Welcome to Bristol ...
The city of Bristol is located in Sullivan County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Bristol, you might consider that their post office opened in 1853.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Bristol has a population of 26,997 people<2> (see below for details).
Bristol is 1,620 feet [494 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Bristol lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Bristol lies within the (423) area code.
The ZIP code for Bristol: 37620<4>
Websites for Bristol ...
Official Website: www.bristoltn.org/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Bristol had an population of 26,997 people. This is an increase of 1.1% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 8.77% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Bristol had a population of 26,702 people (or 17.03% of the total population of Sullivan County). This makes Bristol the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Bristol represents 0.42% of the total population of Tennessee (which has 6,346,105 people), making it the state's 26th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 26,702 people, the population of Bristol increased 7.58% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 24,821 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Bristol.
Communities Also Named Bristol ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 44 communities that are also named Bristol - they are located in Arkansas, California (2), Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois (2), Indiana, Iowa, Kansas (2), Louisiana (2), Maine, Manitoba, Maryland (2), Michigan (3), Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada (2), New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New York, Nova Scotia, Ohio (2), Pennsylvania, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia (2), Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bristol.
Communities near Bristol ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Bristol.
- Elizabethton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabethton
- Elizabethton is located in Carter County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,479 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elizabethton <5>
- Cross
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross
- Cross is located in Sullivan County
- Estimated population in 2014: 11,330 people
- Mill Point
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Point
- Mill Point is located in Sullivan County
- Estimated population in 2014: 11,080 people
- Bloomingdale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomingdale have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
- Bloomingdale is located in Sullivan County
- Population from the 2010 Census: 9,888 people
- Winchester
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winchester have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Winchester is located in Johnson County
- Estimated population in 2014: 8,547 people
- Colonial Heights
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colonial Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Heights
- Colonial Heights is located in Sullivan County
- Population from the 2010 Census: 6,934 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colonial Heights <5>
- Harrtown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west) - Spurgeon
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurgeon
- Spurgeon is located in Washington County
- Population from the 2010 Census: 3,957 people
- Blountville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blountville have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blountville
- Blountville is located in Sullivan County
- Population from the 2010 Census: 3,074 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blountville <5>
- Bluff City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Bluff City is located in Sullivan County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,672 people
- Former name for Bluff City:
- Zollicoffer
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bluff City <5>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Bristol. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Bristol.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Bristol. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bristol.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Bristol. Our list includes 8 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Bristol.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Bristol ...
Looking for more information about Bristol? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Bristol, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Bristol.
Adding Bristol to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Bristol in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Bristol was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Bristol post office opened in 1853.
We also found Bristol in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Bristol.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Bristol: www.bristoltn.org/
The official website for Sullivan County: www.sullivancounty.org/
The official website for State of Tennessee: https://www.tn.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Tennessee's counties, including Sullivan, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Bristol. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Bristol - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Bristol). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Bristol or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |