Collegedale

Location: Right off Interstate 75's Exit 9, Collegedale is in Hamilton County's southeastern quadrant.

Size: About 10 square miles.

Founded: 1968.

Population: 8,285.

Government: Governed by five commissioners who choose a mayor and vice mayor.

Schools: A.W. Spalding Elementary School, Ooltewah Elementary, Wolftever Creek Elementary, Collegedale Adventist Middle School, Ooltewah Middle School, Collegedale Academy, Southern Adventist University.

Attraction: Home to McKee Foods, producer of Little Debbie snack cakes. McKee is one of Hamilton County's largest employers. The town also is home to Southern Adventist University, with about 3,000 students.

Fun fact: Little Debbie makes 160 products.

Famous residents: O.D. McKee, one of several pivotal individuals who decided to move the family snack-making business to Collegedale. In May 2010, McKee Foods celebrated its fifth decade of using the Little Debbie name. The company prepared a 75-pound Oatmeal Creme Pie, which hundreds devoured in a celebration.

"It's a very family-oriented and education-oriented community. But it's more than families with children. There's the students and faculty from the university, and there's a large retirement community. Collegedale is growing."

- Joanne Stanfield, director of the Collegedale Public Library

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