The lights of the Tennessee Aquarium and downtown Chattanooga reflect in the Tennessee River during dusk in this 2010 photo.Vote for Chattanooga
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Ben Friberg paddles upstream on his stand up paddleboard on the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga. Friberg is competing in a 1,000-mile race on the Yukon River in Canada.
Staff photo by John Rawlston/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Autum Bonner, left, and Chad McCamish walk across the Walnut Street Bridge on Sunday afternoon with their dogs, Wooly Bear, left, and Kobe. Pleasant temperatures lured many people to enjoy the outdoors Sunday.Outside magazine's Best Town Ever tournament heated up on Thursday, as votes poured in from across the U.S.
More than 41,000 people had voted for either Chattanooga or Boone, North Carolina to win recognition as best town in the south and move onto the semifinals. As of Thursday afternoon, Chattanooga retained a lead of fewer than 2,000 votes, a gap that had narrowed significantly from the day before.
Based on total votes so far, the winner of this southern division could coast to an easy victory over the winner of the eastern division - either Bar Harbor, Maine or Middlebury, Vermont - which combined have about same number of votes as Chattanooga by itself.
But the Scenic City could face stiffer competition in the finals, which will feature the winner of a competition between Port Angeles, Washington and Flagstaff, Arizona pitted against the winner of Eau Claire, Wisconsin and Spearfish, South Dakota. Both contests are close, though no individual city has yet gathered as many votes as Chattanooga.
The Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau has pushed hard for voters to vote early and often, blasting out emails beseeching residents to make their voices heard once per round in the March Madness-style bracket.
"We are against Boone, NC in this round and the voting has been close," wrote Candace Davis, marketing and public relations manager for the CVB. "But we will win this."
Aerial of downtown Chattanooga, the Tennessee River, the Bluff View district, Market St Bridge, and Walnut St Bridge
Volunteers guide participants in Chattanooga Parks and Recreation's Climbing Higher program during last year's outing at The Stone Fort.
Ashley Sloane , left, and Jade Scott walk on a path at Point Park on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015, in the town of Lookout Mountain, Tenn. The Chattanooga residents parked at Cravens House and walked the mountain trail up to Point Park. 
High Point Climbing and Fitness associate Andrew Balog climbs as an expansion announcement of The Block on occurs below on Friday. The Block will be adding a children's area.
Children scramble to gather plastic Easter eggs Sunday morning at Coolidge Park. The egg hunt and an outdoor church service were part of the third annual Easter at Coolidge event sponsored by Stuart Heights Baptist Church.
Staff photo by John Rawlston/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Luther Kocher of Chattanooga watches as his grandchildren, Corinne and Xander Stuarte, fish for rainbow trout from the shore at Lake Junior last weekend. Fishing is allowed there Fridays through Sundays through April.
Photo by Gary Petty
Quintana Roo-sponsored triathlete Anja Beranek will be competing in the Ironman Chattanooga triathlon
this fall. Ooltewah-based Quintana Roo bicycle manufacturer will sponsor the bike course for the race.
The Tennessee River snakes around Moccasin Bend in this view of Chattanooga from Point Park on Lookout Mountain.
This view of downtown Chattanooga from Stringer's Ridge will be preserved with a land transfer from developer Jimmy Hudson to the Tennessee River Gorge Trust.