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. Title: The history of 'Downtown Kingsport' available in new book by city archivist Author: Leigh Ann Laube Publisher: Kingsport Times-News Date: 7/16/2011 As part of its Images of America series, Arcadia Publishing in 1988 published "Kingsport," written by Martha Avaleen Egan and Nellie McNeil in conjunction with the Friends of the Archives of the Kingsport Public Library. As the present archivist for the city of Kingsport, Brianne Wright knew there were enough photographs in the archives, some never before published, to support a second book. The newest edition to Arcadia's Images of America series is "Downtown Kingsport" ($21.99, Arcadia Publishing) which boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories. The book is available at local retailers, online bookstores or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888) 313-2665. "Over the past few years, a lot of people have asked if there's going to be a new book, or any updated versions of it," Wright said. "As I've been here going through the photograph collections, I just realized there are so many photos, plenty to do more than one book. I did not want to do any of the same pictures. I wanted to do a little bit different route and actually focus on downtown Kingsport." Wright gave herself three months to go through the archives, select the photographs and collect enough information to write captions for each. Read the expanded version of this report in the print edition or the enhanced electronic version of the Kingsport Times-News. Title: History of Downtown Kingsport Told Through Photographs Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Date: 7/18/2011 The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing's popular Images of America series is Downtown Kingsport from local author Brianne Wright. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by. Kingsport, the "Model City," was the first American city in the 20th century that was privately financed and professionally planned. Chartered in 1917, it was also the first city in Tennessee to adopt a city manager form of government. 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. City planner John Nolen, expanding on existing city plans, created a unique physical design and layout with areas zoned specifically for industrial, residential, 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 from its early beginnings to the modern era. Downtown Kingsport showcases images from the Archives of the City of Kingsport. The Archives, opened in 1994, is the first municipal archive in Tennessee. Wright, a graduate of the University of Tennessee and East Tennessee State University, is employed as the archivist for the City of Kingsport. Highlights of Downtown Kingsport: ? All profits from the sale of the book will benefit the Friends of the Archives. ? Many of the images used have never before been published. ? Several of the photographs were taken by local, professional photographers like David Pierce and Thomas McNeer, Jr, whose collections are now housed in the archives. Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888)-313-2665. Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America's people and places. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com. ### Images of America: Downtown Kingsport showcases images from the Archives of the City of Kingsport. The Archives, opened in 1994, is the first municipal archive in Tennessee. Author