City Showdown: Chattanooga vs. Greenville

[showtime21]

I vote for Chattanooga because of a place called Aretha Frankinstein that has the waffle of insane greatness that is still on my mind...

[g-man430]

Definitely have to go with Greenville on this one even though i have been to both cities. It just seems like Greenville has more economic development and more projects for their downtown area than Chattanooga does.

[motonenterprises]

Definitely have to go with Greenville on this one even though i have been to both cities.  It just seems like Greenville has more economic development and more projects for their downtown area than Chattanooga does.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Greenville does, there is no doubt about it. In 10 more years this poll want even be close once the towers are built, etc.

[goodbye]

I don't remember which one I voted for, but I personally love Greenville more since it is my hometown. Chattanooga has a lot going for it and is a very beautiful city as well, but one of the greatest treasures about Greenville is that it is still being discovered by U.S. citizens. I can't say the same for people coming in from around the World, because on the Global stage, Greenville is very well known. BTW, this isn't an opinion alone - check the stats.

[Hankster]

I used to live in Asheville, NC and now live in Chattanooga. I became familiar with Greenville while I lived in Asheville about 20 years ago. At that time Greenville was a nice town, with not too much of a downtown, and not too much going on in the central business district. It sounds like a lot has changed in the past few years, and a lot of you are excited about the changes. I need to try to visit your area again and see the changes.

I've only been living for about 3 years in Chattanooga, and I love it. Few cities have as much natural beauty as Chattanooga. There is considerable construction going on here. Electric Power Board has a beautiful nine story office building under construction downtown right now. The 21st century waterfront project has recently been completed costing $120 million. It is absolutely gorgeous, with fountains, waterfalls, meeting areas, sculptures galore, and a $35 million addition the the Tennessee aquarium. The aquarium has become a major tourist destination, and is one of the finest in the country. The downtown area is vibrant, and there is always something happening there. There are scores of excellent restaurants, bars, and clubs there. There are two theaters downtown, including an IMAX theater. There is an outstanding Childrens museum, and the Hunter Museum is spectacular. That museum completed a multi-million dollar expansion this year, and it is spectacular. Sitting on a bluff over the Tennessee river, the expansion is a beautiful eclectic design of metalic shapes. Construction is getting ready to begin this fall on a $100 million corporate headquarters building downtown as well. The downtown area is filled with numerous buildings with outstanding architecture. The skyline today is considerably denser, and contains many more high rises than Greenville(check Emporis). There are several condo projects under construction right now in the downtown area, bringing more residents to that area, and several buildings are being rebuilt and being turned into downtown condos. Chattanooga has recently constructed Enterprise Park South. This is a mega industrial site, and the city is actively pursueing a large automotive assembly plant. Rumor has it that Kia may choose to build there.

In my opinion Chattanooga is far and away the better of the two cities being compared today. Greenville may be catching up, but it still has quite a way to go.

[MAJIKMAN]

I vote for Chattanooga because of a place called Aretha Frankinstein that has the waffle of insane greatness that is still on my mind...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have to admit. That is one sweeeeeet place.

[GvilleSC]

In my opinion Chattanooga is far and away the better of the two cities being compared today.  Greenville may be catching up, but it still has quite a way to go.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's pretty bold of you to make such assertions when you've been gone for such a long time. And I respect them, we all have opinions... but I seriously think you should come visit. Downtown has changed SO much. You'd be left wondering if it was the same city.

[MAJIKMAN]

I used to live in Asheville, NC and now live in Chattanooga.  I became familiar with Greenville while I lived in Asheville about 20 years ago.  At that time Greenville was a nice town, with not too much of a downtown, and not too much going on in the central business district.  It sounds like a lot has changed in the past few years, and a lot of you are excited about the changes.  I need to try to visit your area again and see the changes. 

