Chattanooga, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee
(after Memphis
, Nashville
and Knoxville
), with a population of 169,887. It is the seat
of Hamilton County
. Located in southeastern Tennessee on Chickamauga Lake
and Nickajack Lake
, which are both part of the Tennessee River
, Chattanooga lies approximately 120 miles (193.1 km) to the northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, 120 miles (193.1 km) to the southwest of Knoxville, about 135 miles (217.3 km) to the southeast of Nashville, and about 148 miles (238.2 km) to the northeast of Birmingham, Alabama
. Chattanooga abuts the Georgia
border, and the region is at the junction of three major interstate highways: I-24
, I-75
, and I-59
.
The city, which has a downtown elevation of approximately 680 feet (207.3 m), lies at the transition between the ridge-and-valley
portion of the Appalachian Mountains
and the Cumberland Plateau
. The city is therefore surrounded by various mountains and ridges. The official nickname for Chattanooga is the Scenic City.
Chattanooga is ranked 8th out of America's 100 largest metro areas for the best "Bang For Your Buck" city, according to Forbes magazine. The study measured overall affordability, housing rates, and more.
. Sites dating back to the Upper Paleolithic
period showed continuous occupation through the Archaic, Woodland
, Mississippian
/Muskogean (900–1650), and Cherokee
(1776–1838) periods.
The first part of the name "Chattanooga" derives from the Muskogean word cvto /cható/ – 'rock'. The latter may be derived from a regional suffix -nunga meaning dwelling or dwelling place.
Cherokee Chief John Ross, whose first language was English and whose family moved to the area in the 19th century, was said to have stated that Chattanooga was Cherokee for "The Big Catch" because of good fishing on the Tennessee River
.
A late 19th century history recounted:
The earliest Cherokee occupation dates from Dragging Canoe
, who in 1776 separated himself and moved downriver from the main tribe to establish American Indian resistance (see Chickamauga Wars
) to European settlement in the southeastern United States. In 1816 John Ross
, who later became Principal Chief, settled here and established Ross's Landing
. Located along what is now Broad Street, it became one of the centers of Cherokee Nation settlement, which also extended into Georgia and Alabama.
In 1838 the US government forced the Cherokees, along with other American Indians from southeastern U.S. states, to relocate in what is presently the state of Oklahoma
. Their journey west became known as the "Trail of Tears" for their exile and fatalities along the way. The US Army used Ross's Landing
as the site of one of three large internment camps, or "emigration depots", where American Indians were held prior to the journey on the Trail of Tears
. One of the internment camps was located in Fort Payne, Alabama
and the largest was at Fort Cass
, Tennessee.
In 1838, the community of Ross's Landing incorporated as the city of Chattanooga, the Creek
word for Lookout Mountain
. The city grew quickly, initially benefiting from a location well-suited for river commerce. With the arrival of the railroad in 1850, Chattanooga became a boom town. The city was known as the site "where cotton meets corn," referring to its location along the cultural boundary between the mountain communities of Southern Appalachia to the north and the cotton-growing states to the south.
During the American Civil War
, Chattanooga was a center of battle. During the Chickamauga Campaign
, Union
artillery bombarded Chattanooga
as a diversion and occupied it on September 9, 1863. Following the Battle of Chickamauga
, the defeated Union Army retreated to safety in Chattanooga. On November 23, 1863, the Battles for Chattanooga
began when Union
forces led by Maj. Gen.
Ulysses S. Grant
reinforced troops at Chattanooga and advanced to Orchard Knob against Confederate
troops besieging the city. The next day, the Battle of Lookout Mountain
was fought, driving the Confederates off the mountain. On November 25, Grant's army routed the Confederates in the Battle of Missionary Ridge
. These battles were followed the next spring by the Atlanta Campaign
, beginning just over the nearby state line in Georgia
and moving southeastward.After the war ended, the city became a major railroad hub
and industrial
and manufacturing center.
The largest flood in Chattanooga’s history occurred in March 1867, before the Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA) system was created during May 1933 by the U.S. Congress. The flood crested at 58 feet and completely inundated the city. Since the completion of the reservoir system, the highest Chattanooga flood stage was nearly 37 feet, which occurred in 1973. Without regulation, the flood would have crested at 52.4 feet. Chattanooga was a major priority in the design of the TVA reservoir system and remains a major operating priority today.
By the 1930s it was known as the "Dynamo of Dixie", inspiring the 1941 Glenn Miller
big-band swing song "Chattanooga Choo Choo
". However, the same mountains that provided Chattanooga's scenic backdrop also served to trap industrial pollutants which caused them to settle over the community, so much so that in 1969, the federal government declared that Chattanooga's air was the dirtiest in the nation. But environmental crises were not the only problems plaguing the city. Like other early industrial cities, Chattanooga entered the 1980s with serious socioeconomic challenges, including job layoffs due to de-industrialization, a deteriorating city infrastructure, racial tensions and social division. Because of these factors, Chattanooga's population declined by more than 10% in the 1980s. However, Chattanooga was the only major U.S. city to lose this proportion of its population in the 1980s and then regain growth in the next two decades.
In recent years, private and governmental resources have been invested in transforming the city's tarnished image. They have worked to revitalize its downtown and riverfront areas, making use of its natural resources. An early cornerstone of this project was the restoration of the historic Walnut Street Bridge
. The Walnut Street Bridge is the oldest surviving bridge of its kind in the Southeastern United States.
Efforts to improve the city include the "21st Century Waterfront Plan" – a $120 million redevelopment of the Chattanooga waterfront and downtown area. The Tennessee Aquarium
has become a major waterfront attraction that has helped to spur neighborhood development. Over the last ten years the city has won three national awards for outstanding "livability", and nine Gunther Blue Ribbon Awards for excellence in housing and consolidated planning.
Chattanooga's economy includes a diversified and growing mix of manufacturing and service industries.
Notable Chattanooga businesses include Access America Transport
, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
, CBL & Associates, The Chattanooga Bakery, Chattem
, the world's first Coca-Cola
bottling plant, Coker Tire
, Coptix
, Covenant Transport
, Double Cola
, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group
, Krystal
, Litespeed
, Miller & Martin
, National Model Railroad Association
, Olan Mills, Inc., Republic Parking System
, Retro Television Network
(RTN), Rock/Creek
, Southtree
, Tricycle Inc.
, and Unum. The city also hosts large branch offices of Cigna
, AT&T
, T-Mobile USA
and UBS
. McKee Foods Corporation, maker of Little Debbie brand snack cakes, is a privately held, family-run company headquartered in nearby Collegedale, Tennessee
.
Notable companies that have manufacturing or distribution facilities in the city include Alstom
, Amazon.com
, BASF
, DuPont
, Invista
, Komatsu, Rock-Tenn
, Plantronics
, Domtar
Corp., Norfolk Southern, Alco Chemical
, Colonial Pipeline
and Buzzi Unicem
. The William Wrigley Jr. Company has a prominent presence in Chattanooga, now the sole production facility for Altoids
breath mint products. There is also a Vulcan Materials quarry in the vicinity of the city.
In May 2011, Volkswagen Group of America inaugurated its Chattanooga Assembly Plant
. The $1 billion plant, opened in May 2011, will serve as the group's North American manufacturing headquarters. The plant is the first for Volkswagen
since the 1988 closure of the Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly Plant
near New Stanton, Pennsylvania
.
In addition to corporate business interests, there are many retail shops in Chattanooga, including three shopping malls: Hamilton Place Mall
in East Brainerd, Northgate Mall
in Hixson
, and Eastgate Mall
in Brainerd.
(EPB). EPB is also providing high-speed Internet service, video, and telephone service to business and residential customers throughout Hamilton County. The services that EPB provides to residents and businesses throughout Hamilton County is done via what is the nation's largest municipally owned fiber-optic system. The TVA
operates the nearby Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant, Chickamauga Dam
and the Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant
, all of which provide electricity to the greater Chattanooga area. TVA's corporate power generation and distribution organization is also headquartered in downtown Chattanooga.
Natural gas and water are provided by the privately run Chattanooga Gas Company
and Tennessee-American Water Company
, respectively. In 2005 Mayor Ron Littlefield
stated his desire for the city to purchase the Tennessee-American Water Company, which was sold in a public offering in 2007. Former Mayor Jon Kinsey
's attempts to have the city buy control of Tennessee-American Water were defeated in court.
Comcast
is the cable
provider for most areas of the city. The incumbent telephone company
is AT&T
. However, competing phone companies, cellular phones and VoIP are making inroads. A major interstate fiber optics line operated by AT&T
traverses the city, making its way from Atlanta to Cincinnati.
, a long-time city council
man, who was elected in a run-off election in April 2005. Mayor Littlefield was reelected to a second four year term in March 2009.
The city operates under a charter granted by the state legislature
in 1852, and the charter has been subsequently amended. The city operates under a strong mayor system.
See a list of Mayors of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The city's legislative branch is split up into nine districts, with a council member for each district selected in partisan elections. The current council members are Deborah Scott (District 1), Sally Robinson (District 2), Pam Ladd (District 3), Jack Benson (District 4), Russell Gilbert (District 5), Carol Berz (District 6), Manuel "Manny" Rico (District 7), Andrae McGary (District 8) and Peter Murphy (District 9).
, now a magnet school
, was the first public school in the area, established in 1865 after the Civil War. The Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences and the Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts
are additional public magnet schools.
In addition, the city is home to several private and parochial secondary schools, including Baylor School
, Boyd-Buchanan School
, McCallie School, Girls Preparatory School
, Chattanooga Christian School
, and Notre Dame High School
. Siskin Children's Institute
in Chattanooga is a specialized institution in the field of early childhood special education
.
In addition to the various elementary, middle and secondary schools that Chattanooga has, a variety of higher education institutions can be found in the city and nearby. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
is the second largest campus of the University of Tennessee System
, with a student population of over 10,000. Chattanooga State Community College
is a two-year community college with a total undergraduate enrollment of roughly 11,000 students. Tennessee Temple University
is a Baptist college located in the Highland Park neighborhood. Chattanooga is also home to a branch of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine
, which provides medical education to third and fourth year medical students, residents, and other medical professionals in southeast Tennessee through an affiliation with Erlanger Health System
. Covenant College
, a private liberal arts college operated by the Presbyterian Church in America
, is located in the adjacent suburb of Lookout Mountain, Georgia
, and has a student population of about 1,000. Southern Adventist University
is located in the suburb of Collegedale, Tennessee
, and enrolls roughly 3,000 students.
in 1904, and the two-story purpose-built marble structure survives to this day at Eighth Street and Georgia Avenue as commercial office space. In 1939, the library moved to Douglas Street and McCallie Avenue and shared the new building with the John Storrs Fletcher Library of the University of Chattanooga. This building is now called Fletcher Hall and houses classrooms and offices for the University. The city library was moved to its third and current location in 1976 at the corner of Tenth and Broad streets.
's College of Medicine. It's also the area's primary trauma center, a Level-One Trauma Center for adults, and the only provider of tertiary care for the residents of southeastern Tennessee
, north Georgia
, north Alabama
, and western North Carolina
. Erlanger treats approximately 250,000 people every year. In 2008, Erlanger was named one of the nation's "Top 100 teaching hospitals for cardiovascular care" by Thomson Reuters
. Erlanger has been operated by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hospital Authority since 1976.
Parkridge Hospital is located east of downtown in the Glenwood District and is run by Tri-Star Healthcare. Tri-Star also operates Parkridge East Medical Center in nearby East Ridge. Also located downtown is Memorial Hospital, which is operated by Catholic Health Initiatives
. In 2004, Memorial was named one of the "Top 100 teaching hospitals" by Solucient Top Hospitals.
Chattanooga is home to the Hunter Museum of American Art
. As the birthplace of the tow truck
, Chattanooga is the home of the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum
. Another transportation icon, the passenger train, can be found at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
, or called TVRM by locals, which is the largest operating historic railroad in the South. Other notable museums include the Chattanooga Regional History Museum, the National Medal of Honor Museum, the Houston Museum, the Chattanooga African American Museum, and the Creative Discovery Museum.
, under the baton of Kayoko Dan. The Chattanooga Theatre Centre http://theatrecentre.com/ offers 15 productions each year in three separate theater programs: the Mainstage, the Circle Theater, and the Youth Theater. Another popular performance venue is Memorial Auditorium.
Chattanooga hosts several writing conferences, including the Conference on Southern Literature and the Festival of Writers, both sponsored by the Arts & Education Council of Chattanooga.
, caverns, and new waterfront attractions along and across the Tennessee River
. In the downtown area is the Chattanooga Choo Choo
Hotel, housed in the renovated Terminal Station and exhibiting the largest HO model train layout in the United States. Also downtown are the Creative Discovery Museum
, a hands-on children's museum dedicated to science, art, and music; an IMAX 3D Theatre; and the newly expanded Hunter Museum of American Art
. The Tennessee Riverwalk
, an approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) long trail running alongside the river, is another attraction for both tourists and residents alike.
Across the river from downtown is the North Shore district, roughly bounded by the Olgiati Bridge to the west and Veterans Bridge to the east. The newly renovated area draws locals and tourists to locally owned independent boutiques and restaurants, plus attractions along the Chattanooga Riverpark system, including Coolidge Park and Renaissance Park. Chattanooga's only floating hotel, the Delta Queen
, is a unique attraction alongside the North Shore, and is permanently docked at Coolidge Park.
The Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park
is located a short distance from the downtown area.
Parks and natural scenic areas provide other attractions. The red-and-black painted "See Rock City" barn
s along highways in the Southeast are remnants of a now-classic Americana
tourism campaign to attract visitors to the Rock City
tourist attraction
in nearby Lookout Mountain, Georgia
. The mountain is also the site of Ruby Falls
and Craven's House. The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
is a steep funicular railway that rises from the St. Elmo Historic District to the top of the mountain, where passengers can visit the National Park Service
's Point Park and the Battles for Chattanooga Museum. Formerly known as Confederama, it contains a diorama that details the Battle of Chattanooga
. From the military park, visitors can enjoy the panoramic views of Moccasin Bend
and the Chattanooga skyline from the mountain's famous "point" or from vantage points along the well-marked trail system.
Near Chattanooga, the Raccoon Mountain Reservoir, Raccoon Mountain Caverns
and Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden
boast a number of outdoor and family fun opportunities. Other arboretums include Bonny Oaks Arboretum
, Cherokee Arboretum at Audubon Acres
and Cherokee Trail Arboretum
. The Ocoee River, host to a number of events at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, features rafting, kayaking, camping and hiking. Also just outside Chattanooga is the Lake Winnepesaukah
amusement park. The Cumberland Trail
begins in Signal Mountain, just outside of Chattanooga.
, an annual nine-day music festival held in June in the downtown area. One of the most popular events is the "Bessie Smith
Strut", a one-night showcase of blues and jazz music named for the city's most noted blues singer. The annual "Southern Brewer's Festival" and the "River Roast" festival celebrate such traditional Southern staples as beer and barbecue.
New events, such as GoFest!, "Between the Bridges" wakeboard competition and Talespin attract new audiences. Back Row Films is a city-wide celebration of film co-sponsored by the Hunter Museum of American Art, the Arts & Education Council and UTC.
"Nightfall" is the free weekly concert series in Miller Plaza on Friday nights that continues to bring an eclectic mix of rock, blues, jazz, reggae, zydeco, funk, bluegrass, and folk to downtown Chattanooga from Memorial Day until the end of September. The Chattanooga Market
features events all year round as part of the "Sunday at the Southside", including an Oktoberfest
in mid-October.
The Chattanooga Dulcimer Festival, held each June, features workshops for mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, and auto harp, among others, along with performances by champion performers from across the nation. Chattanooga is also the center of much bluegrass music. In 1935, as well as from 1993 to 1995, the city hosted the National Folk Festival
.
Each January, Chattanooga plays host to Chattacon, a science fiction and fantasy literary convention. The convention is organized by the nonprofit Chattanooga Speculative Fiction Fans, Inc. First held in 1976, the convention drew more than 1,000 attendees to the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel in 2010.
will host the NCAA Division I Football Championship game.
The Chattanooga Lookouts
, a Class AA
Southern League
baseball team affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers
, boast a loyal following and respectable participation in season-end playoffs. Games take center stage at the downtown AT&T Field with tickets starting at only $4.
Chattanooga is also home to Chattanooga FC
, a semi-professional soccer team that currently plays in the National Premier Soccer League
.
The Southern Chiefs Rugby League Football Club are a rugby league
team who are hoping to compete in the AMNRL by 2012. They aim to compete in AMNRL events in 2011 and introduce the game into high schools and colleges in the area.
The Tennessee River, which flows through the middle of Chattanooga, is a great place to row. The well-known Head of the Hooch
rowing regatta takes place in downtown Chattanooga during the first weekend of November. The head race
originally took place on the Chattahoochee River
in Atlanta, giving it the name the Head of the Hooch. With 1,922 boats in 2010, this ranked as the 2nd largest regatta in the United States. There are multiple rowing clubs such as the Lookout Rowing Club for adults and Chattanooga Junior Rowing Club for high school students. The weekend of the Head of the Hooch also sees hot-air balloon rides and other activities.
and the southern Appalachians
, Chattanooga has become a haven for outdoor sports such as hunting, fishing, trail running
, road running
, adventure racing
, rock climbing
, mountain biking
and road biking. The city boasts a number of outdoor clubs: Scenic City Velo, SORBA
-Chattanooga, The Wilderness Trail Running Association, and The Chattanooga Track Club. The city also funds Outdoor Chattanooga, an organization focused on promoting outdoor recreation. In September 2004, the city appointed its first-ever executive director of Outdoor Chattanooga to implement the organization's mission, which includes promoting bicycling for transportation, recreation and active living. For paddlers, Chattanooga offers the Tennessee River Blueway
, a 50 miles (80.5 km) recreational section of the Tennessee River
that flows through Chattanooga and the Tennessee River Gorge
. The Tennessee Aquarium
has a high speed catamaran
, the River Gorge Explorer, to allow up to 70 people to explore the Tennessee River Gorge
. The Explorer departs from the Chattanooga Pier.
, and 1.30% from two or more races. 2.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The 2006 revised estimated population was 168,293 which is an 8.4% percent increase over the original 2006 estimate. In 2009, the US Census Bureau estimated that Chattanooga's overall population grew some 9.3% from 2000 to 2008, which is as fast as Tennessee's largest cities. Also, the Census Bureau reported that it estimated that the city of Chattanooga added some 15,326 residents since the 2000 census, for an estimated 2008 population of 170,880 people.
There were 65,499 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92. Same-sex couple households comprised 0.4% of all households.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,006, and the median income for a family was $41,318. Males had a median income of $31,375 versus $23,267 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,689. About 14.0% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.
Chattanooga's Metropolitan Statistical Area
, which includes Hamilton, Marion, and Sequatchie counties in Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties in Georgia, grew from 476,531 people, as of the 2000 census, to 496,704 people, as estimated on July 1, 2006. By July 1, 2008, the US Census Bureau had estimated the Chattanooga metropolitan area had grown to 518,441 people, up 9.6% from July 2006.
The Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area
, which includes Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Polk, and Sequatchie counties in Tennessee, and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties in Georgia, had an estimated population of 658,201 in 2006. The Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area had an estimated population of 683,095 people, as of July 1, 2008, up 9.6% from July 2006.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 143.2 square miles (370.9 km²), of which, 135.2 square miles (350.2 km²) of it is land and 8 square miles (20.7 km²) of it (5.56%) is water.
The most prominent natural features in and around Chattanooga are the Tennessee River
and the surrounding highlands. The city is nestled between the southwestern Ridge-and-valley Appalachians
and the foot of Walden's Ridge; the river separates the ridge from the western side of downtown. Several miles east, the city is bisected by Missionary Ridge
, which hosted an important battle of the American Civil War
.
The Tennessee River is impounded by the TVA's
Chickamauga Dam
north of the downtown area. Five automobile bridges, one railroad trestle
, and one pedestrian bridge cross the river.
Road transport is served by Interstate 75
to Atlanta and Knoxville
, Interstate 24
to Nashville
, and Interstate 59
to Birmingham
. Chattanooga and the surrounding area is served by the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport
. Rail freight is offered by CSX
to Atlanta and Nashville, and Norfolk Southern to Atlanta, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Knoxville and Memphis.
, including three neighborhoods: Fort Wood, Ferger Place, and St. Elmo. Additionally, Chattanooga has four local historic districts—St. Elmo, Fort Wood, Battery Place and Ferger Place. The neighborhoods of Highland Park and Glenwood also are being considered for designation.
(Koppen
Cfa). Winter days are usually mild but there are several days per annum where conditions stay at or below freezing all day. Snow is not common and the 1971–2000 snowfall seasonal median has been 0.6 inches (1.5 cm).but in the winter of 2011, 11 inches was recorded between January 9–10, 2011. Summer are hot and humid, with a July daily mean of 79.6 °F (26.4 °C) and 46 days annually with 90 °F (32 °C) or greater temperatures.
, Chattanooga's transportation infrastructure has developed into a complex and intricate system of railroads, streets, airports and waterways.
See also List of Tennessee state highways
. CARTA operates 17 routes, including a free electric shuttle service in the downtown area, and free wireless Internet
on certain "smartbuses".
, the largest historic operating railroad in the South
, and the Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway
also provides railroad service in Chattanooga.
Since both NS and CSX both run through Chattanooga, here are the lines that run through the town (the AAR
reporting marks are used for the following railroads: NS for Norfolk Southern, CSXT for CSX Transportation
, TVRM for the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
, and CCKY for Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway
):
Also, the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
, often referred to as the Incline Railway by locals, as well as being a tourist attraction, is sometimes used for commuting by Lookout Mountain residents, particularly during wintry weather, when traveling up and down the mountain could be very dangerous.
Chattanooga's most notable connection to the railroad industry is the song Chattanooga Choo Choo
, made famous by Glenn Miller & His Orchestra.
Despite the relatively high level of freight rail activity, there is no passenger rail service in the city for either commuters or long-distance travelers.
Being bisected by a major waterway, Chattanooga has several large bridges that allow people to traverse the Tennessee River
. They are, from west to east:
offers non-stop service to various domestic destinations via regional and national airlines, including Allegiant Airlines, American Eagle
, Delta Connection
, and US Airways Express
.
, Alabama
, Georgia
and North Carolina
.
, the area's only daily newspaper, is published every morning. It was effectively formed in 1999 from two papers that had been bitter rivals for half a century, the Times and the News-Free Press. The Times was once owned by Adolph Ochs, who later bought the New York Times. The Times had been the morning paper and had a generally more liberal editorial page. The News-Free Press, whose name was the result of an earlier merger, was an afternoon daily and its editorials were more conservative than those in the Times. In 1999, the Free Press was bought by an Arkansas company, WEHCO Media, publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
, which then bought The Times from the Ochs heirs. The Times Free Press is the only known newspaper in the United States to have 2 editorial pages, each reflecting opposite ends of the political spectrum. The Times' editorial page, which is liberal, is on the left page and the Free Press' editorial page, which is conservative, is on the right page.
The "Chattanooga Pulse" is a weekly alternative newspaper, published every Thursday. It was formed in 2003 by Zachary Cooper and Michael Kull, running independently until 2008, when the paper was purchased by local broadcast radio and website development firm Brewer Media Group. The newspaper shares news gathering resources with Brewer Media Group's WPLZ Pulse News 95.3FM news talk radio station, and the www.chattanoogapulse.com news website.
and its website "Chattanoogan.com" is an online media outlet that concentrates on news from Chattanooga. The publisher is John Wilson, previously a staff writer for the Chattanooga Free Press.
Nooga.com, purchased in November 2010 by local entrepreneur Barry Large, will relaunch in 2011 as a local news website offering “quality daily content focusing on local business, politics and entertainment in the Chattanooga area.”
Chattarati.com is a community news website founded in 2008 that covers politics, education, business and culture. The site also includes several neighborhood-specific blogs.
AM
FM
See also List of television stations in Tennessee, List of television stations in Georgia
, Israel Hamm
, Germany Nizhny Tagil
, Russia Wuxi
, China Gangneung
, South Korea Wolfsburg
, Germany
Chattanooga also has two twinning cities:
Ascoli Piceno
, Italy, and Swindon
, United Kingdom.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
(after Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
), with a population of 169,887. It is the seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Hamilton County
Hamilton County, Tennessee
Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 310,935 . Its county seat is Chattanooga....
. Located in southeastern Tennessee on Chickamauga Lake
Chickamauga Lake
Chickamauga Lake is a United States reservoir along the Tennessee River created when the Chickamauga Dam, as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority, was completed in 1940. The lake stretches from Watts Bar Dam at mile 529.9 to Chickamauga Dam at mile 471.0 making the lake 58.9 miles long...
and Nickajack Lake
Nickajack Lake
Nickajack Lake is the reservoir created by Nickajack Dam as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. The lake stretches from Nickajack Dam to Chickamauga Dam, and runs along the shores of Chattanooga, TN...
, which are both part of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
, Chattanooga lies approximately 120 miles (193.1 km) to the northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, 120 miles (193.1 km) to the southwest of Knoxville, about 135 miles (217.3 km) to the southeast of Nashville, and about 148 miles (238.2 km) to the northeast of Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. Chattanooga abuts the Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
border, and the region is at the junction of three major interstate highways: I-24
Interstate 24
Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....
, I-75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
, and I-59
Interstate 59
Interstate 59 is an Interstate Highway in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is near Slidell, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, at an intersection with Interstate 10 and Interstate 12, its northern terminus is at Wildwood, Georgia, at an intersection with Interstate 24.The road's...
.
The city, which has a downtown elevation of approximately 680 feet (207.3 m), lies at the transition between the ridge-and-valley
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians
The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from southeastern New York through northwestern New...
portion of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
and the Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
. The city is therefore surrounded by various mountains and ridges. The official nickname for Chattanooga is the Scenic City.
Chattanooga is ranked 8th out of America's 100 largest metro areas for the best "Bang For Your Buck" city, according to Forbes magazine. The study measured overall affordability, housing rates, and more.
History
The first inhabitants of the Chattanooga area were American IndiansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. Sites dating back to the Upper Paleolithic
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
period showed continuous occupation through the Archaic, Woodland
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
, Mississippian
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
/Muskogean (900–1650), and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
(1776–1838) periods.
