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by Brianne Wright (Author)
Kingsport, the Model City, was the first American city in the 20th century that was privately financed and professionally planned.
Kingsport's location on the Clinchfield Railroad played a significant role in the development of the city, but it was the early visionaries and leaders who embraced the city's potential and transformed it. Chartered in 1917, it's credited as being the first city in Tennessee to adopt the radical notion of hiring a city manager, and that more than anything is the secret of its success. City planner John Nolen, on expanding existing city blueprints, created a unique physical design and layout with areas zoned specifically for industrial, commercial, and spiritual development. Downtown Kingsport, anchored by the iconic Church Circle on one end and the historic train depot on the other, was the heart of industrial and economic growth. Take a cruise down Broad Street and experience Kingsport from its early beginnings to the modern era.
