Tag: real estate
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Northeast Tennessee Housing: Strong Appreciation, Lasting Value
After historic growth, the region’s housing market is finding a healthier balance while maintaining its competitive advantage. A home purchased before the pandemic may have built remarkable equity—and Northeast Tennessee still offers something increasingly difficult to find: housing prices that compare favorably with both Tennessee and the nation. That combination of investment value and opportunity…
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Closer to Home
Move To Kingsport Quarterly Report | July–September 2026 Kingsport continues to attract new families from outside the region, but the third-quarter numbers make one thing increasingly clear: the post-pandemic relocation surge has moved into a much quieter phase. From July through September, 63 families moved to Kingsport from outside the region, representing 18 states based…
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One Region, Several Housing Markets
It is tempting to talk about the Northeast Tennessee–Southwest Virginia housing market as though it were one thing. The numbers suggest otherwise. Looking at single-family sales over the past 12 months by ZIP-area population reveals a series of distinct submarkets—urban, suburban, small-town and rural. Kingsport and Johnson City naturally lead in total activity, but their…
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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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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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Population Is More Than a Scoreboard
Tennessee’s 2026 certified population figures offer more than another round of “who is bigger?” comparisons. They reveal how Northeast Tennessee is organized—and point to one of the most consequential challenges facing the region’s future growth. Kingsport’s certified population includes 54,660 residents in Sullivan County and 2,870 in Hawkins County, for a combined total of 57,530.…
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Two Corners of America: Northeast Tennessee and Northwest Arkansas
Every other week during dental school, I meet students rotating through the Kingsport Dental Clinic, a partnership with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Most people associate UT with Knoxville, but its health sciences programs—including dentistry—are based in Memphis. Arkansas has a private dental school but no public one, so the state provides 23…
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A Steadier Season for Newcomers
Move To Kingsport Quarterly Report April-June, 2026 Kingsport continues to welcome new families from across the country, though at a slower pace than last year. From April to June, 90 families moved to Kingsport from outside the region, representing 22 states. That works out to about 1.47 new families per workday. This report does not…
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Special Edition Tennessee Housing Report
This special edition of Kingsport Spirit is offered as a gift to the public and municipal officials gathering in Kingsport for the 86th Annual Meeting of the Tennessee Municipal League later this week. It takes a robust dive into Tennessee’s single-family housing market across 120 communities—from Memphis to Mountain City—using per-capita comparisons to help level…
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Roots and Renewal: Why Kingsport Needs Both Locals and Newcomers
In retirement, I’ve spent a lot of time working on the landscaping around my 55-year-old house. The house sits beneath towering oaks that were there long before the first footing was poured. They give the place shade, structure, and character. The foundation plantings came later, when the house was built. Over time, some of them…
