About the Hamilton County, Tennessee Area 

Hamilton County has a growing population of 311,178 people. This is a region rich in history and extraordinary natural beauty. The county has a wealth of recreational and cultural opportunities, excellent medical and educational facilities, and a thriving economy. You couldn’t ask for a better place to live and work and play. 

Location
Hamilton County is one of 95 counties in Tennessee. The county is in the Chattanooga metro area. It is situated in Southeast Tennessee, bordered by Marion and Sequatchie Counties on the west, Rhea, Bledsoe and Meigs Counties on the north, the state of Georgia on the south, and Bradley County on the east. 

Hamilton County is located approximately 100 miles southwest of Knoxville, 104 miles northwest of Atlanta, and 113 miles southeast of Nashville. 

Geography
Hamilton County covers a total area of 576 square miles, of which 542 square miles is land and 33 square miles, is water. 5.78 percent of the total area is water. Some of the elevations in the area are: Chattanooga at 685 feet; Missionary Ridge at 1,128 feet; Signal Mountain at 1,790 feet; and Lookout Mountain at 2,391 feet. 

The Tennessee River runs through the County, which is covered with flat-topped mountains separated by sharp valleys. From Lookout Mountain, southwest of Chattanooga and in the southern section of the Appalachian Plateau, you can view seven states. 

Jobs
In Hamilton County, manufacturing is the largest of 20 major sectors, with an average wage per job of $41,308. Transportation and warehousing provide 10.2% of the employment; health care and social assistance provide 8.5%; and finance and insurance provide 6.9%. The per capita income in the county grew by 16.0% between the years of 1993 and 2003.  

Chattanooga is Hamilton County’s primary business hub, with its advantages of prime location, strong infrastructure, skilled workforce, excellent institutions of higher learning, water supply, and high quality of life.

The per capita personal income in Hamilton County is $32,365, and the median household income is $39,553. 

The primary non-manufacturing employers include Hamilton County Department of Education, Covenant Transport, Erlanger Medical Center, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee and Memorial Hospital. The top employing manufacturers include McKee Foods Corporation, Synthetic Industries, Roper Corporation, Pilgrims Pride Corporation and Astec Industries, Incorporated.  

The average time to travel to work is 22.6 minutes and unemployment is 4.6%. 

Housing
Hamilton County is a beautiful region and offers a wide variety of homes. You can find everything from older historic homes to new condo and townhouse subdivisions and single-family homes. There are some beautiful mountain views in this county. 

Home prices can vary from under $100,000 to $790,000, with a median home price of $165,600. 

Recreation
Hamilton County offers recreational opportunities ranging from the solitude of the Tennessee River Gorge to Chattanooga's lively riverfront and historic bridges. There is no state better known for its love of horses than Tennessee and Hamilton County is no exception. Horse breeding, riding, and events in Hamilton County and the surrounding area are a passion for large number of folks, young and old.

You can watch great blue herons at Maclellan Island's wildlife sanctuary or red-tailed hawks and peregrine falcons circling the thermals above the Gorge. You can paddle the scenic Tennessee River Blueway, winding around Moccasin Bend and past Williams Island and Suck Creek, past Sullivan's Landing deep in the Gorge, and Oates Island at near historic Hales Bar Dam. 

Hamilton County provides a total of 49 parks, providing opportunities for biking, hiking, camping, swimming, picnicking, fishing, volleyball, tennis, and even horseshoes! There are 28 recreation centers, 48 playgrounds, 125 ball fields, 200 tennis courts, 55 pools, 15 theatres and 3 bowling alleys. 

Hikers enjoy Chattanooga Nature Center, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Greenway Farms and Harrison Bay State Park. There is ample fishing in the lake, creeks, and reservoirs, filled with rainbow trout, bass, and catfish, to name a few.  

Caving is available at Raccoon Mountain Crystal Caverns, Nickajack Cave Refuge and Ruby Falls, where a thundering 145-foot waterfall cascades deep within the heart of Lookout Mountain. There is rafting and horseback riding, rappelling and rock climbing.  

