Tour My Town 

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Tiny Mount Carmel, Tenn., is built entirely on one side of its main road. When Dave Price visited, he got a taste of small town life. He also learned that stretch of road used to be deadly, and what Mount Carmel is doing to turn that around.
Read his report ...

Thanks to Rick Gabriel's letter, The Early Show continued its series, "Tour My Town!" with Dave Price visiting Mount Carmel, Tenn.

If you'd like to visit as well, here's how you can learn more about the tiny city:

  • Check out Mount Carmel's official Web site

  • Go to city-data.com

  • Click on the Hawkins County, Tenn. official Web site

    LOCATION: The city of Mount Carmel is in upper-east Tennessee, in the gently rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Situated in the northeastern most end of Hawkins County, it is one of six incorporated towns or cities in the county.

    The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an hour-and-a-half drive away. The tourist towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are located on the park's outskirts.

    HISTORY: Mount Carmel was incorporated in 1961. The town derives its name from the Mount Carmel Methodist Church, a prominent part of the community. Though it's sometimes considered a bedroom community of the larger, nearby city of Kingsport, Mount Carmel is a great place for homes and businesses, according to the Hawkins County, Tenn. Web site.

    NUMBERS: Mount Carmel covers 6.79 square miles and has 45.92 miles of roadway inside of its corporate boundaries. The population is 5,600, as estimated in 2005.

    GOVERNMENT: A board consisting of Mayor Gary Lawson and six Aldermen govern the city, but Lawson, who doubles as the city administrator, runs it on a daily basis.

    PEOPLE: Median resident age: 38.2 years

    Median household income: $36,599 (year 2000)

    Median house value: $89,100 (year 2000)

    Among those 25 and older in Mount Carmel:

    High school or higher: 78.4 percent

    Bachelor's degree or higher: 11.8 percent

    Graduate or professional degree: 3.0 percent

    Unemployed: 3.9 percent

    Mean travel time to work: 22.5 minutes

    ECONOMY: Mount Carmel's Web site says it's "rich with economic and real estate opportunities, both residential and commercial." The city of Church Hill borders it on the west and the city of Kingsport borders it on the east. The main artery running though the city is U.S. Highway 11w. The city also is served by Norfolk-Southern railway and operates its own sewer system.

    The Tri-Cities Regional Airport is a 30-minute drive from the city to the east and the Surgoinsville Airport is a 30-minute drive to the west.

    Industries providing employment include:
  • Manufacturing 26.2 percent
  • Educational,health and social services 18.2 percent
  • Retail trade 12.1 percent
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