NV: Chattanooga named "Best City Ever" in Outside Magazine poll

[CornFromAJar]

I love my town and really wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I consider it Tennessee's "Best Kept Secret." At least it used to be.

But "Best City Ever?" Maybe.

Again, printed for fun on Friday. Take it FWIW. YMMV. Roger. Over. Out. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

[Black Diamond Vol]

I've been following the voting for the past week.  Some of the comments have been pretty hilarious.  The voting ended at midnight EST last night.  And I swear to God, some of the Port Angeles people were crying foul because we got to vote until 12:00, but they only got to vote until 9:00.

[Creek Walker]

I am trying to get my county's tourism committee (of which I am a member) to develop a case-study based on what Chattanooga has done. Obviously we would never replicate what they've done on that level; there are only ~23,000 people in our entire county. But I think there's much to be learned from the way Chattanooga rebranded and rebuilt itself. I think I posted this here once before, but I remember in my childhood, Chattanooga was just a dirty industrial hub that you wouldn't really want to visit…and I'm only 35. It's pretty remarkable, what the leadership of that city has done.

[CornFromAJar]

I am trying to get my county's tourism committee (of which I am a member) to develop a case-study based on what Chattanooga has done. Obviously we would never replicate what they've done on that level; there are only ~23,000 people in our entire county. But I think there's much to be learned from the way Chattanooga rebranded and rebuilt itself. I think I posted this here once before, but I remember in my childhood, Chattanooga was just a dirty industrial hub that you wouldn't really want to visit…and I'm only 35. It's pretty remarkable, what the leadership of that city has done.

In 1969 Walter Cronkite declared Chattanooga as "the dirtiest city in America." Dad told me that at times you had to drive with your headlights on during the day.
The funny thing about the Cronkite proclamation is that on the graphic behind him Chattanooga was located on the Tennessee/Alabama line due north of Huntsville. I've seen a clip of it, perhaps on YouTube.

[Tnphil]

Being in my 60s I remember the best thing about Chattanooga was driving as fast as you could to get through the town going and coming back from Florida. What they have done in the last 25 years is pretty darn amazing IMO.

My daughter and her family lived there for a good while until 2 years ago and the wife and me really enjoyed going and visiting them a couple times a year until they moved.

[Black Diamond Vol]

I found this video interesting.  It's from a Knoxville station comparing the two towns.  I did notice when I was there last football season that Knox seems to finally be making some progress.  Market Square was hopping like it never did when I lived there.  Now if they can just get on with that Cumberland Avenue revitalization that they've been talking about for years.  

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/BoNoSap4YR4" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/BoNoSap4YR4</a>

[CornFromAJar]

I found this video interesting.  It's from a Knoxville station comparing the two towns.  I did notice when I was there last football season that Knox seems to finally be making some progress.  Market Square was hopping like it never did when I lived there.  Now if they can just get on with that Cumberland Avenue revitalization that they've been talking about for years.  

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/BoNoSap4YR4" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/BoNoSap4YR4</a>

Thanks for posting. Learned some things I didn't know. Market Square looks like a lot of fun. Of course, they had to play the Neyland Stadium card. In fairness, though, it's a good card to play.

Is the structure shown in the opening of the clip the Knox County Courthouse? It sure looks like a government structure.

[Black Diamond Vol]

Thanks for posting. Learned some things I didn't know. Market Square looks like a lot of fun. Of course, they had to play the Neyland Stadium card. In fairness, though, it's a good card to play.

Is the structure shown in the opening of the clip the Knox County Courthouse? It sure looks like a government structure.

If you're talking about the building with the rotunda, that's the Federal Courthouse.  The County Court is a more nondescript building right across the street.

