Chattanooga, Tennessee

**u/Unable-Economist-525 **
1y ago
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I moved to Chattanooga from Texas. Lived in Australia, Japan, San Diego, DC before settling in Texas for a while. I also grew up in cities. Chattanooga feels like a big town, or a very small city, surrounded by villages.

I really enjoy the people here. Well, most of them, but that’s kind of the same everywhere in my experience. I admire how volunteer-oriented and community-minded many Chattanoogans are, and have been generationally, across partisan lines. There is still the American spirit of “we can do it together” here. The South is not exactly like Texas, but there was enough commonality that I was able to fit in pretty quickly.

I like access to the outdoors, which is prettier and gentler than most of Texas. The food is not at the level of a big city yet, but it’s getting better all the time, with new places popping up. I have bought and sold a few businesses, and found it very easy and pleasant to do business here.

There is a nice variety of colleges, and a lot of energy generated through them. It’s fun to see the collaboration between private and public sectors, for the mutual good of community citizens.

Anonymous
1y ago
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I moved from Florida six months ago.

If you like mountains/rivers and it not being 95 degrees with 100 percent humidity for 8 months then you'll love it here.

People are generally very friendly. Politics lean conservative for sure but there's really a healthy mix. Some public services could be better.

Don't have kids so I can't speak to that but I've found that living North of downtown has less traffic and feels quieter. When you get south/southeast you have I-75 and I-24 and it can get really bad at times.

We wanted a quieter area but only about 10 minutes from downtown so Red Bank was our choice.

The biggest thing for me is just about beautiful it is here compared to Florida. I lived in the suburbs where everything was clear cut and you had a palm tree for shade. Here I feel like I live in the forest with a backdrop of (small) mountains. I always smile crossing the river around sunset. It's stunning.

GrahamDom
1y ago
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IMO it’s the best kept secret of Tennessee. Most Tennesseans drive thru and are appalled by the traffic, which is horrendous, and they never stop and explore. It’s a beautiful city, so many local restaurants, history, hiking. I will say though, Hamilton county schools are awful. There’s an economic divide here where many people choose private school, and there’s plenty of options for that.

NamelessSkyrimNPC
4mo ago
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I moved here from the Chicago suburbs about two years ago, when I was 29. The biggest draw for me was the surrounding scenery, this city is wonderful if you're a fan of outdoor activities like hiking, biking, water stuff, etc. Aside from the outdoors, I've enjoyed the Tennessee Aquarium, art museum, I hear there's a weekly Sunday market that happens that I've been meaning to attend. I wouldn't say this city is bustling with city activities, but there are definitely fun things to do.

I'm not much of a bar person so I can't speak on that, but the food is pretty great if you look in the right places, it's no Chicago but you can still find wonderful restaurants (I'm mostly vegan, so it's a bit harder to find those for me, but Sluggos hits the spot).

As an introvert, it's very hard for me to meet people here (moreso than living in IL), but I still managed to meet my current girlfriend, who is my favorite person in the world and has changed my life for the better, so you can manage as long as you're willing to put yourself out there.

The people here are mostly friendly, significantly friendlier than in the Midwest. This subreddit is not a good representation of my experience in Chattanooga, since so many people in this sub are perpetual negative whiners, but that being said, there are some pockets of more hateful right wing loonies, but downtown in particular is totally a normal "city" in the sense that the demographic generally skews towards diversity and youth.

Pros & Cons of Living in Chattanooga, Tennessee - 2022
Before you make the move to Chattanooga, TN, there are a few key things you should know.