Somewhere between Andy Griffith's Mayberry and the city
Shadowed by the mountains and bordering several lakes, the winding, two-lane highway from downtown Chattanooga, 17 miles to the south, leads from the city to the community of Soddy-Daisy. The road weaves through forested hills, painting the landscape a red, orange and yellow gradient in the fall. “It’s a bedroom community, just on the outskirts of Chattanooga,” says Charlotte Mabry, resident and Realtor at Keller Williams Realty. “It's not all the way like Andy Griffith’s Mayberry, but it's probably in between that and a city.” Soddy Daisy is rich with parks, trails and lake access with a mix of Mom-and-Pop businesses lining its thoroughfares. "The location brings a definite country feel – but not rural. Chattanooga is such an outdoorsy city, and Soddy-Daisy has so much appeal for its nature," says Junior Francica, a Realtor with eXp Realty. "It's surrounded by mountains, so you get great, beautiful views. I think that's what a lot of people are searching for."
Waterfront homes and cottages along the foothills
Soddy-Daisy -- a name derived from two once-separate communities -- has an eclectic mix of winding roads dotted with homes and gridded subdivisions. “It’s the clash of old and new,” says Mabry. “Back in the day, because this was more rural, homes were on acreage and spread apart. Now, you have those newer planned subdivisions, squeezing the houses much closer together.” Along with the choice of a more suburban or rural setting, residents can also pick between waterfront views or life tucked away at the foot of the mountains along country roads. Older houses consist of ranch-style homes, cottages and Craftsmans built in the 1960s and 1970s, while the recent builds are New Traditionals. Homes built in the 1970s and prior range from $200,000 to $400,000, while homes built from 2020 sell for a higher price, selling for $300,000 to $600,000.
Parks, lakes and mountain hikes
Several maintained parks dot the neighborhood, stretching from the southernmost portion to the lakeside at the north. Holly Park revolves around Soddy Lake, complete with a boat launch and surrounded by deciduous trees. Seated at the bottom of a hill and overlooked by homes lining the mountain tops, this nature reprieve is popular for fishing and quiet walks along the shore. Veterans Memorial Park has two large ballfields and winding paved paths that curve around monuments dedicated to World War I, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans. The Kids Park features playgrounds and sports fields. Soddy-Daisy has direct access to the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge and Big Soddy Creek Gulf, which offer miles of hiking trails with scenic views, passing waterfalls and natural flora. The gorge is also popular for whitewater kayakers and canoers, while swimmers can take a dip in Big Soddy Creek. According to Mabry, North Chickamauga Lake draws in anglers from all over. “We have become one of the largest bass fishing tournament locations in the United States,” says Mabry. “Not just our local yokels, but with professional fishers.”
Meat-in-threes and grocery shopping on Dayton Pike
"Soddy-Daisy is kind of far out compared to other neighborhoods. But Highway 27 runs straight through it, which is super convenient,” says Francica of the U.S. highway which spans from Chicago to Miami. “You can be in downtown Chattanooga in 20 minutes." If locals want to stay local, both big chains and independent spots line the thoroughfare of Dayton Pike, which runs parallel to U.S. 27. Open since 2019, Coffee Community Collective is a popular hang-out serving Soddy-Daisy in more ways than one. This non-profit provides free workspaces and social programs to residents. “The coffee shop is a great place for fellowship,” says Kalina O’Brien, Volunteer Director of CCC. “It takes all of us to serve the community well. Not one church or organization can do it all.” Couches and cushioned chairs are surrounded wall to wall by local artist’s work. Home Folks Family Restaurant is another Soddy-Daisy staple, serving Southern home cooking, family style. "The guy who owns it greets you at the door in his overalls,'' Mabry says. "So, welcome to the South!” Steve’s Landing Waterfront Grill serves seafood in a cabin at the edge of Soddy Lake. For groceries, there's a Food City on Broad Street.
The Hamilton County School District
The Hamilton County School District serves the residents of Soddy-Daisy. Students can begin their education at Daisy Elementary School, which scored a B-plus on Niche. Students can move on to Soddy-Daisy Middle School and Soddy-Daisy High School, which received a B and a B-minus, respectively. Soddy-Daisy High offers a career-based education through the Trojan Institute of Media and Entrepreneurship, which allows students to focus on specific fields of interest. TIME follows the academic structure of a four-year university, where students spend the first two years taking core classes and the last two taking more in-depth courses pertaining to a central area of study. Chattanooga State Community College is 13 miles south, while the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is about 17 miles south.
Travel in Soddy Daisy
Though Soddy-Daisy doesn’t have much in the way of public transportation, the community has direct access to Downtown Chattanooga 17 miles south via U.S. Route 27. The Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport is about 17 miles away, and the nearest hospital, CHI Memorial Hospital, is located in Hixson, about 10 miles south.
The Sequoyah Nuclear Plant
The Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is located just east of the neighborhood. “Many of the employees live and work nearby, so there's a good deal of engineers that live in our area because of the proximity of the plant,” says Mabry. The TEMA TVA program provides radiological emergency preparedness while assisting in protecting residents from incidents that may occur at Sequoyah.
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Written By
Stephanie Davison
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Photography Contributed By
Morgan Nowland
