Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga is the fourth largest city in Tennessee. Located on the southeastern part of the state, it is the county seat of Hamilton County, though it sprawls to include part of Marion County. Chattanooga covers 143.2 sq mi (370.8 sq km) and has a population of 168,000 people (2011 estimate). The city is located on the Tennessee River, which includes Chickamauga Lake and Nickajack Lake, between the Appalachian Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau.

Chattanooga, Tennessee
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chattanooga,_Tennessee.jpg
Author: jay


Chattanooga experiences a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. July is the warmest month, when the average high temperature rises to 89.8°F (32.1°C). January is the coldest month, with average low temperature dropping to 29.9°F (-1.17°C). Precipitation is the highest in January, some in the form of snowfalls.

The name Chattanooga is said to come from Muskogen Native American, roughly meaning "dwelling place by the rock". According to 19th century Cherokee Chief John Ross (who spoke English as his first language), the w3ord comes from Cherokee meaning "the big catch (of fish)". It is not unique to the city, as there are a number of towns and natural features with that name in Oklahoma, Colorado and Georgia as well.

The Cherokee tribe of Native Americans were the inhabitants of the area before Europeans arrived. Chief John Ross and his followers settled there in 1816. He called it Ross's Landing. In 1838, the US government forced the Cherokees off the land, their journey becoming known as the Trail of Tears for the hardship and fatalities suffered enroute.

The town of Chattanooga was then incorporated that same year, 1938. Due to its riverside location, it benefited greatly from river commerce, and grew quickly. Then came the railroad in 1850, helping to further fuel Chattanooga's growth. The city saw fierce fighting during the American Civil War. After the war, the city continued to grow as a major railroad hub, which in turn sprawned a manufacturing base.

While the rest of the country succumbed to the Great Depression, Chattanooga continued to grow during the 1930s, earning itself the title of "Dynamo of Dixie". The flipside of the growth was high pollution emitted by the heavy industries in the area. By the 1970s the city was regarded as the most polluted in the country.

The song, Chattanooga Choo Choo, written in 1941 by Harry Warren with words by Mack Gordon, and popularized by Glenn Miller and his orchestra, describes the train (the Birmingham Special) traveling from New York City to Chattanooga, and helped popularize the city to the country and across the world.

Socioeconomic challenges began to affect Chattanooga from the 1980s, leading to de-industrialization, rise in unemployment and deterioration of city infrastructure. In recent years, the city is working hard to rebuilt its image and institute cleanups of its downtown and riverfront areas. In 2008, Volkswagen opened an assembly plant in the city, giving it a much-needed economic boost.

Visiting Chattanooga

Interstate 75, 24 and 58 all converge in Chattanooga. You can also fly to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, served by American Eagle, US Airways Express, Delta Connection Carriers and Allegiant Air, offering direct flights from Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Columbus, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Memphis, Orlando, Tampa Bay and Washington DC.

Places of Interest in Chattanooga

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.