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The April 25, 1999 issue of Parade Magazine featured Chattanooga as one of four U.S. cities that are making it happen. "Across the nation, citizens with vision and a new community spirit are transforming once run-down urban areas - such as in Chattanooga, Tennessee - into exciting people-friendly towns." This cover story focused on the revitalization of Chattanooga's downtown area. Beginning in 1981, Chattanooga blended community involvement with public, private and non-profit investment to affect positive change. In the 1970's, the city's economy was faltering. Foundries closed. Downtown stores began to close or relocate to the outlying malls. Visioning efforts by Chattanooga Venture, a nonprofit organization, resulted in open meetings that drew more than 1700 residents to produce a "commitment portfolio" for more than 200 projects to help bring people back downtown and generally enhance the quality of life for area residents. The article reads, "Once a prime example for everything wrong with America, Chattanooga (pop. 148,820) is turning itself around. The city's formerly decaying riverfront is now a thriving entertainment district that draws more than a million visitors a year. Electric buses - locally built and free to ride - ply downtown streets. A not-for-profit group is spending more than $30 million a year on housing. And the air, once so dirty you had to drive with your headlights on at noon, is clean again." |
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