The first part of the name "Chattanooga" derives from the Muskogean word cvto /cható/ – 'rock'. The latter may be derived from a regional suffix -nunga meaning dwelling or dwelling place.
Cherokee Chief John Ross, whose first language was English and whose family moved to the area in the 19th century, was said to have stated that Chattanooga was Cherokee for "The Big Catch" because of good fishing on the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
.
A late 19th century history recounted:
The earliest Cherokee occupation dates from Dragging Canoe
Dragging Canoe
Tsiyu Gansini , "He is dragging his canoe", known to whites as Dragging Canoe, was a Cherokee war chief who led a band of Cherokee against colonists and United States settlers...
, who in 1776 separated himself and moved downriver from the main tribe to establish American Indian resistance (see Chickamauga Wars
Chickamauga wars
The Chickamauga Wars were a series of raids, campaigns, ambushes, minor skirmishes, and several full-scale frontier battles which were a continuation of the Cherokee struggle against encroachment by American frontiersmen from the former British colonies...
) to European settlement in the southeastern United States. In 1816 John Ross
John Ross (Cherokee chief)
John Ross , also known as Guwisguwi , was Principal Chief of the Cherokee Native American Nation from 1828–1866...
, who later became Principal Chief, settled here and established Ross's Landing
Ross's Landing
Ross's Landing is the former name of Chattanooga, TN. It was named for John Ross, the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. In 1816 Ross settled at the site along the Tennessee River above Chattanooga Creek and established Ross's Landing as a trading post...
. Located along what is now Broad Street, it became one of the centers of Cherokee Nation settlement, which also extended into Georgia and Alabama.
In 1838 the US government forced the Cherokees, along with other American Indians from southeastern U.S. states, to relocate in what is presently the state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Their journey west became known as the "Trail of Tears" for their exile and fatalities along the way. The US Army used Ross's Landing
Ross's Landing
Ross's Landing is the former name of Chattanooga, TN. It was named for John Ross, the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. In 1816 Ross settled at the site along the Tennessee River above Chattanooga Creek and established Ross's Landing as a trading post...
as the site of one of three large internment camps, or "emigration depots", where American Indians were held prior to the journey on the Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
. One of the internment camps was located in Fort Payne, Alabama
Fort Payne, Alabama
Fort Payne is a city in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 12,938. The city is the county seat of DeKalb County. It bills itself as the "Official Sock Capital of the World."...
and the largest was at Fort Cass
Fort Cass
Fort Cass, established in 1835, was an important site during the Cherokee removal known as the Trail of Tears. Located on the Hiwassee River in present-day Charleston, Tennessee, it housed a garrison of United States troops and watched over the largest concentration of internment camps where...
, Tennessee.
In 1838, the community of Ross's Landing incorporated as the city of Chattanooga, the Creek
Creek language
The Creek language, also known as Muskogee or Muscogee , is a Muskogean language spoken by Muscogee and Seminole people primarily in the U.S. states of Oklahoma and Florida....
word for Lookout Mountain
Lookout Mountain
thumb|right|See seven statesLookout Mountain is located at the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Georgia, the northeast corner of Alabama, and along the southern border of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Lookout Mountain, along with Sand Mountain to the northwest, makes up a large portion of the...
. The city grew quickly, initially benefiting from a location well-suited for river commerce. With the arrival of the railroad in 1850, Chattanooga became a boom town. The city was known as the site "where cotton meets corn," referring to its location along the cultural boundary between the mountain communities of Southern Appalachia to the north and the cotton-growing states to the south.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Chattanooga was a center of battle. During the Chickamauga Campaign
Chickamauga Campaign
The Chickamauga Campaign was a series of battles fought in northwestern Georgia from August 21 to September 20, 1863, between the Union Army of the Cumberland and Confederate Army of Tennessee.-Background:...
, Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
artillery bombarded Chattanooga
Second Battle of Chattanooga
The Second Battle of Chattanooga was a battle in the American Civil War, beginning on August 21, 1863, as the opening battle in the Chickamauga Campaign. The larger and more famous battles were the Battles for Chattanooga in November 1863.-Background:On August 16, 1863, Maj. Gen. William S...
as a diversion and occupied it on September 9, 1863. Following the Battle of Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
, the defeated Union Army retreated to safety in Chattanooga. On November 23, 1863, the Battles for Chattanooga
Chattanooga Campaign
The Chattanooga Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in October and November 1863, during the American Civil War. Following the defeat of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Union Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga in September, the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen...
began when Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
forces led by Maj. Gen.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
reinforced troops at Chattanooga and advanced to Orchard Knob against Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
troops besieging the city. The next day, the Battle of Lookout Mountain
Battle of Lookout Mountain
The Battle of Lookout Mountain was fought November 24, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker assaulted Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and defeated Confederate forces commanded by Maj. Gen. Carter L. Stevenson....
was fought, driving the Confederates off the mountain. On November 25, Grant's army routed the Confederates in the Battle of Missionary Ridge
Battle of Missionary Ridge
The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant assaulted Missionary Ridge and defeated the...
. These battles were followed the next spring by the Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
, beginning just over the nearby state line in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and moving southeastward.After the war ended, the city became a major railroad hub
Transportation hub
A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include train stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stop, airports and ferry slips. Freight hubs include classification yards, seaports and truck...
and industrial
Heavy industry
Heavy industry does not have a single fixed meaning as compared to light industry. It can mean production of products which are either heavy in weight or in the processes leading to their production. In general, it is a popular term used within the name of many Japanese and Korean firms, meaning...
and manufacturing center.
The largest flood in Chattanooga’s history occurred in March 1867, before the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
(TVA) system was created during May 1933 by the U.S. Congress. The flood crested at 58 feet and completely inundated the city. Since the completion of the reservoir system, the highest Chattanooga flood stage was nearly 37 feet, which occurred in 1973. Without regulation, the flood would have crested at 52.4 feet. Chattanooga was a major priority in the design of the TVA reservoir system and remains a major operating priority today.
By the 1930s it was known as the "Dynamo of Dixie", inspiring the 1941 Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
big-band swing song "Chattanooga Choo Choo
Chattanooga Choo Choo
"Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a song by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon . It was recorded in a big-band/swing manner by Glenn Miller and his orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, which starred Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller and his orchestra, The Modernaires, Milton Berle...
". However, the same mountains that provided Chattanooga's scenic backdrop also served to trap industrial pollutants which caused them to settle over the community, so much so that in 1969, the federal government declared that Chattanooga's air was the dirtiest in the nation. But environmental crises were not the only problems plaguing the city. Like other early industrial cities, Chattanooga entered the 1980s with serious socioeconomic challenges, including job layoffs due to de-industrialization, a deteriorating city infrastructure, racial tensions and social division. Because of these factors, Chattanooga's population declined by more than 10% in the 1980s. However, Chattanooga was the only major U.S. city to lose this proportion of its population in the 1980s and then regain growth in the next two decades.
In recent years, private and governmental resources have been invested in transforming the city's tarnished image. They have worked to revitalize its downtown and riverfront areas, making use of its natural resources. An early cornerstone of this project was the restoration of the historic Walnut Street Bridge
Walnut Street Bridge (Tennessee)
The Walnut Street Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee.Built in 1890, it was the first to connect Chattanooga's downtown with the North Shore. According to the plaque on the bridge, Edwin Thatcher was the chief engineer for the bridge...
. The Walnut Street Bridge is the oldest surviving bridge of its kind in the Southeastern United States.
Efforts to improve the city include the "21st Century Waterfront Plan" – a $120 million redevelopment of the Chattanooga waterfront and downtown area. The Tennessee Aquarium
Tennessee Aquarium
The Tennessee Aquarium is a non-profit public aquarium located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Its River Journey building is the largest freshwater aquarium in the world....
has become a major waterfront attraction that has helped to spur neighborhood development. Over the last ten years the city has won three national awards for outstanding "livability", and nine Gunther Blue Ribbon Awards for excellence in housing and consolidated planning.
Economy
Notable Chattanooga businesses include Access America Transport
Access America Transport
Access America Transport is a third-party logistics provider of transportation and logistics services. The company, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, operates seven offices and services customers throughout North America...
, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is the largest health benefit plan company in Tennessee. It is an independent, not-for-profit organization governed by its own board of directors.-General information:...
, CBL & Associates, The Chattanooga Bakery, Chattem
Chattem
Chattem is a Chattanooga, Tennessee, producer and marketer of over-the-counter healthcare products, toiletries, dietary supplements, topical analgesics, and medicated skin care products...
, the world's first Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
bottling plant, Coker Tire
Coker Tire
Coker Tire Company is a Chattanooga, Tennessee-based company that manufactures and sells vintage-style Michelin, Firestone, BF Goodrich and Uniroyal bias-ply and radial whitewall tires for collector automobiles...
, Coptix
Coptix
Founded as Cross Computer Consulting on January 1, 1999, incorporated as Coptix Inc. on January 1, 2002, and re-branded as Medium on April 9, 2009, Medium is a Chattanooga, Tennessee based graphic design, web design, and web development company with clients such as Rock/Creek, Chattem, redbox, Olan...
, Covenant Transport
Covenant Transport
Covenant Transport, Inc. is a truckload carrier headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It began operations on January 2, 1986, with 25 trucks and 50 trailers. Today, coupled with its partners, Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc. and Star Transportation, Inc., it now has over 3,600 trucks and...
, Double Cola
Double Cola
Double Cola is the name of a soft drink and the company that manufactures Double Cola.-Company:Double Cola is a regionally manufactured U.S. brand of soft drink, predominantly distributed east of the Mississippi River, and available in select international markets.-Marketing:It was formerly...
, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group
Gordon Biersch Brewing Company
Gordon Biersch Brewery is an American brewery founded by Dan Gordon and Dean Biersch. Gordon, a graduate from the five-year brewing engineering program at Weihenstephan, Germany, and Biersch opened their first brewery restaurant in Palo Alto, California in July 1988...
, Krystal
Krystal (restaurant)
Krystal is an American fast food restaurant chain known for their small, square hamburger sliders with steamed-in onions and 24/7 business hours. Krystal is often described as the Southern equivalent of the Midwest American hamburger chain White Castle...
, Litespeed
Litespeed
Litespeed is a U.S. bicycle manufacturer founded by David Lynskey in Ooltewah, Tennessee, near Chattanooga. The company has its roots in a family-owned custom machine shop known as Southeast Machine that specialized in exotic metals...
, Miller & Martin
Miller & Martin
Miller & Martin PLLC is a large Southeastern law firm with offices in Atlanta, Georgia, and Nashville, Tennessee, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 2008, the firm was ranked the 214th largest law firm in the U.S. by the National Law Journal. The firm employs over 170 attorneys and a similar number...
, National Model Railroad Association
National Model Railroad Association
The National Model Railroad Association is a non-profit organization for those involved in the hobby or business of model railroading. It was founded in the United States in 1935, and is now active in Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and the Netherlands...
, Olan Mills, Inc., Republic Parking System
Republic Parking System
Republic Parking System is a privately owned professional parking management company based in Chattanooga, Tennessee.The company operates over 690 parking facilities in 87 US cities....
, Retro Television Network
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
(RTN), Rock/Creek
Rock/Creek
Rock/Creek is a Chattanooga, Tennessee-based sporting goods retailer of clothing and gear for rock climbing, paddling, trail running, hiking, camping and travel. Founded as Rock/Creek Outfitters and Canoeist Headquarters in 1987 when Dawson Wheeler and Marvin Webb purchased Canoeist Headquarters,...
, Southtree
Southtree
Southtree is a privately held digital media company founded in 2009 in the state of Tennessee serving to digitize analog media such a videotape, movie film, and photos to DVD and DataDVD....
, Tricycle Inc.
Tricycle Inc.
Tricycle Inc. is a sustainable design company founded in 2002 in the United States to serve the creative product lifecycle of the interior design and architecture professions and their suppliers...
, and Unum. The city also hosts large branch offices of Cigna
CIGNA
Cigna , headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, is a global health services company, owing to its expanding international footprint and the fact that it provides administrative services only to approximately 80 percent of its clients...
, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA, Inc. is an American mobile-network operator, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, that provides wireless voice, messaging and data services in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. market with 33.73...
and UBS
UBS AG
UBS AG is a Swiss global financial services company headquartered in Basel and Zürich, Switzerland, which provides investment banking, asset management, and wealth management services for private, corporate, and institutional clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland...
. McKee Foods Corporation, maker of Little Debbie brand snack cakes, is a privately held, family-run company headquartered in nearby Collegedale, Tennessee
Collegedale, Tennessee
Collegedale is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 8,282 at the 2010 census. Collegedale is a suburb of Chattanooga and is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Notable companies that have manufacturing or distribution facilities in the city include Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, BASF
BASF
BASF SE is the largest chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
, DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, Invista
INVISTA
Invista, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, is the world's largest integrated fiber, resin and intermediates company. DuPont originally formed the company as a subsidiary in 2003 from its textile fibers division and named it DuPont Textiles and Interiors while a permanent identity was established...
, Komatsu, Rock-Tenn
Rock-Tenn
Rock-Tenn Company is a paper and packaging manufacturer based in Norcross, Georgia, United States. RockTenn is one of North America's leading producers of corrugated and consumer packaging and recycling solutions, with annualized net sales of approximately $10 billion...
