[zaptitle title=’Chattanooga Highlights’]

Nestled between the Appalachian Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau along the beautiful Tennessee River, a thriving city is continuously catching worldwide attention. Referred by some as “The Scenic City”, Chattanooga has earned numerous titles and recognition, such as being dubbed “Best Town Ever” by Outdoor Magazine and was listed in the “Top 45 Places to go” in the world by New York Times, a list that included tourist destinations such as London, Antarctica and Jordan.

Both businesses and residents boast being able to say they are located in “Gig City” with allegedly the fastest internet speeds in the world. The city is filled with successful local shops and businesses, a strong music and arts culture, unrivaled outdoor amenities, excellent tourist sights, and a government and populace committed to sustainable development.

Residents and tourists enjoy the easygoing atmosphere of a mid-sized city bursting with “big city amenities”. Whether it be a family trip, romantic outing or a random adventure, Chattanooga has something to offer everyone. Its downtown is overflowing with “must see” attractions, unique restaurants, boutique retail shops, outdoor adventures and numerous events that attract more than 8 million visitors to the area each year that contributes to its stable economy.

In recent years, a new type of tourist – the outdoor enthusiast – has become a frequent visitor seeking the area’s natural resources that yield perfect conditions for activities like hiking, rock climbing, paddle-boarding and kayaking.

Historically, Chattanooga has not always been desirable, even referred to as “the dirtiest city in America” by Walter Cronkite on his evening broadcast. Previously, the city prospered as a key railroad juncture primarily involving manufacturing and distribution of products. Unfortunately, the economic and political shifts of the twentieth century took a toll on the city for the worst and Chattanooga was declared the most polluted city in the Southeast region.

In an effort to take action and change the city’s image, the Chamber of Commerce and Chattanooga Planning Committee joined forces to create a non-profit organization, Chattanooga Venture, with the primary purpose being to bring residents together to clean up their city on every level.

Additionally, Chattanooga Venture held a four month series of public forums with over 1,000 resident participants who were encouraged to share their ideas and visions of what they considered to be an ideal Chattanooga.

The information gathered was used as a guide to select 40 major goals for the plan including an $850 million revitalization of downtown and the riverfront as well as the development of a distribution and transportation center to capitalize on the city’s central location at the intersection of Interstate 75, 59 and 24 bordering Alabama and Georgia state lines. Most of these goals are now complete and have ultimately been the force that rescued the city and boosted its struggling economy, transforming into a flourishing metropolis.

This popular Southeast destination is currently the 4th largest city in Tennessee with a recorded population of 171,279 in 2013 and is expected to increase in the years to come.

Researchers predict a significant increase over the next 10 years based on the city’s 7.41% growth trend since 2000. This growth is due to a rise in the number of people and businesses who relocate to Chattanooga because it is affordable, harvesting a market with a median home value around $128,000.

According to the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness, the city’s cost of living is almost 8% lower than the national average. Residents enjoy paying less than most U.S. citizens for housing, groceries, transportation and health care, though the most significant drop is in utilities that cost almost 14% less than other cities.

Along with the low cost of living, numerous employment opportunities are available ranging from banking to healthcare, with large facilities like Erlanger Hospital. Unum and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee are both headquartered here, creating an extensive insurance industry for the market.

Also, many national and international corporations call Chattanooga home, such as McKee Foods Corporation, Cigna and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a substantial federal agency that not only provides electricity and flood control but also good-paying jobs. These major employers lay a foundation for a modest, relatively stable and diverse local economy.

Most recent, citizens warmly welcomed Volkswagen when it announced news that the company chose the city as the location for a new distribution plant that would create 1,000s of local jobs and economic opportunity.

Moreover, the city is commonly acknowledged for being a manufacturing magnet. Strategically located in the geographic center of the Southeast, major cities like Atlanta, Knoxville, Nashville and Birmingham are a two hour drive away at most and nearly one third of the major U.S. markets and population are within a day’s drive.

As the world continues to talk about Chattanooga, word has spread that the city is designed to be “entrepreneurial-friendly” with a handful of business incubators and a smaller market. As a result, the number of businesses that are relocating here has been steadily rising over the past five years.

Most of Chattanooga’s downtown attractions are found on the river’s south shore. The south shore is home to the Tennessee Aquarium, which attracts more than 700,000 visitors annually. This “must see” destination features the world’s largest freshwater aquarium showcasing more than 9,000 aquatic animals organized based on natural habitats like rivers, forests and mountains.

Tourists also frequent the world renowned Chattanooga Choo Choo that was originally used as a terminal station during the railroad era and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 42-acre property features exceptional accommodations, like the popular train car hotel experience and spirited dining venues.

Another distinguished attraction of the south shore, BellSouth Stadium, draws baseball fans who support the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Cincinnati Reds’ Double-A affiliate team.

Three bridges provide access to the other side of the river, formally known as the North Shore. The Walnut Street Bridge, better known as ‘The Walking Bridge’ is the second longest pedestrian bridge in the U.S. and offers a safe place to walk and enjoy a bird’s eye view of the scenic riverfront.

