Kingsport Spirit

Every other week during dental school, I meet students rotating through the Kingsport Dental Clinic, a partnership with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Most people associate UT with Knoxville, but its health sciences programs—including dentistry—are based in Memphis. Arkansas has a private dental school but no public one, so the state provides 23 entering places each year for Arkansas residents at UT—roughly one of every six students in a new class.

Those conversations led me to learn more about Northwest Arkansas and recognize how much it resembles Northeast Tennessee.

Both occupy the upland corners of their states: Northeast Tennessee in the Appalachian foothills and Northwest Arkansas in the Ozarks. Neither revolves around one dominant city. Jobs, hospitals, colleges, shopping and recreation are spread among several mid-sized communities.

They are nearly the same size: approximately 622,000 residents in Northwest Arkansas and 607,000 in Northeast Tennessee. But Northwest Arkansas has added about 75,000 residents since 2020—nearly 14 percent—compared with about 21,000, or 3.6 percent, here.

Northwest Arkansas is experiencing hypergrowth. Northeast Tennessee is experiencing grounded growth.

Grounded growth does not mean resisting change. Northeast Tennessee needs jobs, working-age families, entrepreneurs, investment, and outside income. The difference is pace: growth is healthier when housing, roads, utilities, and public services can keep up.

Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt are headquartered in Northwest Arkansas, while the University of Arkansas adds research and young talent. That concentration has supported Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, strong downtowns and a nationally recognized trail network.

The national attention is measurable. In U.S. News & World Report’s 2026–2027 Top 250 Best Places to Live in the entire country, included Northwest Arkansas’ Rogers, Springdale, and Fayetteville. Northeast Tennessee’s Kingsport and Johnson City did, too. The rankings consider value, quality of life, desirability, and job market strength.

Housing may be the clearest difference. Using Realtor.com’s June 2026 median sold prices for the principal communities, Northeast Tennessee ranged from about $282,000 to $308,000. Northwest Arkansas ranged from roughly $368,000 to $475,000. The midpoint was approximately $290,000 here and $428,000 there—a 47 percent difference.

But lower prices do not automatically mean greater affordability for local wage earners. Comparing home prices with median household income produces a midpoint ratio of about 5.5 in Northeast Tennessee and 5.2 in Northwest Arkansas. Higher salaries offset much of Northwest Arkansas’ housing premium.

Northeast Tennessee’s advantage is different: buying a home requires less cash, a smaller down payment and usually a smaller mortgage. That especially helps retirees, remote workers, and newcomers bringing outside income or home equity. Local households still face affordability challenges in both regions.

Northwest Arkansas has the stronger regional airport. XNA averages about 50 flights daily and serves more than 20 nonstop markets, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, and Washington.

TRI offers eight: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando International, Orlando Sanford, St. Pete-Clearwater and Washington Dulles. Four are major connecting hubs.

Northeast Tennessee gains ground through alternatives. Asheville and Knoxville are about a two-hour drive. Charlotte Douglas, about three and a half hours away, offers 188 nonstop destinations, including 44 international destinations. Northwest Arkansas has no comparable hub within a similar drive. Tulsa is about two hours away but similar to XNA, while Dallas-Fort Worth, the closest comparable to Charlotte, is about six.

The climates are similar, although Northwest Arkansas is hotter. Fayetteville averages about 34 days annually at 90 degrees or higher, compared with 19 at Tri-Cities Airport. Both regions offer four seasons and abundant outdoor recreation.

Northwest Arkansas shows what ambition, corporate investment and regional cooperation can accomplish. It also shows the pressure created when growth outruns housing and infrastructure.

Northeast Tennessee should learn from that success without trying to duplicate its hypergrowth. The goal should be grounded growth that expands opportunity while protecting affordability, mobility, and community character.