, Plantronics
Plantronics
Plantronics is an electronics company producing audio communications equipment for business and consumers. Its' products provide unified communications, mobile use, gaming and music...
, Domtar
Domtar
Domtar Corporation is the largest integrated producer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America and the second largest in the world based on production capacity, and is also a manufacturer of papergrade pulp....
Corp., Norfolk Southern, Alco Chemical
Akzo Nobel
Akzo Nobel N.V., trading as AkzoNobel, is a Dutch multinational, active in the fields of decorative paints, performance coatings and specialty chemicals. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company has activities in more than 80 countries, and employs approximately 55,000 people. Sales in 2010 were EUR...
, Colonial Pipeline
Colonial Pipeline
Colonial Pipeline, headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, delivers a daily average of of gasoline, home heating oil, aviation fuel and other refined petroleum products to communities and businesses throughout the South and Eastern United States. Colonial consists of more than of pipeline,...
and Buzzi Unicem
Buzzi Unicem
Buzzi Unicem S.p.A. is an Italian company, quoted on the Borsa Italiana, which produces cement, ready-mix concrete and construction aggregates. Its headquarters are in the town of Casale Monferrato which was once known as the Italian ‘cement capital’...
. The William Wrigley Jr. Company has a prominent presence in Chattanooga, now the sole production facility for Altoids
Altoids
-Flavors and varieties:-Mints:Altoids mints are available in eight flavors: peppermint, wintergreen, spearmint, cinnamon, ginger, liquorice, crème de menthe and cool honey. "Sugar-Free Smalls", tiny square mints sweetened with sorbitol and sucralose, are also available in peppermint, wintergreen,...
breath mint products. There is also a Vulcan Materials quarry in the vicinity of the city.
In May 2011, Volkswagen Group of America inaugurated its Chattanooga Assembly Plant
Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant
Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant is an automobile assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee that began production in April 2011, was formally inaugurated in May 2011 and is expected to employ approximately 2,000 once fully operational...
. The $1 billion plant, opened in May 2011, will serve as the group's North American manufacturing headquarters. The plant is the first for Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
since the 1988 closure of the Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly Plant
Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly Plant
The Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly Plant is a manufacturing plant formerly operated by Volkswagen of America , south of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania near New Stanton. The complex manufactured 1.15 million vehicles from 1978 to 1988...
near New Stanton, Pennsylvania
New Stanton, Pennsylvania
New Stanton is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,906 at the 2000 census. New Stanton is often used as a control city in western parts of Pennsylvania, as I-70 joins the Pennsylvania Turnpike eastbound towards Breezewood, Pennsylvania in New...
.
In addition to corporate business interests, there are many retail shops in Chattanooga, including three shopping malls: Hamilton Place Mall
Hamilton Place Mall
Hamilton Place is an enclosed, two-story shopping mall in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was the largest shopping mall in the state of Tennessee from 1987 to 1998, when its size was surpassed by West Town Mall. The original anchors were Parks-Belk, Hess's, Parisian, Loveman's, Regal Cinemas 9 and...
in East Brainerd, Northgate Mall
Northgate Mall (Hixson)
Northgate Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in the Chattanooga suburb of Hixson. Opened on March 15, 1972, it was the second mall built in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was the northside competition to Eastgate Mall.A new movie theater opened in 2005...
in Hixson
Hixson, Tennessee
Hixson is an unincorporated community in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. It is a northern suburb of Chattanooga and is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, and Eastgate Mall
Eastgate Mall (Chattanooga)
Eastgate Mall is an enclosed, mixed-use facility in Chattanooga, TN.-History:Eastgate was developed by Independent Enterprises, a precursor of today's CBL & Associates. The open-air shopping venue was built on the site of a former drive-in theater, which was owned by Independent Enterprises .The...
in Brainerd.
Utilities
Electric power for most of the city and surrounding area is provided by the city-run Electric Power BoardEPB
EPB may refer to:* EPB, formerly the Chattanooga Electric Power Board, an American public utility, telecom, and ISP serving the greater Chattanooga, Tennessee area as well as Northern Georgia...
(EPB). EPB is also providing high-speed Internet service, video, and telephone service to business and residential customers throughout Hamilton County. The services that EPB provides to residents and businesses throughout Hamilton County is done via what is the nation's largest municipally owned fiber-optic system. The TVA
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
operates the nearby Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant, Chickamauga Dam
Chickamauga Dam
Chickamauga Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. The dam is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the late 1930s as part of a New Deal era initiative to improve navigation and bring flood control and economic...
and the Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant
Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant
Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant is a pumped-storage hydroelectric underground power station in Marion County, just west of Chattanooga in the U.S. state of Tennessee.The facility is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority...
, all of which provide electricity to the greater Chattanooga area. TVA's corporate power generation and distribution organization is also headquartered in downtown Chattanooga.
Natural gas and water are provided by the privately run Chattanooga Gas Company
AGL Resources
AGL Resources, Inc. is a Fortune 1000, Forbes 2000 energy services holding company. Their principal business is distribution of natural gas in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia, providing gas for more than 2.2 million customers....
and Tennessee-American Water Company
American Water (company)
thumb|right|350px|The Iowa American Water Company plant in [[Davenport, Iowa]] on the banks of the [[Mississippi River]]American Water is a public utility company operating in the United States and Canada...
, respectively. In 2005 Mayor Ron Littlefield
Ron Littlefield
Ronald C. Littlefield is an American politician and the current mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was elected via a run-off election in 2005 after a long term as a city councilman. He was reelected in 2009...
stated his desire for the city to purchase the Tennessee-American Water Company, which was sold in a public offering in 2007. Former Mayor Jon Kinsey
Jon Kinsey
Jon Kinsey was mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee from 1997 to 2001. During his mayorship he is remembered primarily for his role in unsuccessfully trying to buy Tennessee-American Water Company, which provides the majority of water to Chattanooga. He is a Democrat.Kinsey came to Chattanooga at the...
's attempts to have the city buy control of Tennessee-American Water were defeated in court.
Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
is the cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
provider for most areas of the city. The incumbent telephone company
Incumbent local exchange carrier
An ILEC, short for incumbent local exchange carrier, is a local telephone company in the United States that was in existence at the time of the breakup of AT&T into the Regional Bell Operating Companies , also known as the "Baby Bells." The ILEC is the former Bell System or Independent Telephone...
is AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
. However, competing phone companies, cellular phones and VoIP are making inroads. A major interstate fiber optics line operated by AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
traverses the city, making its way from Atlanta to Cincinnati.
Politics, government and law
The current mayor is Ron LittlefieldRon Littlefield
Ronald C. Littlefield is an American politician and the current mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was elected via a run-off election in 2005 after a long term as a city councilman. He was reelected in 2009...
, a long-time city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
man, who was elected in a run-off election in April 2005. Mayor Littlefield was reelected to a second four year term in March 2009.
The city operates under a charter granted by the state legislature
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
in 1852, and the charter has been subsequently amended. The city operates under a strong mayor system.
See a list of Mayors of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The city's legislative branch is split up into nine districts, with a council member for each district selected in partisan elections. The current council members are Deborah Scott (District 1), Sally Robinson (District 2), Pam Ladd (District 3), Jack Benson (District 4), Russell Gilbert (District 5), Carol Berz (District 6), Manuel "Manny" Rico (District 7), Andrae McGary (District 8) and Peter Murphy (District 9).
Primary and secondary education
Most of Chattanooga's primary and secondary education is funded by the government. The public schools in Chattanooga (and Hamilton County) fall under the purview of the Hamilton County School System. The Howard SchoolHoward School of Academics and Technology
Howard School of Academics and Technology is a co-educational public magnet school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Dr. Paul David Smith is currently the Executive Principal, while Dr. Faye Ison is the High School Associate Principal and Mr. Otto Taylor is the Associate Principal of the Middle...
, now a magnet school
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
, was the first public school in the area, established in 1865 after the Civil War. The Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences and the Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts
Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts
The Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts is a dedicated fine arts magnet school for students grades six through twelve, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. Chattanooga High School was founded in the fall of 1874...
are additional public magnet schools.
In addition, the city is home to several private and parochial secondary schools, including Baylor School
Baylor School
Baylor School is a private, coeducational prep school on the outskirts of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The school was founded in 1893 and since 1915 has been located on the same hillside site by the Tennessee River. The school went through several incarnations: moving from an all-male military academy...
, Boyd-Buchanan School
Boyd-Buchanan School
Boyd-Buchanan School is a co-educational private Christian school located near the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Founded in 1952, the school is a college-preparatory school for children in Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12. Currently, the school has more than 900...
, McCallie School, Girls Preparatory School
Girls Preparatory School
Girls Preparatory School, often called simply GPS, is an all-female college preparatory school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. It was founded in 1906 by Miss Grace McCallie, Miss Tommie Payne Duffy, and Miss Eula Lea Jarnagin. Its brother school, The McCallie School, was founded in 1905 by the...
, Chattanooga Christian School
Chattanooga Christian School
Chattanooga Christian School is a preparatory school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. With an average enrollment over 1000 students, it is the largest private school in Hamilton County, Tennessee.-History:...
, and Notre Dame High School
Notre Dame High School (Chattanooga)
Notre Dame High School is a coeducational, Catholic college preparatory school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States, serving grades 9-12 and welcoming students of all faiths. Notre Dame High School is the oldest non-public school in Chattanooga celebrating 135 years in 2011. On October 15,...
. Siskin Children's Institute
Siskin Children's Institute
Siskin Children's Institute, a non-profit organization in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is a charity for children with special needs and their families...
in Chattanooga is a specialized institution in the field of early childhood special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
.
Higher education
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a public university located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The University, often referred to as UTC or simply "Chattanooga" , is one of three universities and two other affiliated institutions in the University of Tennessee System; the others being in...
is the second largest campus of the University of Tennessee System
University of Tennessee system
The University of Tennessee system is one of two public university systems in the state of Tennessee. It consists of three primary campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin, a health sciences campus in...
, with a student population of over 10,000. Chattanooga State Community College
Chattanooga State Community College
Chattanooga State Community College is a public, comprehensive community college located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The college is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
is a two-year community college with a total undergraduate enrollment of roughly 11,000 students. Tennessee Temple University
Tennessee Temple University
Tennessee Temple University is a four-year private Christian university, with its focus on liberal arts education, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Operating there, also, is Temple Baptist Seminary, the university's graduate school of Christian theology....
is a Baptist college located in the Highland Park neighborhood. Chattanooga is also home to a branch of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine
University of Tennessee College of Medicine
The University of Tennessee College of Medicine is one of six graduate schools of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in downtown Memphis...
, which provides medical education to third and fourth year medical students, residents, and other medical professionals in southeast Tennessee through an affiliation with Erlanger Health System
Erlanger Health System
The Erlanger Health System , is a multi-hospital system with five campuses based in Chattanooga, Tennessee—Erlanger Baroness Campus, Children's Hospital at Erlanger, Erlanger East Campus, Erlanger North Campus, and Erlanger Bledsoe Campus...
. Covenant College
Covenant College
Covenant College is a Christian liberal arts college in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, United States.-History:Founded in 1955 in Pasadena, California, Covenant College and Theological Seminary moved its campus to St. Louis, Missouri the following year, and, in 1965, separated from the seminary, moving...
, a private liberal arts college operated by the Presbyterian Church in America
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church . The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education...
, is located in the adjacent suburb of Lookout Mountain, Georgia
Lookout Mountain, Georgia
Lookout Mountain is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,617 at the 2000 census. The city is located on Lookout Mountain, home to such attractions as Rock City and Ruby Falls. The city is also home to Covenant College...
, and has a student population of about 1,000. Southern Adventist University
Southern Adventist University
Southern Adventist University is a college in Collegedale, Tennessee, owned and operated by the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. U.S. News & World Report categorizes it as a Southern Regional College, and the magazine has consistently ranked it as one of the top-tier schools in...
is located in the suburb of Collegedale, Tennessee
Collegedale, Tennessee
Collegedale is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 8,282 at the 2010 census. Collegedale is a suburb of Chattanooga and is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and enrolls roughly 3,000 students.
Public library
The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library system had been jointly operated by the city and county governments since 1976; but due to a recent change in the distribution of sales tax, the city has taken over full funding. The city was gifted with a Carnegie libraryCarnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
in 1904, and the two-story purpose-built marble structure survives to this day at Eighth Street and Georgia Avenue as commercial office space. In 1939, the library moved to Douglas Street and McCallie Avenue and shared the new building with the John Storrs Fletcher Library of the University of Chattanooga. This building is now called Fletcher Hall and houses classrooms and offices for the University. The city library was moved to its third and current location in 1976 at the corner of Tenth and Broad streets.
Health care
Chattanooga's health care sector has three hospital systems. Erlanger Hospital is a non-profit academic teaching center affiliated with the University of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
's College of Medicine. It's also the area's primary trauma center, a Level-One Trauma Center for adults, and the only provider of tertiary care for the residents of southeastern Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, north Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, north Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, and western North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Erlanger treats approximately 250,000 people every year. In 2008, Erlanger was named one of the nation's "Top 100 teaching hospitals for cardiovascular care" by Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters Corporation is a provider of information for the world's businesses and professionals and is created by the Thomson Corporation's purchase of Reuters Group on 17 April 2008. Thomson Reuters is headquartered at 3 Times Square, New York City, USA...
