[8] Kingsport was developed after the Revolutionary War, at the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Holston River.

[citation needed] The Long Island of the Holston River is near the confluence, which is mostly within the present-day corporate boundaries of Kingsport.

[citation needed] The island was an important site for the Cherokee, colonial pioneers and early settlers, and specifically mentioned in the 1770 Treaty of Lochaber.

[citation needed] Early settlements at the site were used as a staging ground for other pioneers who were traveling overland on the Wilderness Road leading to Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap.

Goods originating for many miles around from the surrounding countryside were loaded onto barges for the journey downriver to the Tennessee River at Knoxville.

While Col. Morgan's small band held off a main Union force under Major General Cullem Gillem on the opposite side the Holston River, Union Col. Samuel Patton took a force of cavalry to a ford in the river 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north and came down behind the Confederates.

She had killed city hotel worker Walter Eldridge, who was hired by the circus the day before as an assistant elephant trainer.

The circus owner, Charlie Sparks, reluctantly decided that the only way to quickly resolve the situation was to hold a public execution.

[citation needed] Part of it was designed by city planner and landscape architect John Nolen of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

[citation needed] It was nicknamed as the "Model City" from this plan, which organized the town into areas for commerce, churches, housing and industry.

As part of this plan, Kingsport built some of the earliest traffic circles (roundabouts) in the United States.

[citation needed] It developed its school system based on a model promoted by Columbia University.

[citation needed] Pal's Sudden Service, a regional fast-food restaurant chain, opened its first location in 1956 and is headquartered in Kingsport.

The Kingsport city limits extend west into Hawkins County and north to the Virginia border.

Neighborhoods in Kingsport include:[1] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 55,442 people, 23,640 households, and 14,273 families residing in the city.

[20] Accsys Technologies, through a joint venture with Eastman, operates an acetylated wood manufacturing plant in the city.

[21] Domtar operates a recycled containerboard facility in Kingsport that formerly was a paper mill established in 1916.

The inn and its grounds, which have been fully restored as a historic house museum, are open to tours and special events throughout the year.

Additional buildings on the property include a reconstructed kitchen wing, a Log Cabin which housed Daniel Boone and his family between 1773 and 1775, the Weilhouse which shelters an old stone-line well, a schoolhouse, and the Pence Reception Center and Gift Shop.

As well there are water attractions focused on children's entertainment, stadiun seating with a capacity of 400 individuals, and multiple diving boards.

[29] The city of Kingsport has embraced this claim and has created a Long Island iced tea trail with several involved local restaurants and businesses, as well downtown Kingsport is home to a mural featuring the city's claim to being the birthplace of the Long Island iced tea.

[30][31] The city is home to the Kingsport Axmen, a collegiate summer baseball team of the Appalachian League.

Kingsport shares a television market with Johnson City and Bristol, VA. WCYB-TV (NBC; THE CW on DT2) in Bristol, WEMT-TV (FOX) in Greeneville, WETP-TV (PBS) in Sneedville and WJHL-TV (CBS; ABC on DT2 aka ABC Tri-Cities) in Johnson City.

[49] Kingsport is serviced by the Tri-Cities Regional Airport (IATA Code TRI) Two hospitals operated by Ballad Health are located in Kingsport: Holston Valley Medical Center, and Indian Path Community Hospital.