Soddy, TN Soddy, TN

The town of Soddy, Tennessee was nearly erased from the map as a casualty of being on the wrong side of ‘progress’.

In the early 20th century, the Dixie Highway, conceived in Chattanooga, passed through Soddy as part of the Good Roads Movement.

Backed by state and federal funds, it brought improvements; including resurfacing, widening, better drainage, and rerouting of major roadways.

1930

Main Street Moved

Heated controversy arose when plans were announced to move the path of Chattanooga-Dayton Pike (Hwy 27) eastward by over a half-mile and away from the Soddy business district.

Despite much publicized citizen outcry – The road was rerouted; just as the country entered the Great Depression.

Original Highway
Rerouted Highway

[CLICK IMAGE TO COMPARE] Original highway vs. rerouted.

Chattanooga Daily Times Dec. 1928

Chattanooga Daily Times Apr. 1929

Chattanooga Daily Times Jul. 1929

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Soddy, with a population of about 2,000, has become a "ghost town," The coal mines which brought it into being are no longer operated and the hosiery mill which furnished employment for the inhabitants closed its doors in 1932.

Allison White - Hamilton Co. Regional Planning Commission
Chattanooga News
March 31, 1937

1940

TVA brings the lake to the town.

Within a few years another blow would be dealt to a community still reeling from the last disruption.

The TVA released details on the future effects the planned Chickamauga Dam. Soddy Creek would take on waters of the new reservoir - bringing the lake just over the new highway's route.

The main highway through Soddy again had to move. A portion of the former highway was repurposed as a fishing pier.

Original Highway
Rerouted Highway

[CLICK IMAGE TO COMPARE] Pre and post Dam views

Click to view the pre-1940 highway

Soddy, Daisy, Montlake Historical Association

Soddy TN
Click to explore Soddy, before 1940.

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"People ought to realize that you can't wind the state highways through every little town."

County Judge Will Cummings
Chattanooga News
April 26, 1929

The coming boomtimes...

Since 1969, the separate communities of Soddy and Daisy are known as the incorporated city of Soddy-Daisy.

A short 15-mile drive on Highway 27N from downtown Chattanooga, the area is largely untouched by waves of urban expansion. Soddy, and surrounding areas are poised to grow substantially in the coming years. International investment in land purchases focusing on "predevelopment land in the path of growth" has surged*.

Yet Soddy will remain uniquely positioned as a ideal area for families, where rural life blends seamlessly with suburban conveniences.

*Source: Walton Global

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