. Erlanger has been operated by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hospital Authority since 1976.
Parkridge Hospital is located east of downtown in the Glenwood District and is run by Tri-Star Healthcare. Tri-Star also operates Parkridge East Medical Center in nearby East Ridge. Also located downtown is Memorial Hospital, which is operated by Catholic Health Initiatives
Catholic Health Initiatives
Catholic Health Initiatives is a faith-based, non-profit health system. It is the second largest Catholic health system in the United States and the fifth largest US health system overall....
. In 2004, Memorial was named one of the "Top 100 teaching hospitals" by Solucient Top Hospitals.
Museums
Hunter Museum of American Art
The Hunter Museum of American Art is an art museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The museum's collections include works representing the Hudson River School, 19th century genre painting, American Impressionism, the Ashcan School, early modernism, regionalism, and post World War II modern and...
. As the birthplace of the tow truck
Tow truck
A tow truck is a vehicle used to transport motor vehicles to another location , or to recover vehicles which are no longer on a drivable surface.Towing services are generally provided by an emergency road service operator...
, Chattanooga is the home of the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum
International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum
The International Towing & Recovery Hall Of Fame and Museum features restored antique wreckers and equipment from the tow truck industry. The museum also displays related toys, tools, equipment, and pictorial histories....
. Another transportation icon, the passenger train, can be found at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a railroad museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee.The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded as a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1960 by Paul H. Merriman and Robert M. Soule, Jr...
, or called TVRM by locals, which is the largest operating historic railroad in the South. Other notable museums include the Chattanooga Regional History Museum, the National Medal of Honor Museum, the Houston Museum, the Chattanooga African American Museum, and the Creative Discovery Museum.
Arts and literature
Chattanooga has a range of performing arts in different venues. Its historic Tivoli Theatre has been renovated and is home to the Chattanooga Symphony and OperaChattanooga Symphony and Opera
The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera is a combined symphony orchestra and opera company in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the only such combined organization in the United States.-Chattanooga Symphony:...
, under the baton of Kayoko Dan. The Chattanooga Theatre Centre http://theatrecentre.com/ offers 15 productions each year in three separate theater programs: the Mainstage, the Circle Theater, and the Youth Theater. Another popular performance venue is Memorial Auditorium.
Chattanooga hosts several writing conferences, including the Conference on Southern Literature and the Festival of Writers, both sponsored by the Arts & Education Council of Chattanooga.
Attractions
Chattanooga touts many attractions, including the Tennessee AquariumTennessee Aquarium
The Tennessee Aquarium is a non-profit public aquarium located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Its River Journey building is the largest freshwater aquarium in the world....
, caverns, and new waterfront attractions along and across the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
. In the downtown area is the Chattanooga Choo Choo
Terminal Station (Chattanooga)
Terminal Station in Chattanooga, Tennessee is a former railroad station, once owned and operated by the Southern Railway, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The station was opened in 1909 and was the latest and largest station in Chattanooga's history...
Hotel, housed in the renovated Terminal Station and exhibiting the largest HO model train layout in the United States. Also downtown are the Creative Discovery Museum
Creative Discovery Museum
The Creative Discovery Museum is a children's museum located in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. The museum contains art, music, and field science areas, along with a water-themed zone called RiverPlay, a rooftop exhibit, an inventor's workshop, and a temporary exhibit space...
, a hands-on children's museum dedicated to science, art, and music; an IMAX 3D Theatre; and the newly expanded Hunter Museum of American Art
Hunter Museum of American Art
The Hunter Museum of American Art is an art museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The museum's collections include works representing the Hudson River School, 19th century genre painting, American Impressionism, the Ashcan School, early modernism, regionalism, and post World War II modern and...
. The Tennessee Riverwalk
Tennessee Riverwalk
The Tennessee Riverwalk is a 13-mile riverside path which parallels the Tennessee River from the Chickamauga Dam to downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee...
, an approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) long trail running alongside the river, is another attraction for both tourists and residents alike.
Across the river from downtown is the North Shore district, roughly bounded by the Olgiati Bridge to the west and Veterans Bridge to the east. The newly renovated area draws locals and tourists to locally owned independent boutiques and restaurants, plus attractions along the Chattanooga Riverpark system, including Coolidge Park and Renaissance Park. Chattanooga's only floating hotel, the Delta Queen
Delta Queen
The Delta Queen is an American sternwheel steamboat that is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Historically, she has been used for cruising the major rivers that constitute the drainage of the Mississippi River, particularly in the American South. As of June 2009, she is docked in Chattanooga,...
, is a unique attraction alongside the North Shore, and is permanently docked at Coolidge Park.
The Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park
Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park
The Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park, formerly the Warner Park Zoo, is a zoo located in Warner Park in Downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. The zoo was established in 1937 and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.-Exhibits and facilities:...
is located a short distance from the downtown area.
Parks and natural scenic areas provide other attractions. The red-and-black painted "See Rock City" barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
s along highways in the Southeast are remnants of a now-classic Americana
Americana
Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects,...
tourism campaign to attract visitors to the Rock City
Rock City
Rock City is a roadside attraction near Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Lookout Mountain in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, located near Ruby Falls. It is well-known for the many barn advertisements throughout the Southeast and Midwest United States that have the slogan "See Rock City" painted on barn roofs...
tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
in nearby Lookout Mountain, Georgia
Lookout Mountain, Georgia
Lookout Mountain is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,617 at the 2000 census. The city is located on Lookout Mountain, home to such attractions as Rock City and Ruby Falls. The city is also home to Covenant College...
. The mountain is also the site of Ruby Falls
Ruby Falls
Ruby Falls is a 145-foot high underground waterfall located within Lookout Mountain, near Rock City and Chattanooga, Tennessee in the United States.-Geology:The cave which houses Ruby Falls was formed with the formation of Lookout Mountain...
and Craven's House. The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is an inclined plane railway located along the side of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the United States. Passengers are transported from St. Elmo's Station at the base, to Point Park at the mountain summit, which overlooks the city and the...
is a steep funicular railway that rises from the St. Elmo Historic District to the top of the mountain, where passengers can visit the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
's Point Park and the Battles for Chattanooga Museum. Formerly known as Confederama, it contains a diorama that details the Battle of Chattanooga
Second Battle of Chattanooga
The Second Battle of Chattanooga was a battle in the American Civil War, beginning on August 21, 1863, as the opening battle in the Chickamauga Campaign. The larger and more famous battles were the Battles for Chattanooga in November 1863.-Background:On August 16, 1863, Maj. Gen. William S...
. From the military park, visitors can enjoy the panoramic views of Moccasin Bend
Moccasin Bend
Moccasin Bend Archaeological District is an archeological site in Tennessee that is included in the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park....
and the Chattanooga skyline from the mountain's famous "point" or from vantage points along the well-marked trail system.
Near Chattanooga, the Raccoon Mountain Reservoir, Raccoon Mountain Caverns
Raccoon Mountain Caverns
Raccoon Mountain CavernsRaccoon Mountain Caverns was opened in 1929 by Leo Lambert. The property was owned by the Grand Hotel and used as a farm for their restaurant. On hot afternoons, it was said that the farmers would relax in front of several cracks in the rock at the base of the mountain and...
and Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden is a nonprofit arboretum, botanical garden, and historical site located at 400 Garden Road, Chattanooga, Tennessee....
boast a number of outdoor and family fun opportunities. Other arboretums include Bonny Oaks Arboretum
Bonny Oaks Arboretum
Bonny Oaks Arboretum is an arboretum located at 6183 Adamson Circle, Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is open daily without charge.The arboretum is a small round park in front of the Dent House, now the Hamilton County Agriculture Center, whose gardens and some buildings date from the mid-19th century...
, Cherokee Arboretum at Audubon Acres
Cherokee Arboretum at Audubon Acres
The Cherokee Arboretum at Audubon Acres is an arboretum and natural area located in the East Brainerd neighborhood of Chattanooga, Tennessee...
and Cherokee Trail Arboretum
Cherokee Trail Arboretum
The Cherokee Trail Arboretum is an arboretum located in the North Chickamauga Greenway on the Tennessee Valley Authority's Chickamauga Reservation in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was certified as an arboretum in 2000, and contains a small natural area....
. The Ocoee River, host to a number of events at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, features rafting, kayaking, camping and hiking. Also just outside Chattanooga is the Lake Winnepesaukah
Lake Winnepesaukah
Lake Winnepesaukah is an amusement park located on Lakeview Drive in Lakeview, Georgia near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Winnepesaukah means "beautiful water." Carl and Minette Dixon opened the park to guests in 1925...
amusement park. The Cumberland Trail
Cumberland Trail
The Cumberland Trail is a hiking trail following a line of ridges and gorges along the eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. The trail begins at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and ends at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Prentice Cooper Wildlife...
begins in Signal Mountain, just outside of Chattanooga.
Festivals and events
Chattanooga hosts the Riverbend FestivalRiverbend Festival
The Riverbend Festival, or called Riverbend by locals, is an annual music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was started in June of 1981 as a five night festival. Over the years, the festival grew into the nine nights of its current run and presently ranks in the top 10% of all American...
, an annual nine-day music festival held in June in the downtown area. One of the most popular events is the "Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer.Sometimes referred to as The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s...
Strut", a one-night showcase of blues and jazz music named for the city's most noted blues singer. The annual "Southern Brewer's Festival" and the "River Roast" festival celebrate such traditional Southern staples as beer and barbecue.
New events, such as GoFest!, "Between the Bridges" wakeboard competition and Talespin attract new audiences. Back Row Films is a city-wide celebration of film co-sponsored by the Hunter Museum of American Art, the Arts & Education Council and UTC.
"Nightfall" is the free weekly concert series in Miller Plaza on Friday nights that continues to bring an eclectic mix of rock, blues, jazz, reggae, zydeco, funk, bluegrass, and folk to downtown Chattanooga from Memorial Day until the end of September. The Chattanooga Market
Chattanooga Market
The Chattanooga Market is the region's largest producer-only arts and crafts and farmers' market. It is held every Sunday from April to December at the open-air First Tennessee Pavilion in Chattanooga, Tennessee, typically from 11am until 4pm...
features events all year round as part of the "Sunday at the Southside", including an Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
in mid-October.
The Chattanooga Dulcimer Festival, held each June, features workshops for mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, and auto harp, among others, along with performances by champion performers from across the nation. Chattanooga is also the center of much bluegrass music. In 1935, as well as from 1993 to 1995, the city hosted the National Folk Festival
National Folk Festival (USA)
The National Folk Festival is an itinerant folk festival in the United States. Since 1934, it has been run by the National Council for the Traditional Arts and has been presented in 26 communities around the nation...
.
Each January, Chattanooga plays host to Chattacon, a science fiction and fantasy literary convention. The convention is organized by the nonprofit Chattanooga Speculative Fiction Fans, Inc. First held in 1976, the convention drew more than 1,000 attendees to the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel in 2010.
Sports
Chattanooga was the home of the NCAA Division I Football Championship game, which had been held at the Max Finley Stadium, which is south of downtown, from 1997 to 2009. From 2010 to 2012, the Dallas, Texas suburb of FriscoFrisco, Texas
Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...
will host the NCAA Division I Football Championship game.
The Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
, a Class AA
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
baseball team affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, boast a loyal following and respectable participation in season-end playoffs. Games take center stage at the downtown AT&T Field with tickets starting at only $4.
Chattanooga is also home to Chattanooga FC
Chattanooga FC
Chattanooga FC is an American soccer team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 2009, the team plays in National Premier Soccer League , a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division.The team plays its home games at...
, a semi-professional soccer team that currently plays in the National Premier Soccer League
National Premier Soccer League
The National Premier Soccer League is a United States soccer league recognized by the United States Soccer Federation and FIFA as a Division IV league...
.
The Southern Chiefs Rugby League Football Club are a rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team who are hoping to compete in the AMNRL by 2012. They aim to compete in AMNRL events in 2011 and introduce the game into high schools and colleges in the area.
The Tennessee River, which flows through the middle of Chattanooga, is a great place to row. The well-known Head of the Hooch
Head of the Hooch
The Head of the Hooch Regatta, previously known as the Head of the Chattahoochee Regatta, is a 2-day rowing regatta held annually on the first full weekend in November in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The head race is currently run downstream on a three mile course on the Tennessee River...
rowing regatta takes place in downtown Chattanooga during the first weekend of November. The head race
Head race
A head race is a time-trial competition in the sport of rowing, also known as crew to a few USA organizations. Head races are typically held in the fall and spring seasons. These events draw many athletes as well as observers...
originally took place on the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
in Atlanta, giving it the name the Head of the Hooch. With 1,922 boats in 2010, this ranked as the 2nd largest regatta in the United States. There are multiple rowing clubs such as the Lookout Rowing Club for adults and Chattanooga Junior Rowing Club for high school students. The weekend of the Head of the Hooch also sees hot-air balloon rides and other activities.
