Kingsport, Tennessee

Kingsport is a city in Hawkins and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The large part of the city is in Sullivan County. The population was 44,095 at the 2000 census.

The name is based on "King's Port" which referred to the area around Ross's Landing. It is part of what is known as the "Mountain Empire," which includes a portion of southwest Virginia and the mountainous counties in Tennessee to the east.

Geography
Kingsport is located at 36.53694°N, -82.54222°W (36.536851, -82.542123) where U.S. highways 11 and 23 meet. Kingsport is also the starting and ending point of Interstate 26.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.0 square miles (116.6 km²), of which, 44.1 square miles (114.1 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²) of it (2.07%) is water.

Education
People who live in Kingsport use the Kingsport City Schools public school system. The system has seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. Kingsport is also home to eight private academies. The city is also part of Sullivan county which has 2 other high schools in Kingsport.

While no college or university houses its main campus within the city, Northeast State Technical Community College, East Tennessee State University, and University of Tennessee have branch campuses in Kingsport.

Notable natives and residents

 * Lisa Alther, American author, born and grew up in Kingsport
 * Edward L. Ayers, Bancroft Prize-winning historian and ninth president of the University of Richmond, raised in Kingsport
 * Barry Bales, Grammy Award winning musician with Alison Krauss and Union Station
 * Amy Dalley, country music artist
 * Bobby Dodd, College Football Hall of Fame inductee as both a football player (University of Tennessee) and coach (Georgia Institute of Technology)
 * Bobby Eaton, professional wrestler
 * Cliff Kresge, a PGA Tour player who splits his time between homes in Kingsport and Florida
 * Cripple Clarence Lofton, noted boogie-woogie pianist and singer, was born in Kingsport.
 * Brownie McGhee 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 correspondent, born in Kingsport and a graduate of Dobyns-Bennett High School
 * George Sells, news anchor now working at WAFB in Baton Rouge, was born and raised in Kingsport.
 * John Shelton Reed, sociologist and essayist, author or editor of eighteen books, most of them dealing with the contemporary American South.
 * Gerald Sensabaugh, defensive back for the NFL team Dallas Cowboys
 * LeRoy Sprankle, high school multi-sport coach, author, and general manager of the Canton Independents
 * Steven Williams, actor who starred in 21 Jump Street and The Blues Brothers.

Sports
The Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League, a rookie-level league, play in the city. They are an affiliate of the New York Mets. The team has competed in the city since 1969, with the exception of 1983. The Mets play in Hunter Wright Stadium named after Mayor Hunter Wright.

Other websites

 * Official site
 * DiscoverKingsport.com : Historical Research Kingsport TN
 * Kingsport City Schools
 * Kingsport Times-News
 * Kingsport Daily News
 * Kingsport Chamber of Commerce