Chattanooga is just right: affordable (median home price, $155,000) and big enough (pop. 524,303) to have great nightlife and restaurants. But with the Tennessee River bordering town, a lifetime of climbing and hiking in the surrounding Appalachians, and 30 miles of singletrack a few minutes away, it's easy to escape.
Outside Chattanooga Photographer: Andrew Kornylak/Aurora
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You might want to mention SORBA and IMBA's singletrack construction efforts in and around Chattanooga - 100 miles within an hour of downtown. I'm pretty sure there's a downtown whitewater park, too.
Flag ThisThere isn't a downtown whitewater park but the Ocoee River (site of the 1996 Olympic whitewater events) is about 45 minutes away.
Flag ThisThere is no downtown whitewater park but, plenty of local creeks, and as Julia mentioned, the Ocoee is 45 minutes away. There are also great parks and lots of art strewn about and a cornucopia of athletic events (runs, bike & foot as well as triathlons on a regular basis).
Flag ThisChattanooga's Riverwalk is a 13 mile paved path that parallels the Tennessee River into downtown through the very scenic Bluff View Art district. Each mile is marked along the way by large silhouettes of varying design. The North Chickamauga Creek Greenway offers trails for running, hiking, and wildlife viewing.
Flag ThisChattanooga has a huge burglary problem, some of the nation's laziest police officers, and a past record of 28,000 calls neglected by Emergency 911. The tag office will issue your neighbors tag numbers adjacent to yours so they can illegally enter your house. If you go out, make sure your insurance is up to date!
Flag Thissome of the best mountain biking and kayaking in the country is within and hour and a half, not to mention camping and even hang gliding!
Flag ThisDear Outdoor researchers, you forgot how dangerous Memphis is which do not believe Memphis is best town because as I researched that Memphis is in top 5 for allergies and violence. 1,006 crimes per 100,000 ranks them 2nd behind Detroit...where do I find safety as number one priority when I take whole family out for bike ride or other outdoor activities. Sorry but violence can affect the outdoor lifestyle. I'm an Oregonian and Portland/Bend lack violence putting large numbers of outdoor enthusiastic out everyday even day and night not worrying about violence creeping in. Public Safety is always number one priority for everybody. Don't forget to follow Mayor Sam Adams on Twitter...he's always there to keep city safe.
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