most_logistics_friendly
The Chattanooga area ranked fifth and received five stars in a 2002 study of the best U.S. cities for establishing a distribution facility. The region’s high rankings in several areas relating to distribution support the Chamber’s efforts to market the region for economic development.
Chief Logistics Officer (CLO) magazine published the article entitled "America’s Most Logistics-Friendly Cities," which compared 327 metropolitan statistical areas in a number of categories related to distribution by road, rail, water, and air.
The Chattanooga area received Top 50 ranking in three areas. According to CLO, Chattanooga’s distribution workforce ranked 20th for both cost and availability. A measure of the distribution industry climate that examined factors such as the availability of multiple trucking firms as well as the financial strength of those firms ranked Chattanooga 35th. The region ranked 36th in a measure of surface street road conditions.
The study further confirms the results of the recently completed Wadley-Donovan Report, which strongly recommended that Chattanooga market itself as a location for distribution centers, according to Jay Garner, executive vice-president and chief economic development officer for the Chamber. "Chattanooga is a two-day drive from 80 percent of the U.S. population," says Garner. "Our river port accesses 16,000 miles of navigable waterways. You can bet we’re going to market our natural advantages to the distribution industry."
Chattanooga’s Logistics Rankings
Overall 5
Transportation 35
Distribution workforce 20
Road infrastructure 144
Road density, congestion, and safety 274
Road conditions (metro) 36
Interstate highway conditions (metro) 55
Taxes and fees (metro) 51
Railroads 108
Water ports commerce 53
Air service 127
The Chattanooga Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Hamilton and Marion counties in Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties in Georgia.
