Chattanooga

Introducing Chattanooga

Named ‘the dirtiest city in America’ in the 1960s, Chattanooga was shamed into cleaning up rampant industrial pollution and focusing on downtown revitalization. Today, the riverside city has a leafy, pedestrian-friendly downtown, miles of waterfront walking trails and free electric buses.

Originally the terminus of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, the city was once a major transport hub throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, hence the ‘Chattanooga Choo-Choo, ’ which was originally a reference to the Cincinnati Southern Railroad’s passenger service from Cincinnati to Chattanooga and later the title of a 1941 Glen Miller song.

Most of Chattanooga’s main sites are within a few blocks of the visitor center (423-756-8687, 800-322-3344; www.chattanoogafun.com; 2 Broad St; 8:30am-5:30pm) at the corner of 2nd and Broad Sts. The Bluff View Art District at High and E 2nd Sts has upscale shops and restaurants overlooking the river.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009