The Tri-Cities is the region comprising the cities of

Kingsport Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston River, Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the Mountain Empire ...

, Johnson City, and Bristol and the surrounding smaller towns and communities in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. All three cities are located in Northeast Tennessee, while Bristol has a twin city of the same name in Virginia. The Tri-Cities region was formerly a single Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA); due to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

's revised definitions of urban areas in the early 2000s, it is now a Combined Statistical Area (CSA) with two metropolitan components: Johnson City and Kingsport-Bristol (TN)-Bristol (VA)

However, the Tri-Cities are usually still considered one population center, which is the fifth-largest in Tennessee.

Combined Statistical Area

Components

;Tennessee * Carter County, Tennessee, Carter County * Greene County * Hancock County *

Hawkins County Hawkins County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 56,721. Its county seat is Rogersville, Tennessee, Rogersville, Hawkins County is par ...

* Johnson County * Sullivan County * Unicoi County * Washington County ;Virginia *

City of Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

(Independent City) * Scott County * Washington County

Communities

Places with more than 50,000 inhabitants

* Johnson City, Tennessee (principal city) *

Kingsport, Tennessee Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston River, Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the Mountain Empire, w ...

(principal city)

Places with 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants

* Bristol, Tennessee (principal city) *

Bristol, Virginia Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State S ...

(principal city) *

Bloomingdale, Tennessee Bloomingdale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 9,888 at the 2010 census and 10,188 in 2013. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statis ...

( CDP) * Elizabethton, Tennessee * Greeneville, Tennessee

Places with 1,000 to 10,000 inhabitants

Places with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants

Baileyton, Tennessee Baileyton is a town in northern Greene County, Tennessee, Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 431 at the 2010 census, down from 504 at the 2000 census. Baileyton is located north of Greeneville, Tennessee, Greeneville and ...

* Bulls Gap, Tennessee *

Damascus, Virginia Damascus is a town in Washington County, Virginia, United States. The population was 814 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson ...

Clinchport, Virginia Clinchport is a town in Scott County, Virginia, United States. The population was 64 at the 2020 census. Clinchport is the least-populated municipality in Virginia. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan ...

Duffield, Virginia Duffield is a town in Scott County, Virginia, United States. The population was 73 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingspo ...

Dungannon, Virginia Dungannon is a town in Scott County, Virginia, United States. The population was 332 at the 2010 census. It was named after the town of Dungannon in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Dungannon is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– B ...

Meadowview, Virginia Meadowview (listed as Meadow View by the Census Bureau) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washington County, Virginia, United States. The population was 967 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (V ...

(CDP) *

Mooresburg, Tennessee Mooresburg is a census-designated place (CDP) and a unincorporated town in Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 941 as of the 2010 census. It is located along U.S. Route 11W between Rogersville and Bean Station. Demog ...

(CDP) *

Nickelsville, Virginia Nickelsville is a town in Scott County, Virginia. The population was 383 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – comm ...

Telford, Tennessee Telford is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Washington County, Tennessee, United States, located between Jonesborough and Limestone. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 921. The community is part of the Johnson ...

(CDP) * Watauga, Tennessee

Unincorporated places

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 480,091 people, 199,218 households, and 138,548 families residing within the CSA. The racial makeup of the CSA was 96.22% White, 2.12% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.40%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.02% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.92% of the population. The median income for a household in the CSA was $30,331, and the median income for a family was $37,254. Males had a median income of $29,561 versus $21,014 for females. The per capita income for the CSA was $16,923.

Transportation

Interstate Highways

I-26 I26 may refer to: * Interstate 26 Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W ...

and I-81 intersect in the region, while I-40, I-77, and I-75 are nearby. Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) has non-stop service to Atlanta, Charlotte, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, and St. Petersburg/Clearwater. Airlines include Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, Allegiant Air and American Eagle Airlines. Additionally, TRI manages an aggressive Air Cargo program, administers Foreign Trade Zone 204, supports and promotes U.S. Customs Port 2027, and provides trade development assistance. The Region has both CSX and Norfolk Southern mainline railway access.

Highways

Interstates

* *

US Highways

* ** *** ** * ** ** * ** * ** ** * ** * **

Airport

The region is served by the Tri-Cities Regional Airport which has scheduled airline passenger jet service.

Education

Colleges and universities

* East Tennessee State University *

Emmanuel Christian Seminary Emmanuel Christian Seminary (formerly Emmanuel School of Religion) is the graduate theological seminary of Milligan University. The school is located near Johnson City, Tennessee, United States in Elizabethton, Tennessee city limits and in the co ...

Emory & Henry College Emory & Henry College (E&H or Emory) is a private liberal arts college in Emory, Virginia. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry College is ...

* King University * Milligan College *

Northeast State Community College Northeast State Community College is a public community college based in Blountville, Tennessee. It offers technical education and college transfer programs in Blountville and at teaching sites in Elizabethton, Gray, Johnson City, and Kingspo ...

* University of Virginia's College at Wise * Virginia Intermont College (Closed May 2014) *

Virginia Highlands Community College Virginia Highlands Community College is a public community college in Abingdon, Virginia. It is part of the Virginia Community College System. The college was established November 30, 1967 to serve the residents of Washington County, western ...

Walters State Community College Walters State Community College (abbreviated as WSCC, and commonly known as Walters State) is a public community college based in Morristown, Tennessee. It was founded in 1970 and is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college was ...

Th
Kingsport Higher Education Center
is a complex in downtown

that combines classes from five area colleges and universities, including

The University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

All-American City Award

The All-America City Award is given by the National Civic League annually to ten cities in the United States. In 1999, the Tri-Cities were collectively designated as an ''All-America City'' by the National Civic League. The award is the oldest community recognition program in the nation and recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon results. Since the program's inception in 1949, more than 4,000 communities have competed and over 500 have been named ''All-America Cities''.

Sister cities

* Guaranda, Ecuador * Teterow, Germany * Rybinsk, Russia

References

;General ;Specific
OMB Bulletin No. 04-03. Updates to Statistical Areas. December 2003.U.S. Census Bureau, Table 6. Population in Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs): 1990 and 2000

External links

Tri-Cities TN/VA - The Regional Alliance for Economic DevelopmentNortheast Tennessee Tourism Association
{{authority control East Tennessee * * Geography of Carter County, Tennessee Geography of Hawkins County, Tennessee Geography of Unicoi County, Tennessee Geography of Sullivan County, Tennessee Geography of Washington County, Tennessee Geography of Scott County, Virginia Geography of Washington County, Virginia Bristol, Virginia