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2025 Annual Report
Move To Kingsport Kingsport’s relocation story over the past two years is not one of decline, but of adjustment—shaped by national housing conditions and reflected clearly in local data. By year, Kingsport’s relocation pipeline from outside the region (greater than 35 miles) remained broad and national, but cooled modestly from 2024 to 2025. In 2024,…
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Sullivan County’s Full Potential
Why City Residents Should Care Sullivan County plays a critical role in the lives of city residents, even if it can sometimes feel distant from Blountville, our collective county seat. That sense of distance is amplified by scale. The decennial census is the baseline used nationwide to establish voting precincts. In 2020, Sullivan County had…
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A Holy Land Close to Home
Through an unexpected turn of events, my son and daughter-in-law were given a rare opportunity to visit the Holy Land—one that was simply too good to pass up. Many people don’t realize that my son’s foundational degree is in Religion from Carson-Newman University, where he also served as a captain of the football team. His…
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Before Jamestown: The Forgotten Road Between Beaufort and Appalachia
We’ve spent quite a bit of time in Beaufort, South Carolina, in recent years because of our connection to the beaches of nearby Fripp Island. We fell in love with Beaufort because it offers much of the history and charm of Charleston or Savannah, but on a far more human scale. With fewer than 15,000…
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Remembering Bill Dudney
John Dudney was Kingsport’s Postmaster and the original Santa Claus on the Santa Train. He instilled a sense of community service in his family. His grandson, Bill, chose to live his life in his hometown of Kingsport, giving back every step of the way. As a student at Dobyns-Bennett, he was selected to work for…
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Kingsport’s Role in the Regional Housing Market
Kingsport helped set the tone for Northeast Tennessee’s housing market in November. While the region recorded 609 home sales—up 6.7% year over year—and a flat median price of $260,000, Kingsport stood out as one of the submarkets providing momentum beneath an otherwise steady regional headline. That distinction becomes clearer when housing activity is viewed on…
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Where $100 Still Goes A Long Way
A recently published map from the Tax Foundation illustrates a reality many Kingsport residents intuitively understand but rarely see quantified so clearly: the real value of a dollar varies dramatically across the country—and Kingsport sits firmly on the favorable side of that divide. Adjusted for regional purchasing power, $100 stretches meaningfully farther in much of…
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Powdered Wigs and Coonskin Caps
I found myself thinking about the inaugural nonstop flight from TRI Airport to Washington Dulles in Northern Virginia—and about my daughter-in-law being on that very first plane, returning home with photos of our nation’s capital glowing in Christmas lights. The Capitol dome was illuminated, and monuments stood lit against the winter sky. It was a…
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Church Circle: Kingsport’s Town Square
There’s just something about town squares. They are the settings of Hallmark movies and Christmas cards—the places where parades pass, lights are lit, and communities recognize themselves. They evoke warm memories of home, family, faith, and belonging. A true town square is not just a location; it is an emotional center, a shared reference point…
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Best Wishes to Our Neighbors from Rye Cove
Rye Cove, located 27 miles north of Kingsport in Duffield, Virginia, will play for the Virginia High School Football Championship this Saturday. For many in our region, home is on both sides of the state line. I hope they know their friends, family, and neighbors in Tennessee are pulling for them! “Wednesday afternoon, Collier and…
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