Chattanooga
Our Community: Culture and Recreation
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is proud to bear the name of the vibrant community where we are located.
Known as the Scenic City, Chattanooga and the surrounding region boast a wondrous natural beauty with thick forests, limestone caverns, underground waterfalls, beautiful mountains, and scenic rivers.
The campus is located just a few blocks from downtown Chattanooga, home to large regional healthcare centers, national insurance companies, and major manufacturing companies. These provide multiple opportunities for students to gain valuable experience through applied research, internships, and career experiences.
Chattanooga’s Civil War history can be explored at the nation’s oldest military park, the Chattanooga/Chickamauga National Park. The modern Chattanooga is proud to be the home of the Tennessee Aquarium, the world’s largest freshwater aquarium, along with many museums, professional sports teams, visual and performing arts groups, and many other area attractions. The city features traditional American values found in smaller cities while still offering the benefits of an energetic metropolitan area.
The campus hosts a large variety of visiting artists and performers, athletic events, and speakers. Between the downtown area and our campus, something is going on all the time!
Resources in the Region
In the past, Chattanooga was a railroad hub. Recently, it has become an electrical powerhouse centered around the Tennessee Valley Authority. Today it is poised to be a hub of technological innovation. UTC’s SimCenter anchors the Tennessee Valley Technology Corridor along with other notable sites such as the U. S. Air Forces’ Engineering Development Center (Tullahoma, TN), NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, AL), and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, TN)
Chattanooga markets new biodiesel fuels, manufactures wind turbine towers, and demonstrates fuel cell technology. Chattanooga serves as a large regional healthcare center, the home of hospitals and manufacturers of prosthetic devices. National insurance companies specializing in disability and healthcare make Chattanooga their home.
For Your Interest
While Chattanooga is only two hours from the big cities of Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; and Nashville, Tennessee, it remains a small city with a reputation for friendliness, accessibility, safety, beautiful scenery, and cultural opportunities. What it doesn’t have is congested traffic, expensive living, and a boring environment.
For international students, there are vibrant Indian, Chinese, and Korean communities. There are restaurants and markets that feature ethnic foods from around the world.
The University has official partnerships for bilateral student exchanges with Haifa University in Israel; Kangnung University in South Korea; Lulea University in Sweden; Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic; Nagoya University of Foreign Studies in Japan and Padagogische Hochshule Ludwigsburg, Germany.
Visitor Information
Information and ideas about area attractions can be obtained from the Chattanooga Visitors Center. The Visitors Center is located on Broad Street next to the Aquarium and is open from 8:30am until 5:30pm.
Transportation
The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority, or CARTA, provides 22 bus routes to serve the Chattanooga Area. CARTA also provides Electric Shuttle service in the downtown area. In addition to these around town routes, the Mocs Express Shuttle will provide service from Engle Stadium around the campus for student use. All CARTA routes are free to UTC students with a valid Mocs ID.
Shopping
Among Chattanooga’s traditional shopping malls are Hamilton Place, which is Tennessee’s largest mall, Eastgate and Northgate. Chattanooga also has numerous antique shops, outlet stores on Market Street, and many galleries and off-the-beaten-track boutiques on Frazier Avenue.