Prentice Cooper State Forest offers one of the best sites around the area for cycling.  

High Adventure Sports in Chattanooga offers bungee jumping, skydiving, gliding and hand gliding and is the home of the first and tallest over-land bungee tower. 

Lookout Mountain Flight Park is home to America’s No. 1 hang gliding school. You can roller blade on the Walnut Street Bridge in Downtown Chattanooga, at the Tennessee Riverpark, or in Sanctuary Skate Park. 

Hamilton County has a variety of golf courses that will provide enjoyment and challenges for golfers of every skill and age. There are seventeen in all, including Brainerd Golf Course, Brown Acres Golf Course, Concord Golf Club, Eagle Bluff Golf Club, Moccasin Bend Public Golf Club, Hampton Creek Golf Club, Windstone Golf Club and Hickory Valley Golf Course. 

Special Attractions/Events
Hamilton County has a vast number of special attractions to enjoy. One of the most famous is the Tennessee Aquarium. This aquarium is home to over 7,000 animals, including 400 species of fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. It has a 130,000-square-foot facility, which holds 400,000 gallons of water in 21 exhibits.  

Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park is the nation's first and largest military park. It provides a penetrating look into the battles in the Campaign for Chattanooga. The IMAX 3D Theater provides excitement galore, as you explore an 'Ocean Wonderland' or board the Titanic with the 3D film 'Ghosts of the Abyss.'  

Creative Discovery Museum is fun for children of all ages. It even features a two-and-a-half story tall climbing structure connected to a two-story, play-aboard riverboat and an interactive watercourse. 

At historic Lookout Mountain you can enjoy its famed Rock City, Ruby Falls, Incline Railway and Point Park. The Southern Belle Riverboat, the Chattanooga Star, or the Chattanooga Ducks can all take you on a ride down the scenic Tennessee River. 

Hamilton County boasts an impressive array of 19 museums and art galleries to enjoy. The Hunter Museum of American Art houses one of the finest collections of American art in the Southeast. It sits on an 80-foot bluff on the edge of the Tennessee River housing an exceptional collection of American art. 

Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
Hamilton County was created on October 25, 1819 by an act of the Thirteenth Tennessee General Assembly meeting at Murfreesboro. At that point in time, the county did not extend south of the Tennessee River. The section south of the river did not become a part of Hamilton County until the Treaty of 1835, which led to the Indian Removal and the “Trail of Tears.”  

The county was named for Alexander Hamilton, who was secretary of the treasury in George Washington’s administration. 

The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is the world's steepest passenger railway line. The Hunter Museum of Art is the South's largest collection of American art.
Miniature golf was invented in 1926 on Lookout Mountain by Garnet Carter, founder of Rock City Gardens.

The first commercial maker of nylon hose in the 1939 was Davenport Hosiery Mills in Chattanooga.

The Lookout Mountain Flight Park and Training School graduates more pilots every year than any other school in the world.  

The records for the highest overland bungee cord jump in the world and the oldest person to take a jump are held by Chattanooga's High Adventure Sports. 

Ruby Falls on Lookout Mountain has the deepest commercial caverns in the United States. They are over 1,000 feet underground. 

Hamilton County is rich with Native American History, Civil War History and turn-of- the-century history. Native American History involves such sites as Ross’s Landing, Ross House, Audubon Acres, and Primitive Settlement.  

Civil War History is found in these sites: Chickamauga Battlefield Park Headquarters and Visitors Center, Point Park, Cravens House, Chickamauga Battlefield Park Headquarters and Visitors Center, and Chattanooga’s VA National Cemetery.  

Lastly, Turn-of-the-Century History is illustrated at Chattanooga African-American Museum & Bessie Smith Hall, The Chattanooga Choo Choo, Tennessee Valley Railroad and International Towing & Recovery Museum. 

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