Tag: real estate
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Hicks Block, Reborn
CONDENSED VERSION Perhaps you, like me, have been following the renovation of the Hicks Block Building at Broad and Market in downtown Kingsport. If not, search “Hicks Block – Kingsport” on Facebook and look through the photos. Architect Kattie Stanton-Casebolt and her husband Eric bought the building just in time to save it from demolition…
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Hicks Block, Reborn
THE FULL STORY (THERE’S A CONDENSED VERSION, TOO) Perhaps you, like me, have been following the renovation of the Hicks Block Building at the corner of Broad and Market Streets in Downtown Kingsport. If you haven’t, I encourage you to go to Facebook and search “Hicks Block – Kingsport” and browse through the photographs. Architect…
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Steady Growth, Regional Strength, and a Commitment to Stay
MOVE TO KINGSPORT – FEBRUARY 2026 MONTHLY REPORT One year ago, our February 2025 report reflected strong post-pandemic momentum. That pace has moderated — and that’s a healthy development. As of February 2026, 531 out-of-region families from 46 states relocated to Kingsport over the past 12 months, averaging just over two households per workday. The…
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Move To Kingsport: Ensuring Our City’s Renewal, Not Retreat
When people think about economic development, they often picture industrial parks, incentives, or ribbon cuttings for major employers. Those investments matter immensely. But today’s economy is changing — and so are the tools that drive growth. That’s why programs like Move To Kingsport represent a new kind of economic development: people-centered, data-driven, and remarkably cost-effective.…
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Kingsport: A Tale of Two Cities
Long before it had a name, geography made this place significant. Long Island of the Holston — four miles long and nearly half a mile wide — was a Cherokee sacred ground used for diplomacy. Situated where Reedy Creek meets the Holston River as it bends around Bays Mountain, it anchors a 6,000-acre basin known…
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A Cooler January, a Steady Market
Move To Kingsport Monthly Report January numbers can be deceptive. They’re often the first data point people seize on in a new year, but they’re also the smallest, noisiest slice of the calendar. That’s especially true in housing, where closings reflect decisions made months earlier and where construction timing, weather, and financing cycles all collide.…
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Kingsport After COVID
I still remember the mood at Kingsport’s 1999 Economic Summit. Beneath the optimism, there was a persistent worry: we were aging, and some feared the city would slowly become a retirement community—comfortable, yes, but eventually aging out into economic drift. That kind of concern is easy to feel in real time, especially when the loudest…
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Don’t Tell Nobody: What Happens When You Bet on an Appalachian
I was saddened to learn of the passing of Roger Ball, the man behind the redevelopment of the Kingsport Mall (now East Stone Commons). Our paths first crossed in 1997. I had just been promoted to Development Services Director at age 35, and Roger had acquired one of Kingsport’s most prominent development sites at the…
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Taxes Are, Well, Taxing
What IRS migration data says about Northeast Tennessee’s income inflow It’s tax season, and we’re all thinking about federal income taxes. But a lot of Americans are also thinking about state income tax, and some even pay a local income tax. Tennessee is the only centrally located state in the Eastern U.S. that doesn’t levy…
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Where America Is Moving — and What Makes Kingsport Different
Migration numbers can look like mind-numbing spreadsheet trivia—until you realize they’re quietly revealing who’s voting with their feet, and why Kingsport keeps showing up in the story. The Census Bureau just released its state-to-state migration data for 2024. We’re already into 2026, so it’s a lagging indicator. To keep the comparison fair, this analysis uses…
Kingsport Spirit 