Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee (after Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville), and the seat of Hamilton County6, in the United States of America. It is
located in southeast Tennessee on Chickamauga and Nickajack Lake, which are both part of the Tennessee River, near
the border of Georgia, and at the junction of three interstate highways, I-24, I-75, and I-59.
The city (downtown elevation approximately 685 feet), which lies at the transition between the ridge-and-valley portion of the Appalachian
Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau, is surrounded by ridges.
History
The first inhabitants of the Chattanooga area were Native American Indians with sites dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period, showing continuous occupation through the Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian (900-1650 ce), Muskogean and
Cherokee (1776 - 1838 ce) periods. The name 'Chattanooga' is based on the Muskogean term for rock, cvto (chatta), and may refer to Lookout Mountain which, when viewed from Moccasin Bend, appears as a "rock rising to a point."
The earliest Cherokee occupation dates from Dragging Canoe, who in 1776 separated
himself and moved downriver from the main tribe to establish Native American resistance (see Chickamauga Wars) to European settlement in the southeastern United States. Occupation of the area by
members of the Cherokee Nation dates from 1816 with the establishment of Ross's
Landing by later tribal chief John Ross and ended with the
forced relocation of Native American Indians from southeastern U.S. states to
Oklahoma in 1838. Ross's Landing was one of
three large internment camps, or "emigration depots," along the Trail of Tears, the other
two being Fort Payne, Alabama and the largest at Fort
Cass, Tennessee.
The city is known for the 1941 big-band
swing song "Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Glenn Miller, but it has grown
significantly since its days as a railroad hub and industrial center. Bessie Smith, a famous blues
singer, was also born in Chattanooga.
Chattanooga in time of the civil war. Soldiers' tents and supply wagons beside the city building, 1864.
Lookout Mountain is visible in the background.
During the American Civil War on November 23,
1863, the Third Battle of Chattanooga began
when Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant
reinforced troops at Chattanooga and counterattacked Confederate troops. The next day, the Battle of
Lookout Mountain was fought near the town. These 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 manufacturing center and by the 1930s was known as the "Dynamo of Dixie." But the
same mountains that provided Chattanooga's scenic backdrop became shrouded by the industrial pollutants that they trapped and
held over the community. 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. Chattanooga entered the 1980s with serious socioeconomic
challenges including job layoffs, a deteriorating city infrastructure, racial tensions and social division.
In recent years, private and governmental resources have been invested in transforming the city's tarnished image and to gain
recognition for a metamorphosis of its downtown and riverfront areas. 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.
In 1935, as well as from 1993 to 1995, Chattanooga hosted the National Folk
Festival.
Economy
The local economy includes a diversified mix of manufacturing and service industries, four colleges, and several preparatory
schools.
Chattanooga is the corporate headquarters of
Olan Mills, Double Cola, Krystal, Coker Tire, CBL & Associates, Chattem, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, National Model Railroad Association, Unum (formerly
UnumProvident), BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Coptix, The Chattanooga Bakery (home of the Moon
pie), Litespeed, and Tricycle Inc.. Chattanooga
is also noted as the site of the first bottled Coca-Cola. Following the city's industrial decline, many businesses in the banking
and insurance industries set up operations in Chattanooga. The city is home to large branch offices of Cigna, AT&T and UBS. Other major employers
are Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), ALSTOM Power, Inc., Erlanger and T.C.
Thompson's Children's Hospital, and the Hamilton County Board of Education.
In addition to corporate business interests, there are many retail shops in Chattanooga, both downtown and in the outlying
neighborhoods. There are two shopping malls in the area: Northgate Mall in
Hixson and Hamilton Place Mall in the eastern portion of the city. Warehouse Row, a
large outlet mall, is downtown.
Utilities
Electric power for most of the city and surrounding area is provided by the city-run
Electric Power Board. EPB also provides telephone and
high-speed internet service to businesses in the downtown area. 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.
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,[1], which is being sold in a public offering in 2007.[2] Former Mayor Jon Kinsey during his term as
mayor attempted to have the city buy control, and was 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 beginning to make
inroads. A major interstate fiber optics line operated by AT&T traverses the city, making its way from Atlanta to
Cincinnati.
Politics, government and law
The current mayor is Ron Littlefield, a long-time
city councilman, who was elected in a run-off election in April 2005.
The city operates under a charter granted by the state legislature in
1852, as amended. As of 2005, the city operates with a strong mayor system.
The city is split up into nine districts, with a council member for each district selected in partisan elections. The current
council members are Linda Bennett (District 1), Sally Robinson (District 2), Dan Page (District 3), Jack Benson (District 4),
John "Duke" Franklin, Jr. (District 5), Marti Rutherford (District 6), Manuel "Manny" Rico (District 7), Leamon Pierce (District
8) and Debbie Gaines (District 9).
Within the last ten years the city has won three national awards for outstanding "livability", and 9 Gunther Blue Ribbon
Awards for excellence in housing and consolidated planning.[3]
See also List of Mayors of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Education
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.
