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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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1948: Appeal to the Great Spirit
Do you ever see a photograph that triggers a memory? Recently, I discovered that Ancestry.com has digitized many of our nation’s yearbooks. In the process, I stumbled on the 1948 Maroon & Grey—my mother’s final yearbook at Dobyns-Bennett. It offers a remarkable window into student life in that era. Twenty school years later, in 1967–68,…
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Income vs. Wealth: Understanding Kingsport’s Retiree-Driven Metrics
Public discussion about Kingsport’s economy often leans on a single familiar figure: median household income. It is simple, understandable, and widely used. Yet in Kingsport’s case, it can also be one of the most misleading indicators of our true economic condition. Many of Kingsport’s major job sectors—manufacturing, health care, finance, and professional services—offer median wages…
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Kingsport’s Quiet Surge in New Housing
A recent comparison of new-construction listings across nine Tennessee peer cities reveals a striking trend: Kingsport is undergoing one of the most rapid shifts in new-home availability anywhere in the region. While places such as Cleveland, Cookeville, Johnson City, Maryville, and Morristown currently list more total new homes, the year’s most dramatic movement belongs unmistakably…
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A Market Finding Its Sustainable Rhythm
MOVE TO KINGSPORT MONTHLY REPORT The November 2025 relocation data confirm that Kingsport has entered a new phase of steady, durable growth—one that is less explosive than the post-pandemic wave, but far more sustainable. In November 2025, Kingsport welcomed 39 new families from 18 states, averaging 2.29 new families per workday. The median home price…
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Of Time and Time Zones
The change to or from daylight saving time always throws me off. It takes a good couple of weeks to feel normal again. I’ve long wished we could settle on one consistent time year-round, but I understand it’s not as simple as it sounds. When I lived briefly in Middle Tennessee, I remember the sun…
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Kingsport Spirit 