To go to a Community Profile of Chattanooga click here.

19. Who are the major employers in Chattanooga?

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1. What are the advantages of living in Chattanooga?

With a metropolitan population of 492,000, Chattanooga blends "Big City" amenities with "Small Town" ease of living. Area residents enjoy the friendly atmosphere, moderate housing costs, and easy commuting typically associated with smaller communities, but Chattanooga's cultural and recreational opportunities rival those in much larger metropolitan areas. For more click here.

This will be in the continued section: Add to these assets a downtown recently rejuvenated by a $120 million waterfront transformation and the area’s breathtaking natural beauty and you have one of the nation’s most livable cities with much to offer people from all walks of life.

Dubbed the Can-Do Community, Chattanooga has benefited from a remarkable sense of community spirit and a process of public-private partnerships that have transformed the city into a gracious place to live, a regional tourism center and a leader in community redevelopment that has brought Chattanooga recognition in scores of national publications.

Indeed, its achievements over the past two decades earned Chattanooga a Parade Magazine cover story and inclusion in an Utne Reader report on the "Ten Most Enlightened Towns in America" -- not to mention U.S. News and World Report's designation as one of the smartest cities in the world.

Business Advantages

When international site selection consultants, the Wadley-Donovan Group, completed a recent locational audit of Chattanooga, they identified a number of key strategic reasons for locating businesses in the region. The Wadley-Donovan Group highlighted Chattanooga's location, infrastructure, workforce, institutions of higher learning, water supply, and quality of life. They concluded that Chattanooga is an excellent location for a wide range of businesses including mobile entrepreneurs, distribution and transportation companies, high-end office operations, food processing, and manufacturing.

Tourism

The Chattanooga Convention and Trade Center is booked by groups who return to the city year after year for a good time and a great facility that has recently been expanded. Public entities and private citizens worked together to build the 20,000-seat Max Finley Stadium completed in 1998.

The city and county have developed an extensive greenway system which includes several miles of constructed riverwalk beginning downtown and meandering through the historic art district and several parks. The city supports a downtown shuttle fleet of zero-emission electric buses - manufactured here in Chattanooga - for commuters and visitors wishing to park-and-ride.

Attractions such as the Tennessee Aquarium, Lookout Mountain, Civil War battlefield sites, and the African American Museum, bring thousands of people to the area, as do events like the Riverbend Festival, Hunter Museum of American Art, the Creative Discovery Museum for children, and the Southern Writers Conference. Chattanooga is the home of NCAA Division I-AA national football championships and hosts the national softball championships every year.

People who love the out-of-doors use Chattanooga as a base for hang-gliding, bass fishing, mountain climbing and caving expeditions; the verdant Smoky Mountains and Tennessee River watershed support the greatest variety of flora of any area in the United States.

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2. What is the population of Chattanooga?

154,000 in the city with a metropolitan population of almost 500,000. Link to community profile.

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3. Where is Chattanooga located?

Chattanooga is located within two to three hours’ drive of Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville and Birmingham. Link to map

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4. What is the climate?

Average annual temperature is 60.3 degrees. Average annual rainfall is 53.4 inches. Average snowfall is 4.8 inches. Link to climate.

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5. What are some Chattanooga landmarks?

Lookout Mountain, The Tennessee Aquarium, The Chattanooga Choo-Choo, The Walnut Street Bridge, Missionary Ridge, the Chattanooga-Chickamauga Civil War Battlefield. Link to other attractions.

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6. What are the milestones in Chattanooga’s history?

Link to City of Chattanooga history.

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7. What is the contact information for the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, the Better Business Bureau, Convention and Visitors Center, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library?

City: 423-425-6311, www.chattanooga.gov; County: 423-209-6117, www.hamiltontn.gov; BBB: 423-266-6144, www.chattanooga.bbb.org; CVB: 423-756-8687, 1-800-322-3344,chattanoogafun.com; Library: 423-757-5310, http://www.lib.chattanooga.gov

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8. What are the tax rates for area residents?

