Chattanooga Named North America’s first National Park City

Chattanooga (WDEF) – The Mayor announces that Chattanooga has officially been named the first National Park City in North America.

City leaders have been courting the National Park City Foundation for several months now.

The organization sent representatives here to tour the city last month.

The movement is a grassroots effort to commit both residents and leaders to making cities greener.

Mayor Kelly says this is a big deal for the city.

“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.”

Chattanooga will host a formal celebration on Saturday, April 19th from noon til 7PM.

It will be on the Chattanooga Green next to Ross’s Landing.

Dr. Daniel Raven Ellison, who created the National Park City movement, will be there.