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6 months ago I posted on city data asking for a few suggestions on where to move, as I'm selling my home. Well, my home has finally sold, and I have less than a month before I have to move.
After months and months of traveling and decision making, I've narrowed my potential relocation areas down to two (Asheville and Chattanooga).
As much as I like Asheville, I think Chattanooga may be the better choice for someone with a static income as it has a lower cost of living. Both seem like great choices, but I'm wondering what some of the locals think?
I wrote up a general pro/con list of each.
Asheville pros-
More hip
Better nightlife
Better food
Closer proximity to mountains
Asheville cons-
Expensive (well, moreso than Chattanooga. Still cheap compared to Jersey)
Isolated (Pro and con)
More touristy, so, I'm assuming over the future the cost of living will rise at a much faster rate than Chatt.
Chattanooga pros-
Incredibly affordable
Better outdoor activities (Arguably)
Bigger
Closer proximity to major cities
Great physical therapy major (My intended college direction)
Chattanooga cons-
Not AS pretty, but still pretty
Conservative
Crime (Though, I come from Philly. Something tells me this won't phase me very much).
From your list, it sounds like you have already narrowed it down to Chattanooga as the sensible choice. At least, if it were my list that's what I would think. But I don't know how much weight you put into the diff pros/cons. Ie, con-servativeness in Chatt or the isolation of Asheville. I guess if your major is most important, as it should be, that would trump all. And the affordability factor a close 2nd. You want a hip-fix, you can always jump into all that traffic & head down to Atlanta.
Whatever you go with, all the best to you!! The world is your oyster at 22!!!
From your list, it sounds like you have already narrowed it down to Chattanooga as the sensible choice. At least, if it were my list that's what I would think. But I don't know how much weight you put into the diff pros/cons. Ie, con-servativeness in Chatt or the isolation of Asheville. I guess if your major is most important, as it should be, that would trump all. And the affordability factor a close 2nd. You want a hip-fix, you can always jump into all that traffic & head down to Atlanta.
Whatever you go with, all the best to you!! The world is your oyster at 22!!!
The sensible adult in me tells me to head to Chattanooga, but the adventurer in me says Asheville. Actually, the adventurer in me says go to Savannah (So glad I visited Savannah), but I realize visiting that city and living there are entirely different.
I lived in Chattanooga for about 2 years in the mid to late 2000's. Currently reside in Greenville, SC which is about 75 minutes south of downtown Asheville. As Greenville is a "foothills" location, I have easy access to the mountains of NC and visit Asheville often. In fact, I've nearly moved to Western NC twice in the last decade.
Chattanooga's revitalized downtown is just incredible - it offers (among many others): TN Aquarium, Creative Discovery Museum, and several pedestrian bridges. Asheville has nothing like this - in fact, downtown Asheville is somewhat of a disappointment (considering all the hype/national exposure it gets).
Chattanooga's living expenses are much lower than Asheville/Western NC. Gas taxes are cheaper, no state income tax, no ad-valorem taxes, no "highway use" taxes, etc etc. TN sales taxes are higher at > 9%.
IMO, Chattanooga's aesthetic beauty is equal to Asheville's - however, Chattanooga's mountains (Signal, Lookout, etc) are just lower in elevation.
With the new Volkswagon plant and the giant Amazon.com distribution center, Chattanooga's economic outlook is much brighter than Asheville's. I'd compare it (Chattanooga) to the Upstate of SC (with BMW, Michelin, etc) once was 10-15 years ago. Additionally, several major companies have national headquarters in Chattanooga: Chattem, Unum, Covenant, Little Debbie (McKee Foods), USXpress, and others.
Crime is worse in Chattanooga - but, its pockets of crime are well delineated and easy to avoid.
Lastly, Chattanooga has incredibly easy access to Atlanta - I-75 South is THREE LANES ALL THE WAY TO ATLANTA (can't say that about the awful stretch of I-85 here to Atlanta).
I've considered many times moving back to the 'nooga but I have a decent job, nearby family, and Asheville is very accessible
Good luck to you!
Last edited by drfranklin; 03-19-2013 at 07:05 PM..
I lived in Chattanooga for about 2 years in the mid to late 2000's. Currently reside in Greenville, SC which is about 75 minutes south of downtown Asheville. As Greenville is a "foothills" location, I have easy access to the mountains of NC and visit Asheville often. In fact, I've nearly moved to Western NC twice in the last decade.
Chattanooga's revitalized downtown is just incredible - it offers (among many others): TN Aquarium, Creative Discovery Museum, and several pedestrian bridges. Asheville has nothing like this - in fact, downtown Asheville is somewhat of a disappointment (considering all the hype/national exposure it gets).
Chattanooga's living expenses are much lower than Asheville/Western NC. Gas taxes are cheaper, no state income tax, no ad-valorem taxes, no "highway use" taxes, etc etc. TN sales taxes are higher at > 9%. However, if one is in the middle to upper income brackets, TN is (overall) is much cheaper than NC.
IMO, Chattanooga's aesthetic beauty is equal to Asheville's - however, Chattanooga's mountains (Signal, Lookout, etc) are just lower in elevation.
With the new Volkswagon plant and the giant Amazon.com distribution center, Chattanooga's economic outlook is much brighter than Asheville's. I'd compare it (Chattanooga) to the Upstate of SC (with BMW, Michelin, etc) once was 10-15 years ago. Additionally, several major companies have national headquarters in Chattanooga: Chattem, Unum, Covenant, Little Debbie (McKee Foods), USXpress, and others.
Crime is worse in Chattanooga - but, its pockets of crime are well delineated and easy to avoid.
Lastly, Chattanooga has incredibly easy access to Atlanta - I-75 South is SIX LANES ALL THE WAY TO ATLANTA (can't say that about the awful stretch of I-85 here).
I've considered many times moving back to the 'nooga but I have a decent job, nearby family, and Asheville is very accessible
Good luck to you!
If you were a gambler, what would you expect the cost of living to rise by in Chatt? In 5 years? 10?
Beautiful place with good weather and lots of things to do, I'm surprised the cost is still this low. It seems as though Asheville gets all the attention. Perhaps the crime stigma actually makes Chatt better, in that it keeps the amount of transplants (Like me!) down?
I really appreciate the information. Again, I'm definitely leaning towards Chatt, but Asheville is definitely a pretty fantastic town as well.
I am from Asheville area and would seriously consider Chattanooga, if I liked it. It has a lot to offer a young person and you can always visit anywhere you want from there.
To say it another way, if WNC weren't my home and that of my ancestors I would consider Chatt if I were weighing relocation.
I grew up in Chattanooga and now live in Asheville so I know both cities very well. They are both great cities to choose from and I think you and the above comments are right on the mark. I think I will eventually make it back to chattanooga as that's where most of my friends and family are but its going to be tough to leave WNC. The two cities are actually fairly close to each other but are separated by the widest and most rugged portion of the Appalachian mtn chain which makes for a long drive.
The only thing I can add is the difference in climate. The summertime heat and humidity is the main reason I give to choosing Asheville over Chattanooga, but my career is also a reason. I also like the fact that Asheville generally sees more snow. I really like the wintertime in Chattanooga too though.
Its a tough choice but take comfort in that there is not a right or wrong decision because they are both excellent places to live.
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