'Chattanooga' is the fourth-largest city in
Tennessee (after
Memphis,
Nashville, and
Knoxville), and the
seat of
Hamilton County, 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 the southeast U.S. 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,
Harbor Master Boats,
Krystal,
Coker Tire,
CBL & Associates,
Chattem,
Covenant Transport,
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group,
U.S. Xpress, Inc,
National Model Railroad Association,
Unum (formerly UnumProvident),
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee,
Coptix,
The Chattanooga Bakery (home of the
Moon pie),
Litespeed,
Tricycle Inc.,
Miller Industries, and
Southern Champion Tray, LP. 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 of Chattanooga 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
BellSouth (now
AT&T), 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.
[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,[Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School], and
Notre Dame High School. Chattanooga is also home to
Siskin Children's Institute, as well as Chattanooga High School
Center for Creative Arts (CCA), a nationally recognized
magnet school.
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, Tennessee.
[4]
Howard was the first public 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.
[5]
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 9002, 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, and
Virginia College School of Business and Health at Chattanooga. In addition,
Covenant College and
Southern Adventist University are located in the greater Chattanooga area.
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, 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 [1], and is located about a mile north of Parkridge Medical Center (see above). Memorial also has a second campus in the northern suburb of Hixson. In 2004, Memorial was named one of the Top 100 Teaching Hospitals by Solucient Top Hospitals.
[6]
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, 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,
the National Medal of Honor Museum,
the Houston Museum, and
the Chattanooga African American Museum.
Arts & Literature
Chattanooga is home to the
Chattanooga Symphony & Opera which is currently led by Musical Director & Conductor
Robert Bernhardt and holds its performances at the Tivoli Theatre. Another popular performance venue is
Memorial Auditorium
The Chattanooga Theatre Centre offers fifteen productions each year in three separate theater programs: the Mainstage, the Circle Theater, and the Youth Theater.
Chattanooga is host to the biennial
Conference on Southern Literature, sponsored by the
Arts & Education Council of Chattanooga and the
Fellowship of Southern Writers.
In 2007 Chattanooga was host to the
American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) State of Tennessee
Ten Show. The local Chattanooga Chapter of the AIGA,
AIGA50, plans and hosts design events throughout the years.
Tourist Attractions
Tennessee Aquarium
Chattanooga touts its many tourist attractions, including the
Tennessee Aquarium (a freshwater and, as of May 2005, a saltwater 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
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 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 [2] features events all year round as part of the
Sunday at the Southside [3] calendar of events including an Oktoberfest in mid October.
Nightfall 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 free 17-week series is held in Miller Plaza on Friday evenings from Memorial Day weekend through the last Friday in September, with the exception of the two Fridays during Riverbend.
The Back Row Film Series is a City Wide celebration of film that is cosponsored by the Hunter Museum of American Art,
The Arts & Education Council (AEC) and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (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 [4], 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; free evening parking is generally available on first-come, first served basis in local business parking lots.
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 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.
[7]
Geography and Climate
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 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
★ Collegedale, Tennessee
★ East Ridge, Tennessee
★ Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
★ Harrison, Tennessee
★ Hixson, Tennessee
★ Lookout Mountain, Georgia
★ Lookout Mountain, Tennessee
★ Ooltewah, Tennessee |
★ Red Bank, Tennessee
★ Ridgeside, Tennessee (also known as Shepherd Hills)
★ Ringgold, Georgia
★ Rossville, Georgia
★ Signal Mountain, Tennessee
★ Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee
★ Walden, Tennessee |
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 [5]'' |
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
★
I-24
★
I-75
★
US-27 North (formerly
I-124)
★
State Route 153
See also
List of Tennessee state highways
Major surface routes
★ Brainerd Road/
Lee Highway (
U.S. 11)
★ Broad Street
★ Cummings Highway (
US 41)
★
Dayton Blvd. (
U.S. 27 North,
business route)
★ Hixson Pike
★ Main Street (
U.S. 76)
★ McCallie Avenue (
U.S. 64)
★
Rossville Boulevard (
U.S. 27 South)
★
Signal Mountain Road (
U.S. 127/
Corridor J)
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.
★ Moore 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):
★ CSXT -
Western & Atlantic Subdivision (Chattanooga to
Atlanta, Georgia)
★
★
Chattanooga Subdivision (Chattanooga to
Nashville, Tennessee on former NC&StL trackage)
★ NS -
CNO&TP, aka the Queen and Crescent Route (Chattanooga to
Cincinnati, Ohio)
★
★
Alabama Great Southern (Chattanooga to
New Orleans, Louisiana)
★
★ Georgia Division (Chattanooga to Atlanta)
★
★ Tennessee Division (Chattanooga to
Knoxville, Tennessee)
★
★
Chattanooga Traction Company
★
★
★ North Chattanooga to Signal Mountain
★
★
★ Dry Valley Line (Red Bank to Lupton City)
★ TNVR - East Chattanooga to Grand Junction (3 miles)
★
★
East Chattanooga Belt Line Railroad (from Debutts Yard and 17th Street, across to Holtzclaw Avenue and East Chattanooga, used by TNVR)
★ CCKY - formerly the
Tennessee Alabama & Georgia line (Chattanooga to
Hedges, Georgia)
★
★ formerly the
Central of Georgia line (Chattanooga to
Lyerly, Georgia)
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:
★ '
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 (Chief John Ross 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.
