Tri-Cities | |
|---|---|
| Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN–VA | |
   Images, from top down, Kingsport skyline, Johnson City skyline, downtown Bristol, TN–VA | |
 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Tennessee Virginia |
| County |
|
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 514,899 (87th) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
TheTri-Cities is the region comprising the cities ofKingsport,Johnson City, andBristol and the surrounding smaller towns and communities inNortheast Tennessee andSouthwest Virginia. All three cities are located in Northeast Tennessee, while Bristol has atwin city of thesame name in Virginia.
The Tri-Cities region was formerly a singleMetropolitan Statistical Area (MSA); due to theU.S. Census Bureau's revised definitions of urban areas in the early 2000s, it is now aCombined Statistical Area (CSA) with two metropolitan components:Johnson City andKingsport–Bristol, TN–VA.[1] However, the Tri-Cities are usually still considered one population center, which is the fifth-largest in Tennessee.
As of thecensus[1] of 2000, there were 480,091 people, 199,218 households, and 138,548 families residing within the CSA. The racial makeup of the CSA was 96.22%White, 2.12%African American, 0.20%Native American, 0.40%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.02% fromother races, and 0.74% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
The median income for a household in the CSA was $30,331, and the median income for a family was $37,254. Males had a median income of $29,561 versus $21,014 for females. Theper capita income for the CSA was $16,923.
Interstate HighwaysI-26 andI-81 intersect in the region, while I-40, I-77, and I-75 are nearby.Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) has non-stop service to Atlanta, Charlotte, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, and St. Petersburg/Clearwater. Airlines includeDelta Air Lines,Delta Connection,Allegiant Air andAmerican Eagle Airlines. Additionally, TRI manages an aggressive Air Cargo program, administers Foreign Trade Zone 204, supports and promotes U.S. Customs Port 2027, and provides trade development assistance. The Region has both CSX and Norfolk Southern mainline railway access.
The region is served by theTri-Cities Regional Airport which has scheduled airline passenger jet service.
TheKingsport Higher Education Center is a complex in downtownKingsport, Tennessee that combines classes from five area colleges and universities, includingThe University of Tennessee.
TheAll-America City Award is given by theNational Civic League annually to ten cities in theUnited States. In 1999, the Tri-Cities were collectively designated as anAll-America City by theNational Civic League.
The award is the oldest community recognition program in the nation and recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon results.
Since the program's inception in 1949, more than 4,000 communities have competed and over 500 have been namedAll-America Cities.
The Greater Tri-Cities of Tennessee and Virginia has threesister cities, as designated bySister Cities International:
