Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area
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Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. It lies along the
Holston River The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee ...
and had a population of 55,442 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city in the Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area, which had 307,613 residents in 2020. The metro area is a component of the larger Tri-Cities region of Tennessee and Virginia, with a population of 508,260 in 2020. Kingsport was chartered in 1822. The city's name is a simplification of King's Port, originally referring to the area on the Holston River known as King's Boat Yard, the head of navigation for the
Tennessee Valley The Tennessee Valley is the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and is largely within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from southwest Kentucky to north Alabama and from northeast Mississippi to the mountains of Virginia and North C ...
. Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the "Mountain Empire" in
southwest Virginia Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all V ...
and northeastern Tennessee.


History

Kingsport was developed after the Revolutionary War, at the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Holston River. In 1787 it was known as "Salt Lick" for an ancient
mineral lick A mineral lick (also known as a salt lick) is a place where animals can go to lick essential mineral nutrients from a deposit of salts and other minerals. Mineral licks can be naturally occurring or artificial (such as blocks of salt that fa ...
. It was first settled along the banks of the South Fork, about a mile from the
confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
. The Long Island of the Holston River is near the confluence, which is mostly within the present-day corporate boundaries of Kingsport. The island was an important site for the
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
, colonial pioneers and early settlers, and specifically mentioned in the 1770 Treaty of Lochaber. Early settlements at the site were used as a staging ground for other pioneers who were traveling overland on the
Wilderness Road The Wilderness Road was one of two principal routes used by colonial and early national era settlers to reach Kentucky from the East. Although this road goes through the Cumberland Gap into southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee, the other ...
leading to
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
through the
Cumberland Gap The Cumberland Gap is a Mountain pass, pass in the Eastern United States, eastern United States through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains and near the tripoint of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. At&n ...
. First chartered in 1822, Kingsport became an important shipping port on the Holston River. Goods originating for many miles around from the surrounding countryside were loaded onto barges for the journey downriver to the
Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...
at
Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
. In the Battle of Kingsport (December 13, 1864) during the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, a force of 300 Confederates under Colonel Richard Morgan stopped a larger Union force for nearly two days. An army of over 5,500 troops under command of Major General
George Stoneman George Stoneman Jr. (August 8, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a United States Army cavalry officer and politician who served as the 15th governor of California from 1883 to 1887. Stoneman trained at West Point, graduating in 1846, and served in ...
had left Knoxville to raid Confederate targets in Virginia: the salt works at
Saltville Saltville is a town in Smyth and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 1,824 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a co ...
, the lead works at Wytheville, and the iron works in
Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...
. While Col. Morgan's small band held off a main Union force under Major General Cullem Gillem on the opposite side the Holston River, Union Col. Samuel Patton took a force of cavalry to a ford in the river north and came down behind the Confederates. Out-numbered, out-flanked, and demoralized by the bitter winter weather, Col. Morgan surrendered. The Confederates suffered 18 dead, and 84
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
were sent to a Union prison in Knoxville. The city lost its charter after a downturn in its fortunes precipitated by the Civil War. On September 12, 1916, Kingsport residents demanded the death of circus elephant
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
(an
Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living Elephantidae, elephantid in the world. It is char ...
that performed in the Sparks World-famous Shows Circus). She had killed city hotel worker Walter Eldridge, who was hired by the circus the day before as an assistant elephant trainer. Eldridge was attacked and killed by the elephant while he was leading her to a pond. The elephant was impounded by the local sheriff. Leaders of several nearby towns threatened to prevent the circus from performing if it included the elephant. The circus owner, Charlie Sparks, reluctantly decided that the only way to quickly resolve the situation was to hold a public execution. On the following day, she was transported by rail to
Erwin, Tennessee Erwin is a town in and the county seat of Unicoi County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,083 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Johnson City metropolitan area, which is a component of the " Tri-Cities" region. History The tow ...
, where a crowd of over 2,500 people assembled in the
Clinchfield Railroad The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina. The 35-mile segmen ...
yard to watch her hang from a railroad crane.Schroeder, Joan V
"The Day They Hanged an Elephant in East Tennessee"
''Blue Ridge Country''
Re-chartered in 1917, Kingsport was an early example of a "garden city". Part of it was designed by city planner and landscape architect
John Nolen John Nolen (June 14, 1869 – February 18, 1937) was an American landscape architect, planning consultant, founding member of the American City Planning Institute (now the American Institute of Planners) and a writer. Biography Born in Phila ...
of
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...
. It was nicknamed as the "Model City" from this plan, which organized the town into areas for commerce, churches, housing and industry. Most of the land on the river was devoted to industry. Most of the Long Island is now occupied by
Eastman Chemical Company Eastman Chemical Company is an American company primarily involved in the chemical industry. Once a subsidiary of Kodak, today it is an independent global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of advanced materials, chemicals an ...
, which is headquartered in Kingsport. As part of this plan, Kingsport built some of the earliest
traffic circle A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...
s (roundabouts) in the United States. Into the 1950s, two important
public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...
projects were constructed: the Boone Dam and the Fort Patrick Henry Dam,
hydroelectric dams Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also ...
built along the
South Fork Holston River The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee, ...
. Kingsport was among the first municipalities to adopt a
city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...
form of government, to professionalize operations of city departments. It developed its school system based on a model promoted by
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. Pal's Sudden Service, a regional fast-food restaurant chain, opened its first location in 1956 and is headquartered in Kingsport. In 2001, Pal's Sudden Service, won the
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recognizes U.S. organizations in the business, health care, education, and nonprofit sectors for performance excellence. The Baldrige Award is the highest formal recognition of the performance excellen ...
, becoming the first restaurant company to receive the award.