Outdoor sports
Due to its location at the junction of the Cumberland PlateauCumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
and the southern Appalachians
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
, Chattanooga has become a haven for outdoor sports such as hunting, fishing, trail running
Trail running
Trail running is a variant on running that differs markedly from road running and track running. Trail running generally takes place on hiking trails, most commonly single track trails, although fire roads are not uncommon. A distinguishing characteristic of the trails is that they are often...
, road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
, adventure racing
Adventure racing
Adventure racing is a combination of two or more endurance disciplines, including orienteering and/or navigation , cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling and climbing and related rope skills...
, rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
and road biking. The city boasts a number of outdoor clubs: Scenic City Velo, SORBA
SORBA
SORBA, the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, is an organization that builds and maintains mountain bike trails in the Southeast region of the United States. It also promotes mountain bikers' interests, such as access to trails...
-Chattanooga, The Wilderness Trail Running Association, and The Chattanooga Track Club. The city also funds Outdoor Chattanooga, an organization focused on promoting outdoor recreation. In September 2004, the city appointed its first-ever executive director of Outdoor Chattanooga to implement the organization's mission, which includes promoting bicycling for transportation, recreation and active living. For paddlers, Chattanooga offers the Tennessee River Blueway
Tennessee River Blueway
The Tennessee River Blueway is a section of the Tennessee River that flows between the Chickamauga Dam and the Nickajack Dam and through downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee and the Tennessee River Gorge. The city of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River Gorge Trust along with other agencies have...
, a 50 miles (80.5 km) recreational section of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
that flows through Chattanooga and the Tennessee River Gorge
Tennessee River Gorge
The Tennessee River Gorge is a canyon formed by the Tennessee River once known as Cash Canyon. It is the fourth largest river gorge in the Eastern United States. The gorge is cut into the Cumberland Plateau as the river winds its way into Alabama from Tennessee. The Tennessee River Gorge is home...
. The Tennessee Aquarium
Tennessee Aquarium
The Tennessee Aquarium is a non-profit public aquarium located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Its River Journey building is the largest freshwater aquarium in the world....
has a high speed catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
, the River Gorge Explorer, to allow up to 70 people to explore the Tennessee River Gorge
Tennessee River Gorge
The Tennessee River Gorge is a canyon formed by the Tennessee River once known as Cash Canyon. It is the fourth largest river gorge in the Eastern United States. The gorge is cut into the Cumberland Plateau as the river winds its way into Alabama from Tennessee. The Tennessee River Gorge is home...
. The Explorer departs from the Chattanooga Pier.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 155,554 people, 65,499 households, and 39,626 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,150.5 people per square mile (444.2/km²). There were 72,108 housing units at an average density of 533.3 per square mile (205.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.71% White, 36.06% Black, 0.29% American Indian, 1.54% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other racesRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.30% from two or more races. 2.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The 2006 revised estimated population was 168,293 which is an 8.4% percent increase over the original 2006 estimate. In 2009, the US Census Bureau estimated that Chattanooga's overall population grew some 9.3% from 2000 to 2008, which is as fast as Tennessee's largest cities. Also, the Census Bureau reported that it estimated that the city of Chattanooga added some 15,326 residents since the 2000 census, for an estimated 2008 population of 170,880 people.
There were 65,499 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92. Same-sex couple households comprised 0.4% of all households.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,006, and the median income for a family was $41,318. Males had a median income of $31,375 versus $23,267 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,689. About 14.0% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.
Chattanooga's Metropolitan Statistical Area
Chattanooga metropolitan area
The Chattanooga Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of six counties – three in southeast Tennessee and three in northwest Georgia – anchored by the city of Chattanooga...
, which includes Hamilton, Marion, and Sequatchie counties in Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties in Georgia, grew from 476,531 people, as of the 2000 census, to 496,704 people, as estimated on July 1, 2006. By July 1, 2008, the US Census Bureau had estimated the Chattanooga metropolitan area had grown to 518,441 people, up 9.6% from July 2006.
The Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area
Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens combined statistical area
The Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area covers a total of nine counties – six in southeast Tennessee and three in northwest Georgia. The combined statistical area consists of two metropolitan statistical areas – Chattanooga and Cleveland – as well as the Athens...
, which includes Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Polk, and Sequatchie counties in Tennessee, and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties in Georgia, had an estimated population of 658,201 in 2006. The Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area had an estimated population of 683,095 people, as of July 1, 2008, up 9.6% from July 2006.
Geography
The city is located at latitude 35°4' North, longitude 85°15' West.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 143.2 square miles (370.9 km²), of which, 135.2 square miles (350.2 km²) of it is land and 8 square miles (20.7 km²) of it (5.56%) is water.
The most prominent natural features in and around Chattanooga are the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
and the surrounding highlands. The city is nestled between the southwestern Ridge-and-valley Appalachians
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians
The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from southeastern New York through northwestern New...
and the foot of Walden's Ridge; the river separates the ridge from the western side of downtown. Several miles east, the city is bisected by Missionary Ridge
Missionary Ridge
Missionary Ridge is a geographic feature in Chattanooga, Tennessee, site of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, a battle in the American Civil War, fought on November 25, 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gens. Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and George H...
, which hosted an important battle of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
The Tennessee River is impounded by the TVA's
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
Chickamauga Dam
Chickamauga Dam
Chickamauga Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. The dam is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the late 1930s as part of a New Deal era initiative to improve navigation and bring flood control and economic...
north of the downtown area. Five automobile bridges, one railroad trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
, and one pedestrian bridge cross the river.
Road transport is served by Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
to Atlanta and Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, Interstate 24
Interstate 24
Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....
to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, and Interstate 59
Interstate 59
Interstate 59 is an Interstate Highway in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is near Slidell, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, at an intersection with Interstate 10 and Interstate 12, its northern terminus is at Wildwood, Georgia, at an intersection with Interstate 24.The road's...
to Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. Chattanooga and the surrounding area is served by the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport
Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport
-Top Destinations:-Cargo:- Accidents and incidents:On November 27, 1973, Delta Air Lines Flight 516, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed short of the runway on approach to the airport...
. Rail freight is offered by CSX
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
to Atlanta and Nashville, and Norfolk Southern to Atlanta, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Knoxville and Memphis.
Neighborhoods
In addition to the restoration of downtown, many of Chattanooga's neighborhoods have experienced a rebirth of their own. Chattanooga has many buildings on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, including three neighborhoods: Fort Wood, Ferger Place, and St. Elmo. Additionally, Chattanooga has four local historic districts—St. Elmo, Fort Wood, Battery Place and Ferger Place. The neighborhoods of Highland Park and Glenwood also are being considered for designation.
|
Rossville, Georgia Rossville is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The city of Rossville was named after Cherokee Indian Chief John Ross, who resided there until being forced to relocate with his people to Oklahoma in the Indian Removal. Chief John Ross' log cabin home is still located in the city and... ) |
Important suburbs
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East Ridge, Tennessee East Ridge is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,979. East Ridge is bordered by Chattanooga to the west, north and east, and the Georgia state line to the south. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical... Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia Fort Oglethorpe is a city in Catoosa County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 9,263. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area... Harrison, Tennessee Harrison is a census-designated place in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,769 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area... Hixson, Tennessee Hixson is an unincorporated community in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. It is a northern suburb of Chattanooga and is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.... Lookout Mountain, Georgia Lookout Mountain is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,617 at the 2000 census. The city is located on Lookout Mountain, home to such attractions as Rock City and Ruby Falls. The city is also home to Covenant College... |
Lookout Mountain, Tennessee Lookout Mountain is a town in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,832 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Lookout Mountain is located at... Ooltewah, Tennessee Ooltewah is a census-designated place in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 687 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :... Red Bank, Tennessee Red Bank is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 12,418 at the 2000 census. Red Bank is an enclave; its area is completely surrounded by that of Chattanooga. As of the 2010 election, the Board of Commissioners has Monty Millard , Greg JonesRed Bank is a city in... Ridgeside, Tennessee Ridgeside is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 389 at the 2000 census. Ridgeside is an enclave; its area is completely surrounded by the jurisidiction of Chattanooga. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Ridgeside's name is... Ringgold, Georgia Ringgold is a city in Catoosa County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,422 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Catoosa County... |
Rossville, Georgia Rossville is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The city of Rossville was named after Cherokee Indian Chief John Ross, who resided there until being forced to relocate with his people to Oklahoma in the Indian Removal. Chief John Ross' log cabin home is still located in the city and... Sale Creek, Tennessee Sale Creek is a small unincorporated community in northern Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Sale Creek is home to Sale Creek High School, The Panthers, as well as the "haunted" Shipley Hollow Road... Signal Mountain, Tennessee Signal Mountain is a town in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The town is a suburb of Chattanooga and is located on Walden Ridge, a land mass often mistakenly referred to as "Signal Mountain" itself... Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee Soddy-Daisy is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 11,530 at the 2000 census. The City was formed in 1969 when the communities of Soddy and Daisy, along with nearby developed areas along U.S. Highway 27, merged to form Soddy-Daisy. It is rapidly becoming a... Walden, Tennessee Walden is a town located atop Walden's Ridge Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:... |
Climate
Chattanooga, as with much of Tennessee, has a four-season humid subtropical climateHumid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
(Koppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfa). Winter days are usually mild but there are several days per annum where conditions stay at or below freezing all day. Snow is not common and the 1971–2000 snowfall seasonal median has been 0.6 inches (1.5 cm).but in the winter of 2011, 11 inches was recorded between January 9–10, 2011. Summer are hot and humid, with a July daily mean of 79.6 °F (26.4 °C) and 46 days annually with 90 °F (32 °C) or greater temperatures.
Transportation
Considered to be the gateway to the Deep SouthDeep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
, Chattanooga's transportation infrastructure has developed into a complex and intricate system of railroads, streets, airports and waterways.
Principal highways
- I-24Interstate 24Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....
- I-75Interstate 75Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
- US-27 North (formerly I-124Interstate 124Interstate 124 is an unsigned designation for a short segment of a four-lane limited access highway located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. During periods where this two miles long segment of U.S. Route 27 has been signed as I-124, it has served as a spur route of Interstate 24 to downtown...
) - State Route 153
See also List of Tennessee state highways
Major surface routes
- Brainerd Road/Lee HighwayLee HighwayThe Lee Highway was a National Auto Trail in the United States connecting New York City and San Francisco, California via the South and Southwest. It was named after Robert E...
(U.S. 11)/(U.S. 64) - Broad Street
- Cummings Highway (US 41U.S. Route 41U.S. Route 41 is a north–south United States Highway that runs from Miami, Florida to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, was U.S...
)/(US 72U.S. Route 72U.S. Route 72 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 337 miles from southeast Tennessee through northern Alabama and northern Mississippi to southwest Tennessee. The highway's eastern terminus is Chattanooga, Tennessee. Its western terminus is Memphis, Tennessee...
) - Dayton Blvd (U.S. 27 North)
- East Brainerd Road
- Georgia Avenue
- Hixson Pike
- Main Street (U.S. 76)
- McCallie Avenue
- Ringgold Road
- Rossville Boulevard (U.S. 27)
- Signal Mountain Boulevard (U.S. 127)
Tunnels
- Bachmann Tubes, (also unofficially known as The East Ridge Tunnels), which carry Ringgold Road into the neighboring city of East RidgeEast Ridge, TennesseeEast Ridge is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,979. East Ridge is bordered by Chattanooga to the west, north and east, and the Georgia state line to the south. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical...
. - Missionary Ridge Tunnels (also unofficially known as McCallie or Brainerd Tunnels), which carry McCallie and Bailey Avenues through Missionary Ridge where the route continues as Brainerd Road.
- Stringer's Ridge Tunnel, which carries Cherokee Boulevard through Stringer's Ridge where the route continues as Dayton Boulevard.
- Wilcox Tunnel, which carries Wilcox Boulevard through Missionary Ridge and connects to Shallowford Road.
Public transit
The city is served by a publicly run bus company, the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation AuthorityChattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority
The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority is the mass transit provider for Chattanooga, Tennessee and its vicinity....
. CARTA operates 17 routes, including a free electric shuttle service in the downtown area, and free wireless Internet
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
on certain "smartbuses".
Railroad lines
Despite a new emphasis on the technology and service sectors, Chattanooga maintains ties to the past and still serves as a major freight hub with Norfolk Southern (NS) and CSX running trains on their own (and each others) lines. The Norfolk Southern Railway's enormous deButts Yard is just east of downtown, Shipp's Yard and CSX's Wauhatchie Yard are southwest of the city. Indeed, the two railroad companies are among the largest individual landowners in the city (the Federal Government is another). The Tennessee Valley Railroad MuseumTennessee Valley Railroad Museum
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a railroad museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee.The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded as a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1960 by Paul H. Merriman and Robert M. Soule, Jr...
, the largest historic operating railroad in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, and the Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway
Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway
The Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway is a short-line railroad which is headquartered in LaFayette, Georgia. The railroad operated twenty-two miles of the Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Kensington, Georgia, which went reverted to the Norfolk Southern System...
also provides railroad service in Chattanooga.
Since both NS and CSX both run through Chattanooga, here are the lines that run through the town (the AAR
Association of American Railroads
The Association of American Railroads is an industry trade group representing primarily the major freight railroads of North America . Amtrak and some regional commuter railroads are also members...
reporting marks are used for the following railroads: NS for Norfolk Southern, CSXT for CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
, TVRM for the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a railroad museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee.The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded as a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1960 by Paul H. Merriman and Robert M. Soule, Jr...
