As far as big cities go, Chattanooga isn’t bad. It isn’t a Memphis, Chicago, or even close to that. There are certain parts of town that you stay out of. My grandparents lived there and I stayed with them a lot so I learned my way around but my grandmother always told me to stay out of certain parts, even back in the 70’s. I’m not familiar with those parts and don’t know my way around in them. When I briefly worked there, my job was on 9th Street that is now called Martin Luther King BLVD, so you get the idea. It was one of the parts I knew about but was told to stay away from as a teenager.
There was a lot of Chattanooga that I loved. There are times that it’s necessary to go there. If you want a really good doctor (specialist) you go to Chattanooga or Knoxville, not one of the small rural towns like mine.
I was one of two electrical contractors in the Sequatchie Valley area, also did some special jobs for the coal companies, so my trips to Chattanooga were to specific locations. Otherwise, time has fogged my memory. I remember a church service I sometimes attended - somewhere.
I-75 north out of town was the first Home Depot I ever saw. I was awe struck. If I had bought a few hundred shares of stock then I would likely have gotten rich! 😉