Chattanooga, Tennessee - The Scenic City

Chattanooga has received national recognition for the renaissance of its beautiful downtown and redevelopment of its riverfront. It boasts the most productive affordable housing program in the nation, and is notable for leveraging development funds through public and private partnerships. Chattanooga was one of the first US cities to effectively use a citizen visioning process to set specific long-range goals to enrich the lives of its residents and visitors.

Chattanooga Facts

Name

The name Chattanooga, adopted by the city in 1838, comes from the Native-American word "Chatanuga" that was once used to refer to Lookout Mountain.

The Cherokee translation of the word means "mountains looking at each other", referring to Signal Mountain and Lookout Mountain, which face each other across the Tennessee ravine. Translated from the Creek language, it means "rock coming to a point", which refers to Lookout Mountain.

Location

Chattanooga is located in Southeast Tennessee near the border of Georgia and Alabama at the intersection of three major highways: I-24, I-75, and I-59. Situated in the heart of the Tennessee River Valley, it is surrounded by the Southern Appalachian Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau.

Chattanooga is within 140 miles of Nashville, Atlanta, Knoxville, Huntsville, and Birmingham. Additionally, over 12 million people live within 150 miles of Chattanooga, and nearly one third of the major U.S. markets and the nation's population are within one day's drive.

Demographics

• Chattanooga is the 4th largest city in Tennessee.
• The population of the city of Chattanooga is 155,582.
• The county seat is Hamilton County.
• The population of Hamilton County is 311,178.
• The population of the Chattanooga Metropolitan Statistical Area is 471,511.
• Chattanooga (Hamilton County) is located in the Eastern Time Zone.
  Counties to the west of Chattanooga are located in the Central Time Zone.
• Altitude Above Sea Level:
  - Chattanooga:  675 feet
  - Missionary Ridge:  1,128 feet
  - Signal Mountain:  1,800 feet
  - Lookout Mountain:  2,391 feet.

Climate

According to the National Weather Climatic Data Center, "Chattanooga has a moderate climate, characterized by cool winters and quite warm summers."

Annual averages for Chattanooga:

• Temperature: 60.3°F
• Rainfall: 53.46 inches.
• Snowfall: 4.8 inches.
• Relative humidity: 72%.