COLLEGEDALE NEWS SPECIAL ISSUE
Collegedale at a Crossroads
Sitting at Chestnut Hall on a recent sunny Friday afternoon, Mayor Morty Lloyd and David Barto, director of the Collegedale Tomorrow Foundation, discussed the city’s uncertain future.
The two men sat on the front porch of the building located at The Commons, a community gathering place tucked between City Hall and Little Debbie Park. Nearby, the sounds of birds chirping and children playing clashed with the buzz of Apison Pike, the main road that is severalhundred feet away — a symbolic reminder of a growing town. Collegedale—a place known for scenic mountain views, Happy Valley and the hum of
rumbling trains—is at a crossroads, according to city officials. As a result, community leaders, such as Barto, Lloyd and other individuals, spend countless hours grappling with the competing needs of small-town, rural America and a growing demand for more housing and commercialization.
From 2000 to 2020, the Collegedale population jumped by 70.54%, from 6,514 to 11,109 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Between 2010 and 2020, it grew by 34.13%, increasing from 8,282 to 11,109, making Collegedale the fastest-growing city in Hamilton County.
The city has seen a significant influx of people from states such as Florida, California and New Jersey due to lower property taxes and better living conditions, according to Barto. While talking to students in
an Interactive Journalism class at Southern Adventist University, Barto explained that many newer residents arrived during the pandemic to escape shutdowns and the expensive cost of living.
“Turns out that when you buy a $300,000 house in Florida, and you can't get insurance on it, or your insurance is almost the same amount as your house payment every month, it starts making dealing with two months of winter up here look pretty good,” Barto quipped. “If you're in California and you have to deal with fires and earthquakes and skyrocketing property taxes, it all of a sudden makes Collegedale look pretty good to move to.”
Collegedale has also been attracting many people from the tech industry due to the high-speed Electric Power
Board (EPB) Internet service available here, which allows them to work remotely.
“I mean, you can work for any of these big tech companies out of New York and live in a $600,000 house here that's got three times the square footage of the same house you would have in Jersey, or New York, or California,” Barto said, “ and that's why they're coming here.”
Growth and Preservation
Along with the population growth, the city has also experienced a proliferation of housing developments in recent years, mostly high-density projects, igniting angst among some local residents.
In 2023, Jason Allin, the city’s staff planner, moved to Collegedale from Loma Linda, Cal-
Dogwood Estates brings homes to Collegedal e
Eighty-two new town homes will soon exist on Ooltewah-Ringgold Road, changing the landscape as drivers head toward Main Street.
Dogwood Estates is already under construction, with some slabs poured, and at least seven units sold, according to Lori Combs, sales office manager for the Atlanta-Chattanooga division of Smith Douglas Homes, the company building the development.
"So, we felt we were providing a service to the people in the area."
The community will include three-bedroom, two-and-ahalf-bath, two-car-garage townhomes with four different floor plans. Apartments will feature upstairs bedrooms and nine-foot ceilings on both levels. Prices range from $295,900 to $349,990.
Combs said the builder chose the Ooltewah Ringgold Road location because of the demand for more affordable housing in the vicinity.
“The location was very favorable, and there seemed to be a target market for that type of housing in that area at that price range,” she said. “So, we felt we were providing a service to the people in the area.”
Among those purchasing the townhomes are parents with children at Southern Adventist University, according to Combs, as well as local workers.
“We have sold to at least one or two parents who have bought for their children to live in,” said Combs, who expects the first moveins to begin in about three to four months. “And then there was an alumni that reached out to me. He and his friends bought a unit. So that’s three sales right there.”
Tanya Vu, owner of the Allstate agency on Ooltewah-Ringgold Road,
not far from the Dogwood Estates location, moved to Collegedale from Orange County, California, along with her husband, in 2023. In an interview with the Accent, Vu shared her views about Dogwood Estates and other housing projects springing up in the community.
"I think we need more commerce in this area, especially on Main Street."
"I love all the new development,” she said, expressing her belief that residential units will attract more businesses to the area. "I think we need more commerce in this area, especially on Main Street. That's how we bring money into the city. "
Despite Vu’s enthusiasm, the Dogwood development does raise some concerns, according to her and others who work in the area. Main Street is a narrow road with occasional traffic jams due
ifornia. Since then, he has been trying to help the city manage growth based on a 2030 landuse plan developed in 2015. In a recent interview, he said the city plans to update the plan as 2030 quickly approaches.
“We're at a weird kind of intersection right now,” Allin said. “It's, ‘Do we want to stay more rural? Do we want to stay more of a hometown feel? Or do we want the commercial businesses, which are going to bring more traffic?”
Many residents want the city to remain small with less housing, Allin explained, noting that Collegedale will miss out on many modern amenities without growth.
“I know a lot of the residents - they don't want more houses, but they want more commercial [developments], and you can’t have both,” he
explained. “You don't see a Buffalo Wild Wings in the middle of nowhere, right? So that's the hard part right now, it’s trying to figure out what we want to do and what direction we want to go in.”
Meanwhile, the need for affordable housing “is becoming acutely evident at the local level in Collegedale,” Allin explained to attendees at a recent Monday afternoon city meeting.
“Expansion of housing supply is contributing to increased traffic congestion and added pressure on existing infrastructure systems,” according to the slides he presented.
Over the past few years, apartment complexes have sprung up around the city because of demand for affordable housing. However, due
Dogwood Estate welcomes potential residents to townhomes. Monday, April 28, 2025 (Photo by Andrew Boggess)
(Graphic by Ana K. Zelidon)
Hayden Kobza Managing Editor
Nyah Jackson Layout Designer
continued from page 1
to the nature of apartments attracting more transient residents, city officials are now discouraging such developments, opting for townhomes to keep people in the city long term.
