Kingston, Tennessee
Kingston is a city of 6,224 people in Roane County, Tennessee, founded in 1792.
Why visit Kingston
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 7 parks and trails, 15 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Fort Southwest Point, Col. Gideon Morgan House, Kingston City Park and Kingston Waterfront Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 88°F; January lows average 28°F.
Weather in Kingston
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Kingston
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Roane County, Tennessee, United States. This city is thirty-six miles southwest of Knoxville. As of the 2020 census, Kingston had a population of 5,953. It is included in the Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From the Wikipedia article Kingston, Tennessee (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks3
Fort Southwest Point
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.6 mi
Archaeological site in Tennessee, United States of America
Col. Gideon Morgan House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Historic house
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Roane County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
Courthouse in Tennessee, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds7
Restaurants and cafes15
Smokehouse Bar & Grill
Restaurant · Barbecue, Breakfast · 1.3 mi
708 West Race Street, Kingston
Mo-Th,Su 08:00-24:00; Fr-Sa 08:00-02:00
Sonic
Fast food · Burger · 0.6 mi
236 North Kentucky Street, Kingston
Mo-Sa 06:00-24:00; Su 07:00-23:00
Subway
Fast food · Sandwich · 0.5 mi
520 North Kentucky Street, Kingston
Mo-Sa 07:00-21:00; Su 09:00-21:00
Taco Bell
Fast food · Tex-Mex · 0.5 mi
514 North Kentucky Street, Kingston
Mo-Sa 07:00-03:00; Su 08:00-03:00
cook out
Fast food · Burger, American, Hot Dog, Dessert · 0.5 mi
Mo-Su 09:00-21:00
3 more on the map.
Where to stay1
History
Kingston has its roots in Fort Southwest Point, which was built just south of present-day Kingston in 1792. At the time, Southwest Point was on the fringe of the legal settlement area for Euro-Americans. A Cherokee village, headed by Chief Tollunteeskee, was situated just across the river, at what is now Rockwood. In 1805, Colonel Return J. Meigs, who operated out of Southwest Point, was appointed Cherokee Agent, effectively moving the agency from the Tellico Blockhouse to Southwest Point. The city of Kingston was established on October 23, 1799, as part of an effort to partition Knox County (the initial effort to form a separate county failed, but succeeded two years later). Kingston was named after Major Robert King, an officer at Fort Southwest Point in the 1790s.
On September 21, 1807, Kingston was Tennessee's state capital for one day. The Tennessee General Assembly convened in Kingston that day due to an agreement with the Cherokee, who had been told that if the Cherokee Nation ceded the land that is now Roane County, Kingston would become the capital of Tennessee. After adjourning that day, the Assembly resumed meeting in Knoxville.
From the History section of Kingston, Tennessee on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship16
Cowan Chapel United Methodist Church
Church · Methodist · 0.7 mi
541 Greenwood Street, Kingston
Midtown Valley United Methodist Church
Church · Methodist · 2.3 mi
1625 Roane State Highway, Harriman
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging6
Schools, colleges and libraries10
Healthcare2
Map of Kingston
61 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46°F | 28°F | 5.5 in | 1.1 in |
| Feb | 51°F | 30°F | 6.0 in | 0.6 in |
| Mar | 60°F | 37°F | 5.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 70°F | 46°F | 5.5 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 78°F | 56°F | 4.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 85°F | 64°F | 4.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 88°F | 68°F | 5.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 87°F | 67°F | 3.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 82°F | 61°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 72°F | 48°F | 3.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 59°F | 37°F | 4.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 49°F | 32°F | 6.0 in | 0.1 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Kingston (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Roane County has had 16 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-02-06: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2025-04-02: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2023-09-27: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornado (Severe Storm)
- 2020-04-02: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Rockwood Municipal Airport (RKW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.
- Harriman 5 mi northwest, about 8 min by car
- Coalfield 11 mi north, about 18 min by car
- Lenoir City 13 mi east, about 21 min by car
- Oak Ridge 14 mi northeast, about 22 min by car
- Farragut 18 mi east, about 29 min by car
- Fairfield Glade 23 mi northwest, about 36 min by car
- Karns 23 mi east, about 37 min by car
- Greenback 24 mi southeast, about 39 min by car
- Clinton 26 mi northeast, about 42 min by car
- Knoxville 32 mi east, about 51 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Roane-county-tennessee-courthouse1, Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0
- Kingston Fossil Plant (Tennessee Valley Authority), Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
- Kingston, TN 37763, USA - panoramio, md. childress, CC BY 3.0
- Fort-southwest-point-tn1, Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0
- Kingston-tennessee-oldcourthouse1, Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0
- Gideon-morgan-house-tn1, Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0
- Power - panoramio (4), md. childress, CC BY 3.0
- Sunset sunbeams over Watts Bar Lake, AmyAbroad, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cabin 21 47 53 270000, Whicky1978, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cabin 21 47 48 043000, Whicky1978, CC BY-SA 4.0
- ISS029-E-17695 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-82392 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS061-E-138114 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS063-E-106292 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-82389 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-82390 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS061-E-138112 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS063-E-106293 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS061-E-138113 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-82391 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- TVA IMG 5924 (8366884585), Tennessee Valley Authority, Public domain
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