Aerial view of Coolidge Park and the Tennessee River in Chattanooga.Chattanooga has outpaced Knoxville in population growth since the 2010 census in the battle for East Tennessee’s biggest city, but the Scenic City’s rate of increase has slowed, new census figures show.
And Chattanooga is surrounded by fast-growing company. Among cities in the region attracting the most people — and some of the top ones of their size in the country — are Atlanta, Nashville and Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Population growth
Chattanooga is the second fastest-growing of Tennessee’s four major cities since 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Below are July 1, 2014, population estimates and changes from 2010 census. TENNESSEE * Nashville-Davidson, 644,014, up 7.1 percent * Chattanooga, 173,778, up 3.6 percent * Knoxville, 184,281, up 3 percent * Memphis, 656,861, up 1.5 percent GEORGIA * Atlanta, 456,002, up 8.5 percent * Savannah, 144,352, up 5.9 percent * Columbus, 200,887, up 5.7 percent * Augusta-Richmond, 196,741, flat ALABAMA * Huntsville, 188,226, up 4.5 percent * Birmingham, 212,247, flat * Mobile, 194,675, flat * Montgomery, 200,481, down 2.5 percent Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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Knoxville still leads Chattanooga in total population as of mid-2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest estimates released Thursday. Chattanooga has 173,778 people, while Knoxville has 184,281, figures show.