“We are calling it the missing middle,” Allin told the journalism students. “You have your high-value homes, you have your low income, and right in the middle, right now, are townhomes. That's about what everyone can afford, and that's what we're seeing an increase of.”
At the same time, Allin and other city officials mentioned the lack of buildable land within city limits as one challenge the city faces as the population grows. They estimate the remaining undeveloped land to be about 700 acres, according to Commissioner Laura Howse, a newly elected city official who also spoke to the Interactive Journalism class.
“The city is physically divided by White Oak Mountain, limiting east-west connectivity and reducing the amount of contiguous, developable land,” according to Allin. “Significant portions of Collegedale lie within the Wolftever Creek floodplain and floodway, restricting the intensity and location of future development.”
Responsible Development and Local Impact
During the Chestnut Hall interview, Mayor Lloyd said he ran his campaign on planned growth and wants to see the city develop in a way that increases property values.
“I'm only in favor of responsible development,” he said, “and that we are becoming the city we want to be, and that we're not recklessly entering into projects that we're going to regret 20 or 30 years down the road.”
"It's all just new subdivisions, and none of the infrastructure is keeping up."
Barto echoed Lloyd’s sentiments using the controversial Chastain residential housing development as an example. The project, bringing 500 homes to the community, is being developed by Empire Solutions, a company out of Atlanta, on land where the Hidden Hills Farm and Saddle Club was once located. Despite fierce opposition from residents, city officials approved
to a railroad crossing. When asked about the concern, Jason Allin, Collegedale staff planner, said the roadway is managed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation and outside of the city’s control. The Collegedale Commission approved rezoning for the project from agricultural to residential townhomes, allowing the project to move forward.
The city also recently approved rezoning for La Collina Way, another townhouse development, which
the project, with concessions from the developer..
“I'm pretty proud of what we worked out with Empire communities out of Atlanta,” Barto said. “[The] Chastain farms development over off Edgmon, we preserved almost 50% of the property that won't be touched at all.”
Nick Ansil, 36, a husband and father of three, is one of the newer residents who call Collegedale home. In 2021, he moved to the city with his family and found it environmentally appealing and affordable. However, these days, he finds the housing stock limited and expensive. “There's no affordable housing that's going in,”
Ansil said. “It's all just new subdivisions, and none of the infrastructure is keeping up.”
Ansil isn’t the only one who shares this sentiment about affordable housing. Barto mentioned the need for employee housing when he spoke to the Interactive Journalism class a
few weeks ago.
“We need to be working on worker-based housing that folks have an opportunity to own, and that's what I've been pushing with a lot of the major stakeholders,” Barto said. “To take land that we've got and build cottage communities for people to be able to buy into.”
However, the possibility poses at least one problem. If someone were to build cottage housing in the area, under the American free enterprise system, Barto said, most buyers could be retirees from other places, such as Florida, rather than local working-class residents who need the housing.
“I don't want to accidentally build a retirement village, because that's what happens when you build cottage communities,” Barto said. “ ... You need a nonprofit to run that kind of enterprise. And that's what I'm working [on].”
Ansil understands that planning for the future is difficult.
He thinks making responsible changes to the city will take a lot of time and planning.
“I think it's a difficult thing to get right,” he said. “There's a lot of challenges that they're going to have to overcome to do that.
…I'm guessing that they're trying, but I think instead of just expanding the roads, we need to find some alternatives, maybe some public transport or something like that in the area.”
Long-Time Residents Reflect on Change
Marvin Blair, 85, and his wife, Helen, 82, live 20 minutes outside the City of Collegedale in unincorporated Hamilton County, the last home before the Tennessee–Georgia line.
Blair’s family has been rooted here for generations, while Helen Blair grew up in Cambridge, England, and has called this region home since the couple moved to the area in 1975.
They travel to Collegedale and Ooletwah regularly for shopping and doctor visits.
Reminiscing, Blair described the area before Collegedale was established in 1968. He laughed when asked what the town was like during that time. In the 1940s, the land was a quiet, rural expanse, with only a single store that he could remember.
While Helen Blair doesn’t travel to Collegedale on a daily basis, she feels the impact of the surrounding areas and described how the newer developments have caused strain on her family.
Blair lost his right leg following cancer treatment several years ago, and now uses a walker to move around. Following chemotherapy, his bones became severely brittle; a seemingly minor injury — stubbing his toe — resulted in an amputation.
The increased traffic and ongoing construction projects in the greater Collegedale area have made simple tasks like grocery shopping and running errands much more time-consuming for Helen Blair. She finds it more difficult to leave the house as she tries to care for her husband.
“He was in Life Care over in Ooltewah,” she said. “I used to visit him every day while he was in rehab. Sometimes I wouldn't even drive home afterward. Instead of 20 minutes, it would take 40 minutes to get there because of the traffic. That’s the worst part.”
Though frustrated with the amount of growth the area is experiencing, Helen Blair understands that things change.
“We wish our little part of paradise could stay the way it is, but progress is progress, and there's more and more people in this world, and they have to live somewhere,” she said.
As a long-time member of the community, she just hopes city officials manage the growth responsibly.
“ … I think a lot of the commissioners or people that are running [the city], all they think [about], to be honest, is property taxes, and they fail to understand that, then you often have to make the roads wider. You have to build new schools because all those people who move their children have to go to school somewhere.”
Blair said he strongly dislikes the change and misses his small town.
“I prefer to think of it being negative rather than positive,” he said of the rapid growth, “because I like open spaces. I like the country part of it.”
is slated to bring another 50 units to the Collegedale community.
"That's kind of what, I guess, my generation wants right now "
“Because that's what's selling, that's what's cheap,” Allin said of the projects. “That's kind of what, I guess, my generation wants right now — easy maintenance and something they can afford.”
