Half of Colonial Heights’ homes were built after 1971
More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #158 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of Colonial Heights was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1935 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Colonial Heights is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #158 of 177 in Tennessee. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Colonial Heights’ overall grade.
Tennessee towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Tennessee town has 6.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Colonial Heights’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (16% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Colonial Heights’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, Hemlock, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Blue Ridge EstatesColonial AcresHemlockLake CrestSummersville
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Colonial Heights
ChaseGallowayWells
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Colonial Heights, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Colonial Heights yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Colonial Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. It is located within the city of Kingsport. The population was 3,055 at the 2020 census down from 6,934 at the 2010 census, due to annexation by the city of Kingsport. It is part of the Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area, commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 6,934 to 3,055 (-56%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Colonial Heights, 1891 to 1935
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Colonial Heights. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1935Spurgeon sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Colonial Heights.
People over time
Colonial Heights, census by census
Between 3,055 and 7,067 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Colonial Heights’ Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Colonial Heights
Nobody well known was born in Colonial Heights itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Colonial Heights is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #158 of 177 in Tennessee. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Colonial Heights?
3% of Colonial Heights’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1971.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