I've only been living for about 3 years in Chattanooga, and I love it.  Few cities have as much natural beauty as Chattanooga.  There is considerable construction going on here.  Electric Power Board has a beautiful nine story office building under construction downtown right now.  The 21st century waterfront project has recently been completed costing $120 million.  It is absolutely gorgeous, with  fountains, waterfalls, meeting areas, sculptures galore, and a $35 million addition the the Tennessee aquarium.  The aquarium has become a major tourist destination, and is one of the finest in the country.  The downtown area is vibrant, and there is always something happening there.  There are scores of excellent restaurants, bars, and clubs there.  There are two theaters downtown, including an IMAX theater.  There is an outstanding Childrens museum, and the Hunter Museum is spectacular.  That museum completed a multi-million dollar expansion this year, and it is spectacular.  Sitting on a bluff over the Tennessee river, the expansion is a beautiful eclectic design of metalic shapes.  Construction is getting ready to begin this fall on a $100 million corporate headquarters building downtown as well.  The downtown area is filled with numerous buildings with outstanding architecture.  The skyline today is considerably denser, and contains many more high rises than Greenville(check Emporis).  There are several condo projects under construction right now in the downtown area, bringing more residents to that area, and several buildings are being rebuilt and being turned into downtown condos.  Chattanooga has recently constructed Enterprise Park South.  This is a mega industrial site, and the city is actively pursueing a large automotive assembly plant.  Rumor has it that Kia may choose to build there.

In my opinion Chattanooga is far and away the better of the two cities being compared today.  Greenville may be catching up, but it still has quite a way to go.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How can you make that assumption when you just said that you had not been in the area (that's Greenville for the slow ones) in 20 years. Now chattanooga do have a denser feel. But Greenville could be that way to if we shoved all the buildings we have into 10 city blocks. But see we would need more than that.

And the fact that you are stating one industrial site and one building. Shows you have not been to Greenville Lately. I don't which Greenville you've been to. And don't forget. I've been to Chat-town. I know what it's like. Recently.

[Hankster]

How can you make that assumption when you just said that you had not been in the area (that's Greenville for the slow ones) in 20 years. Now chattanooga do have a denser feel. But Greenville could be that way to if we shoved all the buildings we have into 10 city blocks. But see we would need more than that.

And the fact that you are stating one industrial site and one building. Shows you have not been to Greenville Lately. I don't which Greenville you've been to. And don't forget. I've been to Chat-town. I know what it's like. Recently.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Your lack of density is one of the things I don't care for. I'm hoping that the new development your having will help that. I suggest you reread my post. There's a lot of development going on here. The greatergreenville.com website lists a total commercial investment of $181,007,985 in 2004 (new construction permits - single family homes + single family permits - renovations & repairs + new construction permits - multi-family hames + commercial construction permits + commercial permits - renovations & additions). I don't have tha comparable number for Chattanooga in 2004, but total commercial investment in Chattanooga totaled $282 million in 1999 and $300 million in 2000. I get the feeling many in Greenville think that Chattanooga is just standing still. That simply is NOT the case.

[motonenterprises]

Its not that we feel it is standing still, we just know that there is a lot going on here. Place like BMW, Hitachi, Michelin,etc. have choose Greenville for a reason. There is sooo much foreign investment going on and I am sure Chat. can't touch that.

[Rural King]

Chattanooga has an industrial mega-site that is being looked at for a car plant (Audi I think?), that would be a big boon for the city. Let it not be forgotten that Chattanooga used to be a big industrial center, but those industries shutdown or downsized years ago, which is one reason Chattanooga is just now re-emerging as more important regional city. Alot of that re-emergance comes from its diversification of its economy into tourism and commerical industries.

Greenville though is a great example though of a city that has done a great job of recruiting industry. Most cities, even larger ones, would be very inveous of its track record.

I have never been to Greenville, so I can't compare the two.

Whats up with the Greenville vs. everywhere threads though?

[krazeeboi]

Your lack of density is one of the things I don't care for.  I'm hoping that the new development your having will help that.  I suggest you reread my post.  There's a lot of development going on here.  The greatergreenville.com website lists a total commercial investment of $181,007,985 in 2004 (new construction permits - single family homes  +  single family permits - renovations & repairs  +  new construction permits - multi-family hames  +  commercial construction permits  +  commercial permits - renovations & additions).  I don't have tha comparable number for Chattanooga in 2004, but total commercial investment in Chattanooga totaled $282 million in 1999 and $300 million in 2000.  I get the feeling many in Greenville think that Chattanooga is just standing still.  That simply is NOT the case.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, that's certainly good to know. It would be such a shame for a place as scenic as Chattanooga to not have anything going on in the way of economic/urban development.

[krazeeboi]

Whats up with the Greenville vs. everywhere threads though?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Greenville. vs. Augusta thread was started waaaay back when; someone recently gave it a "bump."

I started this one because in some respects, from what I've seen, it seems as though I would get a similar feel from both cities, so I just wanted to know how the two matched up.