Southern Accent
The Accent encourages readers to write articles and voice their opinions. However, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Accent, Southern Adventist University or the Seventh-day Adventist Church. For any questions, comments and article submission information, email the editor at morquia@southern.edu
For all advertising inquiries, email studentadmgr@southern.edu.
Collegedale News Editor
Helen stands in front of her home. It is the last house before the Tennesee-Georgia line. Monday, April 28, 2025 (Photo by Andrew Boggess)
Helen and Marvin Blair sit in their residential home in unicorporated Hamilton County. Monday, April 28, 2025 (Photo by Andrew Boggess)
Dogwood Estates is being built on Ooltewah-Ringgold Road. Monday, April 28, 2025 (Photo by Andrew Boggess)
Hidden Hills resettles after housing controversy
The road to Hidden Hills Farm and Saddle Club leads past a weathered old barn and up to a small creek. Despite any initial misgivings, even small vehicles have no trouble sloshing across the wet gravel to the other side. From there, the drive is bumpy but serene, with horses grazing in their pastures on either side. Eventually, the horse barn and riding arena come into sight, where the sounds of riders chattering and taking care of their horses cuts into the stillness of the surrounding fields.
Two years ago, the drive to Hidden Hills would have led to an entirely different property. However, in August of 2023, the farm relocated to a site only 5.5 miles from Southern’s campus, amid plans for a controversial housing development at their original location.
The farm, now settled at 1106 Pine Hill Road, is a horse riding and boarding facility operated by local Tara Hills and her family. Despite a difficult move and ongoing construction, the farm continues to offer a horsemanship course for Southern students and welcome other visitors from the community through various programs.
"Moving a business is not cool. ... We have just been building, building, building since 2020."
Compared to the previous location, the Pine Hill Road farm is less wooded and more open to the sky. In fact, part of the property was cleared by a tornado in 2011, leaving a tangle of shrubs and small trees. After initially purchasing the land in 2020, the Hills had to finish clearing the area and build a riding arena, a hay barn and miles of fences, among other things, before the farm was functional.
“It was hard,” said Hills. “Moving a business is not cool. …We have just been building, building, building since 2020.” Hills, an adjunct professor at Southern, teaches their horsemanship course during winter and fall semesters, as well as private lessons alongside five other instructors. Besides horse riding, the farm offers play days and nature schools for the community and is home to dairy cows and small animals such as chickens and goats.
According to Hills, the concept for the farm came from her childhood dream of owning a horse farm. When she was a young teenager, her family moved to a property of 408.1 acres at 1590 Edgmon Road, and a little while later, she got her first horse.
Turning the Tables
In 2003, Hills came back to her family’s land as an adult to launch Hidden Hills and make her old dream a reality. Soon after, in 2005, she started teaching Southern students through horsemanship classes.
The plans sparked fierce opposition from some neighbors and others in the community.
Hill said, close to ten years later, between 2013 and 2014, she found out that family members had decided to sell the Edgmon Road property to a developer. The sale involved a rezoning of the property and approval of a Planned
Unit Development (PUD) by the Collegedale City Commission. The plans sparked fierce opposition from some neighbors and others in the community who wanted the property to remain a farm and saddle club.
"We are fighting against the odds."
In 2022, as the City Commission went through the process of approving the development, various petitions and complaints were raised to oppose the changes. According to a previous Accent article, concerns expressed by community members during commis sion meetings cited potential problems with increased traffic, overcrowding and changes to the area’s natural envi ronment.
Austin Miller, a res ident of Cleveland, Tenn., organized a petition to halt development of the property. According to the Accent article, Miller collected 3,302 signatures by Oct. 4, 2022; however, members of the planning commission objected because not all of the signatures were from residents of Col legedale.
Before the final vote, Miller wrote on the petition’s website, asking community members to attend the City Commission meeting and “take a stand” against the approval of the development.
“We are fighting against the odds,” stated Miller. “Anyone willing to attend and speak on behalf of the community, I implore you to do so.”
On Oct. 17, 2022, the City Commission voted unani mously to approve the project, with the exception of Commissioner White, who abstained. At the time, then-Vice Mayor Tim Johnson responded in an
email to the Accent by saying that he believed the current developers were the “best fit” for the project and committed to preserving the natural environment.
Despite the community’s pushback, the current property owners, EA Homes LP, have continued with their plans for the development, according to Jason Allin, Collegedale staff planner. The property, labeled Chastain Trails West and East, will be subdivided into 512 residential lots for single-family homes.
According to Allin, the developers plan to “go vertical” with homes within the next few months. The entire
open space for a trail system and is considering adding amenities such as a pool and a community center.
“In their case, [the developers] are going kind of above and beyond what the ordinance called for,” said Allin, emphasizing their plans to spend $1 million on landscaping alone.
A New Beginning
In August of 2023, the Hills and all their animals finished moving to their new home on Pine Hill Road. As part of the transition, Hill relocated over 35 horses.
Along with the logistical and financial challenges of moving, Hills said she dealt with the emotional turmoil of leaving her childhood home and seeing the changes brought on by the development.
“We went through the entire stages of grief, so it was just like losing a loved one, really,” she said.
Amayah Crisp, a senior psychology student at Southern, is enrolled in the horsemanship course at Hidden Hills Farm this semester. She said she signed up for the horsemanship class as a way to build a solid foundation of knowledge around horses.
The class meets once a week and is capped at around eight students. During the course, students learn not only the basics of riding but also how to care for and tack up their horses, behave safely and independently around horses and understand different styles of advanced riding.
“I love the escape, like, I look forward to Tuesday and driving out [to the farm], even though it's not that far,” said Crisp. “Being outside for a class is definitely a lot better than just sitting inside.”
