How did Johnson City earn the nickname ‘Little Chicago?’

How did Johnson City earn the nickname ‘Little Chicago?’

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Most locals likely know of Johnson City's nickname of "Little Chicago," but how did the city earn that label? It started during the Prohibition era. "So there's no doubt that there was illicit alcohol around in the 1920s in Johnson City and afterward," said Dr. Tom Lee, an associate professor of history at East Tennessee State University. "But, you know, I don't doubt that there would have been elements of the crim…