Signal Mountain is a town in

Hamilton County, Tennessee Hamilton County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the southern part of East Tennessee on the border with Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, United States. The town is a suburb of

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

and is located on

Walden Ridge Walden Ridge (or Walden's Ridge) is a mountain ridge and escarpment located in Tennessee in the United States. It marks the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau and is generally considered part of it. Walden Ridge is about long, running genera ...

. "Signal Mountain" is used as a colloquial name for the part of Walden Ridge close to the town. The town population was 8,852 as of the 2020 census and estimated to be 8,567 in 2018.

Geography

Signal Mountain is located in southwestern Hamilton County at 35°8′N 85°21′W (35.1291, -85.3424), atop the south end of Walden Ridge. The southern edge of the town overlooks the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...

below. The town is bordered to the south by the city of Chattanooga, to the northeast by the town of

Walden ''Walden'' (; first published as ''Walden; or, Life in the Woods'') is an 1854 book by American transcendentalism, transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon the author's simple living in natural surroundings. T ...

, and to the north by the unincorporated community of Fairmount.

U.S. Route 127 U.S. Route 127 (US 127) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the eastern half of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 27, US 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The northern terminus is at Interstate 75 ...

(Ridgeway Avenue) is the main road through the town, leading south off the mountain to downtown Chattanooga and north over Walden Ridge to Dunlap. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

History

Signal Mountain's history dates back years before settlement of the mountain itself. Centuries prior to the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Native Americans used a location on the mountain known as Signal Point to send fire and smoke signals across the Tennessee Valley. Later, the Union Army used Signal Point as a communications station during the Civil War. At the outbreak of the war, only a few families lived on the mountain. However, when various health epidemics struck Chattanooga in 1873 and 1878, several wealthy families relocated to the mountain where they could find clear air and pure water. In the early 20th century, Charles E. James purchased of land in the Signal Point area and developed the mountain. In 1913, construction was completed of of streetcar track, which linked Chattanooga to Signal Mountain. While the streetcars are no longer used, the tracks remain in the streets of Signal Mountain's historic district named after Velma. On April 4, 1919, the Tennessee Legislature passed the bill that chartered the Town of Signal Mountain. During the 1970s, the town experienced significant growth. In 2013 Signal Mountain made Bloomberg Businessweeks' list of the best places to raise a family.

Notable people

* Susan Akin, 1986 Miss America * Zane Birdwell,

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning recording engineer * Rachel Boston, actress and producer * Charles H. Coolidge, Medal of Honor recipient, namesake of Coolidge Park and member of 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment * Byron De La Beckwith, convicted murderer of civil rights leader

Medgar Evers Medgar Wiley Evers (; July 2, 1925June 12, 1963) was an American civil rights activist and soldier who was the NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi. Evers, a United States Army veteran who served in World War II, was engaged in efforts ...

, moved to Walden, just outside of Signal Mountain, near the end of his life * Emma Bell Miles, writer, poet, and artist * Paul V. Nolan (1923–2009), Tennessee state legislator 1969-1970 * Suzanne Fisher Staples, author of award-winning ''Shiva's Fire'' and other books * Mary Q. Steele and William O. Steele, a married pair of children's authors who separately wrote Newbery Honor-winning books

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,852 people, 3,096 households, and 2,419 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,554 people, 2,950 households, and 2,175 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 3,168 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.2% White, 0.03% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, and 0.2% from other races. There were 2,960 households, of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01. The population of Signal Mountain was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64 and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males. The median income for a household was $78,900, and the median income for a family was $130,997. Males had a median income of $102,241 versus $54,878 for females. The per capita income for the town was $71,134. About 2.3% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

Signal Mountain is home to a number of outdoors attractions, including the Cumberland Trail, Mabbitt Springs, and Signal Point, which is part of

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located in northern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee, preserves the sites of two major battles of the American Civil War: the Battle of Chickamauga and the Siege of Chattanooga. A detailed ...

. Visitors and citizens have many different locations where they can hike and backpack, such as Rainbow Lake and Edward's Point. The Signal Mountain Playhouse presents two plays per year including an outdoor musical every summer in the natural amphitheatre behind the Town Hall. The MACC (Mountain Arts Community Center), located in the historic Signal Mountain Elementary School building, offers classes in music, dance, and visual arts. The neighboring town of Walden hosts an outdoor public playground and pavilion called the Pumpkin Patch that is open for all to enjoy. Also, Bachman Community Center has many annual events as well as a small library and community garden plots. The New Mountain Opry hosts a weekly

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...

show every Friday evening. Just south of Signal Mountain's town line on Route 127 is the 1973 Spaceship House, a futuristic residence designed to look like a

flying saucer A flying saucer, or flying disc, is a purported type of disc-shaped unidentified flying object (UFO). The term was coined in 1947 by the United States (US) news media for the objects pilot Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting, Kenneth Arnold claimed fl ...

Schools

* Elementary schools:
Nolan Elementary
(named after Dr. Paul V. Nolan)
Thrasher Elementary
(named after Wilkes T. Thrasher)
Signal Mountain Christian School
* Middle School: Signal Mountain Middle/High School * High School: Signal Mountain Middle/High School

References

External links

Town of Signal Mountain official website

Signal Mountain Library

Mountain Arts Community Center

Signal Mountain Playhouse

Signal Mountain Hiking Trails

Signal Mountain Middle/High School
{{authority control Towns in Hamilton County, Tennessee Towns in Tennessee Chattanooga metropolitan area