According to Linda Dickson, a junior biology major in the class, her favorite part of the class is building a relationship with the horses.
“The human-animal connection is so important in understanding how God has created nature for us,” said Dickson. “It’s a direct way of experiencing nature…and just another outlet to get closer to God.”
As the farm continues growing, Hills hopes to bring back more programs from the old farm, such as offering birthday parties and possibly running an Airbnb. When asked what she would say to the people who have stood with the farm through all the upheaval, Hills said she would just have to say, “Thank you.”
“We've always felt very supported by our community, and we're grateful for the people around us,” Hills said. “So yeah, what do I want to say to them? ‘We’re still here!’”
original trees for some of the landscaping requirements. In addition, Allin said, the development plans to use the
Volunteer prepares horse for a trail ride. Friday, April 25, 2025 (Photo by Andrew Boggess)
Kailey Reitz and Tammy Reitz, Southern student and mother, wait to start their trail ride with a dog. Friday, April 25, 2025 (Photo by Andrew Boggess)
Sienna Escobar Contributor
Collegedale’s humble beginnings
A train horn blaring as it thunders down the tracks, the sweet aroma from the McKee Foods privately owned businesses decorating the streets, and the bustle of community members and college students frequenting this small town are all prominent ideations when we think of Collegedale, Tennessee.
Yet there is much more to Collegedale than what we currently experience. An extensive and important story lies behind today's modern, growing community.
The landscape itself feels like an extension of history - once a rural farmland, now a thriving academic campus and town where the past and present collide in slow but steady progress. Cradled between the rolling ridges of Tennessee’s lush woodlands, Collegedale’s past directly intertwines with Southern Adventist University’s story, the McKee Foods corporation and the Southern Railway, which was acquired by Norfolk Southern Corporation in 1982.
Early Origins
Rewind to 1892. Professor George Alcord and his wife, Ada, kick-started a school called Graysville Academy in Graysville, Tennessee, according to Southern Adventist University’s History website. The first year at the Academy, enrollment reached a small number of 23 students. The campus was composed of a boys' and girls' dorm, as well as an administration building.
According to Mills McArthur, a historian and history professor at Southern Adventist University, the administration of Graysville Academy wanted to be out in the country, away from the bustle of the town. As classes took place and life continued at the Academy, there developed a growing concern for the atmosphere for the students. On the outskirts of Graysville, a small suburb called Montague served as a mining community.
“I can only speculate on the specifics here, but evidently, there were all kinds of problems between the coal miners and the Adventists who lived in Graysville, with the very kind of rowdy and disruptive and just kind of a loose lifestyle,” McArthur said. “They did not want the influence of these coal miners. [They didn't want their students] to be corrupted by the [alleged] loose morals of this mining group.”
In 1915, the women’s dormitory burned down. In addition to the dislike of being located so close to Montague, this was enough reason for the school to decide to move their location altogether.
"Well, we're going to have to rebuild anyway. We don't like it here in Graysville, let's find a whole new campus."
“'Well, we're going to have to rebuild anyway, at least one building. We don't like it here in Graysville, let's find a whole new campus.' And that, in a nutshell, is how we end up here in our current location of Collegedale,” McArthur stated simply.
So, in 1916, Graysville Academy's students and educators packed up, gathering their farm’s cows, chickens and wagons. They trekked the 25 miles to Thatcher Switch (now Collegedale), according to McArthur. At the time, Thatcher Switch was very unpopulated. The majority of the land, besides a small train station, was farmland owned by James Thatcher, a local farmer. In addition to the farm, Thatcher owned
a limestone quarry.
“The Goliath Wall is not a natural glyph base—that was the old site of the quarry,” McArthur added.
The location was practically the site of a small company town. With the farm, quarry and the industrial work of the railroad, which transported the farming goods and the limestone the quarry expelled, Thatcher had a successful business. The workers lived in company-owned housing scattered among the ridgeline hills and this created a self-sufficient community.
According to Southern’s historical website, Graysville Academy purchased the Thatcher land and began moving in, with 200 students turning away because of the lack of living space. With those who remained, the school changed names to Southern Junior College and began classes and construction on campus. The quarry was used to obtain some of the construction materials for the new buildings.
“For the first couple years that Southern is in college… they don’t have any dorms. They are literally living in tents.” McArthur said, sharing that the school used whatever resources it had available at the time but had hopes to grow in the future.
During the 1920s, progress began popping up around campus. Lynn Wood Hall, originally College Hall, was constructed and still stands on campus today. Despite forward movement in campus plans, the college was still struggling.
“There was talk of closing down the whole college within a couple years of making this move,” McArthur said. He detailed the faculty’s sacrifice during financial hardship sharing the decisions some of the staff had to make
during those tough first years.
“We will forgo half our salary or just move into the dorm and just pay our basic living expenses.”
College Growth
In addition to the administrative sacrifice, the school conducted additional programs like student labor programs, a broom shop and the college press, which helped students afford tuition. From the 1920s to the 1940s, the college grew, becoming an accredited institution and having enrollment reach records. In 1942, the college became known as Southern Missionary College, and by the 1960s, Collegedale started to become more of a community and less of just a university. The student population boomed after World War II, with returning GIs, but Collegedale remained primarily an Adventist community.
Mike Harrel, a previous Southern student from 1971-1974 and long-time resident, detailed his journey at Southern and witnessing Collegedale’s growth.
“When I began attending [Southern Missionary College] SMC back in 1971, it had a very small college, rural feel. I felt separated from the city, and it felt a bit like a big family in the country.”
However, things really started to change in 1968 when the idea of Collegedale becoming incorporated as a city surfaced.
