Ellington

Our November Newcomers of the Month are Drs. Jacob and Cara Hennings, who moved into their Carriage Hill home in late September.

Originally from the Chicago area, the couple has been living in Tennessee for several years as Jacob Hennings completed his residency in emergency medicine at Erlanger and Cara Hennings, a dermatologist, finished her residency at Vanderbilt.

The couple started their home search on Elder Mountain, but friend Ron Buchheit, a Signal Mountain resident who completed his residency at Erlanger with Jacob Hennings, sold them on the positive attributes of Signal Mountain.

“We heard about the school system,” said Jacob Hennings, which is important to the couple because of their 6-month-old daughter Addison. “[Ron Buchheit and his wife Lara] had been living here with kids and said there was a lot more to do on this mountain.”

The Hennings said they love to check out Signal’s little shops, which they did during the recent Sunday on Signal event.

“I didn’t realize how much was up here,” said Jacob Hennings. “I was thinking it would be just the bare necessities.”

He and his wife said their favorite restaurant is definitely Nino’s, where Cara Hennings loves the lasagna and chocolate mousse.

The Hennings said they also enjoy getting outside to hike, with Rainbow Lake being their preferred trail.

“One of the biggest things that drew us to Chattanooga was the outdoor activities,” said Jacob Hennings.

“We also like that there’s a golf course on the mountain,” said his wife.

Through Lara Buchheit, Cara Hennings became involved with the Signal Mountain Newcomers group, attending the lunches held on Fridays as well as the monthly book club meetings.

“I’ve met a lot of people through it,” she said.

People at their church, Signal Crest United Methodist, have also been very welcoming, she said. Cara Hennings said that after they had attended just one service, pastor Mark Gooden stopped by their home.

“He just came by to say hi and welcome us to Signal Mountain,” she said, adding that the church’s excellent preschool program is also a plus.