Geography

Kingsport is located in western Sullivan County at the intersection of U.S. Routes 11W and 23. Kingsport is the northwest terminus of
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, US Route 11W (US 11W) ...
. The city is bordered to the west by the town of
Mount Carmel Mount Carmel (; ), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias (; ), is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A number of towns are situat ...
, to the southeast by unincorporated Colonial Heights, and to the northeast by unincorporated Bloomingdale. The Kingsport city limits extend west into Hawkins County and north to the
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
border. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.86%, are water. Most of the water area is in the
South Fork Holston River The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee, ...
.


Climate


Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods in Kingsport include: * Allandale * Bloomingdale * Borden Village * Carter's Valley * Cliffside * Colonial Heights * Cooks Valley * Downtown * Fairacres * Fort Robinson * Green Acres * Highland Park * Hillcrest * Indian Springs (Fall Creek &
Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
) * Litz Manor * Lynn Garden * Malabar Heights * Meadowview * Midtown * Orebank * Preston Forest * Preston Woods * Ridgefields * Riverfront * Riverview * Rock Springs * Sevier Terrace


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 55,442 people, 23,640 households, and 14,273 families residing in the city.


2000 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 44,905 people, 19,662 households and 12,642 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 21,796 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.32%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 4.07%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.79% Asian, 0.24% American Indian/Alaska Native, 0.02% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 0.34% some other race, and 1.06% two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population. There were 19,662 households, of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22, and the average family size was 2.80. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,524, and the median income for a family was $40,183. Males had a median income of $33,075 versus $23,217 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,549. About 14.2% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Eastman Chemical Company Eastman Chemical Company is an American company primarily involved in the chemical industry. Once a subsidiary of Kodak, today it is an independent global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of advanced materials, chemicals an ...
's first chemical plant along with its world headquarters are located in Kingsport. Eastman also operates a molecular recycling plant in Kingsport. Accsys Technologies, through a joint venture with Eastman, operates an acetylated wood manufacturing plant in the city.
Domtar Domtar Corporation is a leading, privately held manufacturer of diversified forest products, with a workforce of roughly 14,000 employees in more than 60 locations across North America. While Domtar operated independently for several decades a ...
operates a recycled containerboard facility in Kingsport that formerly was a paper mill established in 1916. Domtar converted the production of uncoated freesheet paper to containerboard in 2023. It is now home to one of the largest recycled containerboard machines in North America, which produces about 600,000 tons of recycled liner board and corrugated medium annually. Holston Army Ammunition Plant operated by
BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...
' Ordnance Systems, Inc. manufactures a wide range of secondary detonating explosives for the
Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...
. In 2019, Kingsport's
gross metropolitan product Gross metropolitan product (GMP) is a monetary measure that calculates the total economic output of a statistical metropolitan unit during a specific time period. It represents the market value of all final goods and services produced within the u ...
was reported to be .