And the Greenville vs. Knoxville thread is a recent one too. I think it's somewhat of a queer comparison though. I think Knoxville is more comparable to Columbia than to Greenville.

Plus, we get sick of hearing about Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, and Nashville all the time on the Southern USA forum. Let some other cities have some of the shine!

[MAJIKMAN]

I have no gripe with Chat-town. I love the town myself. But not enough to live there. But it's still nice. The natural beauty, it's pleasant atmosphere, its nice

people. Its when we start these vs. threads everyone begins to get defensive. Yes every city has its drawbacks. Here in Greenville we have Bob Jones, Transportation, Annexation. Boy, don't let me get started on that. Chat-town's is basically diversification. And to tell you truth both cities are trying to correct those

problem. Well we can't really do anything about Bob Jones and Annexation. Not in the forseeable future anyway. So once again I have no gripe with Chat-town.

[MAJIKMAN]

I have no gripe with Chat-town. I love the town myself. But not enough to live there. But it's still nice. The natural beauty, it's pleasant atmosphere, its nice

people. Its when we start these vs. threads everyone begins to get defensive. Yes every city has its drawbacks. Here in Greenville we have Bob Jones, Transportation, and Annexation. Boy, don't let me get started on that. Chat-town's is basically diversification. And to tell you truth both cities are trying to correct those problem. Well we can't really do anything about Bob Jones and Annexation. Not in the forseeable future anyway. So once again I have no gripe with Chat-town.

[basket1058]

Going to Furman I can attest to the good vibe that Greenville has going for itself such as a great new park and a myriad of developments few southern cities of its size can attest to. As for Chattanooga I don't know much about it but I plan on heading up there next week so maybe I can get a couple of photos for some comparison so i'll reserve my judgement on the two cities after I come back form the trip. Despite the good perception of both of these cities its seems that Chattanooga blows Greenville out of the water when it comes to press coverage I seem to hear far more of Chattanooga's success story and comeback (most especially of there aquarium) than I do of Greenville's. Does anyone else see this kind of coverage disparity or is is just all in my head.

[krazeeboi]

I don't really see any more coverage of one over the other nationally; or maybe it's just that because I'm from SC, I'm just used to hearing about Greenville, at least on a regional level. I know Turner South will be on their way to Greenville soon as part of the little tour they have going on. The only Tennessee city this tour covers is Knoxville. My perception so far is that Chattanooga wins in the category of natural beauty and downtown revitalization, whereas Greenville is winning in the category of economic development and is also experiencing a downtown renaissance.

[EDPro]

I have often heard (and repeated myself) that in the Southeastern US, the best downtown revitalization stories are 1. Chattanooga, 2. Greenville, 3. Roanoke, Va.

Notice I say "revitalization", so this list does not include Savannah or Charleston as they, arguably, have always have vibrant downtowns. Don't know enough about Chattanooga's overall economic climate to make other comparisons.

[Hankster]

Going to Furman I can attest to the good vibe that Greenville has going for itself such as a great new park and a myriad of developments few southern cities of its size can attest to. As for Chattanooga I don't know much about it but I plan on heading up there next week    so maybe I can get a couple of photos for some comparison so i'll reserve my judgement on the two cities after I come back form the trip. Despite the good perception of both of these cities its seems that Chattanooga blows Greenville out of the water when it comes to press coverage I seem to hear far more of Chattanooga's success story and comeback (most especially of there aquarium) than I do of Greenville's. Does anyone else see this kind of coverage disparity or is is just all in my head.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We welcome you up here. I think you'll have a great time. Take a close look at our new waterfront downtown, and the beautiful downtown architecture. We have a number of excellent art deco buildings. It is also true that quite a few cities have sent teams to study what Chattanooga has done and help them determine the best ways to revive their downtowns.

[jmanhsv]

^Huntsville was one of those cities. We stole quite a few ideas from Chattanooga's downtown and used them to jump-start our downtown.

Despite the good perception of both of these cities its seems that Chattanooga blows Greenville out of the water when it comes to press coverage I seem to hear far more of Chattanooga's success story and comeback (most especially of there aquarium) than I do of Greenville's. Does anyone else see this kind of coverage disparity or is is just all in my head.

Chattanooga is in the paper about once a week here. When Huntsville has a problem, The Huntsville Times always writes an article about what Chattanooga did to solve it, like garbage pickup, downtown, public transit, etc.

