Chattanooga

11,035 Views | 70 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by EMc77
McLovin
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Anyone live in or familiar with Chattanooga? If so, just curious if you will share pros and cons vs. living in Texas. Any concern with being downriver from the power plant?
ToddyHill
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My first question...which power plant? East Tennessee is loaded with power plants (TVA) and Chattanooga is a long way from Kingston (Google Coal Ash Spill Kingston if you want to know more).

As far as the city itself, I wish I was closer (I live about 2 hours from Chattanooga). Great downtown, an hour from the north side of Atlanta, low unemployment (VW, Amazon, etc.) and some great outdoor areas.

If you're looking for Houston or DFW, this isn't it. But it's a great smaller city with a vibrant economy in an area that's geographically diverse. If that interests you, it's worth a look.
Ag Eng 92
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There are several Ags that live in the Chattanooga area and post here. Keep checking back...

Here are some of my random thoughts: I've been here 13.5 years. It's a great place to live. Great city, not perfect. Lots of options for places to live. Great downtown. Lots of outdoor activities. It's not TX- forget bbq, but they are building a Chuy's here, so I can get my tex-mex fix easy. I don't ever think about the power plants. They are on west and north of Chattanooga and I live on far east side of town. The SEC has made living here even more fun. I've essentially raised my family here- oldest graduates high school in 7 weeks, so I can speak to that too.

Edit- removed email address since we've gotten connected.
knoxtom
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Chattanooga is great but not perfect.

Couple hours from Atlanta, hour and a half from Knoxville, and two hours from Nashville so you can get to anything you want. Two hours from the Smokies, hour from the lower plateau, close to Little River canyon.

One of the best outdoors towns in America. Fantastic mountain biking, great rivers and creeks all around, fantastic hiking, hang gliding, rock climbing, just great outdoors.

Not a ton of nightlife but a cool downtown scene. Crime is low, cost of living is very low, schools aren't very good. They have publicly subsidized internet so everyone gets gig service to their homes for $50 a month or thereabouts.

Downside - religion is completely everywhere and quite in your face about it. Better be republican and think the world is only 6000 years old. They did the Scopes monkey trial just up the road and these people are serious that we did not evolve from no stinking monkey. Racism is everywhere and they think every democrat wants nothing more than to take your guns and money, which of course they will pry from a Tennessean's cold dead hands. Lot of anti-government loonies.

Really the only things I didn't like about Tennessee were the people and the in-your-face religion and politics. Be careful, they are super friendly to your face, but will drag you down behind your back.
ToddyHill
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Sounds like Asheville is your sweet spot.
e cartman
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Wife and I moved to Chattanooga from Houston in Aug of '13 and we love it.

We'd been in Houston/Pearland for 13 years and were looking for the following:

Better climate
Smaller city that was at least somewhat walkable
Natural beauty
Good economy

The city has checked every box. We lived in Southside for 2 years. It's an area that is slowly being gentrified but still has a lot of character. Lots of good bars & restaurants that have popped up in the last year or so

We currently live in Hill City on the North shore of the river. We can walk across the Walnut St bridge and be downtown in 10 minutes.

There are some great festivals and events downtown throughout the Spring and Summer. Fall is beautiful with the leaves changing colors. Average snowfall is about 5-7" in the Winter.

As was mentioned above, it's not Houston or Dallas. If I had to compare it to a city in Texas I'd say a smaller Austin.
FlyFish95
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quote:
Chattanooga is great but not perfect.

Couple hours from Atlanta, hour and a half from Knoxville, and two hours from Nashville so you can get to anything you want. Two hours from the Smokies, hour from the lower plateau, close to Little River canyon.

One of the best outdoors towns in America. Fantastic mountain biking, great rivers and creeks all around, fantastic hiking, hang gliding, rock climbing, just great outdoors.

Not a ton of nightlife but a cool downtown scene. Crime is low, cost of living is very low, schools aren't very good. They have publicly subsidized internet so everyone gets gig service to their homes for $50 a month or thereabouts.

Downside - religion is completely everywhere and quite in your face about it. Better be republican and think the world is only 6000 years old. They did the Scopes monkey trial just up the road and these people are serious that we did not evolve from no stinking monkey. Racism is everywhere and they think every democrat wants nothing more than to take your guns and money, which of course they will pry from a Tennessean's cold dead hands. Lot of anti-government loonies.

Really the only things I didn't like about Tennessee were the people and the in-your-face religion and politics. Be careful, they are super friendly to your face, but will drag you down behind your back.


Well, there's always San Francisco.
ZooGuy
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Lived in Chattanooga for 2 years. Live outside of Knoxville now. Wish I could move back to Chattanooga. Downtown area is great. The Aquarium is awesome. The zoo sucks (used to work there).

Pros - smaller city close to lots of other places.
Cons - quirky populace. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's "religious". I found quite the opposite. Fairly liberal IMHO. Especially the city leaders.

