> I am concidering moving to town..I know its cold..but how is
> it really, the weather channel can only say so much. I have
> been offered a gig and want a "true opinion" on the
> place..Crime?Cost of living? and so on....
Memphis is like any other town, really. It has its good points and its not-so-good points.
I have lived here since 1991, and have noticed marked changes in the City. Downtown has gone from a decaying monument to failed urban renewal to a vital entertainment district boasting the best AAA baseball field and one of the best basketball arenas in the country. Now, we can argue political policy issues of budget, etc., about these changes, but the result on the ground is quite impressive.
Certainly, cost of living is among Memphis’ most attractive features. In the past few years, my wife and I looked at relocating, and visited several cities. Housing, for example, is downright cheap. A house in Germantown, let’s say, that costs $120/square foot might be four times that in towns like Boston and Los Angeles.
Memphis can boast one of the best zoos for a mid-sized city in America. We have an excellent symphony and Opera group. Theatre is alive and well in Midtown Memphis. From a higher educational standpoint, Memphis can be proudly claim a couple of high-end boutique schools, a pretty good public university, a law school (Dang Lawyers!) and a medical school.
Other amenities include a hub for Northwest Airlines, allowing Memphians to travel to most major US destinations non-stop. The second-most visited private residence in America, Elvis’ Graceland, is here, and even has its own station on Sirius Satellite. While true high-end shopping is a bit lacking, most people will find almost all of their needs satisfied by the city’s malls and shopping centers.
Weather? What can you say? It’s hot in the Summer. Dang hot. And you can cut the humidity with a knife. You can saddle up the mosquitos and ride them. But, it passes. Winters aren’t too bad. Expect a dusting of snow, every now and then. We get our share of severe weather in the Spring and Fall.
And, there’s always the BBQ. And Joe Birch’s hair.
But, as anyone will agree, Memphis has its problems. Crime is now, and has always been, a big problem here. A recent study named Memphis one of the country’s most dangerous cities. Memphis City Schools are substandard in many ways. Further, contentious issues of race permeate this city – more, one might argue, that almost anywhere else in America. It’s quite sad. And, we definitely have corruption with our political officials. It was no accident that the epicenter of the recent Tennessee Waltz scandal was right here in Shelby County.
In short… come on in. The water’s fine. But, Memphis ain’t perfect. Far from it.
DE
