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Why Chattanooga?

Why Chattanooga?

By David Dewhirst Share This Story | | Tags   Insider

“What brings you here?”

It’s one of the most common questions a newcomer to any city will be asked. It’s one we’ve been asked numerous times since we relocated our interactive agency, ThreeTwelve Creative, from Ft. Myers, Florida to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“What brings you here?”

Native Southeastern Tennesseans (and Northwest Georgians! And Northeast Alabamans!) who have spent their lives here are justifiably proud of Chattanooga, and the question, it seems to me, often seeks to validate whichever great thing about the area is closest to the asker’s heart.

It might be the rebirth of Chattanooga from the ashes and detritus of an industrial economy – the most polluted in the country, in 1969 -- into a green-friendly, technology-driven Renaissance city.

It might be the free electric shuttle busses that run up and down the downtown thoroughfares, the dedicated bike lanes, or the many parks scattered throughout Chattanooga and Hamilton County. It might be walking up and down Broad Street, or hanging out at the world-class Tennessee Aquarium and taking in the sights and people watching.

It might be the many moving and thought-provoking historic sights related to the tragedies we visited first on the Cherokee and then on each other during Chickamauga and the Chattanooga Campaign.

It might be the striking scenic beauty and the abundance of outdoor activities – rock climbing, kayaking, paddle-boarding, hiking, bicycling, hang gliding, the Iron Man Triathlon and other numerous international-level competitions – that’s propelled Chattanooga to be Outdoor Magazine’s Best Town Ever not only once, but twice.

It might be the music scene , including the epic nine-day Riverbend Festival, the Three Sisters Bluegrass Festival, River Rocks, the Southern Brewers Festival, the free Nightfall concerts, the recent move forward with buskers and street performers, and all the great local venues and performers and the rise of the Southside as an entertainment district.

“What brings you here?”

Or it might be the spirit of technology and innovation that led to Chattanooga being the first city in the United States to make 10 gigabit-per-second internet service available to all area businesses and residents, that’s led to startup accelerators like Gigtank and CoLab helping to find funding and grow new business. It might be the many kind, generous people we’ve met here.

“What brings you here?”

In fact, it’s a combination of all of those things that had ThreeTwelve Creative bringing its interactive agency from the Gulf Coast of Southwest Florida to the Appalachian folds of Chattanooga. We love the outdoors, and we love the city; and we love this city, in particular. Our clients tend to be larger technology companies operating, in some cases, across six continents (and hey, I’m pushing for seven, but we’ll see!) – so with remote meeting capabilities now acceptably useable by business, and a willingness to travel to clients when face-time is beneficial, our geographic location assumed less and less importance. Why not be in a wired, hip, vibrant, smart city, with a great business climate, in a great location, and with a large talent pool to draw from as we grow?

“What brings you here?”

I could go on – but I’m sure that by this point you have a pretty good understanding of why we chose Chattanooga as the new home for our interactive agency. We’d love to meet you – so please don’t hesitate to shoot us an email, give us a quick call, or even stop by our office. We’ll always be glad you did.

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