[8]
★ '
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.
★ '
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' (or 'Dupont 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 (Lovell Field). Located east of the city, Lovell Field is served by several regional and national airlines, offering non-stop service to various domestic destinations.
See also:
Chattanooga Metro Airport
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'' 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
Adolph 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 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, 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.
Free
alternative weekly papers in the city include
The Chattanooga Pulse and
The Enigma.
Radio
Radio stations in Chattanooga include:
---'AM'---
★
WUUS 980
AM - Oldies / U 97.3/99.3 (Simulcast with WUUS-FM 97.3) (Licensed to Rossville, GA)
★
WFLI 1070
AM - Southern Gospel (Licensed to Lookout Mountain, TN)
★
WGOW 1150
AM - News/Talk / NewsRadio 1150
[7]
★
WNOO 1260
AM - Urban Gospel, & Motown Gold
★
WDOD 1310
AM - Oldies / Ruby 1310
★
WDEF-AM 1370
AM - Sports/Talk/ 1370 ESPN Radio
[8] affiliate.
---'FM'---
★
WUTC 88.1
FM - NPR
[9]/Mixed Music / Music 88. Operated by UT-Chattanooga from Cadek Hall. First and only station in Chattanooga to be broadcasting in
HD Radio. (Licensed to Chattanooga, TN)
★
W203AZ 88.5
FM - Religious/CSN International
[10]
★
WMBW 88.9
FM - Christian Music & Teaching / Moody Radio For The Heart Of The Southeast. Owned and operated by
Moody Bible Institute. (Licensed to Chattanooga, TN)
★
WDYN 89.7
FM - Southern Gospel / WDYN Radio
[11] Operated By
Tennessee Temple University. (Licensed to Chattanooga, TN)
★
W211BG 90.1
FM - Religious/KLove
[12] (Licensed to Walden, TN)
★
WSMC 90.5
FM - Classical/NPR/PRI
[13] Operated by Southern Adventist University in nearby Collegedale, Tennessee. (Licensed to Collegedale, TN)
★
WAWL 91.5
FM - College Alternative / 91.5 The Wawl
[14] Operated by Chattanooga State Technical Community College. (licensed to Red Bank, TN)
★
WDEF-FM 92.3
FM - Adult Contemporary / Sunny 92.3
[15] (Licensed to Chattanooga, TN)
★
WMPZ 93.7 & 93.3
FM - Urban Oldies / Groove 93
[16] (WMPZ 93.7 is licensed to Ringgold, GA, )
★
WJTT 94.3
FM - Urban Contemporary / Power 94
[17] (Licensed to Red Bank, TN)
★
WHJK 95.3
FM - Variety / Jack FM
[18] (Licensed to Cleveland, TN)
★
WDOD 96.5
FM - Adult Alternative / 96.5 The Mountain
[19] (Licensed to Chattanooga, TN)
★
WUUS 97.3, & 99.3
FM - Oldies / U 97.3/99.3 (Licensed to South Pittsburg, TN)
★
WLND 98.1
FM - Classic Country / The Legend
[20] (Licensed to Signal Mountain, TN)
★
WOOP 99.9 FM,
[21] 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,
[22] Contemporary Country / US101(licensed to Cleveland, TN) (9 time
CMA station of the year from 1995 to 2001 and again in 2003 and 2005)
★
WOCE 101.9 FM, Spanish (Licensed to Ringgold, GA)
★
WGOW 102.3 FM,
[23] News/Talk (Licensed to Soddy-Daisy, TN)
★
WBDX 102.7 FM,
[24] Contemporary Christian (licensed to Trenton, GA)
★
WLLJ 103.1 FM,
[25] Contemporary Christian (Simulcast with WBDX 102.7) (Licensed to Etowah, TN)
★ Calls Pending 103.7 FM, This is a soon to be launched frequency by Clear Channel Chattanooga. (Licensed to Walden, TN)
★
WALV-FM 104.9 FM,
[26] CHR/Top 40 (licensed to Dayton, TN)
★
WRXR 105.5 FM,
[27] Active Rock (licensed to Rossville, GA)
★
WSKZ 106.5 FM,
[28] Classic rock
★
WOGT 107.9 FM,
[29] Contemporary Country. Licensed to East Ridge, TN)
Television
Chattanooga has numerous
television stations, some of which are beginning to broadcast
HDTV signals.
