City Showdown: Chattanooga vs. Greenville

[krazeeboi]

Which city do you prefer and why?

Consider such factors as economic and urban development, quality of life, cultural/entertainment options, etc.

[ironchapman]

Chattanooga because it has more things to do there.

[cheeriokid61]

Chattanooga. It makes a great daytrip from where I live. Plus the city is centrally located to several cities like Nashville, Atlanta, Birmingham, and Knoxville. It's also near some great little weekend getaways in the Smoky Mountains.

Chattanooga is a great place to live if you're looking for a little city with big city amenities.

[RestedTraveler]

Greenville, Hands-Down.

It's the Axis of I-85, centrally located between Atlanta and Charlotte.

It's the Economic Hub of Upstate South Carolina with BMW and Michelin leading the way.

And talk about big-city culture and amenities wrapped in a small town package....Greenville's got it: Visual Arts; Performing Arts; Hundreds and Hundreds of Acres of Urban Parks; a Thriving Music Scene; a Bustling Nightlife; and LOTS of Festivals (Artisphere, Red White and Blue, Fall for Greenville, etc.).

Of course, there's shopping too: Botiques, Antiques, and Mainstream National Chain Retail, all existing side-by-side.

Not to mention the various state parks and outdoor activities just a few miles to the north in and around the Blue Ridge Escarpment: Camping; Hiking; Mountain Biking; Kayaking and other White Water thrills; etc.

Finally, there are the educational opportunities that exist and are coming: Clemson University; Furman University; Bob Jones University; USC Upstate and the University Center; and the Clemson Graduate School for Automotive Research at ICAR that is being developed.

Oh yea....GREENVILLE ROCKS!!!! B)

[krazeeboi]

I think that the momentum in Greenville right now is virtually unparalleled by any other cities its size in the South right now--or possibly even the nation.

[satalac]

i'm not that familiar with greenville, so i voted for the one i was more familiar. i've always felt that chattanooga is an excellent city for families and outdoor lovers. there are tons of things to do there, such at white water rafting, the excellent riverfront downtown, the aquarium, beautiful hiking areas, hang gliding, rock climbing, etc..... but i'm not going to let my ignorance cloud my judgement of greenville though. i'd love to learn more about it.

[Spartan]

Greenville, Hands-Down.

It's the Axis of I-85, centrally located between Atlanta and Charlotte.

It's the Economic Hub of Upstate South Carolina with BMW and Michelin leading the way.

And talk about big-city culture and amenities wrapped in a small town package....Greenville's got it:  Visual Arts; Performing Arts; Hundreds and Hundreds of Acres of Urban Parks; a Thriving Music Scene; a Bustling Nightlife; and LOTS of Festivals (Artisphere, Red White and Blue, Fall for Greenville, etc.).

Of course, there's shopping too:  Botiques, Antiques, and Mainstream National Chain Retail, all existing side-by-side.

Not to mention the various state parks and outdoor activities just a few miles to the north in and around the Blue Ridge Escarpment:  Camping; Hiking; Mountain Biking; Kayaking and other White Water thrills; etc.

Finally, there are the educational opportunities that exist and are coming:  Clemson University; Furman University; Bob Jones University; and the Clemson Graduate School for Automotive Research at ICAR that is being developed.

Oh yea....GREENVILLE ROCKS!!!!  B)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If youre going to give Greenville Clemson, then you have to include USC Upstate

I don't know much about Chattanooga. I hear good things though. Can anyone provide some info on what Chattanooga has going on to enhance iteslf?

[krazeeboi]

I do know that Chattanooga's natural setting is pretty awesome. Although Greenville's is nothing to sneeze at, what I've seen of Chattanooga, I'd give it the edge in that category. But as far as economic and urban development? I think Greenville wins that one.

[cosmoboy]

If youre going to give Greenville Clemson, then you have to include USC Upstate

I don't know much about Chattanooga. I hear good things though. Can anyone provide some info on what Chattanooga has going on to enhance iteslf?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well...Chattanooga has a train museum, and a tow truck museum? As somebody else mentioned you can take day trips to the Mountains and even go down to Atlanta for a day if you wanted to.

[krazeeboi]

I think both cities are pretty accessible to larger-sized cities, as well as the mountains. Greenvillians often venture up to Asheville for entertainment and recreational purposes. Greenville is a little closer to the coast, though.

[cosmoboy]

Oh and I really can't see how Greenville has so many "nice" hotels there like Hyatt, Westin and Raddison. I guess because of Beamer and ol' Frenchy Tire Company. I guess they demand higher!

[krazeeboi]

Well, when you have a substantial international business presence (U.S. headquarters of BMW, Michelin, and Dunlop Slazenger Corp.) and the most engineers per capita of any other county in the United States, I'd say that the "nice" hotels are indeed warranted.

[RestedTraveler]

Oh and I really can't see how Greenville has so many "nice" hotels there like Hyatt, Westin and Raddison. I guess because of Beamer and ol' Frenchy Tire Company. I guess they demand higher!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Considering the geographical location of these hotels vs. that of "Beamer" and "ol' Frenchy Tire Company," I doubt they get much business due to the two. There is far much more business and international business in Greenville than just those two companies.

[jmanhsv]

Chattanooga is Huntsville's "rival" city (everything one city does, the other city wants to do the same exact thing), but I voted for it anyway. The one time I went to Greenville, I was surprised how much sprawl there was for a city of 55,000.