Top employers

According to the City of Kingsport's annual comprehensive financial report for 2021, the top employers in the city are:


Culture


Museums

The Netherland Inn was constructed in 1802 by William King, whom the city of Kingsport is named after, to act as a boatyard to ship salt. In 1818 the property was sold to the Netherland family and they turned it into an inn and tavern. The inn and its grounds, which have been fully restored as a historic house museum, are open to tours and special events throughout the year. Additional buildings on the property include a reconstructed kitchen wing, a Log Cabin which housed
Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...
and his family between 1773 and 1775, the Weilhouse which shelters an old stone-line well, a schoolhouse, and the Pence Reception Center and Gift Shop.


Leisure

The Kingsport Carousel, which was constructed by 300 local volunteers and was made using a refurbished 1956
Allan Herschell Company The Allan Herschell Company was a company that specialized in the creation of amusement rides, particularly carousels and roller coasters. The company manufactured portable machines that could be used by traveling carnival operators. It was st ...
carousel frame, was completed in 2015. Pal and Sharon Barger, owners of Pal's Sudden Service which is headquartered in Kingsport, sponsored the creation of Pal's Roundhouse, a climate controlled building which houses the carousel. The Kingsport Aquatic Center is a popular swimming area located in the city of Kingsport and has several indoor and outdoor pools and diving boards, including an
Olympic-size swimming pool An Olympic-size swimming pool is a swimming pool which conforms to the regulations for length, breadth, and depth made by World Aquatics (formerly FINA) for swimming at the Summer Olympics and the swimming events at the World Aquatics Champions ...
. As well there are water attractions focused on children's entertainment, stadium seating with a capacity of 400 individuals, and multiple diving boards.


Cuisine

The Long Island iced tea is claimed to have been invented in the 1920s during
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
by an "Old Man Bishop", who was known to have been an illegal liquor distiller, on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
in Kingsport. The city of Kingsport has embraced this claim and has created a Long Island iced tea trail with several involved local restaurants and businesses, as well downtown Kingsport is home to a mural featuring the city's claim to being the birthplace of the Long Island iced tea.


Annual festivals

Fun Fest, Kingsport's annual community unity themed festival, began in 1981 and lasts for nine days in July. Fun Fest has a red and yellow colored sun mascot named Festus. An estimated 100,000 people attend Fun Fest annually. The annual Fun Fest celebration usually has a parade, hot air balloons, fireworks, concerts, block parties, and other events. The Santa Train, is an annual Christmas celebration which is currently operated by
CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...
, takes place on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Kingsport is the final stop of the Santa Train, which begins its journey in Kentucky. Volunteers aboard the train hand out winter clothes, backpacks, and toys to children at each stop. The festival originated in Kingsport in 1943, when a group of Kingsport businessmen partnered with the
Clinchfield Railroad The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina. The 35-mile segmen ...
to uplift spirits during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


In popular culture

* The vessel SS ''Kingsport Victory'', which later became USNS ''Kingsport'', was named in honor of the city.


