Kingsport Map
Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County. The population was 47,356 according to the 2006-2008 American Community Survey.
The 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. Kingsport is the largest city in the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which had a population of 302,997 as of 2006-2008. The Metropolitan Statistical Area is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area — commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region. Census data from 2006-2008 for the Tri-Cities Combined Statistical Area estimates a population of 496,454. Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the "Mountain Empire", which spans a portion of southwest Virginia and the mountainous counties in Tennessee to the east.
Kingsport is located at 36°32?N 82°33?W / 36.533°N 82.55°W / 36.533; -82.55 (36.5369, -82.5421), at the intersection of U.S. highways 11 and 23. Kingsport is the northwest terminus of Interstate 26.
Nearby cities include Blountville, Clinchport, Bluff City, Nickelsville, Jonesborough.