Tennessee

Chattanooga

Best Of Chattanooga Incline Railway
Published on March 10, 2013

The redevelopment of Chattanooga began in the 1980's and the project was named the 21st Century Waterfront Plan. Its successful completion earned the City of Chattanooga national recognition for outstanding livability and planning including the accolade Most Transformed City in America. Chattanooga is surrounded by the Great Smoky Mountains towering over the Tennessee River, spurring the city’s official nickname - Scenic City. Chattanooga is a gateway to the Deep South via two major highways; Interstate 75 and Interstate 59, important to those relocating to Tennessee. 

Chattanooga has a number of large bridges over the Tennessee River which allow people to traverse the Chattanooga Riverfront. The Walnut Street Bridge known as 'The Walking Bridge’ is the second longest pedestrian bridge in the U.S. The Walking Bridge is a safe place to walk with no vehicle traffic, to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the scenic riverfront. Chattanooga Tennessee is quickly being discovered as one of the Best Bang for the Buck Cities, ranked 8th out of America's 100 largest metro areas according to Forbes Magazine and is attracting retirees to Chattanooga neighborhoods because the city is a clean, smart and a green conscious.

Once a large manufacturing city, Chattanooga has reinvented itself attracting companies and industries of all types. Today, there is no one predominant industry in Chattanooga Tennessee. Amazon is latest headliner opening distribution facilities in Chattanooga. Let us know if you'd like to receive a Chattanooga relocation information.

If you're searching for the best places to live in Tennessee, here are reasons to consider Chattanooga real estate:

ARTS AND CULTURE

Chattanooga is rich in culture and performing arts. Although the Tennessee Aquarium and IMAX Theatre along the riverfront are the most popular tourist attractions, the Bluff View Arts District and Hunter Museum of American Art have become art magnets drawing creative minds to the city from miles around. The Tivoli Theatre is home to the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra and the Chattanooga Opera delivering sweet sounds and melodies. The University of Tennessee’s McKenzie Arena is one of the city’s live performance venues. 

CLIMATE

At an elevation of 680 feet, Chattanooga’s average winter temperature ranges in the 40‘s December through February. The annual snowfall is 2 inches. May through September, the average temperature ranges in the high 70’s. Chattanooga experiences four mild seasons. Weather hazards include flooding and tornados.

LIFELONG LEARNING CENTERS

There are 46 public schools, 28 private schools, 17 colleges and universities offering stimulating education to folks of all ages. The University of Tennessee Chattanooga and Chattanooga State Community College offer continuing education and degree seeking programs. Mature adults can find a collection of fun classes in technology, social media and digital photography courses offered through The Association for Visual Arts Lifelong Learning Classes at the AVA Center of Frazier Avenue. 

MEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE

The Erlanger Hospital and Memorial Hospital are both Top 100 Hospitals providing award winning medical care in Chattanooga. Erlanger Hospital is affiliated with the Tennessee School of Medicine and offers more than 20 wellness classes to the community. Erlanger Hospital is also a Level-One Trauma Center for adults and the only provider of tertiary care services for the citizens of an entire four-state region, encompassing southeast Tennessee, north Georgia, north Alabama and western North Carolina. Memorial Hospital is a Catholic Mission based hospital with specialties in cancer care, bariatric surgery and heart care. High quality medical care in Chattanooga is a big plus for those relocating to Tennessee.

RECREATIONAL SPORTS

Chattanoogan's thrive on active lifestyles and spend as much time as they can outdoors. Chattanooga has over 50 public parks and is a pet friendly city with the city’s most popular dedicated dog park named Chattanooga Chew Chew Canine Park. Miles and miles of horseback riding trails surround the city and Tennessee’s state parks. The Tennessee River flowing through the heart of the city is where you’ll see boaters, SUP’s and rowing clubs in training. There are more than two dozen hiking trails leading to waterfalls to explore in the back country of Chattanooga and in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Just minutes from downtown, Lookout Mountain is on the list of America’s Top 101 Places to Visit, home to Ruby Falls, one of America’s Natural Wonders and the Incline Railway. Chattanoogan’s are avid University of Tennessee Moc’s fans cheering on their city’s college football, baseball and athletic teams. It's easy to sense why Chattanooga is becoming one of the best places to live in Tennessee.

