People from an array of cultures, age groups and tax brackets combine to create the vibrant Highland Park, a tight-knit community in east-central Chattanooga.
“It really embodies what neighborhoods mean in your imagination,” says homeowner Emerson Burch. “I always say that if you live in Highland Park, it’s OK to ask for people’s addresses. It really has that hospitality piece on lockdown.”
While downtown attractions are just two miles to the west, Burch says the relationships he’s built in Highland Park give him little reason to stray far from home.
“In Highland Park, my favorite bar is someone’s porch,” he says. “My front porch is the most-used room in my house – I’m always meeting new people on my porch. It really is a cool community in that respect.”
Unlike most Chattanooga neighborhoods, Highland Park’s approximately 900 homes are organized within a city grid, with east and west boundaries defined by Willow Street and Holtzclaw Avenue, and McCallie Avenue and Main Street to the north and south.