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Would you say Chattanooga is a Big city or what?

sunrisese

By sunrisese
in Chattanooga and Knoxville

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Justiceham Hamlet

Justiceham

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^Thanks, it's a start. I don't think Chattanooga is a big city, the metro is not even in the million category yet. I consider a big city to have atleast 2 million in its metro, so neither Nashville nor Memphis fits this category (yet). The traffic is bad but doesn't come close to the crawl between Nashville and Murfreesboro. Chattanooga has big city amenities and makes cities much larger look like small towns when it comes to their proactive city leaders. The city is taking many steps in the right direction. It's still kind of surprising that no highrises (20+) have been proposed.

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flith Hamlet

flith

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^Thanks, it's a start. I don't think Chattanooga is a big city, the metro is not even in the million category yet. I consider a big city to have atleast 2 million in its metro, so neither Nashville nor Memphis fits this category (yet). The traffic is bad but doesn't come close to the crawl between Nashville and Murfreesboro. Chattanooga has big city amenities and makes cities much larger look like small towns when it comes to their proactive city leaders. The city is taking many steps in the right direction. It's still kind of surprising that no highrises (20+) have been proposed.
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MidTenn1 Town

MidTenn1

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I appreciate your opinion. Thanks.

I think Chattanooga is the perfect sized city for me, and I'm glad it's growing at only a moderate rate that will allow it to grow the infrastructure adequately. It not really big, IMO. I'd call it a moderate sized city with a bigger "feel" than some other cities it's size. Yes, we have traffic jams, but compared to Atlanta they're not bad at all. Still we have most of everything Atlanta has to offer without near the headaches. Chattanooga has a vibrant, growing downtown area that is the equal of many larger cities. Having been a relatively large city for a long time, Chattanooga offers more diverse options than other cities of equal size. I hope to see the city continue to grow at a moderate pace, and I hope that our city fathers plan well to cope with that growth. If that happens, I'll be one "happy camper."

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Hankster Town

Hankster

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I agree. I have spent the last three days in Chattanooga on business meeting with people from all over the country. While we were meeting out near Shallowford Road, I did convince them to come downtown and eat at 'Sticky Fingers'. They were genuinely overwhelmed at what is happening there. I could almost see the preconceived, stereotypical notions about a Tennessee small town dissolve right in front of me.

After the dinner and a post dinner stroll, all the Californians, Northern Virginians, Bostonians, and others were sincere in their praise for what a great City Chattanooga is. I am always glad to take a stroll downtown myself, when I visit. There is always something new to see ( I discovered the incline elevator on a side street).

So to answer the question, how big is it? Early in the 20th century, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville were all similiar sizes. Yet Chattanooga's growth stalled after that, while Knoxville grew slowly and Nashville, after a few false starts, grew very fast. As a consequence, Nashville has torn down much of its finer buildings and replaced them with the modernist glass boxes of the 70's. So Chattanooga preserved by default, the charm and scale of the older town. Now they are building, not to replace, but to complement what they have. Chattanooga's downtown is big, not tall. It stretches 15 to 20 blocks and is filled with grand structures, very few of which are unused. If you stand on the corner of MLK and Broad, you do feel in many ways, like you are in a big City.

In 20 years, I see a Chattanooga that could be in a league with Savannah and Charleston to some extent, as a City built for people, if the current progressive leadership is continued. It may not be crowded with high rises or auto plants. Chattanooga's main industry will be Chattanooga. A strong statement, I know, but the proximity to Atlanta and Nashville puts it in a good spot as a place to raise a family will telecommuting (or commuting by high speed rail) to either City.

I hope I'm around to see that happen.

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flith Hamlet

flith

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So to answer the question, how big is it? Early in the 20th century, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville were all similiar sizes. Yet Chattanooga's growth stalled after that, while Knoxville grew slowly and Nashville, after a few false starts, grew very fast. As a consequence, Nashville has torn down much of its finer buildings and replaced them with the modernist glass boxes of the 70's. So Chattanooga preserved by default, the charm and scale of the older town. Now they are building, not to replace, but to complement what they have. Chattanooga's downtown is big, not tall. It stretches 15 to 20 blocks and is filled with grand structures, very few of which are unused. If you stand on the corner of MLK and Broad, you do feel in many ways, like you are in a big City.

In 20 years, I see a Chattanooga that could be in a league with Savannah and Charleston to some extent, as a City built for people, if the current progressive leadership is continued. It may not be crowded with high rises or auto plants. Chattanooga's main industry will be Chattanooga. A strong statement, I know, but the proximity to Atlanta and Nashville puts it in a good spot as a place to raise a family will telecommuting (or commuting by high speed rail) to either City.

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TennBear Hamlet

TennBear

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I will tell you that I have always liked Chattanooga. For a city that is as small as it is, it is very cosmopolitan. The downtown is very vibrant and attracts natives and tourists. The talk of traffic is valid. Chattanooga has a limited number of areas to make it through the surrounding ridges and mountains that force all the traffic onto a handful of roads. Those same ridges and mountains are some of the same things that make Chattanooga one of the most attractive cities in the eastern half of the country. I think that with the fact that it is more compact than most cities in the South that it could manage to suppport a Light Rail system more easily than most others. Place parking lots at strategic locations and have them be able to speed through Missionary Ridge and get out faster than the Interstate would allow would be a plus. It could help to tie UTC more closely into downtown too. Big City maybe not, but a very nice one.

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thanner Unincorporated Area

thanner

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Of course Chattanooga is not a big city. I live in Nashville and it's not "big;" I don't know much about Memphis but it really doesn't seem to fit that bill either.

When I think of "big" cities, I think of the top ten nationally: NYC, LA, Chicago, Philly, Houston, etc.

But I consider a lot more than population when I think of the "big" cities. I think of mass transit (aside from buses), the arts scene, colleges, corporate headquarters, and even shopping. None of the cities in Tennessee even approach the energy of our closest "big" neighbor, Atlanta.

By the way, I don't want to sound negative. Just because we're not "big" doesn't mean we're not great places to live. Most of what makes Nashville fun to me can't be measured by population or number of Barnes and Nobles (we only have two, by the way). I'm sure the same could be said for Chattanooga.

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Hankster Town

Hankster

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Of course Chattanooga is not a big city. I live in Nashville and it's not "big;" I don't know much about Memphis but it really doesn't seem to fit that bill either.

When I think of "big" cities, I think of the top ten nationally: NYC, LA, Chicago, Philly, Houston, etc.

But I consider a lot more than population when I think of the "big" cities. I think of mass transit (aside from buses), the arts scene, colleges, corporate headquarters, and even shopping. None of the cities in Tennessee even approach the energy of our closest "big" neighbor, Atlanta.

By the way, I don't want to sound negative. Just because we're not "big" doesn't mean we're not great places to live. Most of what makes Nashville fun to me can't be measured by population or number of Barnes and Nobles (we only have two, by the way). I'm sure the same could be said for Chattanooga.

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Tennesseestorm Whistle-Stop

Tennesseestorm

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I guess a "big city" depends on what other city you compare it to. Around here, Bristol is a big city when compared to the other small cities around the metro area. Metro population is around 200,000 (estimated), so to some small cities about 40 miles out with populations less than 1000, it seems large. :)

I think of Chattanooga as a big city.... not huge, but its still fairly large in my opinions.

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