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Fun Facts

Here’s some really fun facts about Johnson City!

1. Dr. Enuf, America’s first energy booster drink,  is bottled in Johnson City.
2. Mountain Dew was originally developed in Johnson City as a mixer for whiskey.
3. Johnson City was originally named Johnson’s Depot after its founder Henry Johnson, and was briefly named Haynesville during the Civil War.
4. Before Tennessee became a state, Johnson City was part of the State of Franklin from 1784-1788.
5. Despite what the lyrics to Old Crow Medicine Show’s song Wagon Wheel say, Johnson City is actually east of the Cumberland Gap.
6. Johnson City is nicknamed “little Chicago” due to its ties to bootlegging during Prohibition.
7. Al Capone is rumored to have had a base of operations in Johnson City.
8. Though not as famous as the Bristol Sessions, Johnson City had their own recording sessions in 1928 known as the Johnson City Sessions and produced such artists as “Fiddlin Charlie” Bowman, Clarence Green, and Clarence “Tom” Ashley.
9. Colonel Lee Roy Reeves, designer of the Tennessee State flag, lived in and is buried in Johnson City.
10. Founder’s Park was originally designed as a water mitigation project to prevent flooding in downtown before being redesigned to include an event space and sculpture walk.
11. Kenny Chesney graduated from East Tennessee State University and in 2022 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from there.
12. Steve Spurrier graduated from Science Hill High School in Johnson City, TN before going on to win a Heisman, play in the NFL, and coach both College and NFL teams.