★
WRCB channel 3,
NBC affiliate -
[30] (DT 13 / cable 4)
★
WOOT-LP channel 6, independent (formerly UPN) (Not on cable in Chattanooga)
★
WTVC channel 9,
ABC affiliate -
[31] (DT35 / cable 10)
★
WDEF channel 12,
CBS affiliate -
[32] (DT47 / cable 13)
★
WCLP channel 18,
GPB affiliate -
[33] (DT 33 / cable 12)
★
WELF channel 23,
TBN affiliate -
[34] (DT 16 / cable 9)
★
W26BE channel 26,
3ABN affiliate -
[35] (Not on cable in Chattanooga)
★
WYHB-CA channel 39,
UATV affiliate -
[36] (Not on Cable in Chattanooga)
★
WTCI channel 45,
PBS member station
[37] (DT29 / cable 5)
★
WFLI channel 53,
The CW Television Network affiliate
[38] (Formerly
UPN and
The WB) (DT 42 / cable 6)
★
WDSI channel 61,
FOX affiliate -
[39] (DT 40 / cable 11)
See also ''
List of television stations in Tennessee''
Online
Chattanooga has several online-only sources for news, alternative media, entertainment, and local interest.
★
The Chattanoogan - popular source for breaking news, opinion, restaurant reviews and community events and activities
★
Nooga.com - News source with breaking news and photos
★
Outdoor Chattanooga City-run website with events, activities, educational opportunities and local links
★
Chattablogs Portal for Chattanooga bloggers
★
Chattarock Local music news and happenings
★
The Chattanooga Film Blog A site devoted to local and regional filmmakers
★
If You Like Golf - Golf news in Chattanooga
Notable residents
The following people were born, live, or have lived in Chattanooga:
★ Grant Adcox, race car driver
★ Hugh Beaumont, actor
★ Jimmy Blanton, bass player
★ Rachel Boston, Miss Tennessee Teen USA 1999, actress
★ Dixie Carter, actress
★ George S. Clinton, film score composer for the Austin Powers series
★ Charles Coolidge, World War II Medal of Honor recipient
★ Bob Corker, former Chattanooga mayor and freshman U.S. Senator
★ Bill Dedman, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
★ James B. Frazier, Governor of Tennessee, 1903-1905
★ Gibby Gilbert, professional golfer
★ Arthur Golden, author of ''Memoirs of a Geisha''
★ Terry Gordy, professional wrestler
★ Irvine W. Grote, chemist, inventor of Rolaids
★ Dennis Haskins, actor
★ Roland Hayes, tenor
★ Rick Honeycutt, L.A. Dodgers pitching coach and former MLB player
★ Henry H. Horton, Governor of Tennessee, 1927-1933
★ George Hunter, Coca-Cola Bottling magnate, founder of the Benwood Foundation and the Hunter Museum of American Art
★ Samuel L. Jackson, actor
★ Leslie Jordan, actor
★ Estes Kefauver, U.S. Senator |
★ Venus Lacy, gold medalist in basketball, 1996 Summer Olympics
★ Yusef Lateef, saxophonist and music educator
★ Cartter Lupton, Coca-Cola Bottling magnate and founder of the Lyndhurst Foundation
★ Ralphie May, stand-up comedian
★ Lurlene McDaniel, popular YA author
★ William Gibbs McAdoo, Secretary of the Treasury under Woodrow Wilson
★ Grace Moore, soprano, actress
★ Terrell Owens, current NFL player, Dallas Cowboys
★ Lori Petty, actress
★ Pat Robertson, founder of the 700 club
★ Usher Raymond, rhythm and blues singer
★ Danny Shirley, lead singer of Confederate Railroad
★ Bessie Smith, blues singer
★ Kurt Smith, current NFL player, San Diego Chargers
★ Lewis Smith, actor
★ Mary Q. Steele, Newberry Honor-winning children's author
★ William O. Steele, Newberry Honor-winning children's author
★ Benjamin Thomas, co-founder of the first Coca-Cola Bottling Company
★ Ted Turner, founder of CNN
★ Reggie White, football player
★ Bart Whiteman, writer and critic
★ Leon "Daddy Wags" Wagner, MLB player for the Los Angeles Angels and the Cleveland Indians, among others |
Sister cities
Chattanooga has five
sister cities, as designated by
Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
★
Giv'atayim,
Israel
★
Hamm,
Germany
★
Nizhny Tagil,
Russia
★
Wuxi,
China
★
Gangneung,
South Korea
Chattanooga also has two twinning cities, as designated by the
City of Chattanooga:
★
Ascoli Piceno,
Italy
★
Swindon,
United Kingdom
Other communities named Chattanooga
In addition to the Tennessee city of Chattanooga, there is a
town of Chattanooga in Oklahoma and a community of Chattanooga in
Mercer County, Ohio[40][41].
See also
★
Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus Railroad
★
Chattanooga Choo Choo
★
Silverdale Detention Center
External links
★
Hamilton County Map Maker
References
1. Littlefield: "We Want Local Control" Of The Water Company
2. Parent Company Of Tennessee-American Water To Be Sold In Public Offering
3. http://www.chattanooga.gov/General_Government/62_305.htm
4. http://www.hcde.org/schools/highschools/central/hcdedefault.html
5. http://www.thehowardschool.net/about/history.aspx
6. Top 100 Hospitals 2004
7. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006
8. [6]
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