About the Signal Mountain, Tennessee Area 

Signal Mountain is a scenic town with a population of 7,725, overlooking the city of Chattanooga. This town is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in the region. It has a strong sense of community, proud of its neighborhoods, schools, and civic groups. Here you have a quiet life style, with all the amenities of the city close at hand in Chattanooga. If you want a place where you can relax and enjoy life, Signal Mountain is for you.
Location
Signal Mountain is a town located in the Chattanooga metro area of Hamilton County, in southeast Tennessee. It is west and slightly north of Chattanooga.  

Signal Mountain is located 7.8 miles northwest of Chattanooga, 99 miles southwest of Knoxville, 108 miles southeast of Nashville, and 109 miles northwest of Atlanta, GA. 

Housing

Signal Mountain offers a variety of beautiful homes, including townhouses and condos. Some of these homes are on mountain brow lots with breathtaking views.
The price of homes here range from under $100,000 to $1,000,000, and the median home cost is $292,000.
 

Geography 

Signal Mountain has a total area of 6.7 square miles. None of the area is covered with water. The town sits at an altitude of 1790 feet above sea level, with some spectacular views of the surrounding area. The most dramatic natural features of the area are the mountains, the natural forest area, the Tennessee River and the Tennessee River Gorge. Signal Point is at one end of the Tennessee River Gorge segment of the Cumberland Trail.  

Jobs 

In Signal Mountain, educational, health and social services provide 24.2% of the employment; professional, scientific, management, administrative services provide 15.2%; and finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing provide 11.8%.
The median household income in the town is $60,633 and the average per capita income is $33,603. The average time to travel to work is 25.1 minutes and unemployment is 5.1%
 

Recreation 

Signal Mountain is surrounded by uniquely beautiful natural terrain. An excellent network of hiking trails has been developed to optimize the enjoyment of the area. This network includes the Green Gorge Trail System, the Rainbow Wilderness, and Shackleford Ridge Park.
Green Gorge Park encompasses a stream running through a deep gorge and nearly 2 miles of trails. Rainbow Lake and Bee Branch Trail is popular, leading down into the valley to Rainbow Lake. Shackleford Ridge Park Trail runs to Mushroom Rock, a spectacular geological formation, which is on the Cumberland Trail North. This portion of the Cumberland Trail State Park in the Prentice Cooper National Forest allows hikers to enjoy the beauty of the Tennessee River gorge.
 

Prentice Cooper State Forest offers 26,000 acres of open space and recreational opportunities, including 13 miles of the Tennessee Cumberland Trail State Park. Over 150 acres in the park have been designated as bike paths.
The Town of Signal Mountain owns approximately 600 acres of land, which is set aside for park and recreational usage. There are 7 horticulture parks, 2 scenic parks, 3 wilderness parks, 8 natural areas, 6 playing fields, 10 tennis courts, 5 playgrounds, a pool, an amphitheater and 2 community centers. The Department of Recreation offers a wide range of activities. There is aerobic exercise, basketball, playgrounds, softball, swimming, baseball, arts and crafts, camping, and tennis.
Hang Glide at Lookout Mountain is America's largest hang gliding resort and school.
Signal Mountain is home to Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club. It is an 18-hole private course with tree-lined fairways and challenging terrain. The golf course once belonged to the Signal Mountain Inn. At that time the clubhouse served as a dance pavilion and casino. Before the town the settled, the golf course was used for summer grazing by cattle.  

Special Attractions/Events 

In the fall, you can enjoy driving up the mountain to see the beautiful multi-colored foliage of the old oak trees. Another popular stop at that time of year is Fairmount Orchard. When the apples have been picked they prepare hundreds of gallons of fresh apple cider. You can stop in for a cup and even take some home.

Signal Point National Park overlooks the well-known "grand canyon" on the Tennessee River. It received its name because of its use during the Civil War to relay messages to Cameron Hill and Lookout Mountain.

Corner Gallery displays and sells folk art, and work by local artists. It has some clever and unusual pieces. The Mountain Opry is a favorite place for music lovers, featuring bluegrass and old-time acoustic music.

You can visit nearby Chattanooga and take a ride down the river on the Southern Belle.

Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places 

Signal Point has a number of historic buildings you can visit. Conner Toll House was built in 1858 by James C. Conner, the first sheriff of Hamilton County. It is thought to be the oldest structure on Walden's Ridge.

James Monument is located in James Park. It is a bronze plaque in honor of Charles E. James who developed Signal Mountain and much of 20th century Chattanooga.

Signal Mountain Inn is named after nearby Signal Point. It was built by Charles E. James in 1911. He also built a streetcar line to carry supplies to the mountain for construction of the inn.
Topside is a two-story log house built by William Miles in Summertown in 1883 for the David McKendree Key family.

Union Chapel was built in 1908 to serve the community of Summertown.

Signal Point National Historic Park has a rich history. Centuries prior to the Civil War, it is believed that Native American tribes used Signal Point to send fire and smoke signals. During the Civil War, in the fall of 1863, the Union Army used Signal Point as a communications station to signal various locations in the Chattanooga area. Union soldiers were sent to Signal Point to maintain a signal line, reporting on Confederate troop movement and their own wagon supply trains.

The Town of Signal Mountain began with the purchase of 4,400 acres of land in the Signal Point area by Charles E. James. During the 1878 yellow fever epidemic, he had led a group of people to the Signal Point area to escape the epidemic. He purchased the land and began plans for a residential community. It was thirty years before Mr. James began development in the area. In 1913 construction was completed of twelve miles of streetcar track, connecting Chattanooga to Signal Mountain. Signal Mountain Inn also opened in 1913, for those on their way to Florida for the winter.

In 1918, the Signal Mountain Golf Course was completed.  

On April 4, 1919, the Tennessee Legislature passed the bill that chartered the Town of Signal Mountain.  

The 1970's brought several changes to the Town of Signal Mountain. In 1970 a library and a new fire hall were built. In 1979 additional recreational facilities and a new Town Hall were built.

The Signal Mountain Historic District on the southern end of Signal Mountain is an example of an early twentieth century upper middle class suburban neighborhood. It was planned and developed primarily during 1915-1945.  

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