| Johnson City | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Image Blank Emblem: | City of Johnson City logo.png |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Logo |
| Seal Size: | 80px |
| Blank Emblem Size: | 90px |
| Pushpin Map: | Tennessee#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Johnson City |
| Pushpin Relief: | yes |
| Coordinates: | 36.3333°N -104°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | Counties |
| Subdivision Name1: | Tennessee |
| Subdivision Name2: | Washington, Carter, Sullivan |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1856 |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | 1869[1] |
| Founder: | Henry Johnson |
| Government Type: | Council-manager government |
| Leader Title1: | Mayor |
| Leader Name1: | Dr. Todd Fowler |
| Leader Title2: | Vice Mayor |
| Leader Name2: | Aaron T. Murphy |
| Leader Title3: | City Manager |
| Leader Name3: | Cathy Ball |
| Leader Title4: | City Commissioners |
| Leader Name4: | Jenny Brock Joe Wise John Hunter |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 113.32 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 43.75 |
| Area Land Km2: | 112.52 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 43.44 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.80 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.31 |
| Elevation M: | 498 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1634 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | 631.42 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1635.38 |
| Population Urban: | 128,519 (US: 261st)[3] |
| Population Metro: | 207,285 (US: 215th) |
| Population Blank1 Title: | CSA |
| Population Blank1: | 514,899 (US: 87th) |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 37601-37604, 37614, 37615 & 37684 |
| Area Code: | 423 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 47-38320[4] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1328579[5] |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Est: | 73337 |
| Population Total: | 71046 |
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-most populous city in Tennessee.[6] Johnson City is the principal city of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Carter, Unicoi, and Washington counties[7] 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.
William Bean, traditionally recognized as Tennessee's first white settler, built his cabin along Boone's Creek near Johnson City in 1769.[8] 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.[9]
Founded in 1856 by Henry Johnson as a railroad station called "Johnson's Depot",[10] Johnson City became a major rail hub for the Southeast, as three railway lines crossed in the downtown area.[11]
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.[12]
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.[13]
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.[14]
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[15] [16] 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.[17]
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.[18] 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".[19]
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.[20] 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.[21]
Johnson City is in northeastern Washington County,[22]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 112.1sqkm, of which 111.2sqkm is land and 0.8sqkm, or 0.75 percent, is water.
Buffalo Mountain, a ridge over 2700feet 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.
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 45.22inches. Summer is typically the wettest part of the year, while early autumn is considerably drier. Snowfall is moderate and sporadic, with an average of 15.6inches.
| Single Line: | Yes |
| Location: | Johnson City, Tennessee |
| Jan High F: | 45 |
| Jan Record High F: | 78 |
| Feb High F: | 50 |
| Feb Record High F: | 80 |
| Mar High F: | 59 |
| Mar Record High F: | 83 |
| Apr High F: | 68 |
| Apr Record High F: | 89 |
| May High F: | 76 |
| May Record High F: | 94 |
| Jun High F: | 83 |
| Jun Record High F: | 102 |
| Jul High F: | 86 |
| Jul Record High F: | 99 |
| Aug High F: | 85 |
| Aug Record High F: | 99 |
| Sep High F: | 79 |
| Sep Record High F: | 97 |
| Oct High F: | 69 |
| Oct Record High F: | 90 |
| Nov High F: | 59 |
| Nov Record High F: | 84 |
| Dec High F: | 48 |
| Dec Record High F: | 76 |
| Year High F: | 67 |
| Year Record High F: | 102 |
| Jan Low F: | 25 |
| Jan Record Low F: | -21 |
| Feb Low F: | 28 |
| Feb Record Low F: | -12 |
| Mar Low F: | 34 |
| Mar Record Low F: | -1 |
| Apr Low F: | 42 |
| Apr Record Low F: | 20 |
| May Low F: | 51 |
| May Record Low F: | 28 |
| Jun Low F: | 60 |
