Patricia and David Dorion, visiting from Louisiana, take photos of Chattanooga’s cityscape from Point Park atop Lookout Mountain, Tenn.Location: Atop Lookout Mountain, just west of downtown Chattanooga.
Population: 1,832.
Geographic area: Lookout Mountain is a nearly 100-mile-long extenuation of the Cumberland Plateau, south of the Tennessee River.
Date founded: 1890.
Landmarks: Ruby Falls, one of the nation’s deepest caves and largest underground waterfalls accessible to the public, as well as the Incline, the world’s steepest passenger railway.
Government: Mayor Carol Mutter heads a town commission form of government with commissioners Joe Hailey, Walker Jones, Ernie Minges and Don Stinnett.
Schools: Lookout Mountain Elementary School is the only public Hamilton County school in the town.
Median household income: $117,667.
Most famous residents: Adolph S. Ochs, whose first newspaper was The Chattanooga Times, went on to buy the then-failing New York Times, which he carried to great influence and prosperity. Jack Lupton succeeded his father, Cartter Lupton, as the owner of the world’s largest Coca-Cola bottling company. Jack Lupton left a large legacy in Chattanooga as co-founder of the Tennessee Aquarium.
Best-kept secret: Natural Bridge Park, part of the town’s earliest history, has rock formations and trails. The area once was the site of a hotel and a nationally recognized spiritualist campground.
Fun fact: According to the late Chattanooga and Tennessee historian Zella Armstrong, the Creek Indian name for Lookout Mountain was Chat-a-nu-ga, meaning rock coming to a point or end of the mountain.
“I’ve lived up here my whole life. It’s a small community and a safe environment to raise your children in. Everyone knows everyone. There’s a lot to offer up here.”
– Allison Wright, manager, Market on the Mountain