Collegedale Tennessee? (Chattanooga, Ooltewah: apartment complexes, hotels, houses)

[FlowerPower00]

What's the good, the bad, and the ugly of this town?

I love Maine, the folks are neat, I like the boarder town, but today the cold is getting to me. Must be my age, 46.

How are the folks in Tennessee?

How is the hospital in Collegedale?

I have a bachelor's degree in social work, and experience as a home health/hospice aide. I can no longer work as a home health/hospice aide due to a shoulder injury. Ideally, I would love to get a job working with elders. Are there any opportunities with this unique population?

I read the gardening zone is 7 and 7b sounds like heaven.

What are the critters like in Tennessee? In Maine we have moose, porcupines, and hybrid wolves.

[shinestx]

The temperature today in Collegedale was a sunny 57* ... so you'll enjoy the difference b/n Maine and Tennessee.

Collegedale is a fairly rapidly growing suburban town outside Chattanooga, in Hamilton County. It has seen much growth as a result of the Volkswagen USA assembly plant, just on the opposite side of I-75 from the main route into the town. That "Volkswagen Drive" exit has now been connected via Apison Pike all the way to Southern Adventist University, with the first four lane segment already open to Ooltewah Ringgold Rd. That's opened up a lot of development. The town has grown by about 40% in the past six years, and at least 12 new subdivisions underway at this time. It is also adjacent to Ooltewah, which is the fastest growing town in southeast TN.

The Collegedale population is heavily made up of (Seventh Day) Adventists. That's because of SAU, with about 3000 students and a beautiful campus at the far eastern end of the town limits. There is a small shopping center around the campus that caters to the special diet of Adventists. Because of the high number of Adventists who worship on Saturdays, most of the businesses in town are open with regular business hours on Sundays. There is also an aquatic center and a 2+ mile long greenway and a baseball complex. There is also an impressive softball complex that caters to championships. "The Summit". There are also trails around and through the SAU campus. It's about a 20 mile commute to downtown Chattanooga.

Still mostly residential, Collegedale is not as commercial as its neighbor Ooltewah, but that's all close enough. That's where you'll find the fast food places and chain hotels. In Collegedale, there are about 6 small/midsize shopping centers, a couple of chain drug stores and bank branches, a few dozen Mom&Pop stores/restaurants, and a half dozen new and attractive garden apartment complexes. You'll find those mostly along Little Debbie Parkway which is one route that connects the town to Ooltewah. Much of the population live in houses, which range from traditional 1970s styles houses to "McMansions" in newer neighborhoods along Ooltewah-Ringgold Road. There are at least four assisted living/nursing home complexes, including a graduated care community adjacent to ta new "Town Center" which has a facility for their farmer's market.

There are several small factory/plants with businesses that serve the "big chief" of Collegedale industry... McKee Bakery (aka Little Debbie) close to SAU. Many days (usuallly earlier in the day) you can smell the sweet scent of cakes being made as you walk along the greenway.

Collegedale is a very nice town. It's growing rapidly, but so far they seem to be controlling the quality of development. It's by far still mostly residential, and it appears that's the way the town leaders want it to remain.

[shinestx]

Not sure about your prospects for employment, but there is a lot of healthcare centers all around the county and in Bradley county. Chattanooga is a hub for the four-state area of TN/GA/AL/NC.

Lots of natural beauty. One of my favorite places is Lula Lake and a bit farther out is Cloudland Canyon, both a short halfhour drive from Collegedale. Likewise, there's Savage Gulf and the Cherokee National Forest are just a half hour drive away. Collegedale puts you on that side of the county. You can even buy a house with a stunning view of the peaks of the Appalachian mountains.

This part of the South has bears. There was a bear seen along the Collegedale Greenway about 2-3 years ago. Of course, we have snakes too. But if you're alert, you'll avoid them. Water moccasins and copperheads are the ones you need to watch for... as they can be aggressive, but usually stay to themselves. The worst is when there has been a dry spell (late summer) and they need to search for water. But they're really only in the forested areas. Keep your lights on and your garage doors closed, and you shouldn't have problems.

[FlowerPower00]

Originally Posted by shinestx

Not sure about your prospects for employment, but there is a lot of healthcare centers all around the county and in Bradley county. Chattanooga is a hub for the four-state area of TN/GA/AL/NC.

