A Chattanooga ZIP code is the wealthiest ZIP code in the Southeast.
Have a guess which? You’re probably wrong.
Chattanooga’s downtown 37450 ZIP code includes just three buildings: the 21-story Republic Center, the adjacent 17-story Liberty Tower, and the Republic Plaza between them. The ZIP code has few residents but boasts the highest average income per tax return of any ZIP code in the South, excluding two cities in Florida.
So how did three office buildings get their own ZIP code?
Well, it happened because they were originally constructed by developer Franklin Haney to house offices for the Tennessee Valley Authority and a local post office to serve TVA. However, Haney later sold the buildings and TVA moved out, but the ZIP code designation for the Chestnut Street towers has remained.
The Republic Centre in Chattanooga is pictured in this file photo.For good measure, here are the top six ZIP codes from Tennessee and Georgia:
1. 37450 in Chattanooga, $865,579 (only 19 tax returns)
2. 38157 in Memphis, $758,000 (only 20 tax returns)
3. 38124 in Memphis, $454,929 (140 tax returns)
4. 31561 in Sea Island, Ga., $351,178 (241 tax returns)
5. 30327 in Atlanta, $235,375 (11,481 tax returns)
6. 30023 in Alpharetta, Ga., $181,815 (92 tax returns)
See the entire list here.
Source: Experian Data Quality.