The Virginia side of State Street Bristol preserves an exceptional collection of 19th and early 20th-century commercial architecture that mirrors the Tennessee side across the famous painted-line state boundary. Specialty shops, music venues, and restaurants operate in buildings that have continuously housed commerce since the city's founding. The Virginia downtown's bohemian energy and historic character complement the Tennessee side's Birthplace of Country Music identity in creating one of the most distinctive twin-city main streets in America.