Lots of natural beauty. One of my favorite places is Lula Lake and a bit farther out is Cloudland Canyon, both a short halfhour drive from Collegedale. Likewise, there's Savage Gulf and the Cherokee National Forest are just a half hour drive away. Collegedale puts you on that side of the county. You can even buy a house with a stunning view of the peaks of the Appalachian mountains.

This part of the South has bears. There was a bear seen along the Collegedale Greenway about 2-3 years ago. Of course, we have snakes too. But if you're alert, you'll avoid them. Water moccasins and copperheads are the ones you need to watch for... as they can be aggressive, but usually stay to themselves. The worst is when there has been a dry spell (late summer) and they need to search for water. But they're really only in the forested areas. Keep your lights on and your garage doors closed, and you shouldn't have problems.

Now, about those snakes. They won't bug me, if I don't bug them? The only snakes we have are those little gardeners. They are adorable, but they don't want to be bothered. When I lived in Virginia so many years ago about 40 years ago, my brother and father were fishing and caught a copper head. At the time I did not think much of it. Now I do.

[FlowerPower00]

Originally Posted by shinestx

The temperature today in Collegedale was a sunny 57* ... so you'll enjoy the difference b/n Maine and Tennessee.

Collegedale is a fairly rapidly growing suburban town outside Chattanooga, in Hamilton County. It has seen much growth as a result of the Volkswagen USA assembly plant, just on the opposite side of I-75 from the main route into the town. That "Volkswagen Drive" exit has now been connected via Apison Pike all the way to Southern Adventist University, with the first four lane segment already open to Ooltewah Ringgold Rd. That's opened up a lot of development. The town has grown by about 40% in the past six years, and at least 12 new subdivisions underway at this time. It is also adjacent to Ooltewah, which is the fastest growing town in southeast TN.

The Collegedale population is heavily made up of (Seventh Day) Adventists. That's because of SAU, with about 3000 students and a beautiful campus at the far eastern end of the town limits. There is a small shopping center around the campus that caters to the special diet of Adventists. Because of the high number of Adventists who worship on Saturdays, most of the businesses in town are open with regular business hours on Sundays. There is also an aquatic center and a 2+ mile long greenway and a baseball complex. There is also an impressive softball complex that caters to championships. "The Summit". There are also trails around and through the SAU campus. It's about a 20 mile commute to downtown Chattanooga.

Still mostly residential, Collegedale is not as commercial as its neighbor Ooltewah, but that's all close enough. That's where you'll find the fast food places and chain hotels. In Collegedale, there are about 6 small/midsize shopping centers, a couple of chain drug stores and bank branches, a few dozen Mom&Pop stores/restaurants, and a half dozen new and attractive garden apartment complexes. You'll find those mostly along Little Debbie Parkway which is one route that connects the town to Ooltewah. Much of the population live in houses, which range from traditional 1970s styles houses to "McMansions" in newer neighborhoods along Ooltewah-Ringgold Road. There are at least four assisted living/nursing home complexes, including a graduated care community adjacent to ta new "Town Center" which has a facility for their farmer's market.

There are several small factory/plants with businesses that serve the "big chief" of Collegedale industry... McKee Bakery (aka Little Debbie) close to SAU. Many days (usuallly earlier in the day) you can smell the sweet scent of cakes being made as you walk along the greenway.

Collegedale is a very nice town. It's growing rapidly, but so far they seem to be controlling the quality of development. It's by far still mostly residential, and it appears that's the way the town leaders want it to remain.

Sounds lovely, especially the smell of Little Debbie cakes. I am not much for McMainsions. I like down home folks. I have never had this much problem with cold weather..never bugged me. This morning it was 1 degree. The dogs were unhappy to go out.

[shinestx]

No worries about the McMansions. You can avoid them... as they're really along the Ooltewah-Ringgold Road corridor. But even they are not as prevalent as you'd find in lots of sprawlburbs. Still lots of 1970s-80s houses of 2200-2600 sq. ft. in the "older" sections of town near SAU and between Ooltewah.

On snakes. They are just a part of life in the South. You learn where to avoid them. And definitely you never go "head first" into a dark, damp open space. Keep your crawl space closed. Keep brush away from your house. They love tall grass and moist/marshy areas. Never pick up a piece of wood or metal (like flat sheets of it) lying on the ground. We have copperheads, cottonmouths/water mocs, and timer rattlers. They are mostly shy, but don't surprise them. You'll learn how to avoid doing that. Like I said, in a drought you'll find that snakes leave their habitats in search of water. Otherwise, they stay where they live.