McArthur explained in his interview, “Why did the city want to incorporate in the first place? … Well, discussion was being carried on in Chattanooga through the newspapers about gradual annexation.” Adventists resisted the annexation to preserve their community and religious practices, but
new highs every couple of years, building additions to campus like the Hulsey Wellness Center and offering more programs for the gradual growth of students.
McKee’s Impact
Additionally, McKee Foods, which had been prominent throughout history, expanded its growth, which further contributed to the community by offering more jobs and traffic through Collegedale as it continued to expand, make additions and investments from 1952 through 2020.
Harrel said as the bakery grew, it drew in more employees who did not attend the college. Additionally, McKee Foods increased the resident population that was not related to the university. Over time, the bakery also needed more advanced skills in its workforce, such as research nutritionists and engineers, which meant that McKee had to go outside the college and local area to find the skills it required as a large organization, according to Harrel.
“The volume of truck traffic required to ship McKee products nationwide has also significantly influenced the roads in the area,” Harrel stated. “Little Debbie Parkway is a good example, as well as the new expansion of Apison Pike. Overall, it seems that the bakery is respected and has been a positive impact on the community.”
While the emphasis is on Collegedale and its historical path, that path is directly intertwined with Southern’s. The university-generated human capital contributed to local government, business and infrastructure.
“If you don’t have Southern there at the founder, maybe there is a town here… but it’s not going to look as nice as what we have,” McArthur clarified.
another reason was to avoid Chattanooga’s Sunday law.
The Chattanooga Sunday law prohibited certain businesses and corporations in that district from remaining open on Sunday. Because Collegedale was mainly a group of Seventh-Day Adventists, who call Saturday their sabbath, they wanted to veer away from that law.
Because of their decision, Collegedale ended up bringing in consumers from Chattanooga out to their businesses on Sundays because they were allowed to remain open, considering they were not under Chattanooga’s blue laws. While the city limits expanded, some areas refused to join Collegedale due to the large Adventist community.
“When I first came to the area, Collegedale had not long been an incorporated city,” Harrel said of his early years in Collegedale.
“For the most part, the college was the town, and by far the majority of people living in the Collegedale area were affiliated in some way with the college.”
He continued to share that Collegedale seemed very separate from the city of Chattanooga, and that the community existed then primarily as a result of the college. Harrel has seen over time how the area’s population has grown and the university’s role has dramatically changed.
According to him, many Collegedale residents have nothing to do with the University, and are not members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
As Collegedale became incorporated and began building a name for itself, Southern gained recognition as a four-year university and finally switched its name to Southern Adventist University in 1996. As the 2000s rolled around, Southern reached
The history of Collegedale is one of tenacity, development and a strong sense of self.
The history of Collegedale is one of tenacity, development and a strong sense of self. What started out as peaceful farmland developed into a center of industry, education, and community. From its modest beginnings as a relocated academy to its development into a bustling university town, Collegedale's development was influenced by necessity, faith, and a dedication to independence.
“The community of Collegedale is larger, more diverse and more complex,” Harrel stated. “The university must now work harder to have a successful relationship with the local area. The physical footprint of Collegedale has become much larger, traffic has become much more congested and construction of all types is constant. Collegedale is no longer a sleepy, “bucolic” little rural location. There remains a unique environment to the Collegedale community and I don’t believe I can specify what that is, but it is there and makes the area a good place to be.”
Southern Adventist University's impact is still evident, both as a learning center and as the cornerstone upon which the town was constructed. Collegedale might not have developed into the community it is today without Southern. Once bounded by farmland and railroad tracks, the area has evolved into a hub for business and education, but it has never lost its sense of origin.
*Information obtained from Southern’s History Website, Professor Mills McArthur, and previous Chattanooga Times Free Press articles*
The City of Collegedale started in conglomeration with the land of Southern Adventist University.
(Photo courtesy of source)
Southern Adventist University has expanded beyond its humble beginnings. (Photo courtesy of source)
Alissa Flores News Editor
The interwoven history of Southern, McKee
Volkswagen and the City of Collegedale
The City of Collegedale originated as a farm known as Thatcher Switch, situated along the Norfolk Southern Railway. In 1916, Southern Junior College, now known as Southern Adventist University, purchased the property and renamed it Collegedale.
Several years later, in 1957, McKee Foods Corporation moved to Collegedale from Chattanooga.
In 2011, Volkswagen built a plant in Collegedale as well. These three companies changed the history of Collegedale and continue to contribute to the local economy to this day.
At the center of Collegedale is Southern’s campus, teeming with students and faculty. The university offers employment opportunities to hundreds of residents in the area, thereby boosting the local job market.
A private consultant did an economic impact study about Southern during the 2020-2021 school year. The study, published on Southern’s website, stated that the university generated $76 million in local business volume. The study also found that Southern generated $77 million in individual income from university expenditures.
It is estimated that 57% of the university’s expenditures are made in the Chattanooga area, accounting for $54 million in local spending. This is a substantial input into the economy of the City of Collegedale.
McKee Foods Corporation also fuels the economy and employment market in Collegedale. McKee employs thousands of workers from the Collegedale area and farther. These jobs are essential to keeping the economy of Collegedale up and running.
According to the Chattanooga Chamber, in 2020, over a 15-year period, McKee invested more than $500 million in capital projects.
One project McKee Foods invested in was the creation of Little Debbie Park. This 10acre green space, developed in collaboration with the City of Collegedale, is a top attraction in the city. The small park features a paved walkway and oversized sculptures of famous goodies produced by McKee.
A statement about McKee Foods was written in 2020 by Katie Lamb, then the mayor of Collegedale, on the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s website.
“McKee Foods is an important part of Collegedale,” Lamb
stated. “We are grateful that the company has chosen to continue its investment in our city with a significant expansion of its operations. We are excited for the new opportunities and the jobs that this growth will create.”