I'm also originally from the Pearland area.
atmag95
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Giving this thread a bump since my family & I just moved to 'Nooga.

Is there an A&M club here? Any unofficial game watching areas? I've seen several Former Student stickers around town.

TIA
Ag Eng 92
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Welcome to Chatt-town. Regarding an Aggie club, there is nothing formal, but I'm connected on social media with several. Find me on LinkedIn- Howell.
e cartman
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Welcome to town!

I watched the game Saturday at Taco Mac downtown...was the lone maroon in a sea full of orange! I've run into a couple of other Ags around town but haven't seen anything formal for get-togethers outside of Muster (which I haven't attended but I have been contacted about it).

PM me if you'd like to get together to watch a game. I'll be out-of-town for the Bama game but should be around for the rest of them.
ZooGuy
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atmag95 said:

Giving this thread a bump since my family & I just moved to 'Nooga.

Is there an A&M club here? Any unofficial game watching areas? I've seen several Former Student stickers around town.

TIA


The East Tennessee A&M club is out of Knoxville. About 4-500 members. I'm on the email list.

As mentioned, several Ags on this board in E Tenn.
EMc77
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Have not been on this board in a while. Been here over 11 years. Great place to live. I actually live in Cleveland 25 mi NE, but work in Chatt. Lots of good music/concert options plus all the other things noted. Zoo Guy is right as the mayor is rather liberal but the town is great. Great restaurants and things to do, here in town or with in easy driving distance. If you are a car guy, it is a great place too!

Also, at least in my county, taxes are low and elec is cheap, thanks to TVA, etc. Don't have kids, so only know about schools based on my wife's experience. She has taught for 40 years... Public schools in Chatt are not that good. But there are several very good private schools in Chattanooga.

Some folks live in NW Ga, but you have state income tax there.



Only problem is it is 850 miles from Kyle Field.
Ag Eng 92
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Followed another century club sticker into Camp Jordan Monday night.. Met the wife ('93). Her husband is '90. I'll probably see them more often since our kids are practicing soccer at the same time... We're taking over.
ZooGuy
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We seriously need to have more Aggie events in E Tenn.
atmag95
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Thanks for the folks that have chimed in.

My family and I are all settled in here in Signal Mountain. Loving this area & Nooga in general. Sure beats the heck out of concrete jungle for sure!

Surprised that there isn't an A&M club here. I've seen several cars w/ A&M stickers here in SM and in downtown CHA as well.

Would love to meet up w/ some Ags in the area for one of our last football games at a bar some place.
e cartman
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I'm in!
EMc77
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I work near the 911 Center on Amnicola if you are close to there we can meet for lunch at the Boathouse.

Screen name @ aggienetwork dot com is my email.

JimbosHatBarelyFits
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The wife and I have chosen Chattanooga as our next place to live. We currently are in SA and are wanting something smaller and not too many places in Texas interest us. She is originally from central Tennessee, so the grandparents are nearby.

We wanted a city with a population between 100k-300k. We wanted it to be active, have outdoor opportunities, be close to other large cities and have a better climate (more of a 4 season year).

Chattanooga is the place. We plan on heading over there in the next year or so. Just have to figure out the job scene.
e cartman
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Fantastic. That's just about the same criteria we used when evaluating where we wanted to be.

What field are you in currently?
JimbosHatBarelyFits
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For the past 4 years I have worked for two different city's parks and rec departments. I also am a certified personal trainer to help with the job outlook. We'll see where I decide to go with my career path. My wife is a nurse, so it's a little more black and white for her.
JimbosHatBarelyFits
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We're looking at Signal Mtn, Hixson and Red Bank as possible landing spots. We have a 5 month old which will be around 18 months and then we will most likely have another by then so the house budget is a little lower. It's going to be probably 160-200. Are we looking in the right spots?

Also of course, schools are a huge factor, seems like these spots have decent public schooling. Any other insight into "neighborhoods"/areas?
e cartman
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Don't know much about the Parks & Rec department, but being a very "outdoorsy" city I would imagine there are opportunities there. I have a Colonial Life office here so if you have any interest in sales/benefits counseling I'd be happy to discuss. Plenty of opportunities for your wife...Erlanger Hospital is the areas biggest but lots of medical options in and around the city.

Signal Mountain and Hixson are going to be a bit nicer and have better schools than Red Bank, where Red Bank is going to be closer to Downtown and the associated activities. Two other areas you might check out are Ooltewah and East Brainerd.
zooguy96
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Probably not many parks and recs jobs. Most would be with the city and pay 30k or so. I used to work for the city of Chattanooga and have a degree in WFSC and EDUC.

Central and South Chatt suck. Stay on the west side. Much less traffic.

Signal Mountain is the priciest. Hixson is meh and Red Bank is decent. I'd even look off of HWY 27 somewhere even maybe towards Sale Creek.