SHOPPING AND DINING

Hamilton Place in Chattanooga is Tennessee’s largest mall with over 200 stores including Dillard’s, Sears, JC Penney and Belk. The Eastgate Mall and Northgate Mall also offers brand name shopping. Big box stores are also easy to find in Chattanooga. There are more than 500 restaurants in Chattanooga rated on Yelp and more than 40 of them are rated four stars or higher. Some of the best Chattanooga restaurants overlook the Tennessee River along the Chattanooga Riverfront. The Chattanooga Market open on the weekends is the city’s local farmer’s market and has been named on the Top 10 Best Public Markets by Frommers.

HOME AFFORDABILITY AND TAXES

The average price of homes for sale in Chattanooga is $247,000 and the city is located in Hamilton County. Signal Mountain, Lookout Valley, East Brainerd, Harrison Bay, Red Bank and Ooltewah are the most popular Chattanooga neighborhoods. The estimated property tax millage rate is $2.76 per 25% of $100. If you live within the city limits of Chattanooga, there is an additional estimated city tax of $2.30 per 25% of $100. Visit our library to find help and to learn how to calculate property taxes in Chattanooga Tennessee. Real estate taxes within the city limits are slightly higher than the rest of Tennessee we believe as a result of downtown's major redevelopment. If you're searching for the best places to live in Tennessee in close proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains, we find a number of neighborhoods of interest, some with golf courses and beautiful views of the Tennessee River.

Population: 500,000
Median State Property Tax: 0.68%
State Sales Tax: 7%
State Income Tax: 6.50%
Airports
  • Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA)
Arts & Culture
  • Bluff View Art District - South Shore
  • Chattanooga African American Museum
  • Chattanooga Theatre Center
  • Chattanooga Regional History Museum
  • Creative Discovery Museum - IMAX Theatre
  • Hunter Museum of American Art
  • McKenzie Arena at University of Tennessee - music venue
  • Memorial Auditorium
  • National Medal of Honor Museum
  • Tivoli Theatre - Chattanooga Symphony and Opera
Events & Festivals
  • Taste of Chattanooga - MAR
  • 4 Bridges Art Festival - APR
  • Festival of Writers
  • TaleSpin Festival - MAY
  • Nightfall - free weekly concerts JUN - AUG
  • Chattonooga Dulcimer Festival - JUN
  • Riverbend Festival - 9-day music festival - JUN
  • Dragonboat Festival - JUL
  • Southern Brewers Festival - AUG
  • World's Longest Yard Sale - AUG
  • Swingfest - SEP
  • GoFest - OCT
  • RiverRocks Festival - OCT
  • Spooky Pooches - OCT
  • Head of the Hooch - 2nd largest rowing regatta in US - NOV
Hospitals & Healthcare
  • Erlanger Hospital
  • Memorial Hospital
  • Parkridge Medical Center
  • T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital
Colleges & Universities
  • Chattanooga State Community College
  • University of Tennessee
  • Southern Adventist University
  • Sewanee University
  • Covenant College
  • University of Tennessee College of Medicine
  • Tennessee Temple University
Shopping & Retail
  • Chattanooga Market - fresh farmers market
  • Eastgate Mall
  • Hamilton Place
  • Northgate Mall
Sports
  • Chattanooga Lookouts - Baseball
  • Chattanooga FC - Soccer
  • Southern Chiefs Rugby League Football Club
State & National Parks
  • Brainerd Park
  • Carver Park
  • Chattown Skatepark
  • Coolidge Park
  • DuPont Park
  • Fall Creek Falls State Park
  • Harrison Bay State Park - Lake Chickamauga access
  • John A Patten Park
  • Prenctice Cooper State Forest
  • Renaissance Park
Top Employers
  • Hamilton Department of Education
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Tennessee Valley Authority
  • Erlanger Health System
  • Memorial Health Care System
  • McKee Food Corporation
  • UNUM Provident Corp
  • City of Chattanooga
  • CIGNA
  • Volkswagen Group of America
  • Amazon