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We Always Rise to the Occasion During Difficult Times
Have you ever thought about the difference between a city and a community? A city is a legally defined, structured entity with the authority to enforce laws. It operates under a charter, with elected officials and public services focused on managing resources and the well-being of its residents. A city has taxing authority. And if…
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Kingsport-Bristol: Quietly Leading Tennessee’s Economy
The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) released its July 2025 report with a statistic that turned heads across the state. Kingsport-Bristol posted the highest retail sales tax growth in Tennessee at 3.57%, while Memphis, by contrast, recorded the largest decline at -2.76%. Overall, sales tax collections were down -0.1% statewide month-over-month, but up…
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Kingsport & Oak Ridge
This Friday, the Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett football team travels to Oak Ridge in a renewed rivalry that has been won 23 times by Kingsport and 22 times by Oak Ridge. But the connection is of global significance as the communities share a common heritage dating back to the Manhattan Project during World War II. What Eastman…
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Kingsport: Playing the Long Game
We often hyper-fixate on Kingsport’s ranking in Tennessee’s growth, but miss the context of cities that are closer than our state capital. When I first began my career, Sullivan was the fifth most populous county, but now it’s tenth, replaced by counties adjoining Nashville. But Nashville, like Austin and Charlotte, is a national phenomenon. It’s…
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Appalachian Poverty: Bad Data, Good Intentions
Recently, we published an article titled “Safer by Design, Not by Statistics” that shows why Tennessee’s crime rate isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison with other places—and how it’s often misused to suggest we’re less safe than we really are. You can read it at KingsportSpirit.com. Another misleading statistic is the poverty rate. Appalachia is “poorer” than…
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If You Can’t Sell There, You Can’t Move Here: August 2025 in Context
Move To Kingsport Monthly Report Month-to-month. August 2025 ran cooler than last August. We recorded 49 new families from 19 states, down from 63 families and 26 states in August 2024. The daily pace eased from 2.9 to 2.3 families per workday. Prices also cooled: $305,000 median and $149/SF this August versus $317,005 and $155/SF…
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Why Tennessee—and Kingsport—Make Saving Money Possible
Bankrate’s new 2025 study on the best and worst states for saving money confirms what many of us already sense: where you live can make or break your ability to build a cushion. Tennessee ranked #1 in the nation, thanks to low taxes and a cost of living that still beats the national average. That…
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Why Are Homes & Apartments So Expensive?
I’m a lifelong student of city management, planning, history, demographics, and socioeconomics. Honestly, sometimes I wish I wasn’t—it can be exhausting. I can’t just “turn it off.” I still have a folder filled with maps of fictitious cities that I drew in middle school. I spent more time naming streets, designing parks, and placing schools…
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The Gentle Giant Behind Kingsport’s Transformation
Terry Cunningham was recently honored for his lifetime of partnership as Executive Director of the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority. I was asked to share my thoughts. Terry Cunningham is one of the best human beings I know. He’s a gentle giant who has worked mostly in the background to effect positive outcomes for our…
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Happy Birthday, Mayor Phillips
I was asked to share a few words about Dennis at a live event last Friday. I thought you might like to see. I was just randomly talking to Stephen LaHair one day and said, “You know, Dennis Phillips is one of my favorite people in this world.” He said, “Have you told him that?”…
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