“Little Chicago” - Johnson City, TN
Driving from Asheville, North Carolina back to New York, I made a random stop in Johnson City, Tennessee. I found a cute downtown area with restaurants, bars, stores and character-rich historic buildings with second-story housing.
Founded in 1856 by Henry Johnson as a railroad station, Johnson City became a major rail hub for the Southeast, as three railway lines crossed in the downtown area. The city hosted the noteworthy Columbia Records recording session in 1928 know as the Johnson City Sessions.
An interesting tidbit, during the 1920’s, the Prohibition era, Johnson City had ties to Al Capone and his bootlegging distribution network in the Appalachian Mountains. This earned the city the nickname “Little Chicago”. The city was a hub and quick access to three different state lines enticing famous crime bosses to set up secret locations to manage their illegal businesses. It was a central location between Chicago, New York and Miami.
Here is what caught my eye. I hope you enjoy!
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Johnson City has invested in their downtown district and joined 34 other Tennessee Main Street communities that are accredited through the state program Main Street America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Here is what you should know:
This is a walkable downtown area.
There are several trails just outside of the city.
You could spend a couple of hours here.
On the street parking is available; check the posted parking regulation signs.
