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EspañolKINGSPORT, TENNESSEE
'Kingsport' is a city located primarily in Sullivan County, and also partially in Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States.
Kingsport was originally King's Port but eventually it became a one word name for the city. 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.
The Long Island of the Holston River, today in central Kingsport, was an important site among the Cherokee, colonial pioneers, and early settlers. The name "Tennessee" originated from the old Yuchi Indian word, "Tana-see," meaning "The Meeting Place," which refers to The Long Island of the Holston River.
Geography
Kingsport is located at (36.536851, -82.542123), at the intersection of U.S. highways 11 and 23. Kingsport is also the starting or ending point of Interstate 26.
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.
Demographics
As of the census 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.
Kingsport Police Department
'Kingsport Police Department' is the municipal law enforcement agencie for Kingsport, Tennessee.[1]
The current chief is Gail Osborne.[2]
Organization
Personnel
The KPD consists of ninety-nine sworn officers, forty-two full-time non-sworn officers, and iteen part-time non sworn officers..[1] The budget for 2005 was $8,602,800.[4]
Patrol Division
SWAT
The KPD has twelve SWAT members that train regularly. KPD SWAT responded to thirteen emergency calls during 2005.[5]
Trivia
★
On the evening of September 12, Eldridge was killed by Mighty Mary in Kingsport, Tennessee while taking her to a nearby pond to splash and drink. There are several accounts of his death but the most widely accepted version is that he prodded her behind the ear with a hook after she reached down to nibble on a watermelon rind. She went into a rage, snatched Eldridge with her trunk, threw him against a drink stand and deliberately stepped on his head, crushing it.
The details of the aftermath are confused in a maze of sensationalistic newspaper stories and folklore. Most accounts indicate that she calmed down afterward and didn't charge the onlookers, who began chanting, "Kill the elephant!" Apparently within minutes, a local blacksmith tried to kill Mary, firing more than two dozen rounds with little effect. Newspapers published claims that Murderous Mary had killed several workers in the past and noted that she was larger than the world famous Jumbo the elephant. Meanwhile, she was impounded by the local sheriff, and the leaders of several nearby towns threatened not to allow the circus to visit if Mary was included. The circus owner, Charlie Sparks, reluctantly decided that the only way to quickly resolve the potentially ruinous situation was to kill the elephant in public. On the following day, a foggy and rainy September 13, 1916, she was transported by rail to Erwin, Tennessee where a crowd of over 2,500 people (including most of the town's children) assembled in the Clinchfield railroad yard.
★ 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.
Notable natives
★ Lisa Alther, American author, born and grew up in Kingsport.
★ Amy Dalley, country music singer-songwriter
★ 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.
★ 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.
★ Ken Mellons, country music singer-songwriter
★ JS Moore, American Poet/Author, born in Kingsport and graduated from Sullivan South High School, Northeast State, and East Tennessee State University. His first book ''Understanding Apples'' is about an area of Kingsport called The Long Island of the Holston River.
★ John Shelton Reed, William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of North Carolina and noted expert on Southern culture, raised in Kingsport.
★ Edward L. Ayers, Bancroft Prize-winning historian and ninth president of the University of Richmond, raised in Kingsport.
★ Tony Glover, team manager for Chip Ganassi NASCAR race team and former Daytona 500 crew chief with Morgan-McClure Motorsports. Raised in the great Bloomingdale area.
★ Gene Glover, 1979 national champion in the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman (now known as the NASCAR Busch Series), father of Tony Glover.
References
1. http://home.naxs.com/kpdweb/
2. http://home.naxs.com/kpdweb/history.htm
3. http://home.naxs.com/kpdweb/
4. http://home.naxs.com/kpdweb/budget.htm
5. http://home.naxs.com/kpdweb/swat.htm
Further reading
★ Long, Howard. Kingsport: A Romance of Industry. Overmountain Press (October 1993) ISBN 0932807895
★ Moore, J.S. Understanding Apples. Outskirts Press (October 2006) ISBN 1598007467 or ISBN 1598009753
★ Spoden, Muriel Millar Clark . The Long Island of the Holston: Sacred island of the Cherokee nation ASIN: B0006WOGAM
★ Wolfe, Margaret Ripley. Kingsport Tennessee: A Planned American City. University Press of Kentucky (November 1987) ISBN 0813116244
External links
★ Official site
★ Historical Research Kingsport TN
★ Kingsport City Schools
Nearby attractions
★ Bays Mountain Park
★ Exchange Place
★ Greenbelt
Newspapers:
★ Kingsport Times-News
★ Kingsport Daily News
See also
Broadcast Media
Television:
★ WKPT
Radio:
★ WTFM
★ WRZK
★ WCQR
★ WKOS
★ WCSK
★ WXBQ
Sports
★ Kingsport Mets (Appalachian League)
psst.. try this: add to faves
