Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 5/25/15. Professional women cyclists climb Lookout Mountain on May 25, 2015 during the 2015 Volkswagen USA Cycling Pro Road & Time Trial National Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee. What others are saying:
"Fast Internet is Chattanooga's New Locomotive" – The New York Times
"Well on its way to becoming one of America's best mid-sized cities." - The Washington Post
Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains on the banks of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga has long been known as the Scenic City of the South, drawing millions of tourists to mountaintop attractions like Rock City and Ruby Falls and riverfront attractions like the Tennessee Aquarium and the Riverbend Festival. Chattanooga' also has long boasted a very affordable town with home prices a full third below less the U.S. average, energy costs at least 10 percent cheaper than the U.S. average and no state income or inheritance tax. In the Bible Belt with a half dozen Chrisitan-church affiliated colleges in the region, Chattanooga also has long been a city known for its many churches.
Over the past decade or so, Chattanooga also has laid claim to being a much hipper and tech savvy town since the city-owned utility, EPB, installed the fastest communitywide Internet service in the Western Hemisphere. Chattanooga now bills itself as "Gig City" in recognition of being the first city in America to offer citywide gigabit-per-second service. (EPB has since boosted its speed to 10 Gigs, the fastest of any citywide network in the world). The super-fast web connections have combined with an array of startup assistance and incubator programs, new venture capital funds and a downtown Innovation District (the first for a mid-sized U.S. city) to create a growing entrepreneurial and technology community downtown.
After work, Chattanooga's abundant outdoor activities in a four-season mild climate have earned the city accolades as a place for everything from rock climbing and hang gliding to whitewater rafting and caving. Chattanooga is capitalizing on those assets by adding a host of marathon, Ironman and rock climbing contests to draw more Extreme sports participants.
Chattanooga is gaining a national recognition for both its natural and man-made attractions, as evidenced by the top rankings given the city by a host of publications.
Best Town for outdoor activities. Outside magazine has declared Chattanooga the "Best Town" for outdoor activities both in its inaugural ranking in 2011 and again last year. The Scenic City is the only two-time winner for Outside magazine's top city title. Chattanooga defeated Port Angeles, Washington in online voting during 2015 to be crowned the best city for outdoor enthusiasts.
Social well being. According to a Gallup-Healthways poll in 2016, Chattanooga is the overall best city among the top 100 metro areas for its support from friends and family, with encouragement to go bigger, do better and try new things.
Women-owned businesses. Chattanooga ranks as the second best city in America (behind only Nashville) as the best metro area for women-owned businesses. In its 2016 ranking, WalletHub praised Chattanooga's incubators, accelerators and venture funds that work to aid female-owned startups.
Place for Baby boomers. n 2013, The Spare Foot blog ranked Chattanooga among the top 10 cities in America for Baby boomers, citing the city's relatively low cost of living, high-speed Internet and array of recreation and cultural activities.
Retirement town. Money magazine ranks Chattanooga among the 20 top cities in its 2015 "Best Places to Retire." The magazine cited Chattanooga's festivals, museums and other attractions, along with its affordable home prices and lack of any state personal income tax.
Bike friendly town. Bicycling magazine ranks Chattanooga among its Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cites. Where to Retire magazine in 2016 ranked Chattanooga among the top cities in America for "bicycling bliss" for seniors. Chattanooga was listed among the top eight cities that make it easy to bicycle in the city.
Coolest city. Aroundtownw.com put Chattanooga on its list of the 17 "coolest cities" in America, calling the Scenice City "a truly beautiful city' and "a gem of the South."
Church-going, Bible-minded city. According to a Barna Group poll, Chattanooga ranks highest in weekly church attendance with 63 percent of Chattanoogans saying they attend church least once a week and second only to Birmingham, Ala., in the share of residents who read the bible at least once a week. Chattanooga ranks second behind only Birmingham, Ala in the share residents who have converted or committed to Christianity. Two thirds of Chattanooga residents say they have converted or committed to Christianity.
Place to visit. In 2012, The New York Times ranked Chattanooga No. 25 in the newspaper's "45 Places to Go" anywhere in the world, which included such notable tourist destinations as London, Jordan, and Antarctica.
Southern Living identified Chattanooga on its lit of "The South's Most Scenic Drives"
The Best of Southern Living magazine crowed Chattanooga as the No. 1 southern city in its list of "10 cities you will absolutely love (and your budget will appreciate too").