Chattanooga sucks and is run by mountain wealth. (Knoxville, Signal Mountain: homes, neighborhoods)

[dasmarian]

It bugs me when people mix fact with speculation as it is the most difficult type of untruth to deal with. But the OP is doing just that.

First off, what community (or national) government is not run by its most wealthy citizens? Take a look at the composition of our Congress and let me know if you find a member not a millionaire. People in politics are in politics because they can afford to run for office and in most cases have an agenda. So ok, perhaps Chattanooga is run by the wealthy, but let's face it - there are few communities that are not.

Secondly, you say that 'the rich killed manufacturing' but don't provide any supporting material to that point. However, perhaps you might take a look at this passage regarding the history of Chattanooga, Great Depression to today:

"One major reason for this shift was a fundamental change in traveling ended America's century-long love affair with the train. Another the move away from an industrial economy. For example, Combustion Engineering, who ran the shipyard in Chattanooga during World War II continued as a dynamic part of the city. Yet, changing fortunes in the 1970's cut CE's workforce by 80%. Other industries suffered similar fates. The iron and steel business was destroyed by Japanese competition. The last coal mine closed. And reductions in the textile and apparel workforce totaled 25%. To some it seemed as though this was the final nail in Chattanooga's coffin. To others, it was a wake-up call."

So the main industries of Chattanooga, textiles -- killed by foreign competition. Steel -- take a look at the misfortune of Pittsburgh, also killed by competition overseas.

Wealthy folks are the ones that own big manufacturing plants, and I've never met one that wanted to see his/her business shut down. I bet they even lived on LM.

Also counter to your point is the desire to kill manufacturing vs. the red carpet rollout for VW. They are inhabiting approx. 60% of the new industrial park -- built specifically to ATTRACT MANUFACTURING to the city, with more room for other companies. If you say that the local pols want to kill manufacturing, how do you explain the billions spent to attract it? Your argument is simply illogical and not supported by anything but your opinion.

Next you say that educated people leave the city and the population suffers, blah blah. I moved here 2 years ago from out of state and have an MBA, making over $100k annually. And in response to your incorrect opinion that the population suffers, here is from an article on population growth in Chattanooga, July 10, 2008:

After trailing its Mid-South metropolitan neighbors through the 1980s, Chattanooga has become the fastest-growing major city in Tennessee in the 21st century.
The city successfully challenged a federal population estimate a year ago, and new population figures released today indicate that Chattanooga outpaced most other metro cities in the region again last year. In the past seven years, Chattanooga has been the fastest-growing major city in Tennessee, adding 14,330 residents since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“We were in a deep hole in the 1980s,” Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield recalled. “I won’t say it’s time to declare total victory, but we’ve definitely dug ourselves out of where we were, and people are recognizing Chattanooga as a great place to live.”

If you want to complain about a place, you should

A) use verifiable facts to support your arguments
B) Not mix your facts with opinions

[FLORIDA TO NIOTA 2010]

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaSucks

Then how did dozens of large cities in the north manage to avoid this job killing act?

People think it's impossible to have clean air and manufacturing in the same city at the same time.

McDonalds,Starbucks and others like it will never ever pay the wages large manufacturers paid in the past. Why do so many people favor and fight for poverty wages?
30 years ago it was common for one worker to bring home enough money but today it takes 2 or 3 wage earners to pay the bills and this is progress?

If you haven't noticed, things have changed and it's not just in Chattanooga, it is all over.
Because nothing cost what it did 30 years ago. Cars cost what a mortgage used to. And mortgages are out of the world.
And it's going to get worse as long as the U.S. Government keeps letting people come from other countries and get free medical, food and housing without ever paying a penny into the government.
It doesn't matter where you go, this will problem (progress) will be there waiting for you.

[VolDude]

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaSucks

Home ownership is limited to a few categories.
1.Super poor buy trailers [mobile homes to be PC]
2. Under $80K housing with the illusion it is an investment but loses 50% of it's value half way through the mortgage.
3. Filthy rich, buying home way above the $150K range [which is what northerners would pay $300k-$500K for], this way you can pass your 6,000 sq. feet mini-mansion to your children so that they will never know the value of hard work.

1. The super poor generally are not able to buy stick built homes anywhere.
2. A bunch of garbage.
3. Huh?

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaSucks

Also our idea of solving traffic jams and excessive commute times is to add 6 lanes to intersections. We have some really dumb people living in and running this town. It's more like a village than a town since it's something only a fictional book would come close to describing.

Like it or not, Chattanooga is just like 99.9% of all American cities, a personal car culture. Widening lanes helps traffic flow.

