From being dubbed “Best Town Ever” to local businesses landing on Inc.’s fastest growing companies list, Chattanooga has taken up space in the national spotlight, and now comes a new country-wide distinction. 🎉

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s digital magazine, Free Enterprise, has recognized Chattanooga as a Silicon City, an honor bestowed on areas that are excelling in technology and entrepreneurship. 👩‍💻

The magazine’s Silicon Cities project highlights communities outside the country’s traditional tech hubs, J.D. Harrison, executive director of both the U.S. Chamber and FreeEnterprise.com. said.

“Chattanooga exemplifies how public and private sector leaders can work together to promote entrepreneurship and cultivate vibrant technology ecosystems that strengthen local economies,” he said in a prepared statement.

The article features The Company Lab CEO Marcus Shaw, who is a transplant from the Baltimore-D.C. area. When he moved here in 2017, some aspects about the Gig City surprised him, he told the magazine.

“There were things about Chattanooga I didn’t expect,” he says. “For example, I was blown away by how progressive the city is. But I’ve lived up and down the eastern seaboard over the last 20 years, and I’ve developed a good sense for knowing when a city is on the move.” 🏙

The article describes what leaders have dubbed “The Chattanooga Way.”

It highlights some of the city’s history, EPB’s high-speed internet and local companies, such as FreightWaves and CPR Wrap.

The Free Enterprise article comes out today. You can check it out online.

And email us at hello@noogatoday.com to let us know what you think. Do you like our new title as a Silicon City?