Liberal Family Moving to Chattanooga (Murfreesboro, Signal Mountain: transplants, home, transfer)

[jkmewright]

Mary, we love our magnet schools so much parents will camp out for 2 weeks to get their child in lol Who's gonna be out there with me next year?

[Mary77]

Are you serious? You actually camp out outside the school for two weeks? That sounds ridiculous. Do you have to do it every year?

[jkmewright]

You're right, it is totally ridiculous. I "heard" that this might change but... It's for CSAS and CSLA and once your child is in, that's it. Well, you do have to do volunteer hours each year but no more camping. These are the only ones here that has this yearly camp out.

[Jon F Moss]

I'm camping out now as we speak....living in a tent on Old Dallas Road...in anticipation of the arrival of my unborn son.

[Hepmac]

Originally Posted by Rallison123

I'm moving my family to Chattanooga from DC and will be teaching at UTenn. We'd like to move to a neighborhood with the best schools and would prefer a more liberal community. We're also Jewish. It would be great if I could ride my bike to the University from our house, too. Your suggestions?

Congratulations on your teaching post. We relocated from Chicago three years ago, and found most of what you are seeking in our neighborhood in East Brainerd (EmeraldChattanooga.org). While it is a longer drive to UT, you can walk your kids to a highly regarded grade school (Westview Elementary) and a new middle school/high school which will be completed in 2009. You won't find that in most areas. There is a playground attached to the grade school, and a neighborhood pool. Hamilton Place Mall, and a number of doctor's offices are in the East Brainerd area, so it is a convenient area to live with kids. Many people relocate to this part of town, so neighbors are fairly open-minded to people from other cultures and religions.

I agree you might want to think twice about biking to UT ... there are some sketchy areas near the university. Other areas with great schools are Signal Mountain and Lookout Mountain, but they can be inconvenient since you have to drive down the mountains to find restaurants, shopping and everyday services.

Hope this helps.

[Jon F Moss]

I'm still camping out...can someone please bring some TP

[jkmewright]

I left some under the bushes behind the caretaker's shack...

[Jon F Moss]

danka

[Lola Getz]

I lived in Chattanooga for years, did a degree at UTC and had a child who attended Normal Park school, and I agree with what people say about that school. I liked North Chattanooga because a lot of UTC people lived around there and I like being around academic types, but I've lived in England for years and have no idea what it's like around there now. I lived not far from the UTC campus myself (although not in student dorms) because I simply enjoyed living nearby.

I'm not Jewish, but had Jewish friends in Chattanooga and remember it as having a thriving Jewish community so I don't think you'll have any problems there.

As far as finding other liberal types - well, it can be hit and miss. I grew up in Georgia but have a liberal worldview despite my upbringing (and it was a huge shock to me living here in England to discover that in America nowadays, the term "liberal" is often considered a dirty word). What I always did in my time in the south was try and get along on a superficial level with everyone regardless of their political/social viewpoints - because you pretty much have to and conservatives outnumber liberals by a large margin - but I actively sought out those who shared my politics and interests and avoided those I vehemently disagreed with. Being part of the academic community is a big plus for finding like-minded people.

Good luck to you in your new life down south.

[Jon F Moss]

I like a liberal helping of mashed potatoes around Thanksgiving.......does that qualify?