, and CCKY for Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway
Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway
The Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway is a short-line railroad which is headquartered in LaFayette, Georgia. The railroad operated twenty-two miles of the Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Kensington, Georgia, which went reverted to the Norfolk Southern System...
):
- CSXT – Western & Atlantic SubdivisionWestern and Atlantic RailroadThe Western and Atlantic Railroad of the State of Georgia' is a historic railroad that operated in the southeastern United States from Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga, Tennessee....
(Chattanooga to Atlanta, Georgia)- Chattanooga Subdivision (Chattanooga to Nashville, TennesseeNashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
on former NC&StL trackage)
- Chattanooga Subdivision (Chattanooga to Nashville, Tennessee
- NS – Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific, aka the Queen and Crescent Route (Chattanooga to Cincinnati, Ohio via Lexington, KentuckyLexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
)- Alabama Great SouthernAlabama Great Southern RailroadThe Alabama Great Southern Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is an operating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation , running southwest from Chattanooga to New Orleans through Birmingham and Meridian...
(Chattanooga to New Orleans, Louisiana via Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, AlabamaBirmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
) - Georgia Division (Chattanooga to Atlanta)
- Tennessee Division (Chattanooga to Knoxville, TennesseeKnoxville, TennesseeFounded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
) - Chattanooga Traction Company
- North Chattanooga to Signal Mountain
- Dry Valley Line (Red Bank to Lupton City)
- Alabama Great Southern
- TVRM – East Chattanooga to Grand Junction (3 miles)
- East Chattanooga Belt Line Railroad (from near 23rd Street, across to Holtzclaw Avenue and East Chattanooga around North Chamberlain Ave., used by TVRM)
- Tyner Terminal Railroad (Enterprise South Industrial Park railroad operations)
- CCKY – formerly the Tennessee Alabama & GeorgiaTennessee, Alabama and Georgia RailwayThe Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railroad was created through a reorganization of the Chattanooga Southern Railway in 1911. A few years later, in 1922, the line's name was changed to the Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway and was also known as the TAG Route. The TAG ran from Chattanooga,...
line (Chattanooga to Hedges, Georgia, now abandoned since 2009)- formerly the Central of Georgia line (Chattanooga to Lyerly, GeorgiaLyerly, GeorgiaLyerly is a town in Chattooga County, Georgia, USA. census, the town population was 488.-Geography:Lyerly is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
)
- formerly the Central of Georgia line (Chattanooga to Lyerly, Georgia
Also, the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is an inclined plane railway located along the side of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the United States. Passengers are transported from St. Elmo's Station at the base, to Point Park at the mountain summit, which overlooks the city and the...
, often referred to as the Incline Railway by locals, as well as being a tourist attraction, is sometimes used for commuting by Lookout Mountain residents, particularly during wintry weather, when traveling up and down the mountain could be very dangerous.
Chattanooga's most notable connection to the railroad industry is the song Chattanooga Choo Choo
Chattanooga Choo Choo
"Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a song by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon . It was recorded in a big-band/swing manner by Glenn Miller and his orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, which starred Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller and his orchestra, The Modernaires, Milton Berle...
, made famous by Glenn Miller & His Orchestra.
Despite the relatively high level of freight rail activity, there is no passenger rail service in the city for either commuters or long-distance travelers.
Bridges
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
. They are, from west to east:
- P.R. Olgiati Bridge – Named for a former mayor, P.R. Olgiati, this bridge, which was dedicated in 1959, carries "27" from downtown to Dayton, TennesseeDayton, TennesseeDayton is a city in Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,180 at the 2000 census. The Dayton, TN, Urban Cluster, which includes developed areas adjacent to the city and extends south to Graysville, Tennessee, had 9,050 people in 2000...
and points northward.
- Market Street Bridge – Officially called the John RossJohn Ross (Cherokee chief)John Ross , also known as Guwisguwi , was Principal Chief of the Cherokee Native American Nation from 1828–1866...
Bridge. It is a basculeBascule bridgeA bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
span, which is a type of drawbridge. The bridge was completed in 1917 for the then-astronomical sum of USD $1,000,000. Having stood for decades since its last major overhaul, the Tennessee Department of TransportationTennessee Department of TransportationThe Tennessee Department of Transportation is a multimodal agency with statewide responsibilities in aviation, public transit, waterways and railroads...
declared it unsafe in late 2004. The bridge was closed in 2005 for a long-overdue renovation and reopened on August 4, 2007.
- Walnut Street BridgeWalnut Street Bridge (Tennessee)The Walnut Street Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee.Built in 1890, it was the first to connect Chattanooga's downtown with the North Shore. According to the plaque on the bridge, Edwin Thatcher was the chief engineer for the bridge...
– Also known as "The Walking Bridge", it is one of the centerpieces of Chattanooga's urban renewal, and is the second longest pedestrian bridge in the nation. Constructed in 1891, the bridge was declared unsafe and closed to traffic in 1978. It was on the verge of being demolished in the late 1980s when public demand led to it being restored as a pedestrian-only span that opened in 1993.
- Veterans Memorial BridgeVeterans Memorial Bridge (Chattanooga)The Veterans Memorial Bridge is a steel girder bridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was built in 1984 and has a main span of 420 feet. It carries Georgia Avenue across the Tennessee River, and MacClellan Island, which is an animal sanctuary on an island on the river...
– Completed in 1984, this structure has helped commuters from Hixson, Lupton City and other northern areas reach downtown quickly.
- C.B. Robinson BridgeC.B. Robinson BridgeThe C.B. Robinson Bridge is a bridge over the Tennessee River carrying DuPont parkway . It was built in 1981....
– Opened in 1981, this bridge carries Dupont Parkway from Amnicola Highway to Hixson Pike and Route 153.
- TenbridgeTenbridgeTenbridge is a vertical-lift railroad bridge over the Tennessee River. It has a main span of , and is one of the longest vertical lift spans in the United States....
– This truss bridgeTruss bridgeA truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
with a vertical lift carries the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific RailwayCincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific RailwayThe Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway is a railroad that runs from Cincinnati, Ohio, south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, forming part of the Norfolk Southern Railway system. The rail line that it operates, the Cincinnati Southern Railway, is owned by the City of Cincinnati and is...
over the river and is a popular railfanRailfanA railfan or rail buff , railway enthusiast or railway buff , or trainspotter , is a person interested in a recreational capacity in rail transport...
area. It was constructed in 1920.
- Wilkes T. Thrasher BridgeWilkes T. Thrasher BridgeThe Wilkes T. Thrasher Bridge is a 4-lane road bridge located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It opened in 1955 and carries State Highway 153 over the Chickamauga Dam crossing the Tennessee River....
– Completed in 1955, this route carries Highway 153 over the Chickamauga DamChickamauga DamChickamauga Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. The dam is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the late 1930s as part of a New Deal era initiative to improve navigation and bring flood control and economic...
.
Air travel
The Chattanooga Metropolitan AirportChattanooga Metropolitan Airport
-Top Destinations:-Cargo:- Accidents and incidents:On November 27, 1973, Delta Air Lines Flight 516, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed short of the runway on approach to the airport...
offers non-stop service to various domestic destinations via regional and national airlines, including Allegiant Airlines, American Eagle
American Eagle Airlines
American Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries...
, Delta Connection
Delta Connection
Delta Connection is the name under which a number of individually owned regional airlines and one wholly owned regional carrier operate short and medium haul routes in association with Delta Air Lines Inc...
, and US Airways Express
US Airways Express
US Airways Express is an airline brand name, rather than a fully certified airline, and as such, the US Airways Express name is used by several individually owned airlines or airline holding companies which provide regional airline and commuter service for US Airways.Operations are conducted from...
.
Media and communications
The city of Chattanooga is served by numerous local, regional and national media outlets which reach approximately one million people in four states: TennesseeTennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
Newspapers
The Chattanooga Times Free PressChattanooga Times Free Press
The Chattanooga Times Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is distributed in the metro Chattanooga region of Tennessee and Northwest Georgia...
, the area's only daily newspaper, is published every morning. It was effectively formed in 1999 from two papers that had been bitter rivals for half a century, the Times and the News-Free Press. The Times was once owned by Adolph Ochs, who later bought the New York Times. The Times had been the morning paper and had a generally more liberal editorial page. The News-Free Press, whose name was the result of an earlier merger, was an afternoon daily and its editorials were more conservative than those in the Times. In 1999, the Free Press was bought by an Arkansas company, WEHCO Media, publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is the newspaper of record in the U.S. state of Arkansas, printed in Little Rock with a northwest edition published in Lowell...
, which then bought The Times from the Ochs heirs. The Times Free Press is the only known newspaper in the United States to have 2 editorial pages, each reflecting opposite ends of the political spectrum. The Times' editorial page, which is liberal, is on the left page and the Free Press' editorial page, which is conservative, is on the right page.
The "Chattanooga Pulse" is a weekly alternative newspaper, published every Thursday. It was formed in 2003 by Zachary Cooper and Michael Kull, running independently until 2008, when the paper was purchased by local broadcast radio and website development firm Brewer Media Group. The newspaper shares news gathering resources with Brewer Media Group's WPLZ Pulse News 95.3FM news talk radio station, and the www.chattanoogapulse.com news website.
Online media
The ChattanooganThe Chattanoogan
The Chattanoogan and its website "Chattanoogan.com" is an online media outlet that concentrates on news from Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is published by John Wilson, previously a staff writer for the Chattanooga Free Press. The website was launched on September 1, 1999, and calls itself "one of the...
and its website "Chattanoogan.com" is an online media outlet that concentrates on news from Chattanooga. The publisher is John Wilson, previously a staff writer for the Chattanooga Free Press.
Nooga.com, purchased in November 2010 by local entrepreneur Barry Large, will relaunch in 2011 as a local news website offering “quality daily content focusing on local business, politics and entertainment in the Chattanooga area.”
Chattarati.com is a community news website founded in 2008 that covers politics, education, business and culture. The site also includes several neighborhood-specific blogs.
Radio
Chattanooga has the following radio stations:AM
- WUUS 980 AMAM broadcastingAM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
– broadcasts WDYNWDYNWDYN is a radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format. Licensed to Rossville, Georgia, USA, the station serves the Chattanooga, Tennesseearea. The station is currently owned by Tennessee Temple University.-History:...
– Southern Gospel / WDYN Radio http://www.wdyn.com Operated By Tennessee Temple UniversityTennessee Temple UniversityTennessee Temple University is a four-year private Christian university, with its focus on liberal arts education, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Operating there, also, is Temple Baptist Seminary, the university's graduate school of Christian theology....
. (Licensed to Rossville, GA) - WFLIWFLI (AM)WFLI is a radio station broadcasting a Southern Gospel music format. Licensed to Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, USA, the station serves the Chattanooga area....
1070 AMAM broadcastingAM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
– Southern gospel (Licensed to Lookout Mountain, TN) - WGOW 1150 AMAM broadcastingAM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
– News/talk / NewsRadio 1150 http://wgow.com/am - WNOOWNOOWNOO is a gospel radio station serving the Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA radio market and licensed to Chattanooga.-History:On December 30, 1960, Jerry Tucker of WNOO interviewed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
1260 AMAM broadcastingAM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
– Urban gospel and Motown - WDEF-AM 1370 AMAM broadcastingAM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
– Sports/1370 Fox Sports Radio - WLMRWLMRWLMR is a radio station broadcasting a religious format. Licensed to Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, the station serves the Chattanooga area. The station is currently owned by Wilkins Communications Network, Inc. and features programing from USA Radio Network.-External links:*...
1450 AMAM broadcastingAM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
– Christian Talk - WJOCWJOCWJOC is a radio station broadcasting a religious format. Licensed to Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, the station serves the Chattanooga area. The station is currently owned by Sarah Margarett Fryar....
1490 AMAM broadcastingAM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
– Southern gospel
FM
- WUTC 88.1 FMFM broadcastingFM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
– NPR http://www.npr.org/Mixed music / Music 88. Operated by UTC. First and only station in Chattanooga to be broadcasting in HD RadioHD RadioHD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
. (Licensed to Chattanooga, TN) - W203AZ 88.5 FM – Religious/CSN international http://www.csnradio.com
- WMBW 88.9 FM – Christian / Moody Radio For The Heart Of The Southeast. Owned and operated by Moody Bible InstituteMoody Bible InstituteMoody Bible Institute is a Christian institution of higher education and related ministries that was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Since its founding, MBI's main campus has been located in the Near North Side of Chicago. MBI's primary ministries are education,...
. (Licensed to Chattanooga, TN) - WYBKWYBKWYBK is a non-commercial radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format. Licensed to Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, the station serves the Chattanooga area. The station is currently owned by the Bible Broadcasting Network.-History:...
89.7 FM – Christian. Operated By Bible Broadcasting NetworkBible Broadcasting NetworkThe Bible Broadcasting Network is a listener-supported global Christian radio network staffed and headquartered in Charlotte, NC. The programming consists of 50% outside ministries, 30% music and 20% BBN produced programs...
