-
Kingsport Came Near Being State’s Capitol
I didn’t write that headline. It came from an article published in the Knoxville Sentinel on September 14, 1901. The “Tavern” it describes is what we know today as the Netherland Inn, a landmark that reminds us Kingsport’s history stretches back much farther than the commonly cited 1917 incorporation date. In fact, 1917 marks the…
-
Kingsport’s Rising Popularity: 637 New Families in a Year
Over the past year, Kingsport has attracted 637 new families from 45 different states, averaging roughly 2.6 out‐of‐region arrivals per workday. In contrast, May 2025 alone saw 78 families move here from 27 states—an equivalent of about 3.7 families per workday. Of those 78, just 33 were home purchases (accounting for nearly $18 million in…
-
Rate vs. Reality: The Real Math of Property Taxes
Explaining how property tax works is difficult at best. Today, in two separate publications from Tennessee and Virginia, I saw articles detailing rate changes. One was in Radford, Virginia, the other in Kingsport/Sullivan County, Tennessee. The articles state that Radford will increase it’s tax rate by almost 20% to $0.92, while Sullivan County’s preliminary certified…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Loose Ends
Last week, I had the opportunity to hear Ben Harris’ presentation to the Kingsport Historical Society entitled “Loose Ends”-and it really cleared up some loose ends for me. 2025 is the 250th anniversary of the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail, which came right through Kingsport. Ben did a great job peeling back the layers and explaining…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Remembering Kingsberry: Kingsport’s Prefab Legacy
Did you know that one of Kingsport’s most desirable neighborhoods is made up of prefabricated homes? Don’t let the word prefabricated fool you. It simply means the home’s components were precision-cut in regional Boise Cascade factories and then shipped to the building site. From there, local builders assembled the houses on-site. Think of it like…
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Kingsport Spirit 