@ krazeeboi- Are you sure about that claim that Greenville has the "most engineers per capita than any other county in the US"? I live in a county than can easily contest that claim.

[cosmoboy]

Considering the geographical location of these hotels vs. that of "Beamer" and "ol' Frenchy Tire Company," I doubt they get much business due to the two.  There is far much more business and international business in Greenville than just those two companies.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

oh yeah, i definitely know that

[GvilleSC]

Chattanooga is Huntsville's "rival" city (everything one city does, the other city wants to do the same exact thing), but I voted for it anyway. The one time I went to Greenville, I was surprised how much sprawl there was for a city of 55,000.

Dont let the numbers fool you. Greater Greenville is a lot bigger. It's not 56,000 that is sprawled. It's the 400,000+ of Greenville County.

A few things about Greenville:

*Crime in the city limits is extremely low.

*The quality of life in the city has a high standard that the city hold itself accountable to.

*Great location. We can just as easily drive to Atlanta, Charlotte, Columbia or Asheville. (so i don't know why Atlanta is a plus for Chattanooga, because we aren't cut-off from there.?)

[krazeeboi]

Chattanooga is Huntsville's "rival" city (everything one city does, the other city wants to do the same exact thing), but I voted for it anyway. The one time I went to Greenville, I was surprised how much sprawl there was for a city of 55,000.

@ krazeeboi- Are you sure about that claim that Greenville has the "most engineers per capita than any other county in the US"? I live in a county than can easily contest that claim.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I do know that Huntsville has a substantial amount of engineers in the county. At one time that statement was certainly true of Greenville; not really sure how the city ranks today, but the number of engineers per capita is pretty high in the county.

[RestedTraveler]

If youre going to give Greenville Clemson, then you have to include USC Upstate

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Edited to claim USC Upstate, too! :-) Clemson's slightly closer though...and with the Grad School making such a presence here, it seemed more appropriate. However, you're right...USC Spartanburg did change their name to expand their presence in the Upstate to include Greenville and others. Good point! :-)

[zed]

I like Chattanooga in many ways but I can't offer unqualified praise. It has a great natural setting in the shadow of Lookout Mountain (see seven states from its summit :-) which is accessible either by road or inclined railroad. The city itself is located on the Tennessee River and features a waterfront aquarium and a slowly rebounding downtown. There is a university (UT Chattanooga) and a AA minor league team with a nice new stadium. Someone already pointed out the nearby Smoky Mountains, but Chattanooga has other recreation options like a number of TVA lakes (such as Nickajack Lake) and a very prominent and gorgeous Civil War battlefield (Chickamauga). Cheesy tourist gimmicks like Rock City and Ruby Falls are also located there. Also don't forget the national cornbread festival in nearby South Pittsburg :-)

The downside of the town is that it's heyday was in the era of heavy industry which has been in decline throughout the USA. Steel production was once big in Chattanooga but that is now gone. There is still a rather large foundry in town (visible from I-24), which while still operating, is visually unappealing. The city was also a major railroad hub but that is not the economic driver it used to be. My perception is the city is still struggling to find an economic base besides its traditional heavy industries. Pollution and economic stagnation have visited the city frequently over the past 30-40 years. The worst of this decline has past but I'm still not sure of the city's present economic options.

[GSP Tiger]

Chattanooga and Greenville are great places to be. Chattanooga has a very rich history with trains and railroads, Rock City, Ruby Falls, and perhaps the largest freshwater aquarium in the southeast. Greenville has transistioned from a textile center to an international business and engineering hub. Both cities do have something in common, Bi-Lo.

[krazeeboi]

Zed, that was a great, objective summary of Chattanooga's strengths and weaknesses. It is obviously a very scenic place, but I was also trying to get a feel of the city from an economic/industrial standpoint, and you provided that. What exactly is the city doing to carve out some sort of economic niche for itself? How does it plan to attract new industries to the area?

Greenville's economic base has already been summarized. As for urban development, the city is on a roll. How is Chattanooga making progress in this area? Here's a (partial) list of high/midrise developments in the works for the city:

The Pinnacle on Main

13 stories

The Camperdown Condominiums

12 stories

Main at McBee

7 stories

RiverPlace Office

12 stories

Federal Courthouse

12 stories

Keystone Properties, LLC Office Building

12 stories

The Tower at Falls and Broad

20 stories

The Terrace at RiverPlace condos

The RiverPlace project will have five condo buildings:

And this Hampton Inn coming to DT Greenville will be one of the coolest I've ever seen:

That's really only a sampling of various projects approved/under construction in DT Greenville. You also have the minor league baseball stadium under construction in downtown, a couple of other residential projects, the Hubbell Lighting HQ, and some other stuff I'm forgetting.

[Hybrid0NE]

The one time I went to Greenville, I was surprised how much sprawl there was for a city of 55,000.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The sandlappers in Columbia and Charleston like to refer to it (and it's partners in crime) as the blob that ate North SC. I haven't been to Chattanooga but Greenville does have it's perks being located between Atlanta and Bankhole, NC.

[MAJIKMAN]

[MAJIKMAN]

I can admit. When I was there. I can say it was nice. But like the old saying goes.

Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

[socaguy]

DT Greenville will have a dense little area once all of those projects are complete. Its amazing about all the development. I live in the Greenville metro but tend to like Chattanooga a little better. After all of these projects are finished in G-ville though, I might change my mind.