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Chattanooga, Tennessee

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Chattanooga, Tennessee
Flag of Chattanooga, Tennessee
Flag
Official seal of Chattanooga, Tennessee
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Scenic City (official), River City,
Chatty, Chatt-Town, Chattavegas, The Nooga
Location within the U.S. State of Tennessee
Location within the U.S. State of Tennessee
Cities in TennesseeTennessee
Government
 • MayorRon Littlefield
Population
 (2000)
 • Total155,554 (city proper)
 476,531 (metropolitan area)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Websitehttp://www.chattanooga.gov

Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee (behind Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville), and the seat of Hamilton CountyTemplate:GR, in the United States of America. It is located in Southeast Tennessee on Nickajack Lake, which is 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, 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 that, when viewed from Moccasin Bend, appears as a "rock rising to a point". Earliest Cherokee occupation dates from Dragging Canoe who, in 1776, separated himself and moved downriver from the main tribe to establish Native American resistance to Euro-American intrusion 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 racial cleansing of Native American Indians from the southeast U.S. in 1838.

The city is probably best 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.

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 counter-attacked 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.

In more modern times, the city has received national recognition for the renaissance of its once dilapidated downtown and redevelopment of its riverfront. An early cornerstone of this project was the restoration of the historic Walnut Street Bridge, which is now the world's second-longest pedestrian bridge behind the Shelby Street Bridge in Nashville, Tennessee, although Chattanooga's Walnut Street Bridge was the first such pedestrian bridge. The Walnut Street Bridge is also the oldest surviving bridge of its kind in the Southeastern United States.

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. "Sustainability" is a key concept for Chattanooga's development, especially after the crash of the industrial due to overseas labor.

Chattanooga is the corporate headquarters and home of Olan Mills, Rock Creek Outfitters, Double Cola, Krystal, CBL & Associates, Chattem, Covenant Transport, U.S. Xpress, Inc (the 5th largest trucking company in the U.S.), National Model Railroad Association, UnumProvident, The Chattanooga Bakery (home of the Moon pie), and Miller Industries, the largest tow truck manufacturer in the world. 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, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, AT&T and UBS. In addition to the above, other major employers are the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), ALSTOM Power, Inc., Erlanger and T.C. Thompson's Children's Hospital, and the Hamilton County Board of Education.

The city boasts the most productive affordable housing program in the nation. Chattanooga is notable for leveraging development funds through effective public private partnerships, and has significant civic involvement. It was one of the first US cities to effectively use a citizen visioning process to set specific long-range goals to enrich the lives of residents and visitors.

In addition to corporate business interests, there are many retail shops in Chattanooga, both downtown and in the outlying neighborhoods. There are three shopping malls in the area: Northgate Mall in Hixson, Eastgate Town Center in Brainerd, 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 or EPB for short. 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 Chattanooga Gas Company and Tennessee-American Water Company, respectively. Both the gas and water companies are privately run. Mayor Littlefield's office has recently announced that it is exploring the notion of taking control of the municipal water works. [1] A similar effort in 1999 was defeated in court.

Comcast is the cable provider for most areas of the city. The incumbent telephone company is BellSouth, formerly known as South Central Bell. 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).

Chattanoogans elect a Mayor and all nine Council members on the first Tuesday in March of every fourth year. The next elections will be held on March 3, 2009. To be elected, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast; if no candidate garners a majority, a run-off election is held between the two candidates that received the most votes. Runoff elections are held on the second Tuesday of April. New terms begin on the first Monday after the second Tuesday of April.

In April of each year the City Council elects a Chairman and Vice-Chair. For the 2005-2006 term, the Chairman is Sally Robinson and the Vice-Chairman is Leamon Pierce.

Within the last ten years the city has won 3 national awards for outstanding "livability", and 9 Gunther Blue Ribbon Awards for excellence in housing and consolidated planning.

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 Baylor School, McCallie School, Girls Preparatory School, and Notre Dame High School. The city also boasts a prominent homeschool community whose Mock Trial team became the first to win back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003.

One of the earliest schools in Chattanooga was Chattanooga Central High School. It was built in 1907, originally on Dodds Avenue, and has since then been relocated to Highway 58 in Harrison, TN.

Howard was the first puplic school in the area and was established in 1865. Howard lends its name from General Oliver O. Howard who was commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau.

In 1990, the high schools of Tōno (Japan) and the Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences (CSAS) were paired by School Partners Abroad to establish an exchange program. Near the end of every Japanese school year (in April), a delegation of Tōno high-schoolers visits Chattanooga, and reciprocally, a delegation from CSAS visits Tono every summer. The City of Tono has embraced this exchange and a delegation of junior high school students now also visits CSAS and the Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts a few weeks before the high schoolers.

