Red Bank is an insular city whose parameters are defined by the length of Dayton Boulevard and the breadth between Stringer's Ridge and Walden's Ridge. It is completely surrounded on all sides by the city of Chattanooga, but refuses to incorporate and remains a separate entity. Red Bank was considered something of a well to do suburb appended to downtown throughout the mid-to-late 20th century. However, decades of political turmoil have hollowed out the township economically.

Red Bank is now known as a poor area that features low-income housing and few employment opportunities compared to neighboring Hixson or downtown. Shopping and dining options have historically been nonexistent.

Significant changes in city leadership followed a particularly tumultuous period of political strife and scandal in the mid-to-late aughts. The current administration is less hostile to new businesses and is actively trying to foster economic development - albeit slowly and with limited success. Payday loan shops still dominate the scenery but the city does now boast a coffee shop, a brewery, and a few new dining options.

Speak to a citizen who has lived here for a while and you are likely to hear the legend of the infamous Red Bank police force. Their gleefully aggressive enforcement of traffic laws served as a major source of income for the city but kept customers (and therefore businesses) out of Red Bank. One of the significant changes that followed the upheavals at City Hall a decade ago was that the police force has been reined in. These days it is perfectly safe to traverse Dayton Boulevard free from unnecessary harassment. It is noteworthy that the size and activity of the police force is yet very robust and that the crime rate is surprisingly low within the Red Bank city limits compared to the rest of the metropolitan area.

Currently, the most attractive feature of Red Bank is its relatively low cost of housing despite having a close proximity to downtown. The city is full of apartment complexes and small older homes that are often available for rental. The universal expectation is that the economic profile of Red Bank is going to rise considerably in the next 5 to 10 years; take note that those formerly inexpensive apartment complexes have been remodeling and steadily raising their prices in advance of this prediction. Nevertheless, at the moment Red Bank remains a good compromise between budget and location.

In summary, Red Bank is a very safe but relatively low-income area that is coming up very slowly. Keep in mind that Chattanooga city services are not available due to its refusal to incorporate; however, Red Bank does a respectable enough job of providing its own.