Written by Delaney Holman
Deep in the Appalachian foothills, and along the Tennessee River, lies America’s only National Park City (NPC). A historically significant city tucked in the Tennessee Valley, home to over 100 parks and a community uniquely invested in outdoor culture, helped make Chattanooga, Tennessee, the third NPC in the world. Chattanooga earned the NPC title on April 3, 2025, just 55 years after being named the dirtiest city in the United States.
In 2019, Daniel Raven-Ellison founded the NPC movement by establishing London as the first city to adopt the vision of building a new collective understanding of what a city is and who it is for. The National Park City Foundation combines long-term and large-scale versions of National Parks within cities.
“That’s the whole idea behind the NPC campaign – locals working hard to protect, cherish, enjoy, and celebrate nature all around,” said Scott Martin, Chattanooga’s former administrator for the Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors.
Martin saw the vision of Chattanooga as an NPC in late 2021 because of the town’s outdoor culture. “We should go work on all levels to preserve it and see about being a national model of how great work is done by locals who love their home places,” said Martin.
Chattanooga, once named the dirtiest city in America by Walter Cronkite, has completely changed. This transformation was not spontaneous; it was intentional, driven by local community effort. This same effort made Chattanooga an NPC.
In late 2023, Brian Smith, the project leader and Communications and Marketing Director of Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors, welcomed the community into the Outdoor Chattanooga center to ask the question “What if?” Locals wrote their ideas for “What if Chattanooga became a National Park City?” on post-it notes, which covered the walls, allowing the concept of Chattanooga as an NPC to take shape for the first time.
“What if we help clean our rivers better? What if we maintain our trails better and open them up more? What if we got kids involved?”
“We started looking at those items and those thoughts that people had, and we realized that about 70-80% of those things that they were saying and putting post-it notes on, we were already doing,” said Smith. The Chattanooga community comprises 27,544 people employed in over 3,389 organizations and non-profits.
“So we utilized what the community was suggesting, went to our nonprofits, said, ‘Are y’all doing all this?’ They said, yes,” said Smith. Smith organized these same nonprofits and organizations into Chattanooga’s NPC charter to continue building the city through the hands of locals.
“I didn’t want to start a big, massive nonprofit (…). No, I want to bring together the people that are already doing the work,” said Smith. The Chattanooga charter outlines the city’s seven core commitments, unique to the town, which still align with the grand vision of NPC’s.
A journey book for each city must also be prepared, along with the city’s commitments when applying to become an NPC.
“That was a challenge, they told me, we need a book to put on the coffee table. And I said, ‘Well, our book doesn’t have an end. It’s impossible. We’re not done,” said Smith. Nonetheless, the digital journey book was built, detailing Chattanooga’s timeline of transformation: from Chattanooga’s ice-age beginnings to its turbulent past of removing native people, Civil War battles, the birth of a newspaper that preceded the New York Times, mass industrialization that caused thick smog, to its present status as a National Park City.
“As ice began to thaw, life expanded outward. What was surviving began to flourish. This is the spirit of the park, long before parks existed,” reads the journey book.
“This is Chattanooga,” said Smith as he paraded the NPC Foundation members through Chattanooga after the submission of the journey book. The foundation granted Chattanooga the NPC title just days after visiting just 23 locations in the city: Stringers Ridge, the bouldering fields at the bottom of Lookout Mountain, Reflection Riding to witness the rescued red wolves, the Chattanooga Zoo to see rescued salamanders, and South Chickamauga Creek to see the rapids in the center of Chattanooga.
“There is no better city in the nation to be the first North American National Park City than Chattanooga. Its biodiversity is off the charts (…), and the outdoors, as part of everyone’s lifestyle, is unmatched. And, it has the spunk enough to say, ‘Bigger isn’t better, better is better,’” said Martin.
Each NPC is unique from the others. Adelaide connects people to nature within the city. London focuses on making the city greener. Breda hopes to transform into a city within a natural park.
“When you go to a national park, you are challenged to leave no trace (…) In a national park city, you are challenged to do something. You are challenged to be involved. You are challenged to join the forces and make a change,” said Smith. “We want people to be involved here.”
Chattanooga stands out because its efforts to become a National Park City were community-based. The locals who made up the organization in the charters, the residents who asked “what if,” the citizens who took a stake in cleaning the dirtiest city in America to make it the first NPC, and the neighbors who use Chattanooga’s outdoor spaces have led the charge for a greater Chattanooga.
“Chattanooga has it all,” said Smith. The city may not have the biggest mountains, the longest trails, or the fastest water, but it has it all, and a community to care for it.
“We’re also just some town in Southeast Tennessee,” said Smith, “You would think these awards would go out in San Francisco and all that. No, dang it. Chattanooga is it.”
Jacob Timpa from L2Outside carries commercial paddleboards up from the Tennessee River Friday, September 19, 2025 (Photo by Clara Paulson). 
A kayaking tour group explores the Tennessee River Friday, September 19, 2025 (Photo by Clara Paulson). 
An overview of Chattanooga from Stringer’s Ridge during sunrise Friday, September 19, 2025 (Photo by Clara Paulson). 
Abraham Mako rows in front of the Tennessee Aquarium in a single boat during sunrise Wednesday, September 24, 2025 (Photo by Clara Paulson). 
Brian Fitzpatrick walks his Australian Shepherd down the Chattanooga River Walk Sunday, September 28, 2025 (Photo by Clara Paulson). 
Jamey Moses and Joey Fohs fish on the banks of the Tennessee River just off the River Walk. They stood near the Chickamauga dam. Sunday, September 28, 2025 (Photo by Clara Paulson). 
