Kingsport Spirit

Jeff Fleming's unique take on the Kingsport Spirit with stories of faith, family, people, places, & history of his hometown and surrounding region. Jeff retired in 2019 after serving the City of Kingsport for 35 years, rising from planning intern to city manager.

Kingsport, Johnson City named Best Places to Live 2025-2026

Kingsport and Johnson City are two of six Tennessee cities named to U.S. News’ Top 250 “Best Places to Live” list for 2025-2026.

Tennessee cities making the Top 250 are (in order): Hendersonville, Franklin, Kingsport, Murfreesboro, Johnson City, and Nashville.

Notable Tennessee cities and their suburbs not on the Top 250 list are Knoxville (Maryville, Morristown, Sevierville, Oak Ridge, Lenoir City), Chattanooga (Cleveland, Ooltewah, Signal Mountain), Memphis (Collierville, Germantown, Bartlett), Clarksville, Jackson, and Cookeville.

Notable Nashville suburbs missing from the list include Brentwood, Mount Juliet, Nolensville, Spring Hill, Smyrna, La Vergne, Antioch, Columbia, Gallatin, Dickson, Goodlettsville, and Lebanon.

Surrounding States

Zooming out to a 300-mile radius surrounding Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, only 35 cities in 9 states made the Top 250 list. Below is their regional ranking:

  1. John’s Creek, GA (Atlanta) — #1 nationally
  2. Cary, NC (Research Triangle)
  3. Apex, NC (Research Triangle)
  4. Alpharetta, GA (Atlanta)
  5. Huntersville, NC (Charlotte)
  6. Hendersonville, TN (Nashville)
  7. Roswell, GA (Atlanta)
  8. Franklin, TN (Nashville)
  9. Pinehurst, NC (Pinehurst-Southern Pines)
  10. Huntsville, AL
  11. Greenwood, IN (Indianapolis)
  12. Columbus, IN (Indianapolis)
  13. Mooresville, NC (Charlotte)
  14. Concord, NC (Charlotte)
  15. Chapel Hill, NC (Research Triangle)
  16. Decatur, AL (Huntsville)
  17. Kingsport, TN (Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol)
  18. Dalton, GA (Chattanooga)
  19. Raleigh, NC (Research Triangle)
  20. Smyrna, GA (Atlanta)
  21. Mount Pleasant, SC (Charleston)
  22. Murfreesboro, TN (Nashville)
  23. Staunton, VA
  24. Warner Robins, GA (Macon)
  25. Johnson City, TN (Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol)
  26. Lexington, KY
  27. Greenville, SC (Upstate)
  28. Durham, NC (Research Triangle)
  29. High Point, NC (Piedmont Triad)
  30. Weirton, WV
  31. Lynchburg, VA
  32. Roanoke, VA
  33. Elizabethtown, KY
  34. Nashville, TN
  35. Hickory, NC

These peers underscore Kingsport’s position alongside both major-city anchors, a regional partner in Johnson City, and high-performing suburbs—while maintaining far lower day-to-day costs.

Within the Top 250 within-300-miles slice analyzed here, several familiar regional names do not appear: Charlotte, Asheville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus (OH), Charlottesville (VA), Richmond (VA), Columbia (SC), Spartanburg (SC), Myrtle Beach (SC), Wilmington (NC), Bowling Green (KY), Augusta (GA), Charleston (SC), and Charleston (WV).

How the rankings are determined

U.S. News evaluates cities across four pillars—Quality of Life, Value, Desirability, and Job Market—with weights shaped by a national survey of what people prioritize when choosing where to live; quality of life carries the greatest weight for 2025–2026.

Kingsport at a glance

  • Housing affordability: Median home value about $233,000—roughly 34% below the median of our 300-mile Top-250 peer set.
  • Rentability: Typical rent sits about 43% below the peer-set median.
  • Time back in your day: A typical commute of 16-minutes, hundreds of miles from big-city sprawl.
  • Great schools: Kingsport’s schools are a major draw—strong academics, AP/dual enrollment, CTE pathways, arts, and athletics—backed by a right-sized, community-connected district.
  • Quality of life: Short, predictable commutes; abundant outdoor recreation; year-round community events; and convenient regional healthcare.
  • Cost of living: Home prices and typical rents remain well below peer-set medians, preserving options for buyers and renters without sacrificing amenities.
  • Scenic setting: Surrounded by the rolling green hills of the Tennessee Valley, with the Blue Ridge in the distance.

The takeaway

High quality. Low cost. Low traffic. Four seasons. Kingsport and Johnson City give you the best parts of the cities on the Top 250 list—schools, safety, healthcare, outdoor living—without big-city overhead. If you’re ready to trade congestion for connection, and price pressure for peace of mind, Northeast Tennessee is the move.

About the data

This release draws on the U.S. News & World Report 2025–2026 Best Places to Live dataset. Our Kingsport analysis isolates a 300-mile cohort from the Top 250 list. We standardized fields and computed cohort medians to compare housing costs, rents, and commute times.

Jeff Fleming

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