Thinking about moving to Chattanooga when I turn 18. Info & help please (Knoxville: appointed)

[Mirabea]

I currently live in ky & I am a full time college student & I am 17. Ive come to realize that Ky just isn't my thing, however after looking at pictures of TN & researching it I fell in love! I really want to move to Chattanooga once I turn 18. I want to live outside of the big city though, anywhere from 10-20 mins out. I want to live in a low crime town but I also don't want to live in a very nosy town. I love mountains, forests, lakes,etcetc. I am young so I don't have a lot of money, I'm hoping to get a loan to buy my own place or something along those lines but if I have to rent my budget would be below 600$. My dream life would be to own my own home & land & have horses, animals & just live free & have my own little piece of world to myself but I also want to be close to a big city so I can work & goto school. So here are my questions,

What towns/community's would suit me best from what I'm looking for?
Is Chattanooga a good place to live for a college student?
Does the chattanooga area have alot of forests & wild life?
Is Chattanooga a very expensive town?
And any more info you can think of would be great! Thanks!

[seadub2]

What towns/community's would suit me best from what I'm looking for?
Is Chattanooga a good place to live for a college student?
Does the chattanooga area have alot of forests & wild life?
Is Chattanooga a very expensive town?
And any more info you can think of would be great! Thanks!

Well let me chime in here young'in. Chattanooga is a great place to live for those who love to dwell in the outdoors, partake of some excellent river fishing, hike some outstanding trails, fly a hang glider, ride a motorcycle through some of most breathtaking scenery in these great United States, and not spend a whole lot of money doing it all. If you really want to live in Chatt, take some advice from someone who lived there 55 years and just moved to west Georgia - (1) stay in Tennessee, it has no income tax. Some housing in Georgia is cheap, but you have to face the financial music with income tax. (2) Hixson/Middle Valley is a nice place and relatively free from the crime that's saturated the inner city due to the explosion of gang activity. Stay north of the river; Soddy Daisy and points north are booming right now. (3) Nightlife is great; lots of clubs downtown with an eclectic base catering to whatever you want, but downtown is a tourist Mecca and is a hangout for the homeless, panhandlers, etc looking to feed off their good will. (4) The city government is a joke. The current mayor is a joke. Nuff said about that. (5) The "wildlife" is everywhere; both human and that which lives off the land. (6) The economic base is growing with the building of the new VW plant and other major manufacturers who have learned that a red non-union state can provide tax breaks enough to move there and hire locals at sub-union wages. In short, there's jobs, but good luck finding one that will support your appetite for adventure. and (7) There are so many parks, trails, nature walks, mountains and valleys (Sequatchie Valley is outstanding) that you can quite literally spend the majority of your adulthood bringing it all in and never do the same thing twice. It's all in how you approach it.
I love my new town, but I miss my hometown and all it has to offer. If you go there, soak it up like a sponge and savor the flavor; you will not be disappointed.

[An Einnseanair]

Ditto what seadub2 said, almost word for word.

[foxxygrl82]

My boyfriend currently lives in the Hixson area and it's very quiet, peaceful, and low crime there. You may also want to check out the Collegedale, Cleveland, and Ooltawah areas too. While it is best to stay north of the river, the St Elmo area isn't a bad area. You do have more crime, but I lived there for over a year and had no problems. The St Elmo area is walkable and away from the downtown noise. If you were open to apartment living for a few years while you get your bearings, the Mountain Creek Road area has several that are close to downtown (only 5-10 minute drive), but far enough where you don't get the noise.

The next question...not sure if I can answer well. Chattanooga is not a college town like Knoxville, TN or Athens, GA, but there are several things for a college student. I will be honest...if you're looking for dance clubs and music venues you will have a hard time finding those for and 18 y/o (not sure if that's your scene). You do have several restaurants and shopping areas to check out. You have the River Walk area and Greenway Farms for lite bike riding. We have the Chattanooga Market which lasts every Sunday until first part of December with all kinds of vendors. I hope that answered your questions regarding the student aspect.

Chattanooga has all kinds of wildlife and outdoor activities. Check out Crash Pad and Outdoors Adventure Club of the South for a few examples of what outdoors is like here. We have 2 indoor rock climbing gyms: one is bouldering and the other is top roping. You're not far from the Occoee River where you will see many white water rafters and kayakers out and about. You have all kinds of hiking and biking around here. You have the Raccoon Mountain caverns if you want to try out caving. I would recommend google Crash Pad, OACS, Chattanooga hiking, Chattanooga biking, TBA, and Urban Rocks for more information.

As far as expenses go, Chattanooga is not expensive compared to many other US cities and towns. You can do a cost of living comparison with the salary wizard calculator (Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed). You should be able to find cheap rent around the outskirt areas.

I know that crime is one of your concerns, but most of the crime around here is isolated. There are other forum posts that will have more details on this. There are panhandlers that will ask for money, but just simply ignore them and you'll be fine. Use common sense and you will be safe.

Something else about Chattanooga is that it is close to other major cities such as Nashville, Atlanta, and Knoxville. You can easily do a day trip for a concert or event in these areas.

All of this is coming from a 28 y/o originally from the Atlanta area. Good luck and let me know if you want to know anything else.

[leppie23]

it a great place for a college student

[AlmostGoodEnough]

Great for a college student However I hope that you can qualify for the home loan and whatnot to have a better chance at decent housing. You kind of sound like us, except we can afford a bit more for rent (husband 19, me 20, baby daughter.) Thing is, housing here is very iffy. You've got the downtown area real estate agents, landlords, and for sale by owners' begging young people like you and I to move there, where it's a lot more dangerous and forsaken. While not every neighborhood is really bad, it's not ideal to even try your luck if you aren't familiar with the area. Like previous posters said, moving north of the river is ideal for a college student. Plenty of decent housing in Red Bank, which is pretty close to the main two colleges here (Chatt state and UTC). Hixson also offers decent housing, but at a higher price. Since you are full time college and young, it would be best to try to penny pinch So I wouldn't move too far out from the schools if I were you. Pretty much, Red Bank, Hixson, two good places for you that are close to schools, and decent neighborhoods. If you're buying though, you will most likely resale your home because you are so young. Beware that these neighborhoods are not doing so well with real estate, but if you're renting an apartment, you can usually find a few good 1 bedrooms for 450-550 as far as apartments, but houses might be out of the question for renting. Good luck!