Chattanooga, TN – When Volkswagen said yes, the city that shed its dirty air reputation to become a top outdoor recreation destination forgot years of frustrating rejections by automakers.
Radio listeners rejoiced on call-in shows, businesses displayed signs welcoming VW and U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, a former mayor, said Chattanooga ``will never be the same again.''
University of Tennessee economist Bill Fox said spinoff jobs in Tennessee and neighboring corners of Georgia and Alabama would probably total more than 10,000. That economic impact doesn't include the publicity that accompanies a global company like Volkswagen as it plans a new sedan and seeks to boost its share of the U.S. market.
Chattanooga has made quite a turnaround since 1969, when the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare said the city with its smoke-belching foundries ranked No. 1 nationally in particulate air pollution.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)