In addition, the city is home to several well-known private and parochial secondary schools, including Boyd-Buchanan School, Baylor School, Chattanooga Christian School, McCallie School , Girls Preparatory School, Grace Academy, and Notre Dame High School. Chattanooga is also home to Siskin Children's Institute, as well as Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts
magnet school. Howard
was the first public school in the area and was established in 1865.
Higher education
University of Tennessee Race Hall
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is the second
largest campus of the University of Tennessee System with a student
population of over 9,558.[citation needed]. Other institutions of higher learning in the area include Chattanooga State Technical Community College, Covenant College, Lee University, Southern Adventist University and Tennessee
Temple University, along with local branches of Miller-Motte Technical College and
Virginia College. Chattanooga is home to the Chattanooga branch of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, which provides medical education to medical students, residents,
and other medical professionals in southeast Tennessee through an affiliation with Erlanger Health System.
Public library
As the name implies, the Chattanooga-Hamilton
County Bicentennial Library system has been jointly operated by the city and county governments since 1976. The city was
gifted with a Carnegie library 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 the area's
primary trauma center. Erlanger has been operated by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hospital Authority since 1976.[4]
Parkridge Hospital is located east of downtown in the Glenwood District and is run by
Tri-Star Healthcare. Tri-Star also operates East Ridge Medical
Center in nearby East Ridge. Also located downtown is Memorial Hospital, operated by
Catholic Health Initiatives). In 2004, Memorial was named one of the Top 100 teaching hospitals
by Solucient Top Hospitals.[5]
Culture and tourism
Museums
Chattanooga is the home to the Hunter Museum of American Art, a well
known art museum. As birthplace of the tow truck, Chattanooga is now home to the International
Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum,[6] as well as
another transportation icon at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum,
the largest operating historic railroad in the south. Other notable museums include the Chattanooga Regional History
Museum,[7] the National Medal of Honor Museum,[8] the Houston Museum,[9] and the Chattanooga African American Museum.[10]
Arts and literature
Chattanooga's historic Tivoli Theatre is home to the city's symphony and opera companies under the direction of
Robert Bernhardt[11].
The Chattanooga Theatre Centre offers 15 productions each year in three separate theater programs: the Mainstage, the Circle
Theater, and the Youth Theater.[12]
Another popular performance venue is Memorial
Auditorium.
Chattanooga is host to several writing conferences, including the Conference on Southern Literature the Festival of Writers,
both sponsored by the Arts & Education Council of Chattanooga[13].
Tourist attractions
Chattanooga touts its many tourist attractions, including the Tennessee Aquarium,
caverns, and heavy development along and across the Tennessee
River. In the downtown area are the Chattanooga Choo Choo Holiday Inn Hotel
that is a renovated train station with the largest HO model train layout in the United States, 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 red-and-black painted "See Rock City" barns 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 home to Ruby Falls, Craven's House and the Lookout Mountain
Incline Railway, a steep funicular railway which rises from historic St. Elmo to the top of the mountain to drop passengers off at the National Park Service's Point Park and The Battles for Chattanooga Museum (formerly known as
Confederama), a quirky 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-designated trail system. Just outside Chattanooga, the Raccoon Mountain Reservoir, Raccoon
Mountain Caverns and Reflection Riding Arboretum and
Botanical Garden boast a number of outdoor and family fun opportunities, while the Ocoee River, host to a number of events from the 1996 Atlanta
Olympics, features rafting, kayaking, camping and hiking. Back in Chattanooga, smaller tourist attractions include
Lake Winnepesaukah amusement park, Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park, Bonny Oaks
Arboretum, Cherokee Arboretum at Audubon Acres and
Cherokee Trail Arboretum.
Festivals and events
Chattanooga is notable for the Riverbend Festival, an annual week-long music
festival held in June in the downtown area that is known for drawing huge crowds from in and around the Tennessee Valley. One of the most popular events of the festival 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, while new events, such as GoFest!, "Between the Bridges" wakeboard competition and
Talespin seek new
audiences. The Chattanooga Market features events all year round as part of the Sunday at the Southside calendar of events including an Oktoberfest in mid October.[14] has been bringing an eclectic mix of rock, blues, jazz, reggae, zydeco,
funk, bluegrass and folk music to downtown Chattanooga for the past 19 years. The Back Row Film Series is a city wide celebration of film co-sponsored by the Hunter Museum
of American Art, the Arts & Education Council and UTC.
Sports
Chattanooga is the home of NCAA Division I-AA national
football championship game, held at Max Finley Stadium, south of downtown. The
city also hosts the national softball championships every year.
The Chattanooga Lookouts, a Class AA Southern League baseball team affiliated
with the Cincinnati Reds, boast a loyal following and respectable participation in
season-end playoffs. Games take center stage at the downtown AT&T Field.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 155,554 people, 65,499 households, and 39,626 families
residing in the city. The population density was 444.2/km² (1,150.5/mi²). There were
72,108 housing units at an average density of 205.9/km² (533.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.71% White, 36.06% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.54% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 2.11% of the population
were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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.
