Forbes Magazine Says Technology
Makes Chattanooga Great Place for Business

Forbes magazine pinpoints technology as a pillar of Chattanooga’s rebirth while summarizing the city’s renaissance in its April Best Places feature. The article describes support from the UT SimCenter for nano-fiber manufacturer eSPIN Technologies and points out that Smart Furniture takes orders over the Internet, selling office and home furniture the way Dell sells computers. Forbes writes: “The tide started to turn at the water's edge. For two decades, beginning in 1985, the city worked to clean up a blighted 13-mile industrial corridor along the Tennessee River. ...Acres once dotted with radiator, tire and bottling plants were transformed at a cost of $120 million into parkland. Over $2 billion has been invested in downtown development,...and the Tennessee Aquarium, home to the world's largest freshwater tank.”

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Forbes Magazine

Chattanooga Among National Geographic's 50 Next Great Towns

Chattanooga Among National Geographic's 50 Next Great Towns
The September 2008 issue of National Geographic's Adventure magazine includes Chattanooga among the "50 Next Great Towns" for living and playing. "A change of address can bring instant gratification," the feature article begins. "You could wake up tomorrow in Missoula and kayak off your own deck at down, sneak in singletrack at lunch in Chattanooga or choose your own adventure in any one of the country's best base camps.  But a move is a long-term investment. So this year we selected 50 innovative towns that aren't just prime relocation spots right now but smart choices for the future." The salute to Chattanooga is from Cathi Cannon, an athlete and graphic designer, who likes the easy access to off-road racing, camaraderie with other sports enthusiasts and a thriving community. The article includes a photograph of two outdoors buffs carrying their kayaks down the bank of the Tennessee River.

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National Geographic's 50 Next Great Towns

MSN Money Calls Chattanooga a "New Hot Retirement Spot"

In the June 12 edition of MSN Money, reporter Suzanne McGee examines non-traditional destinations for the next generation of retirees: the high-energy baby boomers. According to McGee, "...the stereotypically sedate retirement lifestyle is making way for a new set of retirement hotspots. So goodbye, Florida, and hello, Chattanooga...where the amenities include hiking and biking trails, an aquarium and a thriving local arts scene."

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The New Hot Retirement Spots

Outside Magazine: Chattanooga No. 2 on Best Towns to Live List

Outside magazine is the latest publication to cheer for Chattanooga to its readership. The cover story of the August 2008 issue calls Chattanooga one of the 20 Best Towns in America and ranks the Scenic City No. 2 on its list, second only to Washington, D.C. The profile summarizes the city’s renaissance in the 1990s, its revitalized downtown and the many opportunities -- from boating to trad climbing -- in the great outdoors.

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The 20 Best Towns in America

Buying a Low-Priced Home in Chattanooga Makes Sense, According to MSN Money

Chattanooga is among an MSN Money list of 66 cities where buying a low-priced home makes sense. The report says that despite falling house prices, people are much better off in many parts of the country to buy a low-priced home instead of rent, according to new data compiled by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Center for Economic and Policy Research. In four years, equity in a low-priced home bought in Chattanooga with a six percent loan would amount to over $41,000, the report says.

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66 Cities Where Buying Makes Sense

Chattanooga is Third-Best Place to Live in U.S.

Chattanooga is one of America’s best places to live, according to a 2008 listing by RelocateAmerica.com. Nominated for its rich culture, beautiful landscapes and business opportunities, Chattanooga landed a third-place ranking—topping cities like Seattle, WA, Asheville, NC and Albuquerque, NM. Each year, RelocateAmerica—an online source of community and real estate information—compiles a list of the Top 100 places to live in the U.S., according to statistics and feedback from the people who live in the nominated cities.

To read the press release, click on
RelocateAmerica.com Top 100

Greenwire Profiles Chattanooga's Role in Atomic Energy Sector

Greenwire reported in April that Chattanooga is poised for a nuclear power renaissance. One of the country’s leading information sources for coverage of environmental and energy policy, Greenwire cites the city's history as an atomic pioneer, two major recent nuclear industry expansions (Alstom and Westinghouse)and asserts that both Chattanooga and its surrounding geographical region have "logistical advantages for a revitalized nuclear power sector that few other areas can match." Reporter Daniel Cusick also points out other renewable energy investments in Chattanooga, including three major wind power development companies and the SimCenter, a UT research institute dedicated to alternative-fuel vehicles.

