Project Director

Brodsky, David

Department

Dept. of Political Science, Public Administration, and Nonprofit Management

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

At the end of the Civil War, Chattanooga, like many southern cities, was beset by a wave of northern citizens eager to help rebuild the ravaged south. These carpetbaggers, the forebearers of some of Chattanooga's wealthiest families, began many important industries still in operation today. In fact, for most Chattanoogans, the names Probasco, Lupton, Guerry, and others are synonymous with great wealth. The members of this group, the descendants of those reconstruction era carpetbaggers, are at the top of Chattanooga's socioeconomic structure. If newspaper surveys are correct, this group is perceived by the public as running the city's affairs. Two factors in particular seem to reinforce the public's perceptions of the local elite. The first is income variance. According to the 1980 U.S. census, some Chattanooga neighborhoods had average family incomes in excess of one million dollars per year; whereas, other neighborhoods had average incomes of as little as four thousand dollars per year. Of additional interest is the fact that although the average per capita income is a normal (normal for the South) $9,200, only one third of the citizens may be classified as middle class. The upper class and the lower class are each comprised of one-third of the population. Therefore, unlike other cities in which the middle class constitutes a majority, Chattanooga possesses extraordinarily large lower and upper classes. These income distinctions become even more important in light of an additional factor that exagerates the income data: the City's geographic features.

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

3-1985

Subject

Elite (Social sciences)--Tennessee--Chattanooga; Power (Social sciences)--Tennessee--Chattanooga; Abuse of administrative power--Tennessee--Chattanooga; Social stratification--Tennessee--Chattanooga

Name

Chattanooga (Tenn.)--Social conditions

Discipline

American Politics

Document Type

Theses

Extent

i, 43 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Call Number

LB2369.5 .C48 1985

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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