Kingsport is a city located in Sullivan County, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 44,905.

History

Initially chartered in 1917, Kingsport was the first city with a modern urban design and among the first municipalities with a city manager form of government and a school system built on a model developed at Columbia University.

Geography

Kingsport is located at 36°32'13" North, 82°32'32" West (36.536851, -82.542123)¹.

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 is water. The total area is 2.07% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 44,905 people, 19,662 households, and 12,642 families residing in the city. The population density is 393.4/km² (1,018.9/mi²). There are 21,796 housing units at an average density of 191.0/km² (494.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 1.05% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 19,662 households out of which 26.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% are married couples living together, 12.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% are non-families. 32.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.22 and the average family size is 2.80.

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there are 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 79.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $30,524, and the median income for a family is $40,183. Males have a median income of $33,075 versus $23,217 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,549. 17.1% of the population and 14.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.9% of those under the age of 18 and 13.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Culture and Recreation

Bays Mountain Park

Bays Mountain Park is a 3000 acre, city-owned nature preserve located atop Bays Mountain.

Other

The local newspaper is the Kingsport Times-News.

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

Notable Kingsport Residents

• 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.

External links

• Official site (http://ci.kingsport.tn.us/)
• Kingsport Times-News website (http://www.timesnews.net)
• Bays Mountain Park website (http://www.baysmountain.com)
• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=36.536851&longitude=-82.542123&zoom=6)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=36.536851&lon=-82.542123&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=14&lon=-82.542123&lat=36.536851&w=750&h=500)