Volkswagen, the most recent large company to move to Collegedale, also contributes to the economy.
According to the most recent report that the Accent has access to, Volkswagen has issued $435 million in local contracts. Additionally, Volkswagen employs thousands of people to work at the Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant.
According to an Economic Impact report from 2012, Volkswagen contributed an estimated $643.1 million annually in income, supplier payments and broader employee economic spending. The state and local governments also received $53.5 million in annual taxes, according to the report.
“Our project in Chattanooga is made up of four pillars – the plant, the product, our suppliers and our people. We are committed to hiring locally, and we are convinced that we will have a best-in-class workforce,” said Hans-Herbert Jagla, the then-executive vice president of human
resources for the Chattanooga operations, during a 2009 interview with the Chattanoogan. Volkswagen has invested in the community by donating over $9.7 million to non-profit organizations since 2010, according to their website. These donations help to build the local
community and benefit the city. The economic influence of Southern Adventist University, McKee Foods and the Volkswagen Chattanooga Plant significantly impacts the city.
(Logos courtesy of organizations).
City growth sparks increased need for Collegedale community engagement
Chloe Smith Reporter
As the city of Collegedale grows rapidly, there has become an increasing need for greater community involvement.
In an interview with the Accent, Commissioner Laura Howse, who serves the library and airport boards, shared her perspective on the importance of community engagement.
According to Howse, the city’s commission meetings have seen relatively low attendance.
“I would say that we have fairly low commission meeting attendance,” Howse said. “Usually we have two, but no more than ten people that come to the meeting, and that looks like low engagement.”
Recent commission meeting engagement records show that weekly meetings have seen an average of 8 attendees, with the highest being the swearing in of the commissioners, which brought in 31 attendees.
Along with the in-person attendance, the commission also measures the number of live stream viewers for each meeting.
“Since we do the live streaming, we can tell that there are about 30 to 40 people who consistently watch the videos online,” Howse said.
When asked why she believes few people attend commission meetings, Howse said, “I think a lot of times people just get busy and they don’t really want to deal with it, or they don’t want to pay attention.”
According to Howse, higher engagement from residents in these meetings can make a difference, as the commission often makes decisions that meet the needs of the community.
One example Howse gave was an instance in which 20 community members attended a planning meeting to speak out against a proposed development on Lee Highway. As a result, the developer agreed to meet with the residents again and redraw the project plans.
“They spoke out on how they felt, and they were listened to,” Howse said. “I really feel like if those people had not shown up and made their voices heard, then the developer would have probably just been approved
and done it exactly how he wanted to do it.”
Jason Allin, the City of Collegedale’s staff planner, shared his thoughts on the lack of attendance at commission meetings.
“The commission says that they’re going to make decisions based off what people think,” Allin said. “But there’s no one telling them what they want, and they’re just going to make decisions based on what they think is best.”
Like Allin, Howse believes residents often leave all the decision-making to the commissioners.
“A lot of people feel like [they] voted for the person [they] think is going to do a good job and that they are going to vote for the things that are good for the community,” Howse said. “And they kind of just trust that the person they elected is going to do a good job.”
When it comes to communication, Howse feels that there is much room for improvement.
According to the commissioner, there is no consistent news coverage of the weekly commission meetings.
“I think that people don’t have an idea what happens at our meetings, and they don’t have time to go watch a 30-minute meeting on a video,” Howse said.
Along with this lack of news coverage, the city also does not have a designated communications person to write press releases- something that Howse believes could greatly improve community reach.
Aside from commission meetings, Howse says that community engagement can be measured in many other ways, such as showing up to events and volunteering.
“I talked to our head landscaping guy that works in public works, and he would love it if people wanted to volunteer to help around the city,” Howse said. “We’re just missing some connections… There are people out there who would love to help, they just don’t know who to get permission from or who to talk to.”
Although the growing City of Collegedale needs more community involvement, Howse claims that there have been
some improvements.
“I think the community engagement is really getting a lot better,” Howse said. “I think we just have to think of what things we can do to improve it.”
According to Howse, in the last 120 days, she has received 1259 emails, 43 phone calls and 21 in-person meetings.
For residents looking to become more involved, Howse says that it all starts with showing up. Whether it be attending commission meetings or serving on a board, all efforts from the community make an impact.
“You don’t have to be anyone fancy to help out,” Howse said. “It really is just about being able to spend the time and help with a fundraiser or something.”
To learn more about community events or meetings, residents can go to the Collegedale website at www.collegedaletn.gov.
“We do have some activities and events on our website,” Howse said, “but I do think that there’s always room for improvement.”
Along with the website, residents can also directly reach out to the city commissioners.
“They can always send emails to the commissioners; it’s on our website,” Howse said. For those interested in reaching out to the commissioners, they can email them at commissioners@collegedaletn.gov
According to Howse, the commission is open to addressing any concerns or ideas from the public. “We have a good group of commissioners who are happy to answer questions.”
COMMISSION MEETING ENGAGEMENT
Anaya Parker Contributor
A Changing City: Diversity and demographics shifting the
Eliana Morales Copy Editor
Diversity was not something I expected to see when I came to Collegedale. I’m Chinese, raised in Hispanic culture, and for most of my life, I was used to being one of the only people with a multicultural background.
I’m also an only child, so I was stuck hanging out with mostly adults for much of my life. But at Southern, for the first time, I’m surrounded by people from all backgrounds, many of whom are my age, going through similar experiences. Somehow, it’s the most diversity I’ve ever experienced, and I wonder if Collegedale has always looked like this. My research has uncovered more racial diversity and shifts in age, health and religion. It’s subtle in some ways, but if you’re paying attention, you can see how the community evolves.
