River Gorge Drive becomes a dirt road leading up a hill near newly constructed homes Tuesday in the Black Creek Mountain subdivision.Black Creek makes top communities list
The resort-style community of Black Creek Mountain west of dowtown Chattanooga is rated among the 50 best master-planned communities in the United States by Where to Retire magazine.
Black Creek is among only three Tennessee communities on the magazine's list. Where to Retire magazine highlights this month a resurgent era in active-adult and master-planned living -- in demand now more than ever, with the boost in the economy and the continuing coming of age of baby boomers.
The top-rated communities include lakes for fishing, wellness complexes and even a grocery at Fairfield Glade in Tennessee, an arts center to display residents' work at Robson Ranch in Arizona and street festivals and a seasonal farmers market at NorthWest Crossing in Oregon.
As proposed, the $500 million Black Creek Mountain development is designed to eventually include up to seven neighborhoods of homes.
Tennessee sales up 3.9 % in May
Taxable sales in Tennessee last month rose 3.92 percent over a year ago. State Finance Commissioner Larry Martin said overall May revenues were $31.5 million more than the state budgeted.
Martin said the sales tax growth rate rebounded in May mainly because of the sale of building materials and purchases of new automobiles. He says sales tax collections were $11.2 million above the budgeted estimate, and the franchise and excise taxes were $8.8 million more than budgeted.
"Tennessee's sales tax collections suggest that we are continuing to recover from the worst recession on record," he said.
"Slow recovery coupled with national and global economic concerns call for us to closely monitor collections and expenditure for the remainder of the year," Martin said.