The Chattanooga community cheers on iron man swimmers as they exit the Tennessee River near Ross’ Landing Sunday, September 28, 2025 (Photo by Clara Paulson). 
A great blue heron catches a fish in the Tennessee River by the Chickamauga dam Sunday, September 28, 2025 (Photo by Clara Paulson).
The History of the First National Park City in America
Written by Malcolm Key
Chattanooga, Tennessee, is a city of reinvention. Before this small southern metropolis became the first National Park City in the United States, it was running from its reputation as the dirtiest city in America. Earning this badge of infamy after playing an integral role in the Civil War, Chattanooga’s history is an allegory that features as many bends as the Tennessee River it was built around. The reshaping is a story of civic and community ambitions acting as the catalyst for the city’s degradation and its renaissance.
Chattanooga was labeled the “dirtiest city in America” in 1969 by Walter Cronkite, but the history is much more complex. During the Civil War, the city was a pivotal part of Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan. A Union strategy created to defeat the Confederacy by blocking southern ports and capturing the Mississippi River. It was essential to the Union’s victory to take Chattanooga, “because it was the apex of the Tennessee River, which connects with the Mississippi,” said Linda Moss Mines, official Chattanooga and Hamilton County historian.
This apex propelled the city into becoming the gateway to the South, which transformed Chattanooga into a growing, diverse community, creating a hub for industrial advancement. This booming industry prompted the city to be nicknamed the Dynamo of the Dixie, but it was also this ambition that led to the notorious title.
At times, a smog blanketed the city, smothering dreams of the future. Mines reflects on her view of the city on Signal Mountain when she drove to work:
“At the top of the Signal [Mountain], you [looked] down, and you could not see the city. It was incredible. It looked like a perpetual fog” said Mines. The title of the dirtiest city will always be etched into Chattanooga’s history, but the community members of that day resisted that distinction and chose to redefine their future.
In order to move forward, Chattanooga had to look back. Before its industrialization, the city was studying plans by landscape architect John Nolen to improve the park system from within. This, in combination with philanthropy and community direction, led to the creation of Chattanooga Venture’s Vision 2000; a plan that would redefine the city forever, leading to the creation of the Tennessee Aquarium, Ross’ Landing, the Riverwalk, and the Walnut Street Bridge. Vision 2000 ushered in a new era for Chattanooga, an era of transformation.
The story of this southern metropolis’ transformation is one of recognizing what held Chattanooga back, propelling it toward becoming a greener, cleaner, and healthier city. From the dirtiest city in America in 1969, to Vision 2000 in the 90s, to now, the first National Park City, Chattanooga’s story is one of constant reinvention.
Meet the Storytellers
Clara Paulson is a Junior Communication major attending the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with minors in Brock Scholars and Creative Writing. Paulson is a writer and photographer who aims to capture the charm of Chattanooga’s culture. She has experience as an assistant university photographer, photo editor for the University Echo, and published author in the Sequoya Review. When she’s not behind a camera, you’ll find her hiking, paddleboarding, and rafting the Ocoee. After graduation, her goal is to continue writing—whether it’s with ink or light—the unheard stories of Chattanooga and beyond. If you want her to tell your story, you can reach out to her at tnq894@mocs.utc.edu.
Delaney Holman is a senior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, majoring in Communications with a concentration in Journalism and a minor in Political Science. She served as the Editor in Chief of TheSettler.Online at Volunteer State Community College for three semesters. Currently, she writes for the features section of The University Echo. She is also involved in the writing and social media departments of Strike Magazine Chattanooga for its tenth issue. Holman envisions using politics and journalism as a means to engage with and learn from people in the Chattanooga area. She believes in the responsibility of journalism to share stories that foster curiosity, understanding, and community togetherness. Let Delaney tell your story to bridge the societal gaps that disconnect us, utilizing the power of staying informed, connected, and compassionate. To contact Delaney, email her at kqb147@mocs.utc.edu.
Malcolm Key is a senior Communication major with a minor in Environmental Studies at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Key is a previous Division 1 NCAA athlete turned multimedia artist, graphic designer, and visual storyteller. He is passionate about sharing truths of the human experience using digital communication and its various forms. He is currently serving as Broadcast Assistant for WUTC public radio, where he connects written, video, and photojournalism skills with audio journalism and production. Key’s keen interest lies in connecting with the arts, music, global culture, urban development, and infrastructure. Key uses photography to highlight the overlooked and shine light on the forgotten. If you want him to shine light on your story or collaborate on a project, contact him at tfc775@mocs.utc.edu. For his graphic works, click here.
Kayelyn McCaslin is a senior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, majoring in Communications with a minor in Marketing. She is passionate about visual storytelling and is expanding her skills in videography, producing, and social media. Kayelyn currently works with UTC’s MocsNews program, and aspires to pursue a career in multimedia or entertainment journalism after graduation. Through UTC classes and programming, she has experience in leadership, photojournalism, and news writing. Kayelyn enjoys all facets of performance and storytelling, with a particular interest in illuminating stories that inspire action, service, and community. In her free time, you can find her reading, filming, or on a walk around the city. To connect with Kayelyn, email her at kayelynmccaslin@gmail.com.
Ryan Conley is a Junior studying Communication with a minor in Environmental Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Ryan has experience in studying photography in photojournalism for over a year, and has also worked on video projects for UTC’s Football team and on personal projects. Ryan aims to capture the beauty of the environment worldwide with pictures and videos to show how breathtaking the world is. Ryan loves to be in nature and loves outdoor activities such as running, hiking, paddle boarding, and so on. Ryan hopes to keep capturing the real beauty of this world for all to see in real time. You can find him at dzp647@utc.edu.