which would you prefer to live - Nashville or Chattanooga (Hunter: real estate, houses)

[12buttons]

Nashville is not my cup of tea - not walkable, many areas are dangerous, it's not aesthetically pleasing. The nice areas are out of my price range - belle meade, the ones i can afford I don't like.

What;s the deal with Chattanooga - never been there - planning on a trip soon - is real estate cheaper there? Where are the pre-retiree popular areas?
Not necessarily resort or golf -but not subdivisions with heavy school interest or worker bee type cookie cutter places..looking for either a walkable intown area or a few acres with a nice 300k ish house..thanks

[jmz2]

The cost of living is far less in Chattanooga and downtown is much more walkable and much more scenic (it's also much, much smaller). Traffic in Chattanooga is extremely manageable (wait till you see chattanooga's rush hour; it's freakin adorable), and houses are a lot less than in Nashville, although I don't own a home so I can't get much more specific than that.

Bottom line, of the two cities, Chattanooga seems to be the one you'll like more. But it's also a lot smaller and there's less to do. I prefer Chattanooga, the size difference notwithstanding.

[blindsolitude]

As someone who currently lives in Nashville, but was raised in chattanooga, you will like Chattanooga MUCH more than Nashville. The housing is a lot cheaper in Chattanooga than in Nashville. For instance, if you were to look at a home with 1800-2000 sq ft that was in a "good area" in Nashville (Bellevue to be exact), it would run you $230,000+. However, in Chattanooga, I found a similar home for $50,000-80,000 less. Try realtor.com to compare home prices.

Chattanooga's downtown is great, especially in the warmer months. There are plenty of outdoor activities around the city.

[BlueCuzco]

But it's also a lot smaller and there's less to do.

That depends on how you define "less to do". If you're talking about nightlife or concerts and such, sure. We've got a good number of events and activities for a city our size, but of course not as much as Nashville. But as far as outdoor activities go, we have much, much more than Nashville, and that goes for historic sites and attractions like the aquarium, Hunter Museum, and eco-cruises.

I personally would choose Chattanooga without a doubt. It is so much more scenic and walkable, and as a nature-boy the outdoors is a major plus. On top of that, the green way system and walkability is only improving.

[OzarkCheesehead]

We too are considering moving to Tennessee and Nashville and Chattanooga are on our not so short list. I understand TN has some dry counties. Do both these cities have adult beverage places to eat like sports bars etc or are they dry?

[beachbyrd]

Hamilton County (Chattanooga) is not a dry county. Can't speak for Davidson...

[blindsolitude]

Davidson is not a dry county. One of the only dry counties I can think of is Moore County where the Jack Daniels Distillery is (funny, i know). Also, wine is only sold in liquor stores in Tennessee; you cannot but it in grocery stores.

As for the comment about night life in Nashville, it really isn't all that great. Sure there are a lot of venues, but the majority of them are tourist traps and are too crowded to really enjoy yourself. Not to mention any time you go out, you have to worry about the rogue tow truck companies that tow you even if you are in a correct spot. I found a couple of decent places to go, but all but one of them closed.

[VolDude]

Another lame thing is that liquor stores in Tennessee cannot sell beer. This kills the availability of specialty brews.

[Buckhead Betty1]

I am coming this weekend to visit a friend I think he said he is making a reservation at the Palms...did I understand him right? And what kind of place is this? Is it really nice or just a regular type of restaruant?

[JamesO3572]

before i forget, I might say that this forum should answer your questions about N'ville while we (well atleast *I* do) prefer Chattanooga.
//www.city-data.com/forum/nashville/