. (Licensed to Chattanooga, TN) - W211BG 90.1 FM – Religious http://www.klove.com (Licensed to Walden, TN)
- WSMC 90.5 FM – Classical/NPR/PRI http://www.wsmc.org Operated by Southern Adventist University. (Licensed to Collegedale, TN)
- WJBP-FM 91.5 FM – Christian / Family Life Radio http://www.myflr.org (Licensed to Red Bank, TN)
- WAWLWAWLWJBP is a non-commercial radio station located in Red Bank, Tennessee.- Transfer Timeline :May 2008 - Chattanooga State Technical Community College begins process to sell 91.5 FM to Family Life Broadcasting Inc....
– College Alternative / The Wawl (web only / Formerly broadcasting on 91.5) Chattanooga State Community College - WDEF-FMWDEF-FMWDEF-FM is a radio station serving the Chattanooga area, broadcasting on 92.3 FM. The station operates a Adult Contemporary format and is branded as Sunny 92.3 FM. They are owned by Bahakel Communications....
92.3 FM – Adult contemporary / Sunny 92.3 http://www.sunny923.com (Licensed to Chattanooga, TN) - WSAAWSAAWSAA is a radio station broadcasting a Christian rock format known as Air 1. Licensed to Benton, Tennessee, USA, the station serves the Chattanooga area. The station is currently owned by Lb Radio of Chattanooga, LLC.-History:...
93.1 FM – Christian Rock / Air 1Air 1Air1 is a Christian music radio network in the United States, operated by the non-profit organization EMF Broadcasting. Air 1 is essentially a Top-40 station with Christian Music - so many of the rules that commercial Top-40 stations use for musical rotation apply.-History:In 1986, KLRD began...
http://www.air1.com (Licensed to Benton, TN) - WMPZWMPZWMPZ is a commercial radio station located in Harrison, Tennessee, broadcasting to the Chattanooga, Tennessee area. WMPZ airs an urban adult contemporary music format branded as "Groove". It is home to the syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show. WMPZ's previous formats included Urban Oldies, Gospel,...
93.5 FM – Urban oldies / Groove 93 http://www.groove93.com (Licensed to Harrison, TN) - WQMT 93.9 FM – Variety Rock / Jack FMJack FMJACK FM is the alternative name and on-air brand of 60 radio stations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Jack stations play a mix of 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s hits with some current hot adult contemporary singles. Jack's slogan "playing what we want" can also be...
http://www.jack.fm (Licensed to Decatur, TN) - WJTTWJTTWJTT is a radio station serving the Chattanooga area. The station operates a Urban Contemporary format and is branded as Power 94 FM. They are owned by Brewer Broadcasting and is licensed to Red Bank, Tennessee.-History:...
94.3 FM – Urban contemporary / Power 94 http://www.power94.com (Licensed to Red Bank, TN) - WAAK-LPWAAK-LPWAAK-LP is an Adult Standards formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Boynton, Georgia, serving the Boynton/Ringgold area. WAAK-LP is owned and operated by Boynton Educational Radio, Inc....
94.7 FM – Variety http://waak.catt.com/ (Low power station licensed to Boynton/Ringgold, GA) - WPLZ 95.3 FM – News/Talk http://chattanoogapulse.com/radio/ (Licensed to Ooltewah, TN)
- WPLZ HD-2 95.3 HD-2 FM, Oldies / Hippie Radio 106.9 http://www.hippieradio1069.com (Licensed to Ooltewah, TN)
- WDODWDOD-FMWDOD-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary hit radio format. Licensed to Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA,. The station is currently owned by WDOD of Chattanooga, Inc.-Previous Triple A Format:...
96.5 FM – 96.5 The Mountain—Chattanooga's No. 1 Hit Music Station http://www.hits96.com (Licensed to Chattanooga, TN) - WUUQ 97.3, & 99.3 FM – Classic Country Q Country 97.3/99.3 (Licensed to South Pittsburg, TN)
- WLNDWLNDWLND is a radio station serving the Chattanooga, Tennessee area. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and is licensed to serve Signal Mountain, Tennessee, USA.-History:...
98.1 FM – Hot AC / 98.1 The Lake http://981thelake.com (Licensed to Signal Mountain, TN) - WOOP-LPWOOP-LPWOOP-LP is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Cleveland, Tennessee, USA, the station is currently owned by Traditional Music Resource Center, Inc....
99.9 FM, Classic country, old-time gospel, bluegrass and mountain music. http://www.woopfm.com/ Operated by the Traditional Music Resource Center, (Licensed to Cleveland, TN) - WUSYWUSYWUSY "U.S. 101" is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Tennessee, USA, and broadcasting to the Chattanooga, Tennessee area...
100.7 FM, Contemporary country / US101 http://www.us101country.com (Licensed to Cleveland, TN) - WJSQWJSQWJSQ is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Athens, Tennessee, USA, the station is currently owned by Randall W. Sliger, Administrator and features programing from Citadel Media and Motor Racing Network....
101.7 FM, Contemporary, and Classic country / 101.7 WLAR http://www.wjsqwlar.com (Licensed to Athens, TN) - WOCE 101.9 FM, Spanish (Licensed to Ringgold, GA)
- WGOWWGOW-FMWGOW-FM is a radio station known as "Talk Radio 102.3" in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The station's talk radio format features a mix of local and syndicated hosts...
102.3 FM, http://www.wgow.com/fm News/talk (Licensed to Soddy-Daisy, TN) - WBDXWBDXWBDX is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary Christian format. Licensed to Trenton, Georgia, USA, the station serves the Chattanooga, Tennessee area. The station is owned by Partners For Christian Media, Inc.. WLLJ , licensed to Etowah, Tennessee, airs the same programming.-History of...
102.7 FM, http://www.j103.com Contemporary Christian (Licensed to Trenton, GA) - WLLJ 103.1 FM, http://www.j103.com Contemporary Christian (Simulcast with WBDX 102.7) (Licensed to Etowah, TN)
- WKXJWKXJWKXJ is a radio station licensed to Walden, Tennessee, USA, and serving the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area. The station operates a Top 40 music format and is branded as "103.7 KISS-FM"...
103.7 FM, Top 40 / 103.7 Kiss FM http://www.kisschattanooga.com (Licensed to Walden, TN) - WALVWALV-FMWALV-FM is known as "105.1 ESPN Chattanooga" and is a radio station serving Chattanooga, Tennessee. The station is an affiliate of ESPN Radio.- History :...
105.1 FM, http://www.espnchattanooga.com ESPN Sports Talk - WRXR 105.5 FM, http://www.rock105.net Active rock (Licensed to Rossville, GA)
- WSKZWSKZWSKZ is a radio station in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The station operates under a classic rock format and is branded as KZ-106. The station is one of four stations operating in the Chattanooga broadcast area by Cumulus Media.-Trivia:...
106.5 FM, http://www.kz106.com Classic rock - W295BI 106.9 FM, Oldies / Hippie Radio 106.9 http://www.hippieradio1069.com (Licensed to Chattanooga, TN)
- WOGTWOGTWOGT is a radio station serving the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area with a classic hits format. It is under ownership of Cumulus Media....
107.9 FM, http://www.1079theduke.com Oldies / 107.9 Big FM (Licensed to East Ridge, TN)
Television
Chattanooga's television stations include:- WRCBWRCB-TVWRCB is an NBC affiliate television station based in Chattanooga, serving southeastern Tennessee, northwestern Georgia, northeastern Alabama, Southwestern North Carolina, and three Upstate South Carolina counties of Anderson, Oconee and Pickens...
channel 3, NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate – http://www.wrcbtv.com (DT 13 / cable 4) - WOOT-LPWOOT-LPWOOT-LP channel 6 is a low-powered television station in Chattanooga, Tennessee.WOOT was affiliated with UPN until it went silent in 2000 due to technical issues...
channel 6, independent (formerly UPN) (silent) - WTVC channel 9, ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate – http://www.newschannel9.com (DT35 / cable 10) - WDEFWDEF-TVWDEF–TV channel 12 is the CBS affiliate television station for Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley. The station, whose call letters came from its former AM and FM sister stations, is owned by Morris Multimedia. Its transmitter is located in Signal Mountain, Tennessee. Syndicated programming on...
channel 12, CBS affiliate – http://www.wdef.com (DT47 / cable 13) - WNGH channel 18, GPBGeorgia Public BroadcastingGeorgia Public Broadcasting is the public broadcasting radio and television state network in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission....
affiliate – http://www.gpb.org (DT 33 / cable 12) - WELFWELF-TVWELF-TV is a religious television station licensed to Dalton, Georgia and serving the Chattanooga, Tennessee media market, spanning southeast Tennessee, northwest Georgia, and northeast Alabama. Its office and transmitter are in Lookout Mountain, Georgia , broadcasting digitally on channel 16, and...
channel 23, TBNTrinity Broadcasting NetworkThe Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
affiliate – http://www.tbn.org (DT 16 / cable 9) - W26BE channel 26, 3ABN affiliate – http://www.3abn.org (Not on cable in Chattanooga)
- WYHB-CAWYHB-CAWYHB-CA is a low-power television station in Chattanooga, Tennessee, broadcasting locally on channel 39 as an affiliate of America One. Founded July 29, 1988, the station is owned by Ying Hua Benns...
channel 39, America OneAmerica OneAmerica One is an over-the-air television network in the United States. The network serves over 170 LPTV, Class A, Full Power, Cable and Satellite affiliate stations...
affiliate – http://www.wyhbtv44.com (DT 44 / Not on Cable in Chattanooga) - WTCI channel 45, PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
member station http://www.wtci-tv45.com (DT29 / cable 5) - WFLI-TVWFLI-TVWFLI-TV is the CW-affiliated television station for Chattanooga, Tennessee licensed to Cleveland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 42 from a transmitter on Sawyer Cemetery Road in unincorporated Hamilton County. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Charter...
channel 53, The CW Television NetworkThe CW Television NetworkThe CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
affiliate http://www.thecwchattanooga.com (Formerly UPN and The WBThe WB Television NetworkThe WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
) (DT 42 / cable 6) - WDSIWDSI-TVWDSI-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Chattanooga, Tennessee. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter on Sawyer Cemetery Road in unincorporated Hamilton County. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Charter channel 11...
channel 61, FoxFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate – http://www.fox61tv.com (DT 40 / cable 11)
See also List of television stations in Tennessee, List of television stations in Georgia
Sister cities
Giv'atayimGiv'atayim
Giv'atayim is a city in Israel east of Tel Aviv. It is part of the metropolitan area known as Gush Dan. Givatayim was established in 1922 by pioneers of the Second Aliyah. It has a population of 53,000....
, Israel Hamm
Hamm
Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway...
, Germany Nizhny Tagil
Nizhny Tagil
Nizhny Tagil is a city in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, situated east of the virtual border between Europe and Asia. Population: -History:...
, Russia Wuxi
Wuxi
Wuxi is an old city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Split in half by Lake Tai, Wuxi borders Changzhou to the west and Suzhou to the east. The northern half looks across to Taizhou across the Yangtze River, while the southern half also borders the province of Zhejiang to the south...
, China Gangneung
Gangneung
Gangneung is a city in Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 229,869 . Gangneung is the economic centre of the Yeongdong region of eastern Gangwon Province. Gangneung has many tourist attractions, like Jeongdongjin, one of the most famous towns in Korea...
, South Korea Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG...
, Germany
Chattanooga also has two twinning cities:
Ascoli PicenoAscoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno is a town and comune in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is c. 51,400.-Geography:...
, Italy, and Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, United Kingdom.
See also
- List of people from Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus RailroadChattanooga, Rome and Columbus RailroadOriginally chartered in 1881 as the Rome and Carrollton Railroad, the railroad's name became the Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus Railroad in 1887 before any tracks were constructed....
- Chattanooga Choo ChooChattanooga Choo Choo"Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a song by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon . It was recorded in a big-band/swing manner by Glenn Miller and his orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, which starred Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller and his orchestra, The Modernaires, Milton Berle...
- Silverdale Detention CenterSilverdale Detention CenterSilverdale Detention Center is a medium security prison located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This prison is currently in operation and is administrated by Corrections Corporation of America....
- Bible in the SchoolsBible in the SchoolsBible in the Schools is a 501 not-for-profit located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that promotes biblical literacy in Hamilton Country and other Tennessee public school districts.-Mission:...
- Benwood FoundationBenwood FoundationThe Benwood Foundation is a charitable foundation created in 1944 by George Hunter in honor of his uncle, Benjamin Thomas who pioneered the Coca-Cola bottling industry and founded the Coca-Cola Bottling Company. George Hunter was the heir of Benjamin Thomas, and much of the wealth related to the...
- Lyndhurst FoundationLyndhurst FoundationThe Lyndhurst Foundation is a Chattanooga, Tennessee-based grant-making foundation organized in 1938 as The Memorial Welfare Foundation by Coca-Cola Bottling Company magnate Cartter Lupton...
External links
- City of Chattanooga
- Chattanooga Convention and Visitor's Bureau
- Chamber of Commerce
- Chattanooga Sports & Events Committee
- Chattanooga Times Free Press
- Hamilton County Map Maker
- Chattanooga Travel and Information
- The Chattanoogan – breaking news, opinion, restaurant reviews and community events
- Outdoor Chattanooga City-run website with events, activities, educational opportunities and local links
- Chattanooga, Tennessee: Train Town, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan