The reputation of Chattanooga (Knoxville, Gatlinburg: live, shoppers, to move)

[AnthonyJ34]

Originally Posted by shinestx

I've lived in the eastern end of the county for over ten years and have seen the traffic situation get worse by the week/month, especially in the past two years. Obviously the area is growing super fast now but another reason is that the county and city have serpentine boundaries. When it comes to planning infrastructure, they both are behind the curve. The county is stretched so far here as houses pop up all the way from the state line to Ooltewah and westward to Harrison, the lake. There's also too little cooperation between city/county. For example, East Brainerd Rd. needs connectors to other arteries, but it's not a priority for the city. The city limits run along East Brainerd Rd, but only the commercial fronting property for about 5 miles east from I 75. The county jurisdiction is a few hundred feet from the road once you go past about 3 miles. And that's where the fastest growth is hitting. Similar issues are happening in Hixson and Mountain Creek. IDK about Soddy, Middle Valley and points farther out.

TDOT is finally addressing the sheer volume of traffic at the I 75/I 24 junction as a result of two major Interstates converging just north of the state line. TDOT just works so slowly. However, I 24 will continue to be a major problem from Lookout Valley to the Ridgecut. The highway built in 1962 is old, outdated, too small, and always bottlenecks beside the river. The mountains surrounding the city make a by pass unfeasible. But TDOT hasn't addressed any of the growth issues. Chattanooga is a trucking hub too!!! Totally neglected, and that's why our traffic is so bad.

The UP side to this whole situation is that downtown is thriving with thousands of new residential apartments and retail establishments. I credit the traffic mess on the highways with making the core so much stronger. Also, when I go downtown I usually take 153 to Amnicola/Riverside to avoid the worst traffic bottlenecks.

I take my dog to the Ranch at Bonny Oaks canine daycare facility daily, and picking her up every late afternoon is a major hassle because of traffic. The facility closes at 6pm, so I have to be there no later than 5:45-ish or so, and oh my God, what a traffic mess it is anywhere near the facility. The Ranch is located between Hickory Valley RD and Volkswagen Drive — right off Bonny Oaks Drive — and I dread navigating that area in the late afternoons. It’s not as bad approaching the facility from the west, which enables me to make a right turn directly into the facility, but approaching from the direction of I-75 is a bear: not only is Bonny Oaks Drive always gridlocked, but approaching from that direction means that I have to make a left turn (across oncoming traffic) into the facility, and with all of the big rigs and tailgating, impatient drivers, it’s not for the faint of heart!

The worse option is to get stuck on Hickory Valley RD in the direction of Bonny Oaks Drive — doing that is like getting stuck in quicksand; traffic absolutely crawls at a snail’s pace going north on Hickory Valley RD. I’ve since learned my lesson and avoid that approach like the plague!

[shinestx]

Right! I'd recommend 153, especially now with lanes closed on I 75 around Exit 7. I don't get the TDOT management's decisions most of the time. Seems they close lanes when they could do it at evening hours and when the lanes are closed, I rarely see actual work being done. Plus, they take F 0 R E V E R!!!!! to build roads. You've noted a good example... Bonny Oaks has been slated for widening all the way between I 75 and 153 for at least 6 years now, and NOT A SINGLE SPADE of dirt has been turned yet.

[y8tiger]

I have always liked Chattanooga and thought that it is located in a very beautiful, scenic area. The city has enough attractions that keep me coming back for visits.

The major detractor is the I-24 from South Pittsburg to the I-75 interchange. I swear it feels as if it has been under construction since the 1980's and hasn't gotten any better. I dread driving through there and will go out of my way to avoid it.

I think one challenge in moving there would be deciding whether to live in Tennessee or across the State line in North Georgia.

I have the Tennessee Valley Railroad's Summerville Steam Special and the Chickamauga And Chattanooga National Military Park are top of my list for the near future.

[shinestx]

We also considered the GA vs TN decision and moved to TN; we haven't regretted it because the income taxes (unless you'll already be working in GA) and the construction you just lamented will be ongoing for at least 3 more years. Ringgold is a cute downtown, although not especially remarkable. Like all the towns surrounding Chattanooga, it is undergoing a significant influx of new residents. Generally the housing costs in GA are lower.

We moved to Ooltewah, and it's been great. We have easy access to I-75 in Georgia via Ooltewah-Ringgold Road (we get to Exit 345 in 12 minutes), the drawback has been the thousands of new homes being built along that state route. That will bring more traffic, but so far, the roundabouts have helped and waits at the lights are fairly standard. It will get more crowded, especially as you move toward Collegedale.

One of the things we enjoy is going to Cleveland on Saturday mornings to walk the square, get coffee and breakfast and decompress. It's a beautiful town and home of Lee University at the edge of downtown. It's only 15 minutes away. Downtown Chattanooga is 20-30 minutes away during rush hour, and from here we have an alternate route that avoids I-24. If you live in Georgia, you cannot avoid that stretch of construction on I-24. The schools are better here than closer in and in Georgia (although GA has some really good high schools), and all public schools are Hamilton County Department of Education.

Drawbacks of living here would be Exit 11 (Ooltewah) which gets quite congested if you're going to I-75. Many who live along Ooltewah-Ringgold use Exit 9 via Volkswagen Parkway/Apison Pike. Yes, there's lots of construction. If that turns you off, you may want to look west in Ooltewah, between I-75 and TN RT 58. There's also lakefront property in that area (Harrison) and west of there in Hixson, which you cannot find in GA. Of course, you can also go to Lookout Mountain which has areas on both GA and TN sides. The former is quite a bit less expensive than the TN side. Signal Mountain has more of a bucolic resort feel to it. The public schools there are among the best in the country, but Signal is a bit harder to get in/out of with only two routes; and one of those is very crooked ("W Road").

I think you'd love living in Chattanooga. Great and getting better all the time. The stretch of I-24 west of downtown is slated to be widened to 8 lanes in the next TDOT wave (2-4 years). Some of the preliminary work is already underway. When you want to just get out of town for a bit, Atlanta is less than 2 hours away and Nashville is a little more than 2 hours. We actually find ourselves going to Knoxville and the mountains. Love milling about downtown Knoxville on a pleasant weekend night. Such a nice city.

[jjbradleynyc]

Chattanooga is redeveloping this former riverfront manufacturing faciliity, into a dense live/work/play neighborhood.

Infrastructure construction is going on now, and the first phase of residential is slated to start in early 2023.

https://www.thebendchattanooga.com/

There's a super informative "FAQ" section at the bottom of the site's website.^

This is just a phenomenal urban renewal/redevelopment story, and cannot wait to visit there and view it once finished.

[GreggT]

Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc

Chattanooga is redeveloping this former riverfront manufacturing faciliity, into a dense live/work/play neighborhood.

Infrastructure construction is going on now, and the first phase of residential is slated to start in early 2023.

https://www.thebendchattanooga.com/

There's a super informative "FAQ" section at the bottom of the site's website.^

This is just a phenomenal urban renewal/redevelopment story, and cannot wait to visit there and view it once finished.

Downtown Chattanooga is amazing! Only issue is parking. They badly need a high rise lot or two.

[BlueRedTide]

Niiice, "The Bend" development looks phantasmal. It'll be cool if it had some towers to boost Chattanooga's skyline but that's ok

https://newschannel9.com/news/local/...-to-riverfront


perhaps we could get a "Chattanooga Development Thread" going one of these days

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by BlueRedTide

Niiice, "The Bend" development looks phantasmal. It'll be cool if it had some towers to boost Chattanooga's skyline but that's ok

https://newschannel9.com/news/local/...-to-riverfront


perhaps we could get a "Chattanooga Development Thread" going one of these days

Yeah, this development will completely transform that area, and will add to Chattanooga's embrace of the riverfront.

I'd like to see Chattanooga get a couple more buildings in the 15-25 story range. I think they will come, in time.

[PHofKS]

Some slides I made for another web site. The renders are from the developer's website.









There is a 20-story building proposed, so they say.

[Shakeesha]

Originally Posted by PHofKS

Some slides I made for another web site. The renders are from the developer's website.









There is a 20-story building proposed, so they say.

Thank you for this! I hope every bit of it gets built. Chattanooga needs this type of development.