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.

  • History
  • Move To Kingsport
  • People
  • Motivation
  • My Family
  • The Very First Census Provides Shocking Insights

    On a recent visit to the Kingsport Public Library, I came across a stack of books slated for removal. Most were duplicates of old census records for various Tennessee counties and surrounding states. Since these records are now readily available online, it makes sense that Kingsport wouldn’t need to store documents for counties in Middle…

    Jeff Fleming

    January 29, 2025
    History, People
    ancestry, census, family-history, genealogy, History, politics, roots
  • Is Kingsport Growing or Dying?

    I know I’m a city planning geek who thinks way too much about this stuff, but have you ever wondered what the “right size” for a city really is? Of course, the answer depends on individual preferences. But even if you find a city that feels like the perfect fit, how can you be sure…

    Jeff Fleming

    January 28, 2025
    History, Move To Kingsport
    City Planning, growth, History, housing, housing policy, population, real estate, sustainability, sustainable growth, tennessee, travel, urban planning
  • Finance: Love It or Hate It, It Matters

    Finance. Ugh. It’s a topic that’s both critically important and endlessly dull for many. But let’s break it down in a way that actually matters: Just like managing a personal budget, is your government living within its means? Is it making politically popular promises it can’t sustain? Is it simply kicking the can down the…

    Jeff Fleming

    January 26, 2025
    Move To Kingsport
    City Planning, economic development, news, politics, relocation, retore, tax, taxes, tennessee, tourism
  • Kingsport’s Next Big Opportunity: Who Will Build the Future?

    Month after month, Move To Kingsport reports on the number of newcomers making this their home. In 2024 alone, 661 families moved here from 49 states! Curious about the state of new construction, we took a quick look at single-family homes built since 2020 currently on the market in comparable cities. The results were surprising:…

    Jeff Fleming

    January 24, 2025
    Move To Kingsport
    construction, development, homebuilding, housing, migration, new homes
  • The TRI Advantage

    On a recent recruiting trip to Long Island, NY, with Tennessee Tourism, one of the most frequently asked questions was about airport accessibility. Our team usually includes representatives from various parts of the state, and this trip featured folks from Nashville, Knoxville, and the Tri-Cities. As a Tri-Cities resident, I was able to share my…

    Jeff Fleming

    January 23, 2025
    Move To Kingsport
    airlines, airport, budget-travel, flights, tennessee, tourism, travel, travel-tips
  • 2024: Kingsport Led the Region in Home Sales

    Housing has been a hot topic nationwide. Typically, the hottest sales markets tend to overheat home prices as well. Kingsport bucked that trend and added a cherry on top–the highest performing schools in the region for 2024. as compiled by Move To Kingsport. Source: Northeast Tennessee Board of Realtors. Don Fenley does a great job…

    Jeff Fleming

    January 18, 2025
    Move To Kingsport
    education, housing, migration
  • Meet the Burchfields

    As I delve into my family tree, small details breathe life into the stories of my ancestors. They seem like fictional characters, yet they are my flesh and blood. I marvel at the hardships they endured and feel grateful for the relative safety and predictability of my own life. Take my maternal grandfather, Charles Blaine…

    Jeff Fleming

    January 17, 2025
    My Family
    ancestry, family, family-history, genealogy, History, tennessee
  • Tennessee: Less Taxing

    We recently participated in the annual Ideal Living show in partnership with Retire Tennessee. Each year, local chambers of commerce and tourism organizations collaborate to answer questions at this bustling event, where attendees explore relocation options. This past weekend, we were in Greater New York (Long Island). Over the next few weeks, we’ll visit New…

    Jeff Fleming

    January 13, 2025
    Move To Kingsport
    housing, new york, retirement, taxes, tennessee
  • ACT scores: Kingsport leads region in Class of 2024

    The Tennessee Department of Education recently released the district-level ACT scores for the 2023-2024 academic year. Since 2018, all students—not just those planning to attend college—have been required to take the ACT. As a nationally standardized test, the ACT serves as a valuable benchmark for evaluating district performance on a nationwide scale. Regionally, Kingsport stood…

    Jeff Fleming

    January 8, 2025
    Move To Kingsport
    ACT, education, Northeast Tennessee, schools, tennessee
  • These Tennessee cities are attracting the most movers, according to U-Haul

    This article by Diana Leyva was originally published in The Tennessean U-Haul migration data has revealed which states welcomed the most new residents in 2024. Southern states led the ranking, with Tennessee among the five leading growth states, marking the fifth consecutive year the Volunteer State has been a top 10 U-Haul growth state. Tennessee also ranked fifth…

    Jeff Fleming

    January 6, 2025
    Move To Kingsport
    City Planning, housing trends, migration patterns, relocation
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