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Greenwire

Chattanooga Still Booms During Economic Slowdown According to Christian Science Monitor

Amid concern that the US economy is slipping and sliding into a recession, the Christian Science Monitor places Chattanooga among the states and cities expected to continue to grow. With a more diverse economic mix than in previous recessions, the article says, Chattanooga is no longer hit hard by economic downturns; it shrugs them off. In virtually all cases, those areas of growth mentioned in the article appear to have avoided the huge run-up in housing prices and subsequent collapse, though having the right industries or resources were also listed as contributing factors.

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Christian Science Monitor (Larger File)
Christian Science Monitor (Smaller File)

USA Today Says Buyers "Get a Lot of House for Their Money" in Chattanooga

People who move to Chattanooga from other parts of the country are finding they can get a lot of house for their money, according to a recent article by USA Today. Despite the recent nation-wide turmoil in the housing market, 2007 was Chattanooga's third best year ever for home sales. The story also notes that not only are home prices reasonable; there's no state income tax in Tennessee. In addition, the city is centrally located near Atlanta, Knoxville, Nashville and Birmingham.

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USA Today

Retirement Lifestyles: "11 Great Places to Retire in the South"

Chattanooga was named one of the Top 11 Southern Retirement Towns in the February/March 2007 issue of Retirement Lifestyles, a 10-year-old magazine that highlights locations, communities and lifestyles for prospective retirees across the U.S.

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Retirement Lifestyles February/March 2007

Atlantic Southeast: "Riverwalk Visionary"

The January/February 2007 issue of Atlantic Southeast Magazine features Chattanooga's Riverwalk, highlighting Bobby Davenport Jr.'s involvement in its history and future. The article praises the entire community’s involvement and philanthropy in making this project a success.

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Atlantic Southeast January/February 2007

The Wall Street Journal: "Revitalizing Communities with Culture"

A December 2, 2006 special section of The Wall Street Journal describes how U.S. cities, including Chattanooga, are benefiting from the expansion of arts and cultural venues.

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The Wall Street Journal December 2, 2006

h Magazine: "Thriving by Design"

"Thriving by Design," a six-page article in the 2006 annual report issue of h magazine, a publication of The Heinz Foundation, offers an overview of Chattanooga’s downtown revitalization. The story grew out of a visit here last October by a delegation from Pittsburgh, interested in how Chattanooga’s transformation became a national success story for civic design and community development. Says h: A decade ago, Chattanooga officials took a cue from Pittsburgh on how to revive a community hard hit by industrial decline. Now Pittsburgh civic leaders are getting tips from Chattanooga on how to revive a downtown."

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h Magazine - 2006 Annual Report Issue

EPA's This Is Smart Growth features Chattanooga

Chattanooga’s riverfront revitalization and Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise are featured in This is Smart Growth, a new publication from the International City/County Management Association and the Smart Growth Network which is supported with funding from the EPA. The Chattanooga community is one of 40 from around the country selected for inclusion because of success in rejuvenating the waterfront into a destination for tourists and residents and for creating affordable neighborhoods for low-income residents.

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This Is Smart Growth

The New York Times: "Chattanooga is Tennessee's Undiscovered Gem"
September 13, 2006

Chattanooga was in the spotlight in the New York Times this week with a salute as the featured 36 Hours Escape destination for the paper’s September 13 online edition. “Not too small and not too big, Chattanooga is really the undiscovered gem of Tennessee, where old-school Southern manners and grand Victirian mansions meet a thoroughly modern, eco-friendly Tennessee riverfront” is how writer Harold Goldberg launched his glowing piece on the Can Do City. During his 36-hour tour of Chattanooga Goldberg carries readers from Ross’s Landing to Rhythm & Brews, from the Bea’s Restaurant to the African American Museum, from the Hunter Museum to the Chattanooga Choo Choo.

