If you’d visited Chattanooga, the Tennessee mountain city just northwest of Atlanta, fifty years ago, then you’d have seen one of the most polluted cities in the entire country. Now? It’s a natural safe haven and an outdoor recreation hotspot! Keep scrolling to learn all about Chattanooga’s new title as the nation’s first-ever National Park City.
What is a National Park City?
First of all… what is that? Good question! National Park Cities are cities around the globe that are focused on making their city greener, healthier, and wilder. According to the National Park City Foundation,
National Parks are defined differently around the world. They are special places where we have a better relationship with nature, culture and heritage and can enjoy and develop ourselves… Combining the long-term and large-scale vision of National Parks with cities has the potential to shift our collective understanding of what and who a city is for. National Park Cities are not National Parks. But they are inspired by them.
London was the first-ever National Park City. Chattanooga joined into the list of National Park Cities in 2025, along with Breda, a city in the Netherlands.
This movement is separate from the National Park Service.
Why is Chattanooga a National Park City?
Chattanooga’s dedication to nature is a huge reason why they were able to become the country’s first-ever National Park City.
The title was presented to the city following a comprehensive peer review process coordinated by the National Park City Foundation, with support from Salzburg Global, and World Urban Parks.
Mark Cridge, Executive Director of the National Park City Foundation said in a statement,
You can learn all about Chattanooga’s commitment to the environment and community on their National Park City website, here!It’s a huge honour to welcome Chattanooga as a full member of the National Park City movement. We’re excited to see how the city will use their new status to make Chattanooga a place where people and nature are better connected, and how they might inspire more cities to ask; what if our city was a National Park City?
And check out all their amazing upcoming events and activities on their events page, here.
So… wait Chattanooga was super polluted at one point?
Yes, actually. It might seem near-impossible to believe now, but in 1969, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) named Chattanooga the “worst city in the nation for particulate air pollution.”
This was due, in large part, to the unregulated emissions from their dense industry base, which included: railroads, and coal furnaces. Chattanoogans didn’t want to live in a city with terrible air quality, however, and quickly approved a new Air Pollution Control Ordinance in late 1969.
Since then, their aggressive and successful air pollution policies have helped to clean Chattanooga up considerably into the outdoors and beautiful natural haven it is today! Of course, the work to keep the environment clean and safe is never done, but that’s part of the reason that this new accolade as a National Park City is such a huge deal!
Plan your next Atlanta day trip to the mountains and visit the country’s only National Park City, Chattanooga, TN!
