Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign
National Register of Historic Places

Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign

Bristol, Sullivan County, Tennessee
Listed
September 7, 1988
Type
Object
Period
Listed
Ref No.
88001568

About this property

The Bristol Virginia–Tennessee slogan sign is a landmark in the twin cities of Bristol, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee, United States. The sign is positioned over State Street, a roadway along the border separating the two states. Although the landmark is technically located in both Tennessee and Virginia, the National Register considers the location as Tennessee. In 1901, the center of Main Street was officially designated as the state line separating Tennessee and Virginia by the United States Congress. The street has since been renamed State Street. According to the Bristol Historical Association's booklet The Historical Bristol Sign, the Bristol Gas and Electric Company donated and erected the sign atop a hardware store in 1910 to advertise the city. The sign originally contained the lighted slogan PUSH! - THAT'S BRISTOL referring to the hopes of continued growth and future prosperity for the two cities. In 1915, the sign was moved to its current location. In 1921, a contest was held in order to select a new slogan. The winning slogan, A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE, has remained the slogan ever since. The sign is featured at the beginning of a 2016 commercial for GEICO insurance. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The lighted sign currently contains 1,332 light bulbs.

Location

Bristol, Sullivan County, Tennessee
36.59469, -82.17911

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORY
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

First National Bank of Bristol
Industrial
0.2 mi
Paramount Theatre and Office Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Gammon House
Industrial
0.3 mi
US Post Office-Shelby Street Station
Industrial
0.3 mi
King, Edward Washington, House
Industrial
0.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Island Flats (TN)
1776Revolutionary War
8.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign listed on the National Register?

Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 7, 1988.

What type of historic resource is Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign?

Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign is classified as a object in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign?

The period of significance for Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign is recorded as the listed era.

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