Hixson is a former

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and now part of the city of Chattanooga in Hamilton County,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, United States. It is in the northeastern part of Chattanooga and is part of the Chattanooga, TN- GA

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. Hixson is typically defined as the area north of Rivermont (a Chattanooga neighborhood), east of the city of Red Bank and U.S. Highway 27, and south of unincorporated Middle Valley and Thrasher Pike. It is bordered to the east by the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...

. Neighborhoods within Hixson include DuPont, Northgate, Big Ridge, and Valleybrook.

History

The land around Hixson was first settled by Europeans around 1821 by pioneers John and Elendar Hixson. While Elendar was born in Bledsoe County, Tennessee, John Hixson, born in 1797, came from Virginia. This family of Hixsons first came to America in the mid-1600's when John Hixson's great great grandfather, William Hixson II from

Frodsham Frodsham is a market town, civil parish, and electoral ward in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Its population was 8,982 in 2001, increasing to 9,077 at the 2011 Census. It is s ...

, sailed to New Jersey. John and Elendar had 9 children between 1821 and 1851. Greatly opposed to any involvement in a

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same 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 ...

, some of the family began traveling further westward in 1852 to southern Missouri with the incorrect hopes that state would remain a neutral location in the looming national conflict.

Government

Hixson is represented on the Chattanooga City Council with two district seats – District 2 currently held by Jenny Kellog-Hill and District 3 currently held by Ken Smith. Hixson is represented on the Hamilton County Commission in two districts as well: District 1, currently held by Gen O Shipley; and District 3, held by Ken Smith(2022).

Retail

Hixson has a retail center based around Northgate Mall. Originally built in 1972, it is one of two major mall shopping venues for Chattanooga (the other is the larger Hamilton Place). CBL in 2012 purchased Northgate Mall for $11.5 million and has announced a major renovation for the mall.

Schools

The school system is run by the Hamilton County government, as the county and city school systems were merged in 1997, after a 1995 voting referendum. Hixson has one public high school – the Hixson High School. Hixson also has one predominant middle school – the Hixson Middle School – although Loftis Middle School serves a small portion of the community on the north side of Big Ridge. Currently there are five elementary schools in the public system that serve the area: Big Ridge Elementary, McConnell Elementary, Ganns Middle Valley Elementary, DuPont Elementary, and Hixson Elementary. However, this is likely to change in the near future as the Hamilton County Board of Education has selected two of these schools for reassignment. Current plans call for DuPont Elementary to be closed and merged with Alpine Crest and Rivermont Elementary. Ganns Middle Valley Elementary will have a larger school built on a site which is yet to be determined.

Attractions

Hixson has several area attractions. The Chickamauga Dam is part of its eastern border along with several marinas along the Tennessee River. Greenway Farms is part of the North

Chickamauga Creek Chickamauga Creek refers to two short tributaries of the Tennessee River, which join the river near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The two streams are North Chickamauga Creek and South Chickamauga Creek, joining the Tennessee from the north and south s ...

Conservancy and offers hiking, canoeing, sports, and a dog park.North Chick.org
/ref> Valleybrook Golf Course hosts the Choo Choo Classic and was a regular PGA stop from 1983 to 1991 with the Chattanooga Classic.

External links

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Hamilton County, Tennessee Chattanooga metropolitan area Neighborhoods in Chattanooga, Tennessee Tennessee populated places on the Tennessee River