Sports

The city is home to the Kingsport Axmen, a
collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
team of the
Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...
. The nickname is in reference to frontiersman
Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...
, who began the
Wilderness Road The Wilderness Road was one of two principal routes used by colonial and early national era settlers to reach Kentucky from the East. Although this road goes through the Cumberland Gap into southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee, the other ...
in Kingsport. The Axmen play their home games at
Hunter Wright Stadium Hunter Wright Stadium is a baseball park in Kingsport, Tennessee, named for the popular multi-term former mayor. It is the home field of Kingsport Axmen of the summer collegiate Appalachian League. It was previously home to the Kingsport Mets, a ...
, which is named after former mayor Hunter Wright.
Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...
was first played in Kingsport, by the Kingsport Indians in the Appalachian League from 1921 to 1925. The team went dormant for 12 years before it returned to the circuit as the Kingsport Cherokees from 1938 to 1955—with the exception of the 1942 season as the Kingsport Dodgers and as members of the Mountain States League in 1953 and 1954. The club was later known as the Kingsport Orioles (1957), Kingsport Pirates (1960–1963), Kingsport Royals (1969–1973), and Kingsport Braves (1974–1979). The Kingsport Mets were members of the Appy League from 1980 to 2020, except for the 1983 season when the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
temporarily relocated the team to
Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...
, as the Gulf Coast League Mets, while their home ballpark was being renovated. In conjunction with a contraction of
Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league, and the Mets were replaced by the Axmen, a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshman and sophomores.


Parks and recreation

The Kingsport Parks and Recreation manages several parks within the city. * Bays Mountain Park * Borden Park * Dogwood Park * Edinburgh Park * Kingsport Greenbelt Walking/Cycling Trail * Riverview Splash Pad * Scott Adams Skate Park
Warrior's Path State Park Warriors' Path State Park is a 950-acre (3.84 km2) Tennessee State Park in Colonial Heights, Tennessee, an area within the city of Kingsport. It is named after the Great Indian Warpath that was used by the Iroquois in war raids ...
, a state park, is located in the Colonial Heights area of the city.


Government


Municipal

Kingsport uses the council-manager system, which was established in 1917 when the city was re-chartered. Kingsport is governed locally by a seven-member Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The citizens elect the mayor to a two-year term and the six aldermen to four-year terms. The elections take place in odd-numbered years, with the mayor and three aldermen elected every two years. New terms begin on July 1. The board elects a vice mayor from among the six aldermen. The council or board then hires a professional city manager. In late 2021, or early 2022, the board decided to move the election to coincide with the primary elections in Tennessee in August of every even-numbered year. This changes the Mayoral and Alderman election from May 2023 to August 2024.


Current composition of BMA


State

The Sullivan County portion of Kingsport is represented in the
Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...
by the 1st and 2nd State Representative districts and the Hawkins County portion by the 3rd district. Currently serving in these positions are Representatives John Crawford, Bud Hulsey, and Timothy Hill respectively. In the
Tennessee State Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue reg ...
, the Sullivan County portion of Kingsport is represented by the 4th Senatorial District and the Hawkins County portion by the 8th district. State Senator Bobby Harshbarger and State Senator Frank Niceley currently serve in these positions. All of these elected officials are members of the Republican Party.


Federal

Kingsport is represented in the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
by Republican
Diana Harshbarger Diana Lynn Harshbarger ( ; born January 1, 1960) is an American pharmacist, businesswoman, and politician. Harshbarger has served as the U.S. representative for since 2021. Her district is based in the Tri-Cities area in northeastern Tennessee ...
of the 1st congressional district.


Education


Colleges and universities

While no college or university has its main campus within the city, these institutions have branch campuses in Kingsport: *
East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...
*
Lincoln Memorial University Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) is a private university in Harrogate, Tennessee and Knoxville, Tennessee. Its Harrogate main campus borders on Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. , it had 1,605 undergraduate and 4,200 graduate and profe ...
* Northeast State Community College Lincoln Memorial and Northeast State are located in the Kingsport Academic Village complex in downtown Kingsport. East Tennessee State offers general education courses in the Hawkins County (westernmost) portion of the city, with more advanced courses at the Academic Village.


