Chattanooga, Tenn. (April 3, 2025) - Today, Chattanooga proudly received confirmation from the National Park City Foundation that our application has been approved—officially making us the first National Park City in North America. Click here to see the National Park city Foundation Announcement.
To celebrate this milestone, Mayor Tim Kelly released a special
video <https://youtu.be/SkPjuTKEKYk> message congratulating Chattanoogans
on this historic achievement.
"Here in Chattanooga, we’ve used the National Park City movement to
encourage folks to think about Chattanooga as a city in a park, rather than
a city with some parks in it," said Mayor Kelly. "The outdoors is our
competitive advantage. It’s at the heart of our story of revitalization,
and it’s core to our identity. We’ve always known how special Chattanooga’s
connection to the outdoors is, and now it’ll be recognized around the
world. I could not be more proud that Chattanooga is North America's first
National Park City."
The journey toward this designation began in late 2023 and was shaped by
the voices and passion of thousands of residents, community leaders,
businesses, and nonprofit partners. Through a series of public meetings,
the City of Chattanooga gathered over 5,600 signatures of support and
crafted a National Park City charter
<https://chattanooga-national-park-city-784c7e.webflow.io/sign-the-charter>
grounded in seven core commitments to people, place, and nature.
In November, Chattanooga submitted its “Journey Book”
<https://chattanooga-national-park-city-784c7e.webflow.io/journey-book/the-beginning>—a vibrant snapshot of our collective work to make the city one of the most
livable in the United States. Then in March, a review team from the
National Park City Foundation visited Chattanooga to experience our parks,
wildlife sanctuaries, and urban landscapes firsthand—and to meet the
incredible people driving this movement forward.
The National Park City movement is a long-term, grassroots and grasstops
effort that invites everyone—residents, leaders, and organizations—to work
together to make their cities greener, healthier, and wilder. In
Chattanooga, this designation will help city government and community
partners prioritize connecting more people to the outdoors that have long
defined our identity.
As Mayor Kelly outlined in a Times Free Press op-ed <https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2024/dec/02/opinion-why-chattanooga-is-applying-to-be/> being a National Park City means embracing all aspects of outdoor life—from
supporting Lookout Mountain Conservancy to celebrating the Highland Park
futsal fields. It’s about preserving the forests where hunters harvest
deer, the lakes where anglers reel in tournament bass, and the native
plants that sustain one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet.
National Park City means educating Chattanoogans about native plant species
they can plant in their yard to help our ecosystem-one of the most
biodiverse on our planet, and helping them get access to those native
plants.. It’s also about honoring our cultural diversity—through art,
history, and play.
This recognition helps cement Chattanooga’s international reputation as a
city that leads with green space, outdoor adventure, and community spirit.
To mark this milestone, the City will host a celebration on Saturday, April
19th, from 12 PM – 7 PM on the Chattanooga Green next to Ross’s Landing
featuring local artists and a presentation with National Geographic
Explorer and creator of the National Park City movement, Dr. Daniel Raven
Ellison <https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/real-world-geography-daniel-raven-ellison/>.
This celebration coincides with Earth Week
<https://community.nationalparkcity.org/spaces/10771670/events>, featuring
over 50 activities and events across the city in partnership with National
Park City partners and supporters.
For the full event calendar
<https://community.nationalparkcity.org/spaces/10771670/events> and
National Park City journey details, visit chattanooganationalparkcity.org.
<http://chattanooganationalparkcity.org>