Location: Southeast Tennessee on the Georgia state line
Size: With 140.7 square miles, Chattanooga surrounds the cities of Red Bank and Ridgeside and the Tennessee side of East Ridge. Although smaller in population, Chattanooga is geographically bigger than New York, Chicago, Memphis or Atlanta.
Relative size: Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee and the 139th-largest city in the United States, according to the 2010 census.
Population: 171,282, according to the latest census figures.
Date founded: 1838.
History: The city is the site of a major Civil War battle between Union and Confederate troops over rail access for the Confederacy. Chattanooga was on the Trail of Tears when Cherokee Indians were moved from the Southeast to Oklahoma. The city became a manufacturing center in the 20th century.
Government: A nine-member, part-time City Council sets the budget and adopts ordinances, while the mayor is responsible for overseeing the operation of City Hall.
Unique events: Riverbend Festival, RiverRocks, Wine Over Water, Four Bridges Arts Festival, Tennessee Whiskey Festival, the Cotton Ball.
Most famous former residents: Singer Bessie Smith, NFL star Reggie White, singer Usher Raymond, actor Samuel L. Jackson.
Fun Fact: Chattanooga, dubbed the "Gig City," has been featured across the nation multiple times this year, including coverage in The New York Times and NPR's flagship news program "All Things Considered," for the city's high-speed Internet service.
Quote: "We live in an incredible city. Chattanooga is surrounded by mountains, with a river flowing through the middle of it. We are home to a bustling and vibrant downtown, Volkswagen and the Gig. Chattanoogans believe in working together to make our city a better place." - Mayor Andy Berke