[DruidCity]

No offense to Greenville, but Chattanooga has this one easily for me.

"Greenville though is a great example though of a city that has done a great job of recruiting industry."

My sentiments exactly. Chattanooga "wins" for tourism & Greenville "wins" for economic development.

Since I'm not looking for a job in either city, I side with the one that has more for visitors .

[g-man430]

I'll have to go with Greenville on this one seeing how it seems to have a bigger feel than Chattanooga. Also with all of the new development like Verdae and ICAR going on around the area and with a better looking downtown than Chattanooga i'll have to choose this city.

[RestedTraveler]

For those that aren't very familiar with one of these two cities (or either city), here are some Photo Tours of each:

• Chattanooga

• Greenville

[Hankster]

For those of you who may think there is way more development going on in Greeneville, I havde a few posts for you. Note that all the development that is to be listed is in the downtown area only. There is much more to follow:

Possibly no city in the South has experienced a rebirth of their downtown area since the beginning of this century as Chattanooga. The following is a comprehensive list of completed projects in the downtown Chattanooga area since 2000. Much of Chattanooga's growth recently has been concentrated in the downtown area, much more so than in other Southeastern cities. As a result, Chattanooga is often cited as a model for development for other cities across the nation, and even the world. Following this thread, I will have another thread listing the many downtown projects that are currently under construction. Enjoy!

201 Broad Sreet - A mixed Use office and retail development of the former Coca-Cola bottling plant. In this project the Tortilla Factory Restaurant opened in 2000, the Marriott Hotel opened in 2001, the Mellow Mushroom Restaurant in 2002, and the East Seafood Company in 2004.

401 Building - $10 Million revitalization of a 1960's era office building complete 2005

First Volunteer Bank - 14,000 Sq. Ft addition complete 2002

Market Center Building - 40,000 Sq Ft Class A Office building complete 2001

Warehouse Row - Turn of Century warehouse building converted to 25 outlet stores complete 2001

1603 Williams Street - 8 Rental Units complete 2001

1808 Cowart St - 1904 apartment building restored with 11 units in 2001

1st and Market -$4.5 Million luxury condominium complex across from the aquarium complete 2004

Cowart Place - Single family detached housing complete 2001

Crabtree Condos - $3 Million mixed use with 9 flats and 5 townhomes plus retail space on lower level complete 2000

Loveman's on Market - Refurbishishment of 180,000 Sq Ft. historic building. Commercial space on ground floor plus 40 condos and 2 penthouses in 6 story structure. Started 2001.

St. John's Development - Restoration of an historic hotel into 14,000 Sq Ft retail and 15 apartments on upper floos. Complete 2004

Brown and Battle Academies - Two neighborhood based magnet elementary schools opened 2002

Siskin's Childrens Institute - 64,000 Sq Ft facility opened 2001

Chattanooga Convention Center Expansion - Nearly tripling of size from 110,000 Sq Ft to 288,000 Sq Ft facility in 2002

[Hankster]

Here's a continuance of the list of completed project in downtown Chattanooga during the period 2000 to 2005. Following this post, I will have another post listing the many downtown projects that are currently under construction. Enjoy!

Courtyard by Marriott - 120 Room, 7 story hotel in 2001

Hilton Garden Inn - 94 Room, 6 story hotel in 2001

Sheraton Read House - $11 Million Upgrade to 10 story hotel, and two new restaurants completed 2004

The Chattanoogan - $43 Million, 210,000 Sq Ft conferencing center featuring 202 guest rooms, restaurant, bar and retail

Bell South Park - State of the Art, 6,157 seat minor league ballpark for Class AA Cincinnati Red farm team complete 2000

Hunter Museum - $20 Million addition built as part of the $120 Million 21st Century Waterfront project complete in 2005

Tennessee Aquarium - $30 Million addition also built as part of the $120 Million 21st Century Waterfront project completed in 2005. Picture below shows aerial view of Aquarium and new waterfront

17 Street Landscaping - Complete 2004

3rd and 4th Street Improvements - Complete 2003

Development Research Center - New home for City of Chattanooga development related projects completed in 2001

Market Street Redesign - Complete 2003

Riverfront Parkway Redesign - Complete 2004

City Council Building - Old jail converted to 15,000 Sq Ft city council building in 2000

Hamilton County Courthouse Renovation - $5.4 Million project complete in 2005

Sanctuary Skate Park - ESPN regulation skatepark and in-line hockey arena complete 2000