Kingsport, Tennessee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kingsport, Tennessee | |
| Nickname: "The Model City" | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| Counties | Sullivan County and Hawkins County |
| Chartered; | 1822 |
| Rechartered: | 1917 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Dennis Phillips |
| Area | |
| - City | 45.0 sq mi (116.6 km²) |
| - Land | 44.1 sq mi (114.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.9 sq mi (2.4 km²) |
| Population (2000)[1] | |
| - City | 44,905 |
| - Density | 1,018.9/sq mi (393.4/km²) |
| - Metro | 480,091 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Website: http://www.ci.kingsport.tn.us | |
Kingsport is a city located primarily in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States though also located partially in Hawkins County. The population was 44,905 at the 2000 census. The city, along with Bristol, Tennessee, and Johnson City, Tennessee, is part of the Tri-Cities, Tennessee/Virginia Metro Area.
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[edit] History
The Long Island of the Holston River, today in central Kingsport, was an important site among the Cherokee, colonial pioneers, and early settlers. Early settlements at the site were used as a staging ground for people taking the Wilderness Road leading to Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap. Chartered in 1822, Kingsport became an important shipping port on the Holston River. Goods originating for many miles from the surrounding countryside were loaded onto barges for the journey downriver to the Tennessee River at Knoxville. The bustling young town lost its charter after a downturn its in fortunes precipitated by the Civil War.
Re-chartered in 1917, Kingsport was an early example of a "garden city," designed by city planner and landscape architect John Nolen[2] of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It carries the nickname The Model City from this plan, which organized the town into areas for commerce, churches, and industry. The result included one of the earlier uses of traffic circles (roundabouts) in the U.S. Kingsport was among the first municipalities with a city manager form of government and a school system built on a model developed at Columbia University.
[edit] Geography
Kingsport is located at (36.536851, -82.542123)GR1, at the intersection of U.S. highways 11 and 23.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 116.6 km² (45.0 mi²). 114.1 km² (44.1 mi²) of it is land and 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (2.07%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 44,905 people, 19,662 households, and 12,642 families residing in the city. The population density was 393.4/km² (1,018.9/mi²). There were 21,796 housing units at an average density of 191.0/km² (494.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.32% White, 4.22% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.
There were 19,662 households out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples 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.
[edit] Culture and Recreation
[edit] Arts
[edit] Events
[edit] Media
Newspapers:
Television:
Radio:
- WTFM
[edit] Nearby attractions
[edit] Sports
[edit] Trivia
The vessel SS Kingsport Victory, which later became USNS Kingsport, was named in honor of the city.
Pal's Sudden Service, a regional fast-food restaurant chain, opened its first location in Kingsport.
Eastman Chemical Company is headquartered in Kingsport.
[edit] Notable residents
- Lisa Alther, American author, born and grew up in Kingsport.
- Bobby Dodd, College Football Hall of Fame inductee as both a football player (University of Tennessee) and coach (Georgia Institute of Technology).
- Brownie McGhee and Stick McGhee, brothers and blues musicians, grew up in Kingsport and other East Tennessee towns.
- Bettie Page, pinup model and pop culture icon.
- John Palmer, former NBC News correspondent, born in Kingsport and a graduate of Dobyns-Bennett High School.
- Gerald Sensabaugh, defensive back for the NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars.
- Edward L. Ayers, Bancroft Prize-winning historian and ninth president of the University of Richmond, raised in Kingsport.
[edit] Wrestlers
- Bobby Eaton, former WCW/NWA World Tag Team Champion.
[[3]]
- Sherri Martel, former WWE Women's Champion and 2006 WWE Hall Of Fame inductee.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