Property Tax Rates 2006

Chattanooga City Rate -- $2.202 per $100 of assessed value.
Hamilton County Rate -- $3.154 per $100 of assessed value. Industrial and commercial real property is assessed at 40 % of value.
Tennessee Income Tax
Personal: None
Excise: 6.5%
State: 7.0 %
Local: 2.25 %
Total: 9.25%

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9. What are the local utility companies and their contacts?

Chattanooga EPB (Electric Power Board) 423-756-2706
Chattanooga Gas Company 800-427-5463
Tennessee-American Water Company 866-736-6420
Telephone—See Chamber website "Business Directory" for list of companies: www.chattanoogachamber.com

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10. How does the cost of living in Chattanooga compare to that of other cities?

Chattanooga’s cost of living in all items, in food and in housing are below the national average.

ACCRA Cost of Living

City State Chattanooga, TN  Huntsville, AL  Lexington, KY  Jackson, MS  Atlanta, GA

All Items 90.5 92.5 95.0 95.5 97.2

Food 96.6 94.7 90.7 92.6 98.9

Housing 82.4 81.3 89.6 90.1 91.3

All Items Food Housing

The ACCRA Cost of Living Index measures relative price levels for
consumer goods and services in participating areas. The national average
is 100. The index does not measure inflation.

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11. What is the median sale price of homes in Chattanooga?

0-2 Bedroom House 3 Bedroom House 4 + Bedroom House Condo/Co-op

$83,000 $130,750 $214,000 $145,000

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12. What is the average monthly rent in Chattanooga?

$696 for a two-bedroom, one-and-one-half bath.

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13. Where can I get information about the Hamilton County public school system?

423-209-8400, http://www.hcde.org

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14. What private schools are located in Chattanooga?

Private Schools
Baylor School
Bright School
Collegedale Academy
Girls Preparatory School
McCallie School
Notre Dame High School

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15. What colleges and universities are located in Chattanooga?

Technical Schools
Miller-Motte Technical College
Northwest Technical Institute

Colleges & Universities
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Chattanooga State Community College
Bryan College, (423) 775-2041
Cleveland State Community College
Covenant College
Dalton State College
Lee University
Southern Adventist University
Tennessee Temple University
Tennessee Technology Center
Tennessee Wesleyan College

Graduate Schools
Psychological Studies Institute (PSI)

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16. Where can I find information of interest to seniors and retirees?

Visit www.chattanoogaseniorcare.com.

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17. How do I get help starting a business in Chattanooga?

Information for entrepreneurs and small business startup.  Click Here>>

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18. What types of industry are located in Chattanooga?

Chattanooga was featured in the spring 2006 issue of Southern Business & Development magazine as one of the "Top 10 Southern Mid-Markets with Highly Diverse Economies." Food and beverage, insurance, medical equipment and device manufacturers, automotive assembly, commercial equipment manufacturers, as well as next-generation manufacturing operations, including smart appliances and nanofibers are among the local industries.

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19. Who are the major employers in Chattanooga?

Major Employers
click here for full list

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee	4,998
Hamilton County Department of Education	4,362
Erlanger Health System	3,841
Tennessee Valley Authority	3,429
McKee Foods Corporation	3,200
Memorial Health Care System	2,891
Unum	2,800
City of Chattanooga	2,311
CIGNA HealthCare	1,953
Pilgrim's Pride Corporation	1,850
Hamilton County Government	1,743
Convergys	1,500
Roper Corporation	1,077
Astec Industries	1,317
Parkridge Medical Center	1,106
U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc.	1,031
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga	1,029
Hutcheson Medical Center	907
T-Mobile	792
Shaw Industries	750
Orange Grove Center Inc.	727
United States Postal Service	719
Kenco Group	650
Koch Foods, LLC	590
Chattanooga State Technical Community College	571
Alstom Power - Boiler Retrofits	549
Covenant Transport	534
BI-LO, Inc.	521
Propex, Inc.	509

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