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FOCUS on East Tennessee's Tri-Cities

© Greg Cruey

On the southern edge of Central Appalachia, East Tennessee's tri-cities area is a growing population with a growing economy - characteristics which make it stand out in a region where the economy of coal has collapsed in the past 10-15 years and people are leaving to find jobs elsewhere. The area's economy and history make it one of the most arttractive locations in Appalachia.

Tri-cities news Kingsport Times-News Johnson City Star The Business Journal

The city of Bristol stradles the stateline between Tennessee and Virginia and serves as the anchor for the tri-cities area. Part of its economic attraction is it position on Interstate 81, which connects Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis with the east coast. The cities of Kingsport and Johnson City both sit on the U.S. 23/I-181 corridor which is being upgraded to serve as an extension of Interstate 26. Whe completed, that will connect the tri-cities with Asheville, N.C., Spartanburg, S.C., Atlanta, and the southern portion of the U.S. East Coast.

Jonesborough

Jonesborough, founded in 1779, was Tennessee's first incorporated town. Daniel Boone passed through Jonesborough o his way to Kentucky. Davy Crockett was born just outside of Jonesborough.

While Jonesborough is the oldest town in Tennessee, the history of the tri-cities/East Tennessee area goes back well beyond 1779. In 1768, James Robertson led sixteen families into upper East Tennessee. In 1772 the Watauga Association was organized as a protective union for the settlements along the Holston River in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Some historians view this Association as North America's first independent state, but the Association didn't last...

East Tennessee tried again to start its own political identity in in 1784. Technically, the area was part of North Carolina; but North Carolina could not afford to govern or protect the region and offered them to the United States in 1783; the offer was shortly withdrawn. Washington, Sullivan, and Greene Counties organized the State of Franklin in 1784. The result was mostly confusion, and the people operated with two sets of government officials - one North Carolina's - one Franklin's. The State of Franklin ended in 1788 and North Caollina againoffered the area to the U.S. government. In 1790, the Southwest Territory was created by Congress. Tennessee was admitted to the union June 1, 1796 as the 16th state.

Some historic figues, including all three of America's Tennessee-born presidents lived in Jonesborough:

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