Columbus, GA Suburbs and Chattanooga, TN Suburbs (Atlanta, Nashville: 2013, home)

[MovingSouthSoon2013]

I could possibly end up in Chattanooga and Columbus. Coming from Indianapolis, which area would make me feel more at home with the offerings I'm used to in a larger city. Thanks in advance.

[Columbus1984]

Originally Posted by MovingSouthSoon2013

I could possibly end up in Chattanooga and Columbus. Coming from Indianapolis, which area would make me feel more at home with the offerings I'm used to in a larger city. Thanks in advance.

Columbus and Chattanooga are similar sized cities with the edge going to Chattanooga in size. Both offer great outdoor activities. Columbus is closer to Atlanta and the beach. Chattanooga has the mountains. What all are you looking for as far as amenities, things to do, etc.?

[Columbuskidd92]

The three difference between Chattanooga and Columbus .......

1.Size
2.Retail
3.Interstates

All in favor of Chattanooga,but other then that,they are similar cities.

[cdw1084]

Unbiased facts:

Location: Chattanooga It's located on major interstates between TN, GA and AL
Size: Columbus city limits proper is around 200k which is larger than Chattanooga at 170k but metro Chattanooga has 200,000 people more than metro Columbus
Larger city feel: Chattanooga feels busier and larger especially downtown, Columbus is more spread out so it's less compact in certain areas.
Things to do: I would give the edge slightly to Chattanooga but Columbus isn't that far behind.
Shopping: Slight edge Chattanooga
Schools: Columbus (grade-12th)

One more thing I forgot to add: In Chattanooga, you can drive to Nashville, Atlanta, Knoxville, and Huntsville within an 1 or 2. The area is also more scenic.

The Columbus area is growing really fast percentage wise compared to the Chattanooga area.

Overall, if I wanted a city feel, I would choose Chattanooga over Columbus. I could live in either one though.

[berkeleylake]

I personally like Chattanooga better than I do Columbus even if I had never lived in either one. My reasons are topography and weather-related, the amenities are somewhat similar in both. I much prefer mountains over a flatter area which most of central Georgia is. Columbus is hotter and more humid than Chattanooga in the summer, but that may be relative compared to where you are.

The good thing is both are about the same distance from Atlanta, so if you wanted to do daytrips to Atlanta, it is not too bad of a drive from either one, about 2 hours one way.

If you can visit both before making the decision, that would answer more of your questions. To me, both cities are somewhat similar due to their size.