| Jun Record Low F: | 39 |
| Jul Low F: | 64 |
| Jul Record Low F: | 46 |
| Aug Low F: | 63 |
| Aug Record Low F: | 36 |
| Sep Low F: | 55 |
| Sep Record Low F: | 34 |
| Oct Low F: | 44 |
| Oct Record Low F: | 22 |
| Nov Low F: | 35 |
| Nov Record Low F: | 11 |
| Dec Low F: | 28 |
| Dec Record Low F: | -9 |
| Year Low F: | 44 |
| Year Record Low F: | -21 |
| Precipitation Colour: | green |
| Jan Precipitation Inch: | 3.42 |
| Feb Precipitation Inch: | 3.69 |
| Mar Precipitation Inch: | 3.59 |
| Apr Precipitation Inch: | 3.50 |
| May Precipitation Inch: | 4.44 |
| Jun Precipitation Inch: | 4.56 |
| Jul Precipitation Inch: | 5.44 |
| Aug Precipitation Inch: | 4.15 |
| Sep Precipitation Inch: | 3.03 |
| Oct Precipitation Inch: | 2.44 |
| Nov Precipitation Inch: | 3.34 |
| Dec Precipitation Inch: | 3.62 |
| Year Precipitation Inch: | 45.22 |
| Jan Snow Inch: | 5.2 |
| Feb Snow Inch: | 4.2 |
| Mar Snow Inch: | 2.3 |
| Apr Snow Inch: | 0.4 |
| May Snow Inch: | 0 |
| Jun Snow Inch: | 0 |
| Jul Snow Inch: | 0 |
| Aug Snow Inch: | 0 |
| Sep Snow Inch: | 0 |
| Oct Snow Inch: | 0 |
| Nov Snow Inch: | 0.9 |
| Dec Snow Inch: | 2.6 |
| Year Snow Inch: | 15.6 |
| Jan Humidity: | 59.0 |
| Feb Humidity: | 71.5 |
| Mar Humidity: | 69.0 |
| Apr Humidity: | 67.0 |
| May Humidity: | 69.5 |
| Jun Humidity: | 73.0 |
| Jul Humidity: | 75.0 |
| Aug Humidity: | 76.5 |
| Sep Humidity: | 76.5 |
| Oct Humidity: | 74.0 |
| Nov Humidity: | 68.5 |
| Dec Humidity: | 69.5 |
| Year Humidity: | 74.0 |
| Source 1: | [23] |
| Source 2: | [24] |
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 55,950 | 78.75% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 4,809 | 6.77% | |
| Native American | 164 | 0.23% | |
| Asian | 1,710 | 2.41% | |
| Pacific Islander | 37 | 0.05% | |
| Other/mixed | 3,878 | 5.46% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4,498 | 6.33% |
As of the census[4] 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/mi2. 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 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 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, Franklin Woods Community Hospital, 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 2012, PepsiCo announced a new malt-flavored version of the drink named Mountain Dew Johnson City Gold in honor of the city.[25]
Johnson City and its metropolitan area had a gross metropolitan product of in 2019.[26]
| Employer | Number of employees | |
|---|---|---|
| Ballad Health | 3541 | |
| East Tennessee State University | 1990 | |
| Washington County School System | 1275 | |
| James H. Quillen VA Medical Center | 1259 | |
| American Water Heater Company | 1194 | |
| AT&T Mobility | 1000 |
Public art includes 12 to 15 sculptures that change every two years.[28] 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.[29] Other public art includes banners and art on light poles and traffic boxes, and quote stones along sidewalks and paths.[30] [31] Two annual art events take place in the city.[32]
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.
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.[35] 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.[35] 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.[36] [37]
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.[38] The mayor is Todd Fowler, the vice mayor is Aaron Murphy, and the commissioners are Jenny Brock, Joe Wise, and John Hunter. The city manager is Cathy Ball.[39]
East Tennessee State University has around 16,000 students in addition to a K-12 University School, a laboratory school of about 540 students.[40] University School was the first laboratory school in the nation to adopt a year-round academic schedule.[41]
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.[42]
Tusculum College has a center on the north side of Johnson City in the Boones Creek area.
Elementary schools
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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 Transit operates a system of buses inside the city limits,[44] including 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).[45]
Johnson City serves as a regional medical center for northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia, along with parts of western North Carolina and southeastern Kentucky.
Johnson City Medical Center includes a level 1 trauma center,[46] the Niswonger Children's Hospital, and Woodridge Hospital, an inpatient psychiatric hospital.
Franklin Woods Community Hospital is an 80-bed hospital with emergency services.[47]
James H. and Cecile C. Quillen Rehabilitation Hospital serves patients who have suffered debilitating trauma, including stroke and brain-spine injuries.
Johnson City's sister cities are:[62] [63]
