Tag: economy
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Kingsport, Bristol, and Sullivan County: East Tennessee’s Tightest Housing Market
Realtor.com’s May 2025 supply-demand chart offers a revealing look at home values and market dynamics across 26 communities in the surrounding region. Amid a mix of balanced, buyer, and seller markets, two names jump out: Kingsport, Bristol, and Sullivan County. These areas share a unique—and telling—position in the current housing landscape: they are among the…
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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…
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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…
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A Matter of Perspective: Housing, History, and Kingsport’s Future
We hear a lot about housing affordability these days. The real challenge is distinguishing between national trends that affect everyone and local conditions that vary by community. Our perception of the data is shaped not just by statistics but also by our age and lived experiences. I once knew a Realtor who entered the market…
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Tennessee’s Most Valuable
If you’ve heard me talk about growth, you’ve heard me talk about “all things in moderation” or “not too hot, not too cold, just right,” suggesting a balanced, thoughtful approach to growth and community life. It points to a place that’s not too large to feel overwhelming or impersonal, but not so small that it…
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Move To Kingsport – March 2025
Month of March 2025: Past 12 Months (ending March 2025): Since 2020: The recent data indicates that homes in Kingsport are slightly more affordable than the past year when considering the price per square foot. In March 2025, the price per square foot was $140, an $18 decrease compared to the past 12-month average of…
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Making Fair Comparisons: Housing Markets Across Eastern Tennessee
Comparing cities can be tricky—it’s a lot like comparing yourself to someone else. For example, if your friend saves $10,000 while you save $5,000, they might seem more successful. But if they earn twice your salary, you’re actually saving at a higher rate. It’s the difference between saying, “Who has more?” versus “Who is doing…
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At The End of The Day, People Vote with Their Feet
I’ve come to realize that many states are trying to replicate what we have in Tennessee—no income tax, no personal property tax, and no inheritance or estate tax. At last count 15 states are trying, but it’s easier said than done because they’ve become accustomed to that revenue stream and rarely want to cut costs.…
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Tennessee’s Housing Challenges: Where and Why It Got So Expensive
Check out this report from The Sycamore Group. It’s the most comprehensive explanation I’ve seen. There are many charts and figures that paint a picture of housing trends all across Tennessee. In my opinion, it’s very consistent with what I’ve been saying for several years now, but it covers every county in Tennessee. It helps…
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Balanced Growth: How Our Region Compares
Last week, the Census Bureau released updated population estimates for metropolitan areas from 2020 to 2024. Curious about how our region compares to similar metros nationwide, we analyzed all metros within 10% of the population of either Kingsport-Bristol or Johnson City. A healthy metro growth rate typically falls between 0.5% and 1% per year, equating…
Kingsport Spirit 