Over the past decade, Collegedale has seen a shift in its racial and ethnic demographics. According to the ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates survey, the town’s population is becoming more diverse. In 2010, the population was 76.7% white, 8.4% Black, 4.3% Asian and 10.6% Hispanic.
By 2023, the percentage of white residents had decreased to 70.8%, while the Black population grew to 11.5%, the Asian population remained the same and the Hispanic population rose to 13.4%.
According to Census Reporter, Collegedale’s Hispanic and Asian population is nearly twice as high as the state average. While Asians only make up 4.3% of the general population, they represented 16% of Southern’s student body in Fall 2024.
Elias Martinez, a current resident, moved to the Collegedale area in 2017 for work and attended Southern in 2012.
“Since I first got here, it’s way more diverse,” he said. “When I was a freshman going to Walmart, I felt like I was the only Hispanic there. I’ve noticed a bigger influx of diversity. It wasn’t dramatic, but
landscapse of Collegedale
when I was in college, I didn’t feel comfortable as much as I do now.”
To residents, Collegedale may seem more diverse than statistics suggest, likely because census data doesn’t consider the students who come to college from out of state. However, these students live here, bringing international representation and engaging with local businesses, organizations and community events, all of which help shape the town’s evolving cultural landscape.
According to a previous Accent article, Southern is the only Hispanic-Serving Institution in Tennessee. In Fall 2024, enrollment statistics showed that Hispanic students made up 28.59% of the student body.
Beyond cultural diversity, age is another clear part of how Collegedale’s population is shifting. With college students and young adults living in the area, the city can feel younger than it used to. Back in 2015, 38.3% of residents were between 10 and 34 years old. By 2023, that number had grown to 45.1%.
Raquel Acosta and her family moved to Collegedale about four years ago, wanting to leave behind the fast-paced, traffic-heavy lifestyle of Florida. She shared that her husband felt a spiritual calling to relocate, which ultimately led them to the area. One thing she appreciates about Collegedale is the respectfulness of its young people and their willingness to help older adults.
In 2023, adults between 35 and 64, the age group that makes up the majority of the workforce, were 33.4% of the population. That’s close to what it was back in 2010, after some changes over the years. Seniors over 65 made up 17.3% of the population, a number that’s stayed about the same since 2010. Interestingly, the number of people aged 80 and older is about 10% higher than in Chattanooga and nearly 30% higher than the Tennessee state average.
Laura Howse, Collegedale Commissioner, said, “We had a huge rush of people [move here]
because they were trying to get away from the COVID lockdowns. Even in my own neighborhood, we’ve had younger people who moved in, and now their parents are moving here.”
This generational mix, especially the strong presence of older adults, highlights the importance of supporting long-term well-being.
According to the County Health Rankings, “Hamilton County is faring better than the average county in Tennessee for health
ment. In Hamilton County, 86% of people now live near a park or recreational facility, compared to 78% in 2014. These statistics reflect Heath’s point and indicate a community that’s becoming healthier by design.
The health of a community is closely linked to its environment, and this connection extends to education as well. Collegedale’s public schools are part of the Hamilton County School District, which has 79 schools. According to Howse, there is also a high
Alan Parker, a Collegedale resident and professor at Southern’s School of Religion, has been researching this diversity within the Adventist church. He observed, “I’ve seen the campus get more diverse, but I’ve also seen the churches [in the area] get more diverse. There’s definitely been transitions, more cultural diversity and more people of other nationalities coming in.”
For example demographics have shifted at South Bay, a church plant Parker was actively
factors, and slightly better than the average county in the nation.”
Gregory Heath, professor emeritus in public health at UTC and former lead scientist at the CDC, emphasized the importance of designing communities where “the healthy choice is the easy choice.”
He stated, “The sense of place and community plays a big role in a population’s health.”
In a survey, his team found that “people who live more proximal to a park setting or even some kind of fitness center were more likely to be active. They were also more likely to have better health profiles. They were less likely to smoke, and they were more likely to eat real [instead of processed] food.”
For a city like Collegedale, moving toward a healthier community starts with improving the environ-
Before the pandemic, Tanya Vu was a district sales manager for Allstate Corporation and lived in Orange County, California. But when the lockdowns began, she and her husband decided to head east.
The couple considered Florida, but they didn’t think they could tolerate the humidity. Asheville, North Carolina, offered a picturesque environment, but it felt more like a retirement community.
Vu, now owner of the Allstate insurance agency on Ooltewah Ringgold Road near Main Street, said she and her husband discovered the Chattanooga area while watching YouTube videos detailing the area’s beauty. Her husband likes fishing , and she
described Chattanooga as the “Mecca of bass fishing.” That was a hook for the couple, a small tug that made Chattanooga stand out as a good place to reside. Before moving to Chattanooga, Vu began looking for an Allstate agency to purchase in the area. A friend told her it’s not often that people sell their agencies.
“It’s rare because agents out here love what they do, and they really don’t sell their businesses,” Vu said. “I had been stalking Chattanooga for like, three years. So, I finally called my buddy, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I know you moved out to Nashville. I know you know I want to move out there, too. But, like, what’s going on? Like, no one is selling their business.’” Her friend spoke to a dis-
trict manager who happened to be aware of someone who wanted to sell, and that’s how she ended up in the greater Collegedale community.
“This is how little I knew about this area.,” Vu said. “When she said ‘Ooltewah,’ I was like, ‘Do you have anything closer to Chattanooga?’”
Vu and her husband have owned the agency since 2023. She said business is good, and they like working in the community.
“I’ve been doing insurance for 17 years and wanted to be an agent in a town where it’s not so small that there’s only five of us in town, but it’s small enough where the local community and relationships still really matter,” she said. “That’s how I like to do business.”
number of homeschoolers.
