Johnson City, TN is the largest of the 3 major cities in the Tri-Cities area of Northeast Tennessee. Johnson City was founded in 1777 by land grants from the state of North Carolina to several families, due to Great Britain's attempts to arm Indian tribes against the American Revolution.

 

The 'Territory' now known as the State of Tennessee AND part of Western NC, was originally called "The State of Franklin,"with what is now a historical site, Rocky Mount, serving as the "Capital of The State of Franklin".

 

Johnson City is home to East Tennessee State University (ETSU); (including the Quillen College of Medicine; Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy; ETSU College of Public Health), Milligan College, Gray Fossil Site, and "The Med Tech Corridor", a new and fast growing center of medical and technical small businesses, research groups, and larger corporations, patterned after the Research Triangle to encourage development by non-polluting industries.

 

The population of Johnson City is approximately 66,000, with a metropolitan area of over 1.5 million within a 50 mile radius.

 

Mountains and four TVA Mountain Lakes grace the area, providing fishing, boating, swimming, picnicking, hiking, camping, rafting, biking (including bike races) and other recreational activities. In recent years the area was written about favorably by Runners Magazine. The Appalachian Trail zigzags back and forth through several adjoining counties, even crossing the dam at beautiful Watauga Lake. The area is rich in history, music, local arts and crafts, an award winning senior citizens center with a multitude of activities, local theatres and the nearby, famous Barter Theater; local caverns; the National StoryTelling Festival and a plethora of other regional festivals throughout the year. NASCAR racers come to the International Speedway in Bristol twice a year, and drag racing has become very popular at several local drag ways.

 

The roads in Tennessee are consistently ranked in the top 5 states in the country, allowing traffic to move around NE Tennessee without the delays found in other large metropolitan areas.

 

Known as "The Gateway to East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, Western North Carolina and parts of Kentucky", the Tri-Cities area is served by The Tri-Cities TN Airport, with Delta, American, US Air, and Northwest Airlines express services into and out of the area. Nonstop flights are available to Nashville, Memphis, Charlotte, Atlanta, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, and Detroit, all of which are hubs connecting to cities throughout the US and the world.