The North Shore has become the trendiest and most sought after scene for both residential living and local businesses. Its primary connecting artery, Frazier Avenue, is packed with boutique retail shops, art galleries, parks, restaurants and residential upscale condos.

Chattanooga’s genius blend of advanced technology with a prosperous cosmopolitan atmosphere that’s surrounded by scenic beauty has birthed an appealing lifestyle and drawn $4 billion in foreign direct investment in recent years.

The city is leading the way into the future as it pioneers a model for other cities to follow. No one is certain what the full potential of the city’s fast Internet speeds will be, though it will most likely remain in news headlines and a topic of conversation of those looking to relocate their family or business.

 

[zaptitle title=’Detailed Chattanooga Information: The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce’]

[i class=’icon-exclamation-sign’ color=’#b31f24′ font_size=’1.2em’ ]Extensive “Stats and Demographics” information for the Greater Chattanooga area is available from The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce. Click on the link in this text box for an index of the available information.

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Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce

“Stats and Demographics” INDEX

Annual Data

Data Book – In-depth information of the Chattanooga region on a variety of topics.

Economic Indicators (Frequently Updated)

Airport Activity

Announced Business Investment

Building Permits

Business Demographics

Climate

Community Profile

Commuting Patterns

Consumer Price Index

Crime Rate

Demographic Market Analyses:

Downtown

Eastgate

Hamilton Place

Northgate

Also, custom demographic reports are available by zip code, city, county, MSA or mileage ring around an address.

Education

Exporting Overview

Exporting Tennessee 3rd Congressional District

Foreign Owned Companies

Jobs by Sector

Local Sales Tax Collected

Local & State Tax Structure

Major Employers List

Map 500+ Employers

Migration

Population

Retail Sales Information

Traffic Counts

Transportation Resources

Unemployment Comparison

Utilities

Wages

Zip Code Demographics – Hamilton County

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[zaptitle title=’Detailed Chattanooga Information: Wikipedia.com’]

[i class=’icon-exclamation-sign’ color=’#b31f24′ font_size=’1.2em’ ]A variety of topics about the Greater Chattanooga area can be found at Wikipedia.com. Click on the link in this text box for an INDEX of the available information.

[toggle title_open=”Click Here to Close This Text Box” title_closed=”Click Here for the Wikipedia.com INDEX ” hide=”yes” include_excerpt_html=”yes”]

Wikipedia.com INDEX

1 History

2 Economy

2.1 Utilities

2.2 EPB’s gigabit public fiber optic network

3 Politics, government, and law

4 Education

4.1 Primary and secondary education

4.2 Higher education

4.3 Public library

5 Health care

6 Culture and tourism

6.1 Museums

6.2 Arts and literature

6.3 Attractions

6.4 Festivals and events

7 Sports

7.1 Organized Sports

7.2 Outdoor sports

8 Demographics

9 Geography

9.1 Neighborhoods

9.2 Important suburbs

10 Climate

11 Transportation

11.1 Principal highways

11.2 Major surface routes

11.3 Tunnels

11.4 Public transit

11.5 Railroad lines

11.6 Bridges

11.7 Air travel

12 Media and communications

12.1 Newspapers

12.2 Online media

12.3 Radio

12.4 Television

13 Pop Culture

13.1 Novels

13.2 Documentaries

13.3 Films

13.4 Sporting and Entertainment Events

13.5 TV shows

13.6 Miscellaneous film and TV productions

14 Sister/Twinning cities

15 See also

16 References

17 External links

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[zaptitle title=’Chattanooga Trivia: Do You Know?’]

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]Chattanooga has the world’s longest pedestrian bridge: The Walnut Street Bridge.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]Chattanooga has the nation’s first and largest military park: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]Chattanooga has the world’s steepest passenger railway line: The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]Chattanooga has the world’s largest freshwater aquarium: The Tennessee Aquarium.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]Chattanooga has the South’s largest collection of American art: The Hunter Museum of Art.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]The Glen Miller Orchestra won the first gold record awarded by the music industry for a song about Chattanooga: The Chattanooga Choo-Choo.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]The world’s first franchised Coca-Cola bottling plant was built in Chattanooga by two local attorneys who bought the franchise bottling rights for $1 each.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]More than 300 kinds of trees and 900 varieties of wildflowers grow in the Chattanooga area, more than anywhere on earth, except central China.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]Miniature golf was invented in 1926 on Lookout Mountain by Rock City Gardens founder Garnet Carter.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]The Chattanooga Choo-Choo/Holiday Inn’s lobby, a former railroad terminal, contains the largest freestanding brick dome in the world. The interior height of the dome is 85 feet.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]A Chattanooga manufacturer was the first commercial maker of nylon hose in the 1939: Davenport Hosiery Mills.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1m’ ]Chattanooga has Tennessee’s largest mall: Hamilton Place Mall.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]The Lookout Mountain Flight Park and Training School graduates more pilots annually than any other school in the world.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]The highest overland bungee cord jump in the world is at Chattanooga Adventure Sports. They also hold the record for the oldest person to ever take a jump.

[i class=’icon-expand’ color=’#24b21f’ font_size=’1em’ ]The deepest commercial caverns in the United States are located on Lookout Mountain and are over 1,000 feet underground: Ruby Falls.