Relocation to Chattanooga (Louisville: sales, home, neighborhood)

[BlueCuzco]

However, the drive in to "town" is enough of a hassle that it often keeps us from getting out more. So we're hesitant to get into the same situation in Chattanooga, and I worry a bit that Soddy Daisy, Hixson, etc. would be more of the same.

Yes, you'd have that same problem in Soddy and Hixon. Red Bank is a little closer.

[Grizzlybear34]

Originally Posted by Orual

However, the drive in to "town" is enough of a hassle that it often keeps us from getting out more. So we're hesitant to get into the same situation in Chattanooga, and I worry a bit that Soddy Daisy, Hixson, etc. would be more of the same.

It really depends on your definition of hassle. I currently live in the Hixson area, right at the Soddy/Hixson line. My drive takes me exactly 25 minutes to get from my apartment to downtown where I work on US 27. It is one of the most beautiful drives I have experienced in terms of view, and it is hardly a busy interstate. Now living off of I-24 some distance may be exactly that hassle as I see that back up all the time and sitting in traffic every rush hour is not my idea of a destresser.

As BC mentions, Red Bank would put you in pretty close to the downtown area, but it will be more commercial than the Soddy/Hixson area. My two cents for living in the area about a month.

[Orual]

Thanks for the responses, BlueCuzco and Grizzlybear34. It's good to get the perspective of people who already live there. I know what you mean about a slightly different interstate can make a big difference in commute times--in all honesty, I live a much further distance from downtown than many of my "east end/Prospect" coworkers, and have a shorter commute in terms of time, because many more people commute from the east than the west here.

Part of what my husband and I are looking for, though, is the whole "city neighborhood" experience. The small town we live in is fairly self-contained (walking distance to 2 general stores, a doctor's office, hardware store, park, etc.) And we'd like a city neighborhood where there was a corner store, etc. and the same feeling of neighborhood and self-containedness, if that makes any sense, plus being close to some features small towns often lack (we're supposed to get a public library branch next year, for example).

But we've also both lived in a much more "suburban" situation where there are no sidewalks, neighbors don't talk unless you're in a club of some sort together, and you have to drive to pick up a gallon of milk. We'd prefer to avoid that if possible.

[BlueCuzco]

Right on! You won't find that in most Chattanooga suburbs, so it's probably best to get a place downtown. I can't think of any suburbs that aren't either sprawled or rural...

[lookin4mayberry]

Originally Posted by jwkilgore

I've never noticed a higher-than-average crime rate since moving here, but enough people have mentioned crime on these forums that I decided to read up a little. My first reaction was wow, the crime statistics do seem freakishly high, way higher than what I imagined from reading the paper and watching the news. But maybe my perspective is skewed because I moved from a much much larger metro area (Kansas City). I wonder if there's some sort of statical anomaly... maybe the crime rate is based only on the size of the actual city of Chattanooga (which is kinda small) instead of the entire metro area? But it is what it is. I also notice that Chattanooga is excluded from the newest "worst crime cities" because we're considered a tourist town.


I agree with your opinion of Westview, but don't count Ooltewah high out. I don't have any personal experience with that school, but I know the class size went WAAAY down after the zone was split up with the construction of the new East Brainerd Middle-high last year.

I do know you want to stay out of the "Central" and "Tyner" zones if you care about education. Unfortunately, those are the closest to the plant. See zoning maps HERE (http://www.hcde.org/site/zoning/default.aspx - broken link).

I'd pick Central High School over Ooltewah any day of the week.

[lookin4mayberry]

There are some good rural places out Hwy 58. When it becomes 2 lanes keep going a few miles and turn left on Dolly Pond Rd. Then an immediate left into a new subdivision. Your child would go to Snowhill Elementary, Hunter Middle, and Central High School. Good schools and a nice rural area. You are close to Cleveland, but yet still live in Hamilton County. I think you would be happy there.

[Jon F Moss]

Here's my personal experience: driving from Hixson to downtown is not a hassle. There really isn't a whole lot of traffic either if one takes Hixson Pike all the way in. I do that and cross over onto Dallas which takes me right to the NorthShore. It's a pretty drive and the "S Curves" are fun and playful.

It's totally scenic and involves no highway driving.

[lookin4mayberry]

You may want to consider Collegedale. It's sort of a small town within the area. Near Ooltewah as well.

[jchenlin]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. We've done a bit of research online and were concentrating on Signal Mountain for its schools and general family friendliness. Now we're being directed to Ooltewah for its also very good schools. Price-wise, choosing Ooltewah might mean having a very small mortgage, or none, depending on how our house sells, which sounds great right now! It also sounds like it's very close to the plant. I guess we'll know more when my husband moves down there next week. From what I heard he'll probably be gone a lot for training but hopefully he will get a chance to drive around and get a sense of the surroundings.

[Jon F Moss]

jchenlin,

that's great to hear! Please let us know if he needs anything during his stay