About Signal Mountain

It may be small, but Signal Mountain has received national recognition as one of the best places to raise a family. 

Only 20 minutes north of downtown Chattanooga, the mountain provides stunning natural beauty and a peaceful setting conveniently close to the city. 

The panoramic views, rocky hikes, and waterfalls regularly delight those who love the outdoors, and residents enjoy both quality schools and a safe community. For many, it’s the perfect place to call home.

The town of Signal Mountain is named for the Signal Point landmark, where Native Americans sent smoke signals across the Tennessee River Valley. Centuries before the Civil War, tribes lived and hunted along Walden’s Ridge, using natural passes to climb up and down the mountain.

During the Civil War, when Confederate troops besieged the Union troops in Chattanooga, Signal Point was the most significant high ground controlled by the Northern army. From this station, they observed Confederate movement along the river and communicated with their supply base in Bridgeport, Alabama.  The bluff is now a popular hiking destination and a United States National Park.

Summertown

After the Civil War, the cholera outbreak of 1873 and the yellow fever outbreak in 1878 caused much of Chattanooga’s population to flee the city. Many affluent families traveled to “health resorts” in the mountains for clean water and fresh air. These families made the five-hour trek up and down the “W” road to escape the heat in an area that Signal Mountain residents still call Summertown today. By the early 1900s, Summertown had become a colony of cabins and boarding houses, complete with a pavilion for dances and The Little Brown Church.

Olde Town

One of Signal Mountain’s seasonal visitors, Charles E. James, purchased a 4,400-acre parcel of land near Signal Point.  He dreamed of forming a residential community with modern amenities on the mountaintop. By 1913, he had built the Signal Mountain Inn and completed twelve miles of trolley track. In 1918, he added the Signal Mountain Golf Course to his resort-style community. 

When livestock roamed on his beautiful golf-course grazing on the greens, Mr. James sought a charter. The state of Tennessee granted his request on April 4, 1919, and the town of Signal Mountain was born.  Mr. James became the town’s first mayor, and his first ordinance prohibited unfettered farm animals inside the town limits. 

By his death in 1925, Signal Mountain had over 200 homes with year-round residents. Today, the old streetcar tracks and period homes from the era are preserved in a historic district listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Signal Mountain residents affectionately call this portion of the mountain “Olde Town.”

Signal Mountain Today

The mountain population remained relatively small until the 1970s when it experienced significant growth. The town built a fire station and town hall facility. Pruett’s, a family-owned grocery store and community hub, opened a location on the mountain. The town of Walden also obtained its charter. 

The completion of Signal Mountain’s top-rated high school in 2008 also accelerated the area’s growth. As 68% percent of the town’s residents are college educated, quality schools remain the main motivator for many families moving to the mountain. 

Located on Walden’s Ridge on the Cumberland Plateau, Signal Mountain, as it’s known today, consists of the Town of Signal Mountain, the Town of Walden, and the unincorporated areas beyond. 

Just a few miles from downtown Chattanooga, Signal Mountain stands like a beacon calling to visitors. The mountain offers small-town living adjacent to all that the more vibrant scenic city has to offer.  With unrivaled natural beauty and nationally recognized schools, this full-service community has drawn many to call it “home sweet home.”