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NYT September 13, 2006

Parade: "Good Schools Can Happen"
August 27, 2006

The cover story of the August 27 issue of Parade magazine features Chattanooga, along with five other communities, that have made outstanding progress in improving their public schools. The article, titled "Good Schools Can Happen," focuses on Chattanooga’s success at demanding and acquiring better teachers. The article cites the Public Education Foundation, the Urban League, the Chattanooga Bar Association and community volunteers, among others, for supporting and engendering high-performing teachers. Other communities making sure their children receive a quality education, according to Parade, are Long Beach, CA,; Cleveland Heights, OH; Bridgeport, CT; and Mobile, AL.

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Parade August 27, 2006

The Manufacturer: "Ford Fights Back"
August, 2005

The August issue of The Manufacturer magazine features an interview with Ford Motor Company chief Bill Ford and excerpts from his keynote address at the Chamber's Spirit of Innovation Awards luncheon. "I don't want to compete with Toyota; I want to win," Ford said at the luncheon. "I'm sick of playing defense. We're going on the offense." Ford noted in his speech that quality cars are now coming from all over the world. The real differentiation today, he said, is innovation.

The article describes Ford's efforts to revive his company's position in the automotive industry and his vision for the 21st century. The article also describes Ford's ties to Chattanooga and the Kruesi Award for innovation through inventor Thomas Edison, a fitting tie for Ford who stated in his speech that "innovation is the central element of our strategic plans for the future."

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The Manufacturer August 2005

Urban Land: "Reviving Cities"
July, 2005
The July 2005 issue of Urban Land magazine likened Chattanooga's successful riverfront revival to that of Baltimore, San Antonio and New Orleans. The article describes how Chattanooga is among a handful of cities across the nation that has "stimulated economic growth by rediscovering and promoting their more permanent assets like riverfronts and educational institutions." The article explains how Chattanooga's Vision 2000, set forth in 1985 with strong public involvement, and former Mayor Bob Corker's bold 21st Century Waterfront Plan have brought people and excitement back into the city.

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Urban Land July 2005

Food Logistics: "Southern Comfort"
Summer, 2005
The summer 2005 issue of Food Logistics magazine highlights Chattanooga in its top ten regions for locating a food and beverage distribution center. The article describes how Chattanooga's proximity to major U.S. markets, access to some 70 transportation carriers, and manufacturing heritage make the city an ideal location for food and beverage manufacturers. "The area is undergoing a renaissance, transforming itself from its bustling industrialized past into a cosmopolitan city with amenities matching those of large metro centers throughout the country."

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Food Logistics Summer 2005

Foreign Direct Investment: "US Cities and States of the Future 2005/06"
June/July, 2005
Chattanooga won "Most Cost-Effective" city in Foreign Direct Investment magazine's US Cities and States of the Future 2005-06 awards. The Scenic City also won second place for "Best Promotion Strategy" for efforts to market Chattanooga as an ideal place to do business. The magazine citation termed Chattanooga's rental and salary rates "extremely attractive" to business owners and said that the city's workers possess a solid work ethic, job turnover is low and employee dedication is high. The award for "Best Promotion Strategy" was based on the Chamber's Tell the World! job growth campaign. The four-year marketing and business recruitment effort to grow 20,000 jobs by 2007 resulted from a private-public investment of $9 million.

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Foreign Direct Investment June/July 2005

USA Today: "Chattanooga: A Riverfront Transformed"
June, 2005
USA Today is among several news media that have highlighted the projects in Chattanooga’s riverfront transformation. The article that appeared in a June 2005 issue of USA Today describes Chattanooga’s rebirth as the Scenic City and the completion of the $120 million redevelopment of the Tennessee River waterfront. The article describes the major projects of the riverfront project including expansions of the Tennessee Aquarium, Hunter Museum, and Creative Discovery Museum and the addition of the River Pier and The Passage.

Quoted in the article is former Mayor Bob Corker who envisioned the riverfront project and secured its funding. "I don't know of a community in America that could come together the way ours has," Corker said. "We have this vital urban area that has been transformed and all these God-given amenities around us."

