Post by Clipper on Sept 12, 2022 9:38:16 GMT -5
www.facebook.com/johnsoncityaerialphotography/photos/a.1987752304886136/3279856482342372/
Just waxing nostalgic and looking back over the years since we moved here. As our beloved Mohawk Valley has seen a decline in industry, business, and population, this area has seen growth in those same three areas. When my parents moved here with Univac in the mid 70's Bristol was serviced by 5 exits on I-81, from mile marker 1 thru 5. Exit 7 was 2 miles "out of town" with only a gas station and the bowling alley at the time. Now exit 7 is a major hub for commercial business as well as restaurants and hotels.
I leaves me sad to see the area where I grew up falling into such decline in comparison to the exploding growth here in the Southeast. With every passing year Bristol grows to become a tourist destination, as well as having plenty of industry and jobs, with more coming every year.
The photo was not from this year, but every year the streets of downtown are similarly packed with thousands of visitors as well as local area residents. This year was no exception, although it rained on and off and some of the activities were rained out. But the music played on and people stood in the rain with umbrellas to hear their favorites. They had June Carter Cash, Tanya Tucker, and many other popular singers and groups, totaling about 120 acts on 12 stages scattered around downtown. 8 or 10 blocks of State Street are blocked off and lined with vendors selling merchandise as well as food vendors. they set up in the street while the permanent downtown shops and restaurants also benefit from the crowds.
The Rythm and Roots music festival closed last evening, and State Street will be cleaned up and back to normal business by the time the shops open this morning.
The activity has shifted to the other end of town where the campgrounds are beginning to fill already for next week's NASCAR playoff race. People start showing up a week ahead of time and by Wednesday and Thursday the campgrounds are full and there are activities at the track and all around town to keep the race fans entertained and busy. When we moved here in 2002 the spring and fall races used to sell out to a crowd of over 130,000. Over the years the grandstand was been expanded upward to where it now has seating for 160,000 plus. Hotels filled as far away as Knoxville on race weekends.Unfortunately, NASCAR popularity has waned to a point where most races are only attended by 30-50K, but the hotels and campgrounds still fill.
Now we have the temporary casino that has seen capacity crowds just about every day since it opened, with a full-blown Hard Rock casino, resort hotel, convention facility, and entertainment venue coming in early 2024.
Living here is much different that our lives were in Utica and upstate NY. Utica was in it's heyday back when I was growing up there in the 50's between being the "gateway to the Adirondacks" and all the industry that called the area home. Downtown was always busy with throngs of shoppers crowding the streets, and major industry such as GE, CP, and Bendix to name a few, kept people steadily and securely employed.
It breaks my heart to see what Utica's inner city is becoming, while this urban area is growing and thriving. We miss Utica and the CNY area and we talk about it every day, but we are grateful for the fact that we moved here in our retirement with the low taxes (no state income tax), easy winters, and lower cost of living.
Just waxing nostalgic and looking back over the years since we moved here. As our beloved Mohawk Valley has seen a decline in industry, business, and population, this area has seen growth in those same three areas. When my parents moved here with Univac in the mid 70's Bristol was serviced by 5 exits on I-81, from mile marker 1 thru 5. Exit 7 was 2 miles "out of town" with only a gas station and the bowling alley at the time. Now exit 7 is a major hub for commercial business as well as restaurants and hotels.
I leaves me sad to see the area where I grew up falling into such decline in comparison to the exploding growth here in the Southeast. With every passing year Bristol grows to become a tourist destination, as well as having plenty of industry and jobs, with more coming every year.
The photo was not from this year, but every year the streets of downtown are similarly packed with thousands of visitors as well as local area residents. This year was no exception, although it rained on and off and some of the activities were rained out. But the music played on and people stood in the rain with umbrellas to hear their favorites. They had June Carter Cash, Tanya Tucker, and many other popular singers and groups, totaling about 120 acts on 12 stages scattered around downtown. 8 or 10 blocks of State Street are blocked off and lined with vendors selling merchandise as well as food vendors. they set up in the street while the permanent downtown shops and restaurants also benefit from the crowds.
The Rythm and Roots music festival closed last evening, and State Street will be cleaned up and back to normal business by the time the shops open this morning.
The activity has shifted to the other end of town where the campgrounds are beginning to fill already for next week's NASCAR playoff race. People start showing up a week ahead of time and by Wednesday and Thursday the campgrounds are full and there are activities at the track and all around town to keep the race fans entertained and busy. When we moved here in 2002 the spring and fall races used to sell out to a crowd of over 130,000. Over the years the grandstand was been expanded upward to where it now has seating for 160,000 plus. Hotels filled as far away as Knoxville on race weekends.Unfortunately, NASCAR popularity has waned to a point where most races are only attended by 30-50K, but the hotels and campgrounds still fill.
Now we have the temporary casino that has seen capacity crowds just about every day since it opened, with a full-blown Hard Rock casino, resort hotel, convention facility, and entertainment venue coming in early 2024.
Living here is much different that our lives were in Utica and upstate NY. Utica was in it's heyday back when I was growing up there in the 50's between being the "gateway to the Adirondacks" and all the industry that called the area home. Downtown was always busy with throngs of shoppers crowding the streets, and major industry such as GE, CP, and Bendix to name a few, kept people steadily and securely employed.
It breaks my heart to see what Utica's inner city is becoming, while this urban area is growing and thriving. We miss Utica and the CNY area and we talk about it every day, but we are grateful for the fact that we moved here in our retirement with the low taxes (no state income tax), easy winters, and lower cost of living.
