Tag: politics
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What Does the Poverty Rate Really Tell Us?
The Census Bureau recently released its annual update on poverty in the United States. But before drawing conclusions from a poverty rate, it helps to ask a basic question: How is poverty being measured? The federal government uses two main measures, and they can tell somewhat different stories. The Official Poverty Measure, or OPM, compares…
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Sullivan County’s 25-Year Economic Reset
A wise mentor once said that a community’s progress should be measured in quarter centuries, not quarters. The point was to take the long view — across multiple administrations, economic cycles and political priorities — rather than judge success by quick fixes or short-term gains. Economic change rarely follows an election calendar. Industrial sites can…
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Kingsport’s Fastest-Growing Age Group Isn’t Seniors. It’s Younger Adults.
Recent Census Bureau data tell an important story about where America is headed — and where Kingsport may be headed with it. Between 2020 and 2025, the South grew 6%, almost twice the national rate. More important, it was the only region to gain population in every major age group. Children under 18 increased 1.1%.…
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Sullivan 250 | Rocky Mount: Where Territorial Government Took Root
Ninth in a 12-part monthly series to commemorate Sullivan County’s role in the 250th birthday of the United States of America September 2026 | 9 of 12 When the Territory of the United States South of the River Ohio was organized in 1790, federal authority needed a place where government could operate in practical terms.…
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The Case for Grounded Growth
There is a line on the population map that Northeast Tennessee should pay attention to. The map tracks net domestic migration—Americans moving from one part of the country to another—between 2020 and 2024. Green counties gained residents through migration. Purple counties lost them. Northeast Tennessee is on the green side, but just barely. Most maps…
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Sullivan 250 | William Blount and the Business of Building a Territory
Eighth in a 12-part monthly series to commemorate Sullivan County’s role in the 250th birthday of the United States of America August 2026 | 8 of 12 When William Blount was appointed governor of the Territory South of the River Ohio in 1790, the task before him was immense. The Revolution was over, but order…
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Where Americans Moved in 2025
You may have seen this pop-up in your feed recently. Though many will jump to political conclusions or shout we’re being overrun by newcomers, neither is entirely true. The graphic shows net domestic migration in 2025 per 10,000 inhabitants. That means the numbers are not percentages and not total headcounts. They show whether a state…
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Lexington & Concord–and Kingsport
We all learned in school about “the shot heard ’round the world.” I like to examine parallel history. What was happening here at that same time? How would locals know the Revolutionary War had begun? A war so significant it wrote a new chapter in modern world history. On the morning of April 19, 1775,…
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The County Line Doesn’t Divide Us
Miss Tennessee 2026 recently posted a photo of herself standing in front of Allandale Mansion. She joked that she had come to crown Miss Kingsport and Miss Sullivan County, only to discover that she was standing in the Hawkins County portion of Kingsport. She invited readers to weigh in on Kingsport’s unusual two-county status. It…
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Why Kingsport Is Called the Model City
Kingsport’s municipal election is underway, with early voting through August 1 and Election Day on August 6. This is a good time to remember why we are called the Model City. The name is often associated with Kingsport’s physical plan—Church Circle, an orderly street system, and a balanced layout for businesses, neighborhoods, parks, and schools.…
