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Why Artists Are Buying into Chattanooga Artists gave Chattanooga's Southside a new life--and the neighborhood returned the favor.

By Margaret Littman

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Special Report
State of the Creative Nation
Creative arts entrepreneurs are building new businesses while reinvigorating cities and towns across the country. We checked around to see who's creating what, and how this growing creative class contributes to economies small and large.

Chattanooga, Tenn., may be most famous for its choo-choo, but it's another engine entirely that's fueling much of the Southern city's renaissance. A number of initiatives have attracted and retained Chattanooga's working artists, helping them buy property, learn business basics and work with like-minded creative entrepreneurs.

"One of the great things about Chattanooga is that we are a city that really understands partnerships and collaboration," says Helen Davis Johnson, co-founder of CreateHere, a 4-year-old nonprofit that promotes culture, entrepreneurism and the arts.

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