Staff File Photo by Matt Fields-Johnson
Sally and Susan Moses, co-founders of 212 Market, build their menu around fresh local ingredients.AS A DESTINATION
"Chattanooga just keeps getting better and better. Ditch your car, and discover new surprises around every bend. ... Chattanooga is the great little city that could. ... The transformation has been nothing short of phenomenal."
- Southern Living magazine
"Not too small and not too big, Chattanooga is really the undiscovered gem of Tennessee."
- The New York Times, featuring Chattanooga as a 36-hour escape destination
"Chattanooga is a scenic city full of Southern personality" ... (that) "offers several surprises" and is a "fine place to sample Southern cooking."
- Boston Globe
Chattanooga is the only Tennessee city highlighted in "Great Long Weekends: 46 Places to Get Away From it All."
- National Geographic Traveler magazine
Chattanooga is voted one of the top 50 vacation destinations in the United States.
- Disney's FamilyFun
Travel Web site
"Chattanooga is well on its way to becoming one of America's best midsized cities."
- The Washington Post
"Chattanooga is one of America's reborn cities."
- Parade magazine
"The riverfront city has transformed its skyline along with its reputation. ... Chattanooga has been reborn as the Scenic City."
- USA Today, in an article about the city's riverfront development
Chattanooga is "one of six cities worldwide that work at creating great urban experiences."
- US News & World Report
AS A PLACE FOR ARTS
Staff File Photo
Signal Mountain artist John McLeod sits next to one of his wood sculptures and watches the crowds stroll by his display area during the annual Four Bridges Art Festival.Readers rank Chattanooga as the No. 2 midsized city arts destination in the nation.
- American Style magazine
Chattanooga is featured in a special section about U.S. cities "benefiting from the expansion of arts and cultural venues."
- Wall Street Journal
AS A FAMILY FUN SPOT
Staff File Photo by Allison Kwesell
Battle Academy students head down Main Street during the annual walk-to-school day."The Gateway to the South offers the ultimate in family fun" ... Chattanooga "truly delivers."
- Nashville Parent magazine
Chattanooga is among Fodor's "Top 10 overlooked and underrated family destinations."
- Fodor's Choice Destinations
Chattanooga is named one of the South's "top 10 family vacation destinations" and the city with the "best friendly spirit."
- Disney's FamilyFun
magazine
Lake Winnepesaukah is named one of "America's top 10 family amusement parks."
- Travel & Leisure
magazine
AS A MECCA FOR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
Staff File Photo by Dan Henry
Hannah Guidry of Nashville eats lunch atop Raccoon Mountain as she enjoys the clear view of Chattanooga.Chattanooga is called one of the "best adventure towns in the U.S. to live and play."
- National Geographic Adventure
"Revitalization projects have made the city a model eco-town and tourist hotspot." Chattanooga is "a walkable, bike-friendly city, very eco-oriented, with local markets."
- Plenty magazine (CBS' "The Early Show")
Chattanooga is "one cool city" and a "jackpot destination for lovers of the outdoor life."
- Runner's World
magazine
Chattanooga is named a bicycle-friendly community (one of only 29).
- League of American Cyclists
Cloudland Canyon is named one of the top 30 destination hiking spots in the U.S.
- Backpacker
magazine
Tennessee Riverwalk and Bobby Davenport Jr. are featured as examples of how community involvement, philanthropy and city visions improved the quality of life in Chattanooga.
- Atlantic Southeast
AS ATTRACTIVE TO BUSINESS
The Chattanooga Convention Center is one of the "top 10 eco-friendly convention centers in the nation."
- Successful Meetings magazine
Chattanooga is ranked No. 3 in the top 100 places to live in America, for "rich culture, beautiful landscapes and business opportunities."
- RelocateAmerica.com
Chattanooga is among a handful of cities across the nation that has "stimulated economic growth by rediscovering and promoting their more permanent assets like riverfronts and educational institutions."
- Urban Land magazine, whose editors likened Chattanooga's successful riverfront revival to that of Baltimore, San Antonio and New Orleans
"If life in a city reinventing itself sounds appealing, you won't get many chances like this."
- Outside magazine, which has twice designated Chattanooga No. 2 of "10 Dream Towns to Live Big, Play Hard and Work (If You Must)"
- Compiled by Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau from media reports
'Chattanooga has a strong sense of community, handsome natural landscapes, civic pride and the ability to solve problems that are often daunting to bigger cities.'
- NPR "Morning Edition," which named Chattanooga one of the "Great Cities"
Chattanooga is "one of the most livable cities in the South." ... This "re-energized river city has a community that's drawing attention and business."
- US Airways magazine