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaSucks

And when we run short on the budget the solution ALWAYS is to annex more land for more property taxes. Do these clowns know you have to repair the roads of this newly annexed area? How is this a revenue stream for future growth? This is the kind of people that run government, pass laws and live here.

I agree, but unfortunately this is the universal government solution in most areas not already consumed by sprawl.

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaSucks

p.s. Teachers starting pay is under $25K and Tenured Policeman earn under $40K....Now that is smart.

Cost of living is not high here.

Teachers can get jobs during the summer, you know, those 2-3 month every year they get off (along with many other "important" days of the year they don't work). Cops are paid enough too.

[VolDude]

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaSucks

How did 99.9% of the people in Chattanooga during the smog era manage to live to be 80,90 years old?

Link please. Don't believe it for one second.

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaSucks

Is it any wonder only a handful of UTC / Chatt-State student LEAVE Chattanooga upon graduation? I knew this gal who was working on a degree in the health care industry. She told me should could stay in the Chattanooga region at top out near $15 per hour but just moving to a place as near as Atlanta or Nashville bumped that wage closer to $20-$25 per hour.

Huh, I wonder how cost of living here compares to those two cities?

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaSucks

All the clean air and water isn't worth being bottom of the median income list, percent of home ownership.

LOL.

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaSucks

I've also spoke to a lot of people who moved to Chattanooga not knowing all it's history. They were amazed at the square footage you could get in a house for $100K. They kept telling me $100K was starter home in bad neighborhoods where they came from.

This is just horrible, I'm ashamed to live here.

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaSucks

With all the hype about our past dirty air and water you would think it easy to find illness and death rates directly related to the filth. Are those stats bought-off, hidden or just nearly impossible to locate? Oh no, it's also possible that the pollution in Chattanooga was more hype than science.

Modern day Los Angeles has code red unhealthy smog days almost every other day yet no stats on deaths directly attributed to that so-called unhealthy air. I better be careful though... I might actually find someone with the proof.

Have a nice day Chattanoogans

EDIT NOTE:I am not making personal attacks toward anyone here. If you feel attacked then I'll save time and apologize ahead of time for doing nothing. Thanks

This is, again, a bunch of garbage. Bad air has PROVEN to cause things such as asthma, nerve damage, lead poisoning, and increased cancer risk, despite what your GOP manual says.

[hiknapster]

Do you mean to tell me you people down there are selling 6,000 square-foot McMansions for way over $175,000 but much less than $300,000?

Dang. Listen... I can here the stampede!

[sandcrab123]

Oh boy you are in trouble now!!!!!!!! If you say anything bad about Tennessee they will probably kick you off the site!!!!!!!!!!! I know exactly how you feel I lived there for two years!!!!!!! Could not wait to get out of there the whole state sucks!!!!!! I'll probably get kicked off the site but who really cares

[VolDude]

Originally Posted by sandcrab123

Oh boy you are in trouble now!!!!!!!! If you say anything bad about Tennessee they will probably kick you off the site!!!!!!!!!!! I know exactly how you feel I lived there for two years!!!!!!! Could not wait to get out of there the whole state sucks!!!!!! I'll probably get kicked off the site but who really cares

I have no problem with one's opinion or honest criticism, but what that I responded to was absolute garbage or practically found in every U.S. community. If you think air pollution is just hunky dory and that cost of living should not factored in when discussing fair salary levels, you're just an idiot.

[Jon F Moss]

This site would be boring if only good stuff was allowed to be said. Either that or it would be bought out by the chamber of commerce. Tell you one thing, the owners of City-Data probably aren't hurting financially.

As for descent...I welcome it as long as it's not personal bashing or out and out hate mongering. Everyone has an opinion and is welcome to share it. Chattanooga certainly isn't for everyone otherwise we'd have a major problem on our hands.

Distorting facts or fabricating truth will get you called out here quick. I'd much rather read of how someone didn't like the area because of a) b) and c). Someone could like it cuz it's family orientated and another could dislike it for the same reason. Not right or wrong. It just suits you or it doesn't.

[Jon F Moss]

Descent. Dissent. It's all good

[RiverAveGuy]

Don't live in Chatt but have been following this Forum for some time now. Guess I don't have a right to comment but I will, because of the strength of your life experience in Chatt. Also, I've got a big mouth.

Anyway, I'm glad you posted. I'm gad that there is balance on the forum. But, no place is truly great. What's the saying, "One mans poison......." As I am retired, I've been looking at Chatt as a place to move to.

I've lived in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. They all suck. I've been in LA since since 1977 and I can tell you that LA truly sucks. The crime is horrific, schools suck and there are many parts of town where NO English is spoken or seen. It's like another Mexico City and the taxpayers are taking in the shorts.

Anyway, with an MBA you should be able to find a place that suits you.

Thanks again for the post, really.