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, had an estimated population of
496,704 in 2006. The Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens
Combined Statistical Area which also includes Bradley, Polk, and McMinn Counties in Tennessee had an estimated population
of 658,201 in 2006.[15]
Geography and climate
The city is located at latitude 35°4' North, longitude 85°15' West.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 370.8 km² (143.2 mi²). 350.2 km² (135.2 mi²) of
it is land and 20.6 km² (8.0 mi²) 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.
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 Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport. Rail freight is
offered by CSX and Norfolk
Southern.
Neighborhoods of Chattanooga
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
Places, including three neighborhoods: Fort Wood, Ferger Place, and St. Elmo.
- Alton Park
- Avondale
- Brainerd
- Bushtown
- Clifton Hills
- East Brainerd
- East Chattanooga
- East Lake
- Eastdale
- Fort Wood
- Glenwood
|
- Highland Park
- Jefferson Heights
- Lupton City
- Missionary Ridge
- North Chattanooga
- Orchard Knob
- Pineville
- Riverview
- Rossville (not to be confused with the nearby city of Rossville, Georgia)
- St. Elmo
- Tiftonia
|
Important suburbs
Climate
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Rec High °F |
78 |
79 |
87 |
93 |
99 |
104 |
106 |
105 |
102 |
94 |
84 |
78 |
| Norm High °F |
48.8 |
54.1 |
62.8 |
72.1 |
79.1 |
86.2 |
89.8 |
88.7 |
82.5 |
72.3 |
61.1 |
52 |
| Norm Low °F |
29.9 |
32.6 |
40 |
47 |
56.2 |
64.6 |
69.4 |
68.3 |
61.7 |
48.5 |
39.5 |
32.7 |
| Rec Low °F |
-10 |
1 |
8 |
25 |
34 |
41 |
51 |
50 |
36 |
22 |
4 |
-2 |
| Precip (in) |
5.4 |
4.85 |
6.19 |
4.23 |
4.28 |
3.99 |
4.73 |
3.59 |
4.31 |
3.26 |
4.88 |
4.81 |
| Source: USTravelWeather.com [1] |
Transportation
Sometimes considered to be a "gateway" to the Deep South, Chattanooga's transportation
infrastructure has developed into a complex and intricate system of railroads, streets, airports and waterways.
Principal highways
See also List of Tennessee state highways
Major surface routes
Other major streets
- 4th Street
- 23rd Street
- 38th Street
- Amnicola Highway
|
- Bailey Avenue
- Dodds Avenue
- East Brainerd Road
- Gunbarrel Road
|
|
- Ringgold Road
- Riverfront Parkway
- St. Elmo Avenue
- Shallowford Road
|
Tunnels
- Bachmann Tubes, which carry Ringgold Road into the neighboring city of East Ridge.
- Missionary Ridge Tunnels (also unofficially known as McCallie 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 Authority. CARTA operates 17
routes, including a free electric shuttle service in the downtown area.
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 other's) 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 Museum, 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 codes are used for the following railroads: NS for Norfolk Southern, CSXT for CSX Transportation, TNVR
for Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, and CCKY for Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway):
Also, the Incline Railway, as well as being a tourist attraction, is sometimes used for commuting by Lookout Mountain
residents, particularly during wintry weather, when travelling up and down the mountain could be very dangerous.
Bridges
Being bisected by a major waterway, Chattanooga has several large bridges over the Tennessee
River. They are, from west to east:
- P.R. Olgiati Bridge – Named for a former mayor P.R.
Olgiati, this bridge carries "27" from downtown to Dayton, Tennessee and points northward.
- Market Street Bridge- Named for John Ross; often misidentified as a drawbridge, it is
actually a type of bascule span which 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 Transportation declared it unsafe in late 2004. The
bridge was closed in 2005 for a long-overdue renovation and reopened on August 4, 2007.[16]
- Walnut Street 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. At over 115
years old, this bridge was on the verge of being demolished but was restored as a pedestrian-only span in the late 1980s after a
decade of disuse and public demand that it be preserved.[citation needed]
- Veteran's Memorial Bridge – Installed in the mid 1980s, this structure has helped commuters
from Hixson, Lupton City and other northern areas reach downtown quickly.
- C.B. Robinson Bridge – This route carries Dupont
Parkway from Amnicola Highway to Hixson Pike and Route 153.
- Tennessee River Railroad Bridge – Also called "Tennbridge," this
truss bridge with a vertical lift carries the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway over the river and
is a popular railfan area.
- Wilkes T. Thrasher Bridge – Carries Highway 153 over Chickamauga Dam.
Air travel
Chattanooga is served by Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport at Lovell
Field. Located east of the city, Lovell Field is served by several regional and national ai