Primary and secondary

Almost all residents of Kingsport are served by the Kingsport City Schools public school system. It operates eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. In addition, Kingsport has eight private academies, most with religious affiliation. All but a few parts in Sullivan County are in that district, with isolated areas in the Sullivan County School District. The portions in Hawkins County are entirely in Kingsport City Schools.


List of Kingsport city schools

* John Adams Elementary School * Andrew Jackson Elementary School * Andrew Johnson Elementary School * John F. Kennedy Elementary School * Abraham Lincoln Elementary School * Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School * Thomas Jefferson Elementary School * George Washington Elementary School * Ross N. Robinson Middle School * John Sevier Middle School * Dobyns-Bennett High School * Cora Cox Academy (formerly New Horizons Alternative School) * Dobyns-Bennett Excel


Former school for African Americans

Douglass High School in Kingsport was one of the largest
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
high schools in the region when it closed for
desegregation Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws ...
in 1966. The school's former building on East Walnut Avenue (now East Sevier Avenue) was a historic
Rosenwald School The Rosenwald School project built more than 5,000 schools, shops, and teacher homes in the United States primarily for the education of African-American children in the South during the early 20th century. The project was the product of the partn ...
, built in 1929–30 with a combination of funds from the city, private citizens and the Rosenwald Fund. Although during the years of segregation the Douglass Tigers football team was not allowed to play white teams, the Tigers won a Tennessee state football championship a state basketball championship in 1946, and a state basketball championship in 1948. The present building, built in 1951 at 301 Louis Street, is now the V.O. Dobbins Sr. Complex, named for Douglass' former principal.


Media


Newspapers

* '' Kingsport Times-News'' * ''Daily News'' (defunct)


Television

* WKPT-TV (
COZI TV Cozi TV (stylized on-air as COZI TV) is an American free-to-air television network owned by the NBC Owned Television Stations division of NBCUniversal. The network airs classic television series from the 1950s to the 2000s. The network originat ...
19) * WAPK-CD (
MeTV MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television progra ...
36) Kingsport shares a television market with Johnson City and Bristol, VA.
WCYB-TV WCYB-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Bristol, Virginia, United States, serving the Tri-Cities area as an affiliate of NBC and The CW. It is one of two commercial television stations in the market that are licensed in Virgini ...
(
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
;
THE CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
on DT2) in Bristol, WEMT-TV (
FOX Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
) in Greeneville, WETP-TV (
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
) in Sneedville and
WJHL-TV WJHL-TV (channel 11) is a television station licensed to Johnson City, Tennessee, United States, serving the Tri-Cities area as an affiliate of CBS and ABC. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios on East Main Stree ...
(
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
;
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
on DT2 aka ABC Tri-Cities) in Johnson City.


AM radio

* WKPT *
WHGG WHGG (1090 AM) is a Contemporary Christian formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Kingsport, Tennessee, serving the Tri-Cities, VA/ TN area. History This station signed on the air in 1967 with call letters WGOC and a modern-Nashvill ...


FM radio

*
WTFM WTFM (98.5 FM), – branded as 98.5 WTFM - is an adult contemporary music formatted radio station licensed to Kingsport, Tennessee, United States, it serves the Tri-Cities area. The station is owned by Glenwood Communications Corporation, t ...
*
WRZK WRZK (95.9 FM, "95.9 The Hog") is a commercial radio station broadcasting an active rock format. Licensed to Colonial Heights, Tennessee, it serves the Tri-Cities of Tennessee and Virginia. The station is owned by Glenwood Communications Co ...
*
WCQR WCQR-FM (88.3 Hertz, MHz) is a radio station broadcasting a Christian Adult Contemporary music format. Licensed to Kingsport, Tennessee, United States, it serves the Tri-Cities area. Locally owned by Positive Alternative Radio, Inc., it has bee ...
* WKOS * WCSK


Infrastructure


Transportation


Public transit

Kingsport has been serviced by the Kingsport Area Transit Service, also known as KATS, since 1995. KATS operates 4 bus routes throughout Kingsport.


Air

Kingsport is serviced by the
Tri-Cities Regional Airport Tri-Cities Airport (also known as Tri-Cities Airport, TN/VA), serves the Tri-Cities, Tennessee, Tri-Cities area (Johnson City, Tennessee; Kingsport, Tennessee; Bristol, Tennessee-Bristol, Virginia, Virginia) of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest ...
(IATA Code TRI)


Medical

Two hospitals operated by Ballad Health are located in Kingsport: Holston Valley Medical Center, and Indian Path Community Hospital.


Police

Kingsport Police Department is the municipal law enforcement agency for the City of Kingsport. As of 2022, the KPD has 119 sworn Officer positions, 9 Corrections Officers, 22 Telecommunicators, and 11 civilian positions variously assigned.


Notable people

*
Lisa Alther Lisa Alther (born July 23, 1944) is an American author and novelist. Personal life Alther was born in Kingsport, Tennessee, in 1944. Her father was a surgeon, while her mother was a homemaker. She has three brothers and a sister. She graduated ...
, author, born and grew up in Kingsport * Edward L. Ayers,
National Humanities Medal The National Humanities Medal is an American award that annually recognizes several individuals, groups, or institutions for work that has "deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens' engagement with the humani ...
and
Bancroft Prize The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas. It was established in 1948, with a bequest from Frederic Bancroft, in his memory and that of his brother, d ...
-winning historian and ninth president of the
University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approxim ...
, raised in Kingsport *
Barry Bales Barry Turner Bales (born August 23, 1969) is an American musician best known as the long time bass player and harmony vocalist for Alison Krauss, Alison Krauss and Union Station. He has been in the band since 1990. The 2012 Grammy was awarded as ...
, Grammy Award-winning musician with
Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...
and Union Station * James F. Barker, president of
Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...
(1999–2013) *
Nick Castle Nicholas Castle (born September 21, 1947 in Kingsport, Tennessee) is an American screenwriter, film director, and actor. He is known for playing Michael Myers (Halloween), Michael Myers in John Carpenter's horror film ''Halloween (1978 film), H ...
, actor who played Michael Myers in the original
Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
, was born in Kingsport and makes appearances at the local haunted houses. * Jeff Chapman-Crane, Appalachian artist *
Harry Coover Harry Wesley Coover Jr. (March 6, 1917 – March 26, 2011) was the inventor of Eastman 910, commonly known as Super Glue. Life and career Coover was born in Newark, Delaware. He lived in Delaware until his teen years. During this time he was ...
, inventor of
Super Glue Cyanoacrylates are a family of strong fast-acting adhesives with industrial, medical, and household uses. They are derived from ethyl cyanoacrylate and related esters. The cyanoacrylate group in the monomer rapidly polymerizes in the presence ...
* Denny Crawford, professional football player * Amy Dalley, country music artist *
Bobby Dodd Robert Lee Dodd (November 11, 1908 – June 21, 1988) was an American college football player and coach, college baseball coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Georgia Tech from 1945 to 1966, compili ...
,
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...
inductee as both a football player (
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...
) and coach (
Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...
) *
Bobby Eaton Bobby Lee Eaton (August 14, 1958 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional wrestler best known as "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Under the manageme ...
, professional wrestler * Elle and Blair Fowler, online beauty retailers who spent part of their childhoods in Kingsport * Daniel Kilgore, professional football player, Kansas City Chiefs * Cliff Kresge,
Nationwide Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. ...
golfer who splits his time between homes in Kingsport and Florida * Mark H. Landes, U.S. Army major general * Hal Lawton, President & CEO of Tractor Supply, graduate of Sullivan South High School *
