Let's get real about Chattanooga.
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3/17/2021
I feel like the crime in Chattanooga gets glossed over in most reviews. Lived here virtually my entire life and I will truly miss the golden sunrises against the mountains and the rivers of fog in the fall blanketing the valleys, but my family is planning on relocating in part due to crime. I don't like gunshots outside my window. Hey, it's pretty to visit, but you might want to seriously think about living here because of the crime. Weigh the variables as they say.
Shootings are constant and not just in a particular area. We had a guy shoot up a car full of little kids downtown this last year right by the Read House and all the swank new development on Chestnut Street. It was probably gang related retaliation, but the reason for a crime does not prevent you from catching a stray bullet. A pissed off boyfriend ambushed his girlfriend's workplace harasser in a quiet suburb and shot him dead. At one point, King Street, adjacent to all the development money being poured into downtown and the southside was rated one of the deadliest streets in the United States (2010) in an ABC story.
Chattanooga's per capita violent crime rates are consistently high and beat out many much larger metropolitan areas for position. We get a big fat "F" when it comes to both violent and property crimes. Our 2019 numbers released by the FBI show that we were neck and neck with Chicago for murders rate per 100k people (18.1 for Chatt. and 18.2 for Chi.). And I don't think they're counting the stuff that happens in the outlying areas or the people taken out or raped by cops. In case you don't know...that ain't good people. They don't brag about that in their commercials or brochures. It's all sweet tea, choo choo trains, and high speed internet. Oh, and the public schools have been neglected for decades. The new superintendent is working hard on the issue, but it's an uphill battle. He seems like a capable guy who's a leader and not just a manager. I think if anyone can turn things around - it's him.
If you do move here, take your Allegra, practice your breathing while sitting on I-24, and watch out for Georgians trying to steal your water. If it gets to be too much, just turn your head and look at the pretty mountains.
Audra | East Ridge, TN