Chattanooga or Huntsville (Anderson: sales, sex offenders, low crime)

[snowghost]

Small, young family....love the outdoors (hiking, swimming, camping, mountain biking), vote more blue than red lately, not church goers, loathe strip malls, want good schools, walkable towns, and a nice place to live where everyone is not the same (as us, or as one another- diversity of thought, at the least), live pretty green (well, we recycle anyway, and walk and bike a lot)...what sounds like a better fit for us and why- Chattanooga or Huntsville? I've heard Chattanooga referred to as the Boulder of the East, and now I've been hearing nice things about Huntsville. If you don't think either of these fit the bill, what do you propose in that same region (2.5 hour drive, leaving out Atlanta for being too big). With little ones and the need for good schools, we are looking more towards good options in suburbia, or reclaimed downtown areas if possible.

Thank you!

[AndyG]

Both of these places are great cities. My personal preference would be Chattanooga though. This is not to slight Huntsville in any way, it is a great city with a very bright future, I just find Chattanooga to be the better of the two.

Chattanooga is a city that is very much undergoing constant changes. It used to be a run down, filthy old southern industrial town, but the changes that have taken place there over the last couple of decades has been astounding.

Both Chattanooga and Huntsville offer strong job markets, relatively low cost of living (as compared to most of the rest of the country) and both are up and coming cities. Chattanooga however, has a more urban feel to it, without as much of the hustle and bustle you will find in a big city. It is a busy city, don't get me wrong, but it manages to provide both a big city feel without losing the charms of a small southern town. It has the "reclaimed" downtown that you mentioned. It's very vibrant and active yet retains a large part of its history. A lot of very nice old buildings remain in downtown Chattanooga, and its scenic location is a very definate plus.

Huntsville has a more modern feel to it. 40 years ago, Huntsville was basically just a puddle in the road, then along came NASA, and its growth since then has been pretty impressive. It does maintain a bit of the feel of a quaint southern town, but for all intents and purposes, Huntsville has an almost "office park" feeling to it. It reminds me more of a suburban town than it does the center of a pretty good sized metro area.

I guess it really depends on exactly what you are looking for. As I said, both are great cities, but my advise would be check them both out carefully, and decide which one suits you best. I don't think you can go wrong with either city, so its really just a personal choice.

Both cities offer good schools, both are relatively safe crime wise, although neither one are without their problems. This is America afterall. Even here in the south, no place is immune from the crime and drama of the rest of the country, but you will still find either city relatively, emphasis on relatively, safe. Both cities are clean and well-kept and are both located in very picturesque areas, but Chattanooga has a slight edge in that area.

Both cities offer extensive options for suburban living, without it being too bad a commute into the center of either city. Chattanooga has more traffic issues than Huntsville, so that is one thing to keep in mind. Chattanooga has better public transit though, if you are ever in need of it. Freeways are adequate in both cities.

Hope this helps. I love both cities, but even though I lean more towards Chattanooga, Huntsville is nothing to ignore either.

[AnotherBravesFan]

Andy's was an excellent reply. I have just a little to add. For us, Huntsville was a better fit. (We are retiring soon. We like suburbia & the space program, and we vote red.) The crime rate in Chattanooga scared us off; the data I reviewed indicated much more crime there than in Huntsville. There is a lot more topography in and around Chattanooga, so it rates higher in "scenery" for me. But the crime rate was a deal-killer.

[AndyG]

Yeah, I should have mentioned that Chattanooga's crime rate was indeed higher than Huntsville, but not excessively so. Chattanooga is somewhat larger, so its crime rate would naturally be higher. Both cities though have a low crime rate per capita. I need to dig around on the government's website and snag a link to back that up. I'll work on that later today.

[xtranaut]

If your employment isn't bringing you to either you have the first problem. Jobs suck in this area. It is gorgeus and a realtively good place to raise kids and for outdoors but the job market sucks and wages suck. Chattanooga is my hometown. I moved back this past summer to Signal Mountain and love it but I have been knocking on doors for six months. Unless you are transferred with a company, this area is closed to outsiders for good positions. My wife is an Administrator who worked at MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT-HOUSTON and she has been passed over for over 20 jobs in the medical community here. In this respect, Chattanooga (and most Tennessee areas) is still a good old boy, who-you-know mentality. They use the term, "promote from within"...WHICH WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE QUALITY OF CARE YOU CAN EXPECT!

If you are union, you won't get work if you show your card.

That said, either area is great for all the things you like. Huntsville is growing and I always like to get somewhere small before it starts growing into sprawl so that I can get a bigger piece of land or a better price and settle in for the long haul.

Both areas have rivers, lakes, mountains and are close to other great outdoor things. Tennessee is a no income tax state but has higher sales taxes.

We will keep our home as a vacation home because we have to work so will probably be headed for the high desert of Reno. It's about the same size town with lots of diverse nature and the Sierra Navada Mountains.

Welcome to Dixie.

GOOD LUCK

[xtranaut]

ON ANOTHER BRAVESFANS comments on crime: Listen. Don't take statistics literally. Talk to people and get a reality check. CHATTANOOGA HAS NON-EXISTENT CRIME COMPARED TO TAMPA FLORIDA
and I don't see those stats scaring off the snowbird retirees from moving in by the hundreds. I lived in Tampa 22 years but i have also lived in Chicago. Both are high, statistically, in crime but NEVER TOUCHED MY LIFE PERSONALLY. There are meth labs all over the United States and sex offenders everywhere. You are the only one who can say, "this feels right". I go wherever I want to go and if I let fear drive me. I'd be living in a cave.