Higher education

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, which is also known locally as UTC, is the second largest campus of the University of Tennessee System. Boasting a student population of over 8500, UTC students, staff and faculty play a major part in contributing to the local economy. In addition to UTC, there are several other institutions of higher learning in Chattanooga. Several miles from UTC is Chattanooga State Technical Community College. Other institutions are the privately-run Tennessee Temple University, Miller-Motte Technical College. Southern Adventist University, Lee University and Covenant College, which overlooks the city from atop nearby Lookout Mountain, are all located fairly close to the city.

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, now UT 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. Erlanger Hospital also maintains satellite locations in Red Bank and East Brainerd. Erlanger is also affiliated with T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital.

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.

Memorial Hospital is operated by Catholic Health Initiatives [2], and is located practically behind Parkridge Medical Center (see above). Memorial also has a second campus in the northern suburb of Hixson.

Culture and Tourism

Museums

Chattanooga is the home to the Hunter Museum of Art, a well known art museum. In addition, Chattanooga, since it is the birthplace of the tow truck, is the fitting home of the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum [3], also the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum the largest operating historic railroad in the south. A number of other museums can be found in town as well, including the Chattanooga Regional History Museum [4], the National Medal of Honor Museum [5], the Houston Museum [6] and the Chattanooga African American Museum [7].

Performing Arts

Chattanooga is home to the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera which is currently lead by Musical Director & Conductor Robert Bernhardt and holds its performances at the Tivoli Theatre.

Tourist Attractions

Tennessee Aquarium

Chattanooga has traditionally marketed its tourist attractions very aggressively, including the Tennessee Aquarium (a major expansion, coinciding with a completion of a major riverfront development project, opened in May, 2005), caverns, and developments along the Tennessee River. In the downtown area are both the Creative Discovery Museum (a hands on children's museum dedicated to science, art, and music), the IMAX 3D Theatre, and the Hunter Museum of Art (which also completed a recent expansion). Chattanooga is also home to the Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park [8]. Just two miles outside of downtown Chattanooga is the Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park which is Chattanooga's own zoo. 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. Incidentally, Chattanooga means "rock coming to a point" in the Creek Indian language (most believe it refers to Lookout Mountain or the rock outcroppings thereon). Other attractions in the Lookout Mountain area are Ruby Falls, an underground waterfall, and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, a steep funicular railway which rises to the top of the mountain. Near Chattanooga, the Raccoon Mountain Caverns [9] in Lookout Valley hold a number of sightseeing and family fun opportunities. Other points of interest include:

Festivals

Chattanooga is also 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. The event is named for Bessie Smith, a pioneering blues singer from Chattanooga. As of recent the Bessie Smith Strut has been shortened due to security concerns that arose due to an incendent in 2003 in which a young man was shot during the strut.

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 [10], a class AA Southern League baseball team, play at BellSouth Park downtown; free parking is provided on first-come, first served basis by several local businesses. The Lookouts are perennial participants in the season-end playoffs and have a loyal following. Furthermore, ticket prices are very low, especially in comparison to major league clubs. A major league ticket can cost around USD$15 for the "cheap seats"; as of 2005, the most expensive seats at BellSouth Park cost only USD$8 and the lookouts official program is only USD$0.25.

Club Sport League
Chattanooga Lookouts Baseball Minor League Baseball
Chattanooga Locomotion Women's football National Women's Football Association
Chattanooga Steamers Basketball American Basketball Association
Tennessee River Sharks Indoor football National Indoor Football League

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR 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.

Geography

Location of Chattanooga, Tennessee
Location of Chattanooga, Tennessee

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 mountains. A Tennessee Valley Authority dam creates Chickamauga Lake 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 two whole neighborhoods: Fort Wood and Saint Elmo.

  • Alton Park
  • Avondale
  • Brainerd
  • Central Business District
  • East Brainerd
  • East Chattanooga
  • East Lake
  • Eastdale
  • Eastgate (Home of Chattanooga's first mall, Eastgate Mall)
  • Fort Wood
  • Glenwood
  • Highland Park
  • Lupton City
  • North Chattanooga (also known as NorthChatt or the Northshore District)
  • Orchard Knob
  • Pineville
  • Rossville (not to be confused with the nearby city of Rossville, Georgia)
  • St. Elmo
  • Tiftonia

Important suburbs

Transportation

Sometimes considered to be a "gateway" to the Deep South, Chattanooga's transportation infrastructure has been developed 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
  • Hixson Pike
  • Market Street
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. (Known to Chattanoogans as simply "MLK", and formerly known as Ninth Street)
  • Moore Road
  • Ringgold Road
  • Riverfront Parkway
  • St. Elmo Avenue
  • Shallowford Road

Tunnels

  • Bachmann Tubes, which carry Ringgold Road into the neighboring town 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

John Ross Bridge

Being bisected by a major waterway, Chattanooga has several large bridges over the Tennessee River, they are from west to east:

Air travel

Chattanooga is served by Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field). Located east of the city, Lovell Field is served by several regional and national airlines, many offering non-stop service to various domestic destinations.

