Chattanooga’s natural attractions and public spaces landed the city at number eight on the top 10 list of best small cities in the U.S. in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards.
The Scenic City came in at number eight, tucked between Greenville, South Carolina, and Monterey, California. Charleston, South Carolina, topped of the list.
“I’m glad the rest of the world is recognizing what a great place this is,” said Keith Sanford, president of the Tennessee Aquarium and chairman of the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau’s board of directors. “It’s taken a lot of people a lot of work and involvement to make our city what it is.”
Visitors to Chattanooga and Hamilton County dropped $1.16 billion during their travels in 2018, a record amount and an increase of 4.75% over 2017.
More than 600,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers across the globe submitted a record-breaking number of responses rating their travel experiences to provide a full snapshot of where and how they travel. This year, the top U.S. cities list was divided into two categories: small cities with populations under 1 million and the best big cities with more than 1 million in population.