Relocation advice/infor for Chattanooga (East Brainerd: apartment complexes, leasing, condo)

[Colin's Mommy]

Hi all - thank you in advance for any replies - my husband and I (along with our 3 y/o) are looking to relocate - Chattanooga "area" being one of our picks - I am sorry if this is more detail than needed but I figure the more info I can share the better...

1. Budget --> looking to rent for first 6months-year around $1,000+

2. House/Condo/Townhome? --> detached "something" preferred

3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) --> I am a nurse my husband will be an entry level accountant

4. Children(public school vs. private) --> either or - as long as they are safe and serve their purpose

5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two --> Suburban

6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? --> Nope

7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. --> Middle-upper class, safe

* late 20's early 30's professionals with an expanding family
* Within 25 minutes of a decent sized hospital - any names would be great
*45 minutes (or so) to major airport
*Good library within 10 minutes or so
*Farmers market within town
*Parks, parks and more parks
*Walk able downtown that isn't a ghost town - even if it is only a few blocks long/wide - as long as it has some "life"/"charm"/history
*depending on job markets we will probably be looking to spend around 200K when we purchase a home - in a "perfect world" it would be 1+ acres very, very close to a small/medium downtown area within close distance to amenities (grocery store, target [I know!] etc
*We are pretty laid back individuals that enjoy being outdoors and being able to walk around our small downtown with a variety of local restaurants, park etc - our zip code consists of approximately 70,000 people while our "downtown" has about 7,200

Thank you so very much for any and all suggestions

[Nonlocal]

Erlanger is sort of the "main" hospital downtown (which also has the T.C. Thompson Childrens Hospital) , but there's also Parkridge, Memorial, etc. From most place in the greater Chattanooga area, at least one of them will be within 25 minutes quite easily.

As far as airports go, there is Lovell Field which sort of a smaller regional/East Coast airport--if you want to fly longer distances (cross-country), you're likely to have a connection somewhere. The next closest major (international) airports are Nashville and Atlanta, both close to two hours away.

There's a pretty nice multi-level library downtown. I've only been to one other in the area, though (the Northgate branch) and it's pretty small and simple.

The downtown--particularly North Shore/Frazier Ave and within 3-4 blocks of the riverfront/downtown area (Market St., Broad St.) are very alive and walkable. There's also a pedestrian bridge crossing the river connecting those two areas, it's a great setting and very active. There's also parks in this area (Coolidge Park, Renaissance Park, Ross's Landing) that are great for walking or just relaxing. There are also some other parks in the Chattanooga area (the entire Riverwalk, Greenway Farm, etc.), that's not something I'd say is lacking here.

Plenty of great/local restaurants to choose from here, that's one of my favorite traits of Chattanooga. Plenty of outdoors activities, too.

That's about all I can answer with clarity, sorry I can't answer some of the bigger questions. It sounds like you shouldn't have a problem with any of it though. The only word of caution I'd advise is there are some crime/gang problems in Chattanooga, but it's mostly isolated to certain areas, and there's plenty of great things about the city as well. Good luck!

[u4icmusic]

It's a good idea that you want to rent. That will give you time while you are here to really explore areas and neighborhoods that you might want to buy in. We don't have a major airport here, but Atlanta is less than two hours away and they are the biggest in the nation. We have van service there, or you can drive there and park your car. Your best bet is East Brainerd for safety, shopping and close to downtown by car.

[Nonlocal]

Atlanta's actually the busiest airport in the entire world. Just a random tidbit.

[Colin's Mommy]

Originally Posted by Nonlocal

Atlanta's actually the busiest airport in the entire world. Just a random tidbit.

No wonder you can never get in/out on time

[etta]

From what you describe I think ya'll would like it here. Like Nonlocal said be sure to check out the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge. It connects downtown to the Northshore. The Tennessee river runs through the center of the city & is gorgeous. Downtown is a mix of business buildings, bars, restaurants & touristy stuff like the aquarium. It is definitely not a ghost town.

Check out the Chattanooga Market on Sundays. It's a large bustling farmers market with produce, arts/crafts & live music with local food vendors. It's family friendly & tons of fun.

Also be sure to stop by The Main St. farmers market on Wednesday Main Street Farmers Market | Chattanooga's weekly source of farm fresh and locally produced foods It is great place to meet local organic farmers & get some delicious produce, raw milk cheese, locally roasted coffee & locally milled grits. Recently I have been stopping by there to get the most amazing locally grown ****ake mushrooms from Sequatchie cove farm!

Wish I knew anything about the suburbs. I'm sure someone on this forum is knowledgeable in that department.

[RiverView]

All good info and comments above so I'll just address your rental budget. $1,000 will be a little tough to get what you are describing. The leasing / rental market here is smoking hot for 2 reasons.

1. VW - The have been and continue to snarf up the good properties on 2-3 year leases. Also see Wacker a player in this market.

2. Since the lending criteria has tightened up so much many folks that would have been able to buy now have to lease / rent. A quick lap around he city and you'll see many apartment complexes under construction.

[pioti]

Originally Posted by Nonlocal

Atlanta's actually the busiest airport in the entire world. Just a random tidbit.

Actually Kandahar airport i Afghanistan is although it isn't all civilian passenger traffic. It includes drones, helicopters, fighters, military cargo aircraft and civilian passenger aircraft.