Kelsey Waligora poses for a portrait with her boyfriend, Mike VanSleen, with a bicycle outside their Chattanooga apartment Thursday. Waligora and VanSleen moved to Chattanooga from Miami in August, and they say they enjoy the outdoor activities that the city has to offer.
NEW BUSINESSES IN HAMILTON COUNTY* 2008: 774* 2009: 883* 2010: 1,036* 2011: 1,222* 2012: 1,378Source: Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
Kelsey Waligora was on a rock-climbing trip in Alabama last spring when someone suggested they head north to Chattanooga.
The 23-year-old Miami resident knew nothing about the Scenic City, but she and boyfriend Mike VanSleen agreed to the spur-of-the moment visit. They stayed in the Southside’s The Crash Pad hostel and climbed for a few days.
And at the end of the trip, they were sold. Four months later, VanSleen walked away from his job as a graphic designer and Waligora quit her position at a dermatology clinic. The pair packed up and moved from Miami to Chattanooga.
“We loved the vibe of the city,” Waligora said. “So we were like, ‘All right, let’s do it.’ We moved in August and we’ve been here ever since.”