It just seems to me that if you're looking to re-invent your town, you have to play to your strengths.  Chattanooga spent a century trying to be the South's industrial center. It's like we were trying to be Little Detroit, even when surrounded by all this natural beauty.  And when it comes to industry and manufacturing, we were never going to compete with Atlanta and Birmingham anyway.  When we finally began to embrace our surroundings is when Chattanooga really began to take off.  And ironically, now that the city has reinvented itself as an outdoors destination, industry is now coming back with VW, Amazon, Alstom, etc.  But this time, it's much cleaner industry that won't choke the air. 

I just wish they could find a way to beautify the I-24 corridor through town.  For anyone driving to FL from the big Midwestern cities, that's the only impression of Chattanooga they're going to get.  And it doesn't exactly take you through the best parts of town.  The first thing you see when you round Moccasin Bend into the city is the abandoned, rusted out US Pipe foundry.  The last things you see before going over the ridge and out into the suburbs are the Eastlake Courts projects and the King's Lodge motel, which has basically become cheap extended stay lodging for the otherwise homeless.  In between is a parade of junkyards, railyards, and adult bookstores.  If all you've done is pass through on the interstate, and that's the only impression you have of Chattanooga, you have to wonder what the heck all these glowing magazine articles are talking about.

Knoxville has two big advantages that Chattanooga will never be able to match.  First is UT.  Being a major college town is going to guarantee that you'll always have a young, vibrant population.  It means you will always have good nightlife (three good bar areas within a mile of each other: Cumberland, Market Square, and the Old City).  Knox really needs to find a way to clean up the areas around UT, like Cumberland, Fort Sanders, and the riverfront.  That would go a long ways toward revitalizing the entire city.  The second is proximity to GSMNP.  It's the most visited national park in America, and a big chunk of those visitors have to pass through Knoxville to get there.  Many even stay in Knoxville and make it their base of operations for a Smokies vacation.  What if they added some natural attractions to play off that?  Maybe something for adults, who are looking for alternatives to the tackiness of PF/Gatlinburg?

[CornFromAJar]

I worked for the firm that did the inspection for the installation of the first round of cameras on I-24. One of our inspectors was standing on I-24 at King's Lodge, actually at eye level with one of the "suites." She looked over at one of the rooms. The blinds were open and the occupant was doing lines of coke with a full, open, bottle of cheap bourbon on the table. Not good.

On the other hand, not to brag (please believe that), I designed the US-27 widening from the Olgiati Bridge to Signal Mountain Road and the new Ooltewah Interchange at I-75. We discussed the I-24 corridor from the state line to I-75 quite a bit. There was much talk about the I-75/I-24 Interchange at East Ridge but that's about it. Now TDOT is going to widen US-27 (the old I-124) from the I-24 "scramble" through downtown to the Olgiati Bridge and they are going to widen the bridge, one more line in each direction. )Maps can be found on the TDOT website.) There just doesn't seem to be much political will, or any other will, for that matter, to take care of the I-24 eyesore. I don't get it, either.

[Black Diamond Vol]

I worked for the firm that did the inspection for the installation of the first round of cameras on I-24. One of our inspectors was standing on I-24 at King's Lodge, actually at eye level with one of the "suites." She looked over at one of the rooms. The blinds were open and the occupant was doing lines of coke with a full, open, bottle of cheap bourbon on the table. Not good.

On the other hand, not to brag (please believe that), I designed the US-27 widening from the Olgiati Bridge to Signal Mountain Road and the new Ooltewah Interchange at I-75. We discussed the I-24 corridor from the state line to I-75 quite a bit. There was much talk about the I-75/I-24 Interchange at East Ridge but that's about it. Now TDOT is going to widen US-27 (the old I-124) from the I-24 "scramble" through downtown to the Olgiati Bridge and they are going to widen the bridge, one more line in each direction. )Maps can be found on the TDOT website.) There just doesn't seem to be much political will, or any other will, for that matter, to take care of the I-24 eyesore. I don't get it, either.

So YOU'RE to blame. I was just in Ooltewah last week around rush hour, and I went to get on I-75 South (which I don't do that often anymore from Lee hwy, usually I'll just drive down to Apison Pike and get on there) and noticed that I was in the wrong lane.  You used to turn left to get on the on ramp there, and now you go right.  By the time I noticed, it was too late and the traffic was too heavy.  I had to go down to Mtn View and turn around.