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USA Today June 2005

Real Estate Forum: "Deals and Dealmakers"
June, 2005
With the majority of the 21st Century Waterfront completed and garnering national attention, Chattanooga’s plans to draw commercial and residential activity into the city are being brought to the attention of real estate executives nationwide in the June 2005 issue of Real Estate Forum magazine. The article explains how the $144 million in housing developments, including 400 condominiums and 200 rental apartments, will ultimately be occupied by a broad range of residents with various income levels. Also featured in the article are the completed waterfront projects, Enterprise South Industrial Park and the coming groundbreaking on the $200 million BlueCross BlueShield campus.

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Real Estate Forum June 2005

Native Peoples: "Coming Full Circle"
July/August, 2005
One of Chattanooga’s newest waterfront additions "The Passage" is highlighted in the July/August issue of Native Peoples. Writer Daniel Gibson describes the symbolic return of the Cherokee people to Chattanooga as represented by "the largest outdoor work of art created by Southeastern Native peoples in the past 1,000 years," according to the article. Also featured is the day-long celebration of Cherokee heritage and arts that followed the dedication of The Passage, including the lighting of braziers at Ross’s Landing by the chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and the chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokees.

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Native Peoples July/August 2005

Building: "A River Runs through It"
April/May, 2005
The 21st Century Waterfront Plan received international praise in the April/May issue of Building magazine. The magazine describes the waterfront transformation as a model formula for cities wanting to lure residents and businesses downtown. The article details former Mayor Bob Corker's efforts to reconnect Chattanooga with its riverfront, the Chamber's involvement in bringing the city's manufacturing heritage into the 21st Century, and plans for a BlueCross BlueShield campus on Cameron Hill. Building, a Canadian publication, reaches an audience of Canadian businesspeople and manufacturers who are increasingly looking to our region as an opportunity for investment. The article resulted from a press tour of Chattanooga hosted by the Chamber.
 
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Building April/May 2005

Minorities and Women in Business: "Chattanooga Renaissance"
April/May, 2005
Chattanooga’s renaissance and the role of business in the city’s rebirth are featured in the cover story of the April/May issue of Minorities and Women in Business (MWIB) magazine. The article focuses on entrepreneurs in the Chamber-managed Business Development Center (BDC) but also highlights women and minorities that are leading businesses outside the BDC. "Chattanooga has remade itself through strategic partnerships, generation of new businesses and community involvement," writer Charles DuPree says in the story. MWIB magazine provides its 60,000 subscribers with information on business opportunities and the latest on new products and services from companies across the country.

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Minorities and Women in Business April/May 2005

Inc. "Getting Started. Get Out of the House"
May, 2004
Once again the world is looking to Chattanooga and another of its largely successful entrepreneurs. The May, 2004 edition of Inc. magazine features the first tenant at Enterprise South Industrial Park in Chattanooga, Jayesh Doshi, CEO of eSpin Technologies. The article focuses on when and how a company should buy its first office space. The story highlights eSpin’s experience of going from an incubator environment at the Chamber-managed Business Development Center to an office space environment.

"…The incubator was an ideal place for him (Doshi) to launch his business because it offered the flexibility to grow – an advantage that Doshi did not soon forget. After six months of looking, he found a 40,000-square-foot facility that he felt he could afford and signed a five-year lease. … 'The building sits on 10 acres of land,’ he says, ‘So we’ll have the ability to expand.’"

AAA Going Places: "Take a Look at Tennessee"
January/February, 2004
Chattanooga figures prominently in this two-page invitation to explore the Volunteer State. In fact, all but two of the seven photographs illustrating the piece are shots of Chattanooga. The article, which covers Memphis, Pigeon Forge and Knoxville, closes with Chattanooga, thus saving the best until last.

"Follow the Tennessee River south and you’ll happen upon unassuming Chattanooga. Known as the "Gateway to the Deep South" more than a century ago, Chattanooga has remade itself to become the belle of the ball."

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AAA January/February 2004