Chattanooga, the 4th largest city in the state, is located in Southeast Tennessee near the border of Georgia and Alabama at the junction of four interstate highways. The city has received national recognition for the renaissance of its beautiful downtown and redevelopment of its riverfront. The city and county have developed an extensive greenway system which includes 5 miles of constructed riverwalk beginning downtown and meandering through the historic art district and several parks.

Attractions such as the Tennessee Aquarium, Rock City, Lookout Mountain, Civil War battlefield sites, the African American Museum, and the Appalachian Trail bring thousands of people to the area, as do events like the Riverbend Festival, Bessie Smith Strut, Fall Color Cruise, the Creative Discovery Museum for children, and the Southern Writers Conference. Chattanooga is the home of theNCAA Division I FCS national football championships and hosts the national softball championships every year.

People who love the out-of-doors use Chattanooga as a base for hang-gliding, bass fishing, mountain climbing and caving expeditions; the verdant Smoky Mountains and Tennessee River watershed support the greatest variety of flora of any area in the United States.