Chattanooga, city in southeastern Tennessee, seat of Hamilton County, and a port on the Tennessee River, near the Georgia border. Bridges span the river to link the two sections of the city, which is a services, financial, retail, and distribution center. Manufactures include textiles, primary and fabricated metal, chemicals, and food products; tourism is of growing importance to the economy. Three interstate highways and the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport serve the city.
Chattanooga is home to a campus (established in 1886) of the University of Tennessee, Tennessee Temple University (1946), and a community college. Museums include the Chattanooga Regional History Museum; the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, where visitors can take a trip aboard a steam-powered passenger train; the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts; the Hunter Museum of American Art, with a collection spanning three centuries of American arts; and the Creative Discovery Museum for children.
