From its gigabit smart grid to its wealth of 3D printing companies to the best tech camp ever, Chattanooga is a hotbed for innovation.

Mari Silbey, Senior Editor, Cable/Video

August 10, 2015

18 Slides

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- A trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee in July revealed what downtown life is like in America's first Gigabit City. From TechTown (the best camp ever), to The Crash Pad (the only Platinum-LEED-Certified hostel ever), to an abundance of startup incubators, Chattanooga is a city bubbling with energy and tech-fueled ambition.

In a short day and a half, Chattanooga made me long for a little more southern hospitality in my life. It also convinced me that this Tennessee town had the right idea by investing in a gigabit network. Granted, most people and companies don't need that bandwidth yet, but its very presence has brought about some significant benefits to the community. Not only does the power grid run more smoothly thanks to smart power switches networked together with fiber, but the telecom infrastructure has been a catalyst for Chattanooga's downtown revival, and active, innovative startup scene.

But don't let me try to convince you with words. Take a look at the photos to see what Chattanooga's all about. Maybe sit back and sip some Tennessee whiskey while you do.

Figure 1: 3D-Printed Owls Behold the neon owls. The Chattanooga TechTown camp gives kids hands-on access to 3D printers. These were some of their creations. Behold the neon owls. The Chattanooga TechTown camp gives kids hands-on access to 3D printers. These were some of their creations.

Related posts:

  • EPB: 10Gbits/s Service Feasible Within a Year

  • TechTown Trains Future Techies

  • Chattanooga Charts Killer Gigabit Apps

— Mari Silbey, Senior Editor, Cable/Video, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Mari Silbey

Senior Editor, Cable/Video

Mari Silbey is a senior editor covering broadband infrastructure, video delivery, smart cities and all things cable. Previously, she worked independently for nearly a decade, contributing to trade publications, authoring custom research reports and consulting for a variety of corporate and association clients. Among her storied (and sometimes dubious) achievements, Mari launched the corporate blog for Motorola's Home division way back in 2007, ran a content development program for Limelight Networks and did her best to entertain the video nerd masses as a long-time columnist for the media blog Zatz Not Funny. She is based in Washington, D.C.

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