Chattanooga is prettier than Boulder and a fourth of what Boulder costs to live. I lived in Denver in the 70s and Boulder was a hippie haven - now those hippies are millionaires.

As for ANOTHERBRAVESFAN voting red, we all have our faults. I saw a bumper sticker today that said, "If you aren't appalled, you must not be paying attention."

[snowghost]

We are bringing jobs, which helps wherever you go, though the money still isn't great so we are hoping either of those towns works as a way to stretch a dollar. Crime versus scenery is big...I need to love my environment, but I guess I can't do it if I have to have bars and locks everywhere. We've been lucky in that we've lived in a small town for ten years, and leave our door open throughout each day. I appreciate the comments. I think I'm leaning more towards Chattanooga for the press it gets on going green and rehabilitating.

[xtranaut]

Originally Posted by AndyG

Both of these places are great cities. My personal preference would be Chattanooga though. This is not to slight Huntsville in any way, it is a great city with a very bright future, I just find Chattanooga to be the better of the two.

Chattanooga is a city that is very much undergoing constant changes. It used to be a run down, filthy old southern industrial town, but the changes that have taken place there over the last couple of decades has been astounding.

Both Chattanooga and Huntsville offer strong job markets, relatively low cost of living (as compared to most of the rest of the country) and both are up and coming cities. Chattanooga however, has a more urban feel to it, without as much of the hustle and bustle you will find in a big city. It is a busy city, don't get me wrong, but it manages to provide both a big city feel without losing the charms of a small southern town. It has the "reclaimed" downtown that you mentioned. It's very vibrant and active yet retains a large part of its history. A lot of very nice old buildings remain in downtown Chattanooga, and its scenic location is a very definate plus.

Huntsville has a more modern feel to it. 40 years ago, Huntsville was basically just a puddle in the road, then along came NASA, and its growth since then has been pretty impressive. It does maintain a bit of the feel of a quaint southern town, but for all intents and purposes, Huntsville has an almost "office park" feeling to it. It reminds me more of a suburban town than it does the center of a pretty good sized metro area.

I guess it really depends on exactly what you are looking for. As I said, both are great cities, but my advise would be check them both out carefully, and decide which one suits you best. I don't think you can go wrong with either city, so its really just a personal choice.

Both cities offer good schools, both are relatively safe crime wise, although neither one are without their problems. This is America afterall. Even here in the south, no place is immune from the crime and drama of the rest of the country, but you will still find either city relatively, emphasis on relatively, safe. Both cities are clean and well-kept and are both located in very picturesque areas, but Chattanooga has a slight edge in that area.

Both cities offer extensive options for suburban living, without it being too bad a commute into the center of either city. Chattanooga has more traffic issues than Huntsville, so that is one thing to keep in mind. Chattanooga has better public transit though, if you are ever in need of it. Freeways are adequate in both cities.

Hope this helps. I love both cities, but even though I lean more towards Chattanooga, Huntsville is nothing to ignore either.

Andy G -- don't know what you do for a living but the job market in Chattanooga is the pits. Just like the national unemployment stats - THEY HAVE ALWAYS LOOKED MUCH BETTER THAN THEY ARE BECAUSE THEY JUGGLE THE NUMBERS NOT TO INCLUDE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN ON UNEMPLOYMENT, GONE OFF AND CAN NO LONGER COLLECT, YET, STILL HAVE NO EMPLOYMENT. The reality is TWICE the unemployment of the statistic.
Do not kid yourself - Chattanooga is a "paper hat" job town. Teachers wages suck. Cops wages suck. If you haul dirt, cut trees, mow lawns, paint houses, put up fences or deliver pizza -- you will find work in Chattanooga but these are popular jobs so you got competition! DEGREES do not make a difference to outsiders unless you transferred here. Average income here is not high.

BEAUTIFUL?, ABSOLUTELY. A GOLD STRIKE?, ABSOLUTELY NOT. come with money

[snowghost]

I'm wondering about a town feel to Huntsville. Does it have one, or is indeed just an office-park feel, with developments and strip malls. Is there a cool downtown area (coffee shops, independent movie theatres, ethnic restaurants, bike shops, etc) or is it just a nowhere's ville that grew up too fast to have smart planning? I loathe sprawl, I think a 2,000 sq ft house is more than adequate for a family of 4 (we have 1500 sq feet, and while I wish it was a better lay out, it seems fine to me- and inexpensive to heat and cool!), sidewalks just make sense- for kids to walk to school, for people to feel like they don't have to drive everywhere they want to go...does it sound like Huntsville is not for me? I just can't find good info online about the town, if it doesn't have to do with the military. No offense to them, but we aren't military and we aren't retired. Just educated working class people who like intellectual and cultural stimulation.This is more on my husband's list than mine, so I'm trying to look at all angles.

Thanks.

[jcao111]

I grew up in Chattanooga, 20 years more or less. Went to UTC. Still a good ol' boy type of mentality. Everyone knows that that means. Jobs in Chattanooga? Non to speak off unless you deliver pizza,....ect. It used to be an industrial town. I remember the days of making deliveries to pay for school. Chatt changed for the better over the last 2 decades. Still, I'll never go back. Regarding diversity and ethnic foods, you get this by watching TV. I don't consider Mexican foods, ethnic food. I don't know anything about Huntsville. Good luck.