With a metropolitan population of 492,000, Chattanooga blends "Big City" amenities with "Small Town" ease of living. Area residents enjoy the friendly atmosphere, moderate housing costs, and easy commuting typically associated with smaller communities, but Chattanooga's cultural and recreational opportunities rival those in much larger metropolitan areas.
Add to these assets a downtown recently rejuvenated by a $120 million waterfront transformation and the area’s breathtaking natural beauty and you have one of the nation’s most livable cities with much to offer people from all walks of life.
Dubbed the Can-Do Community, Chattanooga has benefited from a remarkable sense of community spirit and a process of public-private partnerships that have transformed the city into a gracious place to live, a regional tourism center and a leader in community redevelopment that has brought Chattanooga recognition in scores of national publications.
Indeed, its achievements over the past two decades earned Chattanooga a Parade Magazine cover story and inclusion in an Utne Reader report on the "Ten Most Enlightened Towns in America" -- not to mention U.S. News and World Report's designation as one of the smartest cities in the world.
Business Advantages
When international site selection consultants, the Wadley-Donovan Group, completed a recent locational audit of Chattanooga, they identified a number of key strategic reasons for locating businesses in the region. The Wadley-Donovan Group highlighted Chattanooga's location, infrastructure, workforce, institutions of higher learning, water supply, and quality of life. They concluded that Chattanooga is an excellent location for a wide range of businesses including mobile entrepreneurs, distribution and transportation companies, high-end office operations, food processing, and manufacturing.
Tourism
The Chattanooga Convention and Trade Center is booked by groups who return to the city year after year for a good time and a great facility that has recently been expanded. Public entities and private citizens worked together to build the 20,000-seat Max Finley Stadium completed in 1998.
The city and county have developed an extensive greenway system which includes several miles of constructed riverwalk beginning downtown and meandering through the historic art district and several parks. The city supports a downtown shuttle fleet of zero-emission electric buses - manufactured here in Chattanooga - for commuters and visitors wishing to park-and-ride.
Attractions such as the Tennessee Aquarium, Lookout Mountain, Civil War battlefield sites, and the African American Museum, bring thousands of people to the area, as do events like the Riverbend Festival, Hunter Museum of American Art, the Creative Discovery Museum for children, and the Southern Writers Conference. Chattanooga is the home of NCAA Division I-AA national football championships and hosts the national softball championships every year.
People who love the out-of-doors use Chattanooga as a base for hang-gliding, bass fishing, mountain climbing and caving expeditions; the verdant Smoky Mountains and Tennessee River watershed support the greatest variety of flora of any area in the United States.
Property Tax Rates 2008
Hamilton County Rate -- $3.15 per $100 of assessed value. Industrial and commercial real property is assessed at 40 % of value.
Tennessee Income Tax:
Personal: None
Excise: 6.5%
State Sales Tax: 7.0 %
Local Sales Tax: 2.25 %
Total: 9.25%
Chattanooga Cost of Living
Chattanooga’s cost of living in all items, in food and in housing are below the national average.
ACCRA Cost of Living
City State
Chattanooga, TN
Charlotte, NC
Indianapolis, IN
Atlanta, GA
Cleveland, OH
Boston, MA
|
All Items
91.9
93.1
91.2
97.3
102.0
137.4
|
Food
97.8
101.9
99.5
93.2
109.0
115.2
|
Housing
83.5
76.7
77.9
99.1
98.7
176.6
|
Education
The City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County unified school district offers a diverse and progressive educational experience. The district recently received a grant from the Carnegie Foundation for new and innovative programs in secondary education. Two new downtown magnet schools opened in recent years to rave reviews. Other magnet programs flourish and area students have the ability to attend museum, performing arts, visual arts, science or other magnet schools. In addition, Chattanooga is home to three of the top private preparatory schools in the nation.
The Chattanooga Area is also home to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Chattanooga State Technical Community College as well as a number of other institutions of higher learning.