However, most schools within city limits are private and religiously affiliated. Acosta’s son attends an Adventist academy, but she works for the Hamilton County School District.
“At the school where my son goes, Collegedale Academy, you don’t see [diversity] as much,” Acosta said, sharing her perspective on diversity in local schools. “But where I work, in the public school, there is a growth in Hispanic people, people from the Middle East and Ukraine.” Southern Adventist University is the only university in the city. According to 2023 census estimates, 59.1% of the city’s school enrollment is at the college level, which is by far the largest category compared to elementary, high school or graduate-level enrollment. Educational attainment in Collegedale has also increased over the past decade. In 2013, 36.3% of residents held a bachelor’s degree or higher. In 2023, that number rose to 47.6%, signaling a steady climb in the town’s overall level of education.
Collegedale, situated just 30 minutes from Chattanooga—the city with the highest percentage of active churchgoers in the U.S., with nearly 59% of residents attending services regularly —is home to a dynamic religious landscape. Within a 15-mile radius, there are more than 30 Adventist churches, alongside a significant Baptist presence.
A 2015 Pew Research study identified the Seventh-day Adventist Church as the most racially and ethnically diverse religious group in the United States, with a diversity score of 9.1 out of 10.
involved in.
He further noted the increasing diversity within local congregations: the Korean church’s English-speaking group has become more diverse; Crosswalk Church has experienced significant growth and now reflects a multicultural congregation; and Merge, known for its Black American worship style, attracts a diverse group of attendees beyond its traditional base. He emphasized, “If you want to grow a church, it should really be multicultural and multiracial.”
Acosta was unaware of the strong Adventist presence in Collegedale when her family first moved, but her son has taken advantage of the worship opportunities.
“One thing that impacted me a lot here is music, and music brings a lot of people together,” she said. “It has helped my family a lot, especially my son, because as a parent, you want your children to find that space where they can grow. For him to play [music] with different people — they can be Asian, Cuban or from Venezuela — and praise God together as a team in the worship, I think that is awesome.”
The growth of Collegedale is evident in its shifting demographics. The city’s diversity has become something I observe in daily life. From racial and health-related shifts to the changes within local churches, it’s clear that this community is evolving. Since I didn’t grow up in a multicultural environment, discovering how much Collegedale has diversified has been surprising and encouraging —a reminder that communities can change and grow over time.
Students at Southern Adventist University represent diverse cultural backgrounds during Student Mission Vespers. Friday 28, 2025. (Photo by Bryson Baird)
Nyah Jackson Layout Designer
Tanya Vu, owner of an Allstate insurance branch in Collegedale, Tennessee, works on her computer. Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Boggess)
Demographic Data for Collegedale in 2023. (Graph created by Eliana Morales)
Explore this interactive 3D rendering of the Apison Pike bridge project
Curious about the new bridge being constructed? Scan the QR code on the right to see it as a 3D model.
(Render by Czerny Avance)
Students in the Interactive Journalism class at Southern created this special edition for the Southern Accent.
For more multimedia coverage on Collegedale’s growth, scan the QR on the left to explore the story further.
An incomplete bridge spans a gap as part of a project to expand Route 317. Friday, April 12, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Boggess)
Back row (left to right): Anaya Parker, Hayden Kobza, Nyah Jackson and Alissa Flores. Front row (left to right): Eliana Morales, Professor Alva Johnson and Co-Instructor Ryan Harrell. Tuesday, January 21, 2025. (Photo by Katie McConnell)
CHATTER
• 5:45 pm - 9:00 pm SOAP: Bat Vespers @ Wright Hall
• 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Vespers: SM/ERC/ Religion Graduates Dedication, Micheal Goetz @ Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists
• 8:27 pm Sunset
• 9:00 pm Star Watch @ Hickman Science Center Parking Lot
8:00 am SAT Test @ Bietz Center Testing Offices
3:00 pm Recital: Amy Van Arsdell, violin @ Ackerman Auditorium
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Student Association: Strawberry Festival @ Iles P.E. Center
National Day of Prayer
11:00 am Convocation: Awards Chapel/Student Association Officer Presentation @ Iles P.E. Center
• 12:45 pm - 3:00 pm Pop with the Prez @ Promenade
• 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm GRADFEST @ The Grid
• 7:30 pm Recital: Tata Tsikirai, viola; Liesl Meadows, voice @ Ackerman Auditorium
Weekly Birthdays
• 10:00 am & 11:15 am School of Religion
Senior Consecreation: Micheal Goetz @ Thatcher Chapel
• 10:00 am - 11:30 am French Sabbath
School @ Lynn Wood Hall
• 11:45 am Merge Worship @ Collegedale Academy Elementary Gym
11:45 am Renewal @ Collegedale
Church of Seventh-day Adventists
4:00 pm Concert: School of Music Choral
Ensembles @ Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists
9:00 pm Concert: Jazz Ensemble @ Ackerman Auditorium
W25 Semester Exams (May 5 - 9, 2025)
National Teacher’s Day National Nurse’s Day 12:00 pm Tornado Siren Test
MASTER’S DEGREE IN BUSINESS
With a Biblical Perspective
Southern’s Master of Business Administration degree helps you acquire the skills you need to be successful in today’s workforce—based on the biblical principles of honesty, integrity, and high ethical standards.
It’s convenient
All classes are online. Full- and part-time tracks are available, and the MBA can be completed in as little as one year. With careful planning, you can complete a bachelor’s degree AND a master’s degree in five years!
It’s affordable
Southern’s competitively priced program is a valuable investment in your future
Prep for CPA Review. Students with an MBA Accounting emphasis may take the Wiley CPAexcel review courses for six of their 12 elective hours.