Many of us love the city we're from or currently live in at the moment. Many of these cities probably have some sort of styles or trends that are popular in the area. Your city may be trendy and have its own hashtag, Instagram, or logo. If it's a bigger city, you probably rock it's decal on the back of your car, water bottle, laptop, or any other personal item you can plant a sticker on. You probably love to support shopping local and being a frequent customer of your favorite local coffee shops, restaurants, clothing stores, markets, and more.
Living in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I can probably spot a local Chattanoogan from a mile away. You may find some similar fashions in other areas of the state, but no one is as uniquely clad in each popular item than a Chattanooga native. There's just something different you notice than when you travel to different cities in the state. Here's some examples I've noted.
1. Chacos.
It's something those Northerners just don't get. But we Chattanoogans will wear these strappy sandals in every type of weather. It's sunny out? Perfect day for Chacos. Snow? Throw some woolen socks on with those things. When you can't find your rain boots, put on those Chacos. Taking a hike or just walking up to Sunset Rock? Perfect time to wear your them. Us Chattanoogans can't get enough.
2. Wearing outdoors gear on regular days.
Patagonia, North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot... you name it, we wear it. Even when we aren't hiking the many trails in the area or kayaking on the river, we're probably sporting our favorite North Face jacket or Patagonia vest. Walk downtown or into your nearest Rock Creek store, you're bound to see many of these logos walking past.
3. Our coffee addiction.
It's not an unusual thing to find your local coffee addict in any area of the country, but Chattanooga is a place known for its many coffee shops. Of course, we have the famous Starbucks chain of stores and we all love Rembrandt's in the art district. But if you haven't been to Brash, Mean Mug, or Stonecup, I wouldn't say you've fulfilled your "coffee buff" resume yet.
4. Decals on everything.
Water bottles, laptops, car windows, and more. People like to rep their favorite stuff!
5. Kayaks/paddle boards attached to cars.
Chattanooga is known for its great outdoors. Many people like to head down to the Ocoee River or even travel the smooth waters of Tennessee on their kayaks, paddle boards, and such. It's not uncommon to see cars with these rafts attached to the top. If you're a UTC student, you can even rent kayaks, paddle boards, canoes, and more for free! So it's no wonder it's such a popular activity here.
6. Spikeball.
I never knew about this game until I moved to Chattanooga. Walk through campus or Coolidge Park on a nice day and you'll most likely find a group of people playing this game.
7. Slacklining.
Also another activity I didn't know about until I moved. And one I have yet to ever accomplish due to my lack of balance. I mean, we even had a guy throw up a slackline between the tops of the aquarium.
8. Using the many versions of 'Chattanooga.'
Chatt, Chatt-town, Cha, Noog', The Nooga, Chatt... you name it.
9. Repping Nooga Strong.
We're all proud of our city and there's no doubt we support it in tragic times. The whole community continues to rep shirts, stickers, and more with 'Nooga Strong' even after the awful events that took place last July.
10. Biking to be environmentally friendly.
Bikes fill the streets of Chattanooga. The city has even provided the community with rental bikes to promote less car-driving to help the environment. We Chattanoogans are all about that so we take advantage of this bike-friendly town.
11. Throwing the power-C.
We've got mad support for the Mocs. Throwing a power-C is mostly always acceptable. Can I get a go Mocs?
Of course, there's many different trends we Chattanoogans love. There's all sorts of people and places to experience here. There's a reason we've been voted one of the best cities to live in! Whether you've been here for four years of college, 10 years, or your whole life, the Noog' will always have an essence of home.