Taxes are MUCH lower than in Texas with reference to a house. You'd be surprised. You may be able to bump that range up if you weren't considering that.

Ex - we had a $130 k house in Leander. Taxes were $4,400/year. Friend had a $130 k house in rural TN. Taxes are $600/year. In a major city would be maybe $1500. So, much cheaper.

JimbosHatBarelyFits
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I appreciate the responses, part of what makes the Aggie network so great.

I would like to get more into community healthy/wellness but not many jobs anywhere for that and usually doesn't pay well.
JimbosHatBarelyFits
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zooguy96 said:

Probably not many parks and recs jobs. Most would be with the city and pay 30k or so. I used to work for the city of Chattanooga and have a degree in WFSC and EDUC.

Central and South Chatt suck. Stay on the west side. Much less traffic.

Signal Mountain is the priciest. Hixson is meh and Red Bank is decent. I'd even look off of HWY 27 somewhere even maybe towards Sale Creek.

Taxes are MUCH lower than in Texas with reference to a house. You'd be surprised. You may be able to bump that range up if you weren't considering that.

Ex - we had a $130 k house in Leander. Taxes were $4,400/year. Friend had a $130 k house in rural TN. Taxes are $600/year. In a major city would be maybe $1500. So, much cheaper.




Man, that is nice.

Wait, there's two "zooguys" on texags and both live in East Tennessee??
zooguy96
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Buceesnuggets said:

I appreciate the responses, part of what makes the Aggie network so great.

I would like to get more into community healthy/wellness but not many jobs anywhere for that and usually doesn't pay well.


What is your educational and work history?
zooguy96
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Buceesnuggets said:

zooguy96 said:

Probably not many parks and recs jobs. Most would be with the city and pay 30k or so. I used to work for the city of Chattanooga and have a degree in WFSC and EDUC.

Central and South Chatt suck. Stay on the west side. Much less traffic.

Signal Mountain is the priciest. Hixson is meh and Red Bank is decent. I'd even look off of HWY 27 somewhere even maybe towards Sale Creek.

Taxes are MUCH lower than in Texas with reference to a house. You'd be surprised. You may be able to bump that range up if you weren't considering that.

Ex - we had a $130 k house in Leander. Taxes were $4,400/year. Friend had a $130 k house in rural TN. Taxes are $600/year. In a major city would be maybe $1500. So, much cheaper.




Man, that is nice.

Wait, there's two "zooguys" on texags and both live in East Tennessee??


No, deleted my old account. Long story.
e cartman
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Will keep a lookout for that type of opportunity for you. We work with all kinds of industries. May run across something; if I do I'll let you know.
zooguy96
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e cartman said:

Will keep a lookout for that type of opportunity for you. We work with all kinds of industries. May run across something; if I do I'll let you know.


Do you have any connections in the Knoxville area? Looking to get out of school teaching.......
e cartman
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Actually, yes. We have a client in the recruiting industry. They may be able to source something for you. Would be happy to get you in touch with them.
zooguy96
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e cartman said:

Actually, yes. We have a client in the recruiting industry. They may be able to source something for you. Would be happy to get you in touch with them.


That would be great.
JimbosHatBarelyFits
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zooguy96 said:

Buceesnuggets said:

I appreciate the responses, part of what makes the Aggie network so great.

I would like to get more into community healthy/wellness but not many jobs anywhere for that and usually doesn't pay well.


What is your educational and work history?


Degree from shsu- health & kinesiology
Degree from A&M - Recreation parks tourism

Texas parks wildlife- 1 yr- cust serv rep
General office duties, check in campers etc.

City of brownwood parks and rec- recreation supervisor: charge of aquatic facility, oversaw 12 ball fields, supervised small staff

City of San Antonio parks and rec- community center activity coordinator: design and implement programs/activities, lead exercise classes, general office duties

That's a snap shot
e cartman
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Just sent you an email if you want to edit out your address.
zooguy96
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Buceesnuggets said:

zooguy96 said:

Buceesnuggets said:

I appreciate the responses, part of what makes the Aggie network so great.

I would like to get more into community healthy/wellness but not many jobs anywhere for that and usually doesn't pay well.


What is your educational and work history?


Degree from shsu- health & kinesiology
Degree from A&M - Recreation parks tourism

Texas parks wildlife- 1 yr- cust serv rep
General office duties, check in campers etc.

City of brownwood parks and rec- recreation supervisor: charge of aquatic facility, oversaw 12 ball fields, supervised small staff

City of San Antonio parks and rec- community center activity coordinator: design and implement programs/activities, lead exercise classes, general office duties

That's a snap shot


Ok. Definitely check out the city of Chattanooga jobs website. chattanoogahasjobs.com is also a good site to look for jobs. The personal trainer gig might be the way to go.

Your wife should have no issue finding a nursing job.
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