musical group formed in 1989 by David Cole and Robert Clivillés. The group is best known for their five hit singles: " Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", " Here We Go (Let's Rock & Roll)", " Things ...

* Patrick J. Cronin, television and film actor, a professor in English and Theater at ETSU *

Matt Czuchry Matthew Charles Czuchry (; born May 20, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Logan Huntzberger on the WB television series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2005–2007), Cary Agos on the CBS television drama ''The Good Wife'' (2009–2016 ...

, actor (''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...

''), attended

* David Davis, Tennessee state senator; U.S. congressman 2007–2009 * Lindsay Ellis, film critic, YouTuber, cinematographer, and author * Ray Flynn, miler with 89 sub-four-minute miles; graduated ETSU, president/CEO of Flynn Sports Management * Aubrayo Franklin, defensive tackle,

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Wyck Godfrey Wyck Godfrey is an American film and television producer. He is best known for co-founding the production company Temple Hill Entertainment with Marty Bowen in 2006. He was also named President of Paramount Motion Pictures Group in 2017, but ret ...

, film producer and studio executive *

Jake Grove Charles Jacob Grove (born January 22, 1980) is an American former professional football center who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies, where he won the Rimingt ...

, born in Johnson City; played center for

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

, won the

Rimington Trophy The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979 to 1982. A member of the National College Football Awards ...

, played for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

Del Harris Delmer William Harris (born June 18, 1937) is an American basketball coach who is currently the vice president of the Texas Legends, the NBA G League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. He served as a head coach for the NBA's Houston Rockets, Mi ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

coach, attended

Milligan College Milligan University is a private Christian university in Milligan College, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1866 as the Buffalo Male and Female Institute, and known as Milligan College from 1881 to May 2020, the school has a student populat ...

Holly Herndon Holly Herndon (born 1980) is an American artist and composer based in Berlin, Germany. After studying composition at Stanford University and completing her Ph.D. at Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, she ...

, electronic musician *

Mark Herring Mark Rankin Herring (born September 25, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Attorney General of Virginia from 2014 to 2022. A Democrat, he previously served in the Senate of Virginia since a 2006 special election, ...

Attorney General of Virginia The attorney general of Virginia is an elected constitutional position that holds an Executive (government), executive office in the government of Virginia. Attorneys general are elected for a four-year term in the year following a United State ...

Herman Hickman Herman Michael Hickman (October 1, 1911 – April 25, 1958) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Tennessee and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Brooklyn Dodgers. ...

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

player for the Tennessee Vols and NFL player. * Jim Hickman, professional baseball player, played outfield for the Brooklyn Dodgers *

Steven James Steven James (born 1969) is an American author who has written more than forty books, including the critically acclaimed Bowers Files, an eleven-book series of psychological thrillers that consists of ''Opening Moves'', ''Every Crooked Path'', ' ...

, novelist, attended ETSU *

Drew Johnson Jason Andrew Johnson is an American political columnist, policy analyst, and former think tank founder and executive. He was the Republican nominee for Nevada's 3rd congressional district in the 2024 election. He is running for Nevada State T ...

, political commentator and columnist, and founder of the Beacon Center of Tennessee * Amythyst Kiah, Americana singer/songwriter * Brownie King,

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

driver *

Catherine Marshall Catherine Sarah Wood Marshall LeSourd (September 27, 1914 – March 18, 1983) was an American author of nonfiction, inspirational, and fiction works. She was the wife of well-known minister Peter Marshall. Biography Marshall was born in Johnso ...

, author, born in Johnson City, later worked on her novel '' Christy'' while staying with relatives in town * John Alan Maxwell, artist and illustrator, raised in Johnson City, illustrated for Pearl S. Buck,

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...

, and Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

, spent his last 18 years in Johnson City; permanent collection housed at Carroll Reece Museum at ETSU *

Johnny Miller John Laurence Miller (born April 29, 1947) is an American former professional golfer. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 U.S. Open, and he ran ...

driver * Daniel Norris, Major League Baseball, debuted with the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

in 2014 *

Eureka O'Hara Eureka, also known as Eureka O'Hara and Eureka!, is the stage name of Eureka D. Huggard (born August 26, 1990), an American drag queen and reality television personality. Eureka rose to prominence competing on the ninth and tenth seasons of ''RuP ...

