Category: Move To Kingsport
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From Magic to Momentum: Playing the Long Game in Kingsport
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the natural life cycle of a city—of any built environment really. When you are a city manager, the challenges you face are based on when you arrive on the scene during that life cycle. If it’s a brand-new city, you have a clean slate. But there’s no infrastructure. So you…
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Sullivan Shines
Most often we focus on cities, but let’s take a look at counties on both sides of the Blue Ridge. Over the past ninety days ending May 26, 2025, single‐family home sales across East Tennessee and Western North Carolina have offered a revealing snapshot of regional real-estate vitality. In Tennessee’s lineup of top markets, Sullivan…
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Both Sides of the Blue Ridge: How Mid-Sized Cities Are Powering the Region’s Housing Market
We looked at recent home sales across all counties in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina—on both sides of the Blue Ridge. Why? Because these areas share many of the same traits. They’re clustered in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, the highest peaks in Eastern North America. The communities in this region are…
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Kingsport’s Wage Gains in Context: When Paychecks Stretch Further
In assessing local prosperity, it’s tempting to focus on headline wage figures: “Knoxville pays $31 per hour,” or “Johnson City surged to $30.” But for Kingsport—a city long celebrated for its measured growth and community spirit—the real story lies in how those paychecks go further against local costs. By blending respectable nominal wage gains with…
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Kingsport Grows, Nashville Suburbs Surge
Kingsport’s population is now officially 57,109, up from 55,510 in 2020 according to the Census Bureau’s newly released 2024 population estimates for cities over 20,000. Kingsport led the Tri-Cities in year-over-year growth at 0.6%, compared to 0.3% for Johnson City and 0.1% for Bristol. Remember when we were racing to hit 50,000—mostly through annexation? That…
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Commuting: What Kingsport’s Traffic Patterns Say About Us
We hear a lot about the growing traffic on I-26. In a perfect world, maybe we’d all live in the same city where we work. That would ease congestion, reduce stress, and add hours back to our day. But modern life is rarely that tidy. In households with two working adults, it’s common for each…
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Move To Kingsport Monthly Report – April 2025
Kingsport is rapidly emerging as a nationally recognized relocation destination, with new data showing sustained and widespread interest from across the United States. In April 2025 alone, 50 families relocated to Kingsport from 16 different states—an average of 2.5 new families per workday. These new arrivals weren’t limited to nearby areas; families came from as…
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A Matter of Perspective: Housing, History, and Kingsport’s Future
We hear a lot about housing affordability these days. The real challenge is distinguishing between national trends that affect everyone and local conditions that vary by community. Our perception of the data is shaped not just by statistics but also by our age and lived experiences. I once knew a Realtor who entered the market…
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Q1 2025 Sales Volume
The Q1 results are in, and just five markets made up 51% of all Tri-Cities home sales: Kingsport (16%), Johnson City (14%), Jonesborough (8%), Bristol, TN-VA (7%), and Greeneville (7%). The remaining sales were spread across Northeast Tennessee, from Mountain City to Bulls Gap, Rogersville to Erwin, and everywhere in between. Northeast Tennessee doesn’t have…
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The Quiet Corner of Tennessee That’s Winning the Housing Game
Affordable housing is a hot topic across the country right now. With no state income tax, no vehicle tax, and low property taxes, Tennessee is seen as one of the most budget-friendly states to live in—but Northeast Tennessee stands out even more. Kingsport, in particular, is gaining attention. It sees home sales similar to some…
Kingsport Spirit 