Chattanooga is reaping rewards from its long-term efforts to rejuvenate the city and create a welcoming climate for business and industry.
You may have noted a recent news item reporting that the Chattanooga metropolitan area was the leader in job creation among Tennessee’s major cities in 2010.
That’s not especially surprising, given huge local investments by companies such as Volkswagen, which soon will be rolling new automobiles off its production lines at Enterprise South industrial park.
But think how different things might have been if elected officials, private investors and everyday citizens had not decided years ago to take steps to help the city move forward. Chattanooga has long benefited economically from heavy industry. But some of those companies employed fewer and fewer people in recent years, or closed altogether.
What if no one had thought it worthwhile to develop Enterprise South to attract major new industry? What if it had not occurred to forward-thinking area residents to revitalize our downtown into a beautiful, tourist-attracting area?
We can be certain of one thing: Our city would not be getting the national and even international admiration that it is getting nowadays.
Fortunately, Chattanoogans have been united in our city’s well-known civic spirit, and have rejected complacency.
As job growth continues in our area, we should gratefully acknowledge all who help make Chattanooga the wonderful community it is today.