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

and television personality * Mike Potter,

driver *David Phil Roe, mayor of Johnson City, and representative for

Tennessee's 1st congressional district Tennessee's 1st congressional district is the congressional district for northeast Tennessee, including all of Carter County, Tennessee, Carter, Cocke County, Tennessee, Cocke, Greene County, Tennessee, Greene, Hamblen County, Tennessee, Hamblen ...

2009–2021 *

Bryan Lewis Saunders Bryan Lewis Saunders (born 1969 in Washington, D.C.) is an endurance artist, a performance artist, videographer, performance poet, and self-portrait painter known for his disturbing spoken word rants, tragic art performances and stand-up traged ...

, artist and writer, ETSU alumnus * Connie Saylor,

driver and Johnson City business owner *

Constance Shulman Constance Ann Shulman"Miss Shulman, Mr. Taylor"
''

, actress, singer, producer *

Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former football player and coach. He played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often referred to by his nicknam ...

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

-winning quarterback and

coach, spent most of his childhood in Johnson City and attended Science Hill High School; namesake of the school's football field *

Robert Love Taylor Robert Love Taylor (July 31, 1850March 31, 1912) was an American politician, writer, and lecturer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served three terms as the 24th governor of Tennessee, from 1887 to 1891, and again from 1897 to 1899, and su ...

and Alfred A. Taylor, brothers who were both

governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Tennessee Military Department, military forces. The governor is the only official in the Government of Tenne ...

; each owned and resided in Robins' Roost, historic house on South Roan Street *

Brad Teague Brad Teague (born December 9, 1947) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is a veteran of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series. Personal life Teague was born in Buladean, North Caroli ...

driver * Phyllis Tickle, prominent author on religion and spirituality *

Ed Whitson Eddie Lee Whitson (born May 19, 1955) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees from 1977 to 19 ...

, MLB pitcher known for a brief but colorful stint with the

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one ...

in the 1980s *

Samuel Cole Williams Samuel Cole Williams (January 15, 1864 – December 14, 1947) was an American jurist, historian, educator, and businessman. He was born and raised in the state of Tennessee, where he primarily had his career in Johnson City in East Tennessee. ...

, historian, jurist, first dean of the

Emory University School of Law Emory University School of Law is the law school of Emory University, a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 1916 and was the first law school in Georgia to be granted membership in the American Association of Law ...

Van Williams Van Zandt Jarvis Williams (February 27, 1934 – November 28, 2016) was an American actor best known for his leading role as Kenny Madison in both Warner Bros. television detective series '' Bourbon Street Beat'' (1959–1960) and its sequ ...

, NFL running back and kick returner for

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, All-American at Carson-Newman, attended Science Hill High School

Sister cities

Johnson City's

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

are: *

Guaranda Guaranda () is a city in central Ecuador. It is the capital of Bolívar province located in the Andes mountains. The city is connected by road with other hubs, including Riobamba, Babahoyo and Ambato. Guaranda is a market town located in a '' ...

, Ecuador *

Ronneby Ronneby is a locality and the seat of Ronneby Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 12,029 inhabitants in 2010. Ronneby is regarded as the heart of "the Garden of Sweden", and in 2005 the park "Brunnsparken" in Ronneby was voted Sweden's m ...

, Sweden *

Rybinsk Rybinsk (, ) is the second-largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Yaroslavl Oblast in Russia. It lies at the confluence of the Volga and Sheksna rivers, north-north-east of Moscow. Population: It was previously known as '' ...

, Russia *

Teterow Teterow () is a town of Germany, in the Rostock (district), district of Rostock, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It is the geographical center of this federal state. It had a population of 8,852 in 2011. History The ''Stadtkirche St. Peter u ...

, Germany

References

;General ;Specific * ''Greater Johnson City'', by Ray Stahl, 1986. * ''A History of Johnson City, Tennessee and its Environs'', by Samuel Cole Williams, 1940. * ''History of Washington County, Tennessee'', by Joyce and Gene Cox, Editors, 2001. * ''Fiddlin' Charlie Bowman,'' by Bob L. Cox, University of Tennessee Press, 2007. * ''The Railroads of Johnson City,'' by Johnny Graybeal, Tar Heel Press, 2007.

External links

Official websiteJohnson City Development Authority
{{authority control Cities in Tennessee Cities in Carter County, Tennessee Cities in Sullivan County, Tennessee Cities in Washington County, Tennessee Populated places established in 1856 1856 establishments in Tennessee East Tennessee Johnson City metropolitan area, Tennessee State of Franklin