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Knoxville #9 on "Hottest Cities" list from Expansion Management


Rural King

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Expansion Management Magazine has released their yearly ranking of the "Top 50" hottest cities for business expansion, and Knoxville came in #9!!! Very good news for the city and the state. Tennessee ended up with 4 cities in the Top 50, 3 of them in the top 10! Nashville #1, Memphis #7, Knoxville #9, and Jackson #42.

Tennessee is definately showing that it and its cities are business friendly and competative.

Maybe next year we can get another city or two on the list! Chattanooga, Cleveland, or one of the Tri-Cities maybe?

Source Article:

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/smo/new...leid=17012&st=3

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Cleveland is so new to metro land it might be a while before we see them mentioned in articles like best city for expansion.

Congrats to all the Tennessee Cities recognized by the article, every bit of publicity helps.

Maybe after Chattanooga gets their exit and road built over into Enterprise South they can get their economic wheels turning at an article making notable rate.

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Cleveland is so new to metro land it might be a while before we see them mentioned in articles like best city for expansion.

Congrats to all the Tennessee Cities recognized by the article, every bit of publicity helps.

Maybe after Chattanooga gets their exit and road built over into Enterprise South they can get their economic wheels turning at an article making notable rate.

Chattanooga is very capable of joining the list. Landing more projects at Enterprise South and hopefully that big auto assembly plant will help. However, the city needs to actively recruit corporate relocations better. The city has so much to offer, and most people who come here and get to know the city better, become big boosters for Chattanooga. I think Chattanooga needs to study what Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville have done to be so successful in attracting corporate relocations and aggressively adopt their tactics. If Chattanooga does that, it WILL join the list, and that success will spill over and attract businesses to surrounding cities as well such as Cleveland and Dalton.

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I dont think it will be long before Chattanooga joins the list. As many businesses discover Tennessee, they will uncover the jewel of the SE part of the state.

Glad to see their is starting to be a good response to the E TN forum now too. I dont get over here as much but like to see the growth you all have going on..

Lets see if we can get some of those Tri-City folks involved now.

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^ Yeah, I like walking around downtown Knoxville, its much more impressive in person.

If you have ever driving through Knoxville on I-40 at night, it looks awesome...you can really see just how big and dense the city really is...all of the pictures I have seen make it look like a small town with only a few buidlings...

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I agree with eveyone, I see no reason for Chattanooga not making the list in the future. It has all the potential of the other 3 of the "Big 4" IMO, if not a little more due to its natural environment and location nearer Atlanta.

I always loved Chattanooga. Even in what the media has termed the "bad days"--late 60's/early 70's--I thought it was a great town. I had a college room-mate from Chattanooga--he lived on Missionary Ridge--and we'd go skinny dipping in South Chikamauga Creek, someplace locally known as the blue pool, up north of the city. Also, there were some caves a few miles away down around Tifton GA that we'd go exploring and camping in.

Any Chattanoogans ever head over to the Sequatchie Valley over the ridge? It's got to be one of the prettiest spots in the state. A few years ago, I drove the length of the valley all the way up to Crossville. Really stunning. I've heard too that the Sequatchie Valley is one of the nation's leading hang gliding spots.

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Whoa, too much information. ;)

But yeah, Chattanooga is definately seeing a great turnaround, and I see it being in the list next year.

But about Knoxville, congratulations. Knoxville doesn't have a great image, and I'm sure a number 9 position in the Hottest Cities for Expansion and Relocation list will boost its image.

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Any Chattanoogans ever head over to the Sequatchie Valley over the ridge? It's got to be one of the prettiest spots in the state. A few years ago, I drove the length of the valley all the way up to Crossville. Really stunning. I've heard too that the Sequatchie Valley is one of the nation's leading hang gliding spots.

I went over into the valley just this weekend, after taking a drive up over Signal Mountain and looking at the winter wonderland (3 to 4 inches of snow) that was up there. The valley is truly one of the prettiest places I've seen. Dunlap claims to be a major hang gliding center. The main take off point is about 4 miles east of town up on top of Signal Mountain.

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It is utterly beautiful. Of course, any time of the year through there is (I imagine) a sight to behold. I went had to be one of (if not) the peak time(s) to go through there. It was in late April and the blossoms were on the trees and the whole valley was awash in spring colors. It's really a canyon, right? (I've heard it's the northern continuation of Cloudland Canyon).

Anyway, it was the first time I'd ever been through there (I hadn't even heard of it), and my wife (fiancee then) and I were headed up to Cumberland Mountain State Park for a weekend. Wow, just about every twist and turn of the highway had another view that made me just gawk the whole way... good thing Paula was driving.

It's hard to get to, but quite worth it.

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Funny thing too... I was reading a magazine in my dentist's office today, and there was an article on Dunlap. It's apparently an up and coming location for lots of rich Floridians and Northerners to retire. They've started buying up vast amounts of undisturbed land. I read that there are conservation covenants there. Some of the houses that were photographed were absolutely stunning. They mentioned that they average 3000 sq. ft., but they are done so well that they blend in with their setting.

It did mention too that it's the "Hang Gliding Capital of the East".... so if that's your bag, then you can do that all day. As for me, no thanks.

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It is utterly beautiful. Of course, any time of the year through there is (I imagine) a sight to behold. I went had to be one of (if not) the peak time(s) to go through there. It was in late April and the blossoms were on the trees and the whole valley was awash in spring colors. It's really a canyon, right? (I've heard it's the northern continuation of Cloudland Canyon).

I think it is considered a 'rift valley'. It runs straight up the middle of the Cumberland plateau and is 1000' + deep and about 5 to 8 miles across. It makes a perfect rift with the Sequatchie River flowing down the middle. It seems to cross the Tennessee River and go into Alabama, although I've never seen the Alabama section.

It is beautiful and there are some towns with so much development potential. Pikeville would be an incredible town if they preserved and upgraded the original buildings and resist and reduce sprawl. Perhaps the new settlers will bring the prosperity and forward thinking required to bring this about.

Edit; Well OK, maybe it's not a rift valley. I ought to read my links before posting.

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It did mention too that it's the "Hang Gliding Capital of the East".... so if that's your bag, then you can do that all day. As for me, no thanks.

There's a sign in Dunlap making that claim of being the "Hang Gliding Capital of the East." In this area there is another huge hang gliding spot on top of Lookout Mountain. I've heard them claim the same title. I guess if you want to hang glide, the Chattanooga area has several places to choose from.

If I were retiring, I've have to consider Dunlap a very attractive option. The place is truly beautiful as all have stated, it's a short drive from Chattanooga, and it secluded. No chance of urban sprawl in this area.

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Yeah, it's funny everyone talking about how that area is becoming a retirement center. When I was there in 1996 and drove through Pikeville, I mentioned to my wife that this would be a nice spot for that sort of thing. I just hope the area doesn't get ruined with McMansions if rich yankees and Floridians are moving in.

I'd settle for a little old farmhouse and an acre or so up against one of the ridges.

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I just hope the area doesn't get ruined with McMansions if rich yankees and Floridians are moving in.

From the article, I gather that there are very strict codes on new houses. In fact, many of them are built of rough hewn logs. Apparently, they are prohibited from clear cutting for development.

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From the article, I gather that there are very strict codes on new houses. In fact, many of them are built of rough hewn logs. Apparently, they are prohibited from clear cutting for development.

That's good to hear. Some places end up developing themselves out of what made them attractive in the first place.

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