Blake Leeper Blake Leeper (born Patrick Blake Leeper, August 31, 1989) is an American Paralympic athlete who specialised in sprint events typically in the T43, T44 and T62 classifications. He is a multiple medalist in both the Paralympics and World Champions ...
,
Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...
silver medallist *
Cripple Clarence Lofton Clarence Lofton (March 28, 1887, 1896 or 1897 – January 9, 1957), credited as Cripple Clarence Lofton, was an American boogie-woogie pianist and singer born in Tennessee. Life and career There is uncertainty over when and where he was born. M ...
, noted boogie-woogie pianist and singer, born in Kingsport *
Matt Mahaffey Matt Mahaffey is an American multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, and recording engineer best known for his band Self (band), Self and his composer collective Cake in Space. Early and personal life Mahaffey grew up in Kingsport, T ...
, musician, frontman of pop/rock band
Self In philosophy, the self is an individual's own being, knowledge, and values, and the relationship between these attributes. The first-person perspective distinguishes selfhood from personal identity. Whereas "identity" is (literally) same ...
* Brownie and Stick McGhee, brothers and blues musicians, grew up in Kingsport and other East Tennessee towns * Ken Mellons, country music artist * John Palmer, former
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
correspondent, born in Kingsport and a graduate of Dobyns-Bennett High School * Jimmy Quillen, member of the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
from
Tennessee's 1st congressional district Tennessee's 1st congressional district is the congressional district for northeast Tennessee, including all of Carter County, Tennessee, Carter, Cocke County, Tennessee, Cocke, Greene County, Tennessee, Greene, Hamblen County, Tennessee, Hamblen ...
(1963–1997) * John Shelton Reed, sociologist and essayist, author or editor of eighteen books, most of them dealing with the contemporary American South * Selwa Showker "Lucky" Roosevelt,
Chief of Protocol of the United States In the United States, the chief of protocol is an officer of the United States Department of State responsible for advising the president of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, vice president of the United States, and th ...
from 1982 to 1989 and former journalist for the ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', married Archibald B. Roosevelt, grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt * Coty Sensabaugh, cornerback for the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
* Gerald Sensabaugh, retired NFL cornerback, played for the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
and the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
* LeRoy Sprankle, high school multi-sport coach, author, and general manager of the Canton Independents * Adam Steffey, bluegrass artist * Bill Streever, biologist and author * Cyrus Thomas,
entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...
and
ethnologist Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Scien ...
* Steven Williams, actor who starred in ''
21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired from April 12, 1987 to April 27, 1991, spanning 103 episodes over five s ...
'' and ''
The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers (formally, The Fabulous Blues Brothers’ Show Band and Revue) are an American blues and soul music, soul revue band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who met and began collaborating as original cast ...
''


See also

* Netherland Inn * Old Kingsport Presbyterian Church


References


Further reading

* Long, Howard. ''Kingsport: A Romance of Industry.'' Overmountain Press (October 1993) 304 pages. * Spoden, Muriel Millar Clark. ''The Long Island of the Holston: Sacred Island of the Cherokee Nation''. (1977) 32 pages. ASIN: B0006WOGAM * Wolfe, Margaret Ripley. ''Kingsport Tennessee: A Planned American City.'' University Press of Kentucky (November 1987) 259 pages.
''Kingsport Tennessee: The Planned Industrial City'', Kingsport Rotary Club, 1946.


External links

* {{authority control Cities in Tennessee Cities in Sullivan County, Tennessee Cities in Hawkins County, Tennessee Cities in Washington County, Tennessee East Tennessee Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area Populated places established in 1822 1822 establishments in Tennessee State of Franklin Planned communities in the United States Company towns in Tennessee