See also: Chattanooga Metro Airport, Information about Lovell Field from airnav.com

Media and communications

The city of Chattanooga is served by numerous local, regional and national media outlets which reach approximately 1,000,000 people in four states: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

Newspapers

The Chattanooga Times Free Press [11] is published each morning. It was effectively formed in 1999 from two papers that had been bitter rivals for half a century. The Times was once owned by Adolphus Ochs, who then also bought the New York Times. (The two newspapers now have different ownership.) The Times had been the morning paper with a generally liberal editorial page. The News-Free Press, whose somewhat unfortunate moniker was the result of an earlier merger, was an afternoon daily and its editorials were more conservative than the Times. In 1999, the Free Press was bought by an Arkansas company, owner of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which then bought The Times from the Ochs heirs. Though the two newspapers have merged, the new paper runs both editorial pages, a conservative page and a liberal page.

The Pulse [12]" is a free, independent alternative newsweekly, published on Wednesdays and edited by Bill Colrus [13]. The Pulse is a member of the Alternative Weekly Network and was voted Chattanooga's "Best Entertainment Publication" in Chattanooga Independent Artists' [14] most recent awards voting.

Enigma [15] is another free alternative weekly, published on Wednesdays and edited by Dave Weinthal. Enigma recently celebrated its tenth anniversary of publication, a record for a free weekly in Chattanooga.

Radio

Some of the radio stations in Chattanooga include:

  • WGOW 1150 AM, [16] News/Talk
  • WUUS 980 AM, Oldies / GT98 (formerly Fox sports radio) (Changed to Oldies the day after WOGT changed from Oldies to country) (Licensed to Rossville, GA)
  • WFLI 1070 AM, Southern Gospel (licensed to Lookout Mountain, TN)
  • WNOO 1260 AM, Urban Gospel, & Motown Gold
  • WDOD 1310 AM, News/Talk. Air America [17] affiliate.
  • WDEF 1370 AM, Sports/Talk. ESPN Radio [18] affiliate.
  • WUTC 88.1 FM, [19] NPR/Mixed Music. Operated by UT-Chattanooga from Cadek Hall.
  • WMBW 88.9 FM, [20] Christian music and teaching. Owned and operated by Moody Bible Institute.
  • WDYN 89.7 FM, [21] Religious Operated By Tennessee Temple University
  • WSMC 90.5 FM, [22] Classical/Jazz/Religious. Operated by Southern Adventist University in nearby Collegedale, Tennessee
  • WAWL 91.5 FM, [23] College Rock. Operated by Chattanooga State Technical Community College. (licensed to Red Bank, TN)
  • WDEF 92.3 FM, [24] Adult Contemporary
  • WMPZ 93.7 and 93.3 FM, [25] Urban Adult Contemporary (licensed to Ringgold, GA)
  • WJTT 94.3 FM, [26] Urban Contemporary (licensed to Red Bank, TN)
  • WHJK 95.3 FM, [27] Variety Rock / Jack FM (Variety) (Licensed to Cleveland, TN)
  • WDOD 96.5 FM, [28] Adult Alternative
  • WNGA 97.3, and 99.3 FM, Classic Country. (Licensed to South Pittsburg, TN)
  • WKXJ 98.1 FM, [29] Current Hit Radio (Top 40) (Licensed to Signal Mountain, TN)
  • WOOP 99.9 FM, [30] Traditional, classic country, old-time gospel, bluegrass and mountain music. Operated by The Traditional Music Resource Center, (Licensed to Cleveland, TN)
  • WUSY 100.7 FM, [31] Contemporary Country. (licensed to Cleveland, TN) (9 time CMA station of the year from 1995 to 2001 and again in 2003 and 2005)
  • WTUN 101.9 FM, Urban Gospel. Recently switched from classic country. (Simulcast with WNOO am) (Licensed to Ringgold, GA)
  • WGOW 102.3 FM, [32] News/Talk (Licensed to Soddy-Daisy, TN)
  • WBDX 102.7 FM, [33] Contemporary Christian (licensed to Trenton, GA)
  • WLLJ 103.1 FM, [34] Contemporary Christian (Simulcast with WBDX 102.7) (Licensed to Etowah, TN)
  • WALV 104.9 FM, [35] Adult Rock (licensed to Dayton, TN)
  • WRXR 105.5 FM, [36] Active Rock (licensed to Rossville, GA)
  • WSKZ 106.5 FM, [37] Classic rock
  • WOGT 107.9 FM, [38] Contemporary Country. (Recently switched from Oldies) Licensed to East Ridge, TN)

Television

Chattanooga has numerous television stations, some of which are beginning to broadcast HDTV signals.

See also List of television stations in Tennessee

Online

Chattanooga has a handful of online-only news and alternative media sources.

Notable residents

The following people were born, live, or have lived in Chattanooga:

Sister cities

Chattanooga has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

See also

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

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