Our growing region now has a couple of names to consider to help bring us together under a single identity. In a 192-page report, consulting firm North Star Destination Strategies recommended we stick with the tried-and-true “Tri-Cities,” but also add a new identity proposed late last year — “Appalachian Highlands.” In online surveys of thousands of people living in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia and hundreds of people living outside in Atlanta, Charlotte and Nashville, the firm’s researchers found that most residents here preferred the traditional name, while potential visitors thought the latter was more descriptive and distinct. For more on this story, visit the Johnson City Press.