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All things in moderation.
My grandmother used to say, “All things in moderation.” (For the record, she wasn’t talking about alcohol, as she abhorred the stuff.) How much growth is good? When does it slip into the category of undesirable? What if we shrank? How would businesses survive? How would families get by? A growth of 5%-10% per decade…
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Kingsport is a great place to live AND work
Many still think of Kingsport and Oak Ridge as cities of commerce and industry–places to commute into work, but at the end of the day they return home elsewhere. Cities like Maryville, on the other hand, are viewed as “bedroom communities”–cities where a significant percentage of residents work elsewhere. The Census Bureau now has an…
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Tri-Cities: Not too hot, not too cold, but just right.
Sustainable growth is the goal, but what does that mean? A growth rate that is not too hot and not too cold, but just right. A population growth of 5%-10% per decade is required for a healthy, sustainable economy without growth-related issues like traffic, crime, and erosion of quality of life. The Census Bureau just…
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A Favored Land.
In my marketing bullet points for attracting newcomers to our region, I always talk about the natural assets that are God-given. Our region enjoys: I thought my process of factual deduction was quite unique until I found a 1903 book called, “The History of Southwest Virginia (1746-1786)” by Lewis Preston Summers. Remember, Tennessee did not…
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Big Stone Gap.
By Jeff FlemingMarch 29, 2023 I can summarize my familiarity with Big Stone Gap into six things: (1) the legendary football legacy of the Powell Valley Vikings, now merged with the Appalachia Bulldogs to form Union High School, (2) the presence of Mountain Empire Community College, (3) interaction with LENOWISCO in transportation planning across state…
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Sobel, Valk, and the American Dream.
By Jeff Fleming, KingsportSpirit.comas published in the Kingsport Times-NewsMarch 26, 2023 Kingsport lost two iconic names last month–Norman Sobel and Sarah Valk. With so many trying to divide us these days, it’s important to remember that Kingsport was founded as a melting pot of people from around the region and around the globe. It was…
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Walnut Hill, the most historic home you’ve probably never heard of.
I remember when City Manager Ray Griffin wanted stationary commemorating the three phases of Kingsport history—settlement, the first incorporation (1822), and the second incorporation (1917). That’s right, Kingsport was incorporated twice. The actual port city was incorporated in 1822 but lost its charter after the Civil War. The current city was incorporated in 1917. The…
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Small City. Big Heart. Global Influence.
You probably don’t expect world-changing technology to originate from a small city in the Appalachian Mountains–but it does. Both Eastman and Domtar are heavily investing in the circular economy. What’s a ‘circular economy’? Recycling. In this case, plastics and containerboard. Just this week, Eastman welcomed the President of Normandy (France) to their headquarters in Kingsport…
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Fort Light.
The wide boulevard in front of Dobyns-Bennett High School has been a hub of community activity since the beginning. When I was growing up it was known as Memorial Boulevard. Those older than me may remember it as “New” Bristol Highway. When Brooks Circle was removed, it was renamed “Fort Henry Drive” because it became…
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Not borne from the pandemic
Many believe that “MoveTo Kingsport” is a pandemic era program, but it actually began as a strategic response to data shared at the Mayor’s 1999 Economic Summit that warned of our region’s impending status as a ‘rustbelt’ if we did not take action. City leaders were encouraged by a nationally recognized expert to diversify their…
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Kingsport Spirit 