[4] The city was named after Cherokee Indian Chief John Ross, who resided there until being forced to relocate with his people to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears.

[6] The John Ross House, a log cabin, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2), all land.

The city lies in a broad valley between Missionary Ridge to the east and Lookout Mountain to the west.

Fort Oglethorpe and the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park lie across Missionary Ridge to the southeast.