Do you think the proposed bypass they were talking about a few months ago will ever get any traction?  I think the full proposal would start up around Nickajack, go across northern Hamilton County (including a new bridge across the river connecting SD to East Hamilton), go through Cleveland, circle down through Ringgold, and finally end where 24 and 59 meet in N. Ga.  I know it would be hugely expensive, and the "not in my backyard" crowd would probably block it at every turn, but it would sure ease traffic around here.

[CornFromAJar]

So YOU'RE to blame. I was just in Ooltewah last week around rush hour, and I went to get on I-75 South (which I don't do that often anymore from Lee hwy, usually I'll just drive down to Apison Pike and get on there) and noticed that I was in the wrong lane.  You used to turn left to get on the on ramp there, and now you go right.  By the time I noticed, it was too late and the traffic was too heavy.  I had to go down to Mtn View and turn around.

Do you think the proposed bypass they were talking about a few months ago will ever get any traction?  I think the full proposal would start up around Nickajack, go across northern Hamilton County (including a new bridge across the river connecting SD to East Hamilton), go through Cleveland, circle down through Ringgold, and finally end where 24 and 59 meet in N. Ga.  I know it would be hugely expensive, and the "not in my backyard" crowd would probably block it at every turn, but it would sure ease traffic around here.

Yup. I'm sure I made a lot of people happy, lol. But I never got to stamp it. Got laid off between completion and submittal. Figure THAT one out. 

I don't think there currently is the political will to pull that bypass off. Today, besides the NIMBY crowd are the environmental fascists. There would have to be an environment study where they crossed the river and every where there was a cattail or pickle-butted sapsucker (2 years for each study). Georgia would insist on a complete redesign of the I-24/I-59 interchange, so the Georgia Legislature would have to come up with money for that. Plus both state's Departments of Transportation would have to cooperate. And believe me, the Tennessee River/Georgia Border would come up during negotiations. Shoot, this crowd can't even pull off a redesign of the I-24/I-75 interchange in East Ridge. I guess it's going to take an 18-wheeler flipping a load of nuclear waste to get that done. And don't get me started on Bass Pro Shops. But I guess moving a front-loader full of dirt every week could be called progress. Nope, afraid I can't see that one happening anytime soon.

[BanditVol]

I was dating a young lady in Chat right around the time the revival got going (1997).  We used to go to the down town area and have some fun.  There was a piano bar I recall and a few other attractions.  Not sure when the revival started, but it was well along by then.

Some fond memories...

[73Volgrad]

I grew up in Sale Creek, 30 miles north of Chattanooga, in the 50s and 60s. Chattanooga was a dirty, backward, dead downtown then. I graduated from Hixson in 16 and could not wait to leave it behind. I know it has really changed since I left, but I only came back to visit my Momma.I my mind, Chattanooga will always be an afterthought because it was dead through my growing years. Downtown has completely changed thanks to local millionaires actually spending money building developments in conjunction with local government. There is a lot more old money there than in Knoxville or at least a lot more people willing to build rather than hoard money.

Speaking of Knoxville, who other than Clayton has investing in cultural buildings? The Haslams only give money to UT or to build a new Pilot every other block. Why don't the Haslam family build or invest in a new performing arts building downtown with the city?

After I left Chattanooga to attend UT in Knoxville, I never had the urge to ever live in Chattanooga again. My home is now with my wife, not where I grew up.

[BanditVol]

After I left Chattanooga to attend UT in Knoxville, I never had the urge to ever live in Chattanooga again. My home is now with my wife, not where I grew up.

I like your attitude.

My preacher has counseled literally hundreds of marriages (he is in his late 70s) and he often says from the pulpit that three things break up marriages more than anything else - money, in-laws, and sex.

I have seen prospective future in-laws just about ruin a promising relationship lately.