- Well, the city and county government is based off the 'good ol boy' system...probably same in any other city.
- If you live within the city limit you get taxed twice...by the county and then the city...property tax.
- On top of that...my WATER bill is about $30 every two months, BUT because of the city 'sewer' fee, it is nearly $150 every two months.
- Parking downtown is a PIA...used to be free on weekends, but not anymore...many businesses have shutdown because locals just don't go downtown.
- House prices are un-normally high...I believe gentrification is the hidden agenda.
- Seems like the city government is attempting to turn the place into a 'silicon valley' wannabe...and believe me, you don't want that...I lived in Santa Clara, San Jose area for nearly 10 years before moving back...it is not a good thing.
- Chattanooga has a gang problem...somebody gets shot nearly everyday...
- The highway system is a mess through the city...nearly an accident everyday...cracked windshields as well...
- On hot dry summer, the city smells like sh** because the sewer system is crap (no pun intended...)
- If you go into the surrounding counties...you might hear banjos playin'...
- Not much to eat around here...lacking variety...
- Many of the in town roads are crap...
- Oh, one more thing...the Hamilton County school board is a joke...
I just randomly checked this forum and I'm glad I did. I grew up in Mississippi (very tiny home town, then Jackson), lived a decade in Kansas City, then moved to Chattanooga about 12 years ago. I regularly travel to cities all over the US (LA, Atlanta, Knoxville, will be in Washington, DC next week and NOLA the week after), so I have some experience with lots of different cities.
I have the complete opposite opinion as swampdodo does with regards to Chattanooga.
Addressing his comments:
1, 2, 3: Same in any city, large or small. The good-ole-boy network is simply how things work in all politics. You will never escape it. County taxes go to pay for county government (sheriff, schools, roads). City taxes go to pay for city-specific services not enjoyed by the county residents (fire, additional protection from city police, sewer, garbage collection, brush pickup, etc.).
4. I work downtown. Roadside parking (meters) is still free on weekends, and even during the week after 4:30PM. Parking lots do charge 24/7, but those are privately owned and not controlled by the city.
5. Depends on where you go. If a good school district or up-and-coming neighborhood, then yeah. Otherwise no. Typical of any largish city.
6. Chattanooga has the fastest reasonably priced internet connection in the country through public-owned EPB. The base level is 100MB/s, with 1GB/s at a slight upcharge, and even 10GB/s available at a significant upcharge. The city is trying to capitalize on that (duh). It will never be the next "Silicon Valley", though. That just isn't happening.
7. Yes it does, but so does any metro with over a half-million people. Stay away from certain areas, just like any other city. It's just reality. Murder rate is far less than one-per-day, though it is high.
8. This I agree with. Look at the map and it's like a giant "X" with Chattanooga at the center (Nashville, Atlanta, Knoxville, Birmingham). I-24 between the 24/75 junction and 24/59 junction is a major transportation link. Throw in several natural barriers (mountains, lakes, rivers, etc.) and all traffic is forced into that link. I generally avoid I-24 and take surface roads without problems.
9. The old downtown area does have a combined storm/sanitary sewer which can emit odors under the right conditions. I've smelled it about a dozen times in my dozen years here.
10. Same for any metro in the south. Lots of rural land surrounds it. This is a bonus, not a detriment. This is a forum dedicated to an off-road vehicle, right? Can't exactly drive off-road downtown.
11. Only if you don't know where to look. What type of food are you interested in? There's a restaurant or grocery store for that.
12. Just like any metro, but in general the roads are actually pretty good.
13. This I also agree with. It's dominated by a few members who clearly don't have a clue. It's like they don't understand the concept where if the population grows by nn% then they HAVE TO add nn% new seats, generally by building new schools... in addition to replacing some of the old buildings that are falling down.
Chattanooga has tons of free and charge live music (much more during the summer), arts, technology, and a
thriving downtown in spite of what swampdodo says (I see the crowds every evening).
Massive numbers of locations for outdoor activities. There's the RiverRocks festival in the fall. Rock climbing, hiking, biking, races, spelunking, anything.
