Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County. The population was 50,851 according to updated data released by the city in 2011.
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.
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.
In the Battle of Kingsport (December 13, 1864) during the American Civil War, a force of 300 Confederates under Colonel Richard Morgan (1836–1918) stopped a larger Union force for nearly two days.
