Info re: living in Memphis, TN
 

Hubby and I are being transferred for his job and have been given a list of 4 possible cities which we are supposed to research and rank in order (doesn't necessarily mean we will get first choice though). Anyway I have pretty good knowledge of all of the cities except Memphis which I have only visited once for a long weekend several years ago (Nashville I know but that is not on the list unfortunately)<BR><BR>Anyway we are doing research on living in Memphis. We are a youngish couple 29 and 28, no kids. Both of us will presumably work downtown and want to live within a 30 min. or less commute. We will rent for approximately 6 months before buying and are looking for a modern apartment complex with plenty of amenities. We prefer to live in an area with lots of shopping (a good mall for me), lots of restaurant choices chain or local, movie theaters etc. We do not want to live downtown or way out in a residential "family" oriented area either.<BR><BR>If anyone could lay out the different areas of the city and even suggest one, that would be super!

Check out the Bartlett area, it's the northeast corner of Memphis. CLose enough to the city for an easy commute yet still outside of the city itself. Nears lots of shopping, movies, restaurants, etc. Lots of young working people live there.

Sounds like midtown would hit the mark for you. Although you are unlikely to find a "modern" apartment complex, it is an interesting, diverse neighborhood that is close to downtown, near Overton Park (and Overton Square -- a cute neighborhood shopping/dining/bars district) and a good place for young professionals without kids. You are more likely to find older homes or older apartment complexes (some with pools) to rent.<BR><BR>Most malls will be further East -- more in the "family" type of neighborhoods you are less interested in.

My husband and I are the same age as you and yours, and we transferred from Memphis 3 years ago, but go back often to visit family (headed there today, actually). We lived in midtown, and it was definitely our favorite area- the houses just have more character and wonderful old trees. Plus a great mix of eclectic bars, restaurants and boutiques (several areas within midtown you might hear of are Cooper-Young, Evergreen, Overton Park- all are great). Downtown is terrific too- you mentioned not wanting to live there, but you might want to check into it. If you are picturing high rise apartment buildings, there are a few, but there are also several regular apartment complexes (River Bluff Apartments is great). And a few warehouses are being converted into really cool loft type apartments. There’s also Harbor Town, a newer (less than 10 years old) residential development with all sizes of houses and apartments, but they have made an effort to use various styles of architecture so they are not cookie cutter. There is a brand new huge movie theater and entertainment complex downtown, along with the Redbirds ballpark, which is only a few years old.<BR>Moving east from downtown and midtown, you come into appropriately named East Memphis, which still has some of the unique character of midtown, but mixes well with chain stores and restaurants. Oak Court Mall is here, along with several open shopping areas (Target, several grocery stores, book stores & cafes, etc).<BR>Further east is Germantown, a fairly wealthy area, that developed with strict commercial codes to maintain pleasant aesthetics. Some made fun of it, but it has developed quite nicely.<BR>Cordova is over-run with every chain restaurant and store you can possibly imagine, having mowed down all the trees in the process. Houses and apartments are cookie-cutter and traffic is unbearable. The Wolfchase Galleria Mall is out that way, along with most any other large, warehousey type store you can think of. Not my favorite.<BR>Way, way east is Collierville. It has small town character, even has a town square complete with gazebo and occasional festivals. This has become the hot spot for growth as of late. Traffic is becoming worse as most commute into Memphis for work. And you’d have to commute for entertainment as well. <BR>Another poster mentioned Bartlett. It is a nice area, it just didn’t have as much character or entertainment to me as midtown.<BR>Hope this helps you, and good luck on deciding where to move.<BR>

My cousin and his wife were transferred to Memphis 5 years ago for their job. They can't wait to retire and get to move back to California. They've found many of the people to be close-minded. And they're tired of being asked on a regular basis which church they attend. It's the bible-belt and a little too religious for their taste.<BR><BR>They enjoy living up next to a natural reserve and have become friends with other transplants, but they just don't enjoy the traffic and the attitude. <BR><BR>What are your other choices of towns? Where are you coming from?

Well, our other choices are Dallas which I really like, Boston, which is at the bottom of my list regardless as we dislike cold weather and hate snow, DC which I am so-so about as the cost of living and traffic are outrageous but I really like the northern Virginia area. <BR><BR>We are religious, that doesn't bother us and I have spent a good deal of time in Nashville, when my sister attended college and law school there so I know what the culture of this area is like, that doesn't bother me in the least. We live in Charlotte now. Again, we may not get our first pick anyway so we are looking at specific places and theie costs in each of the areas (except Boston where I refuse to move!)<BR><BR>Anyway thanks for the information especially MD4. I think we would stay inside 240 and not go to the burbs. East Memphis sounds perfect to me and a blend of old and new with plenty to do. I see many apartment in the Ridgeway? Road area staing they are in East Memphis. They look nice and VERY reasonably priced. Where exactly is this area, is it close to interstates, inside 240, and a nice area?

Hi again Jan- you are very welcome for the info. You mentioned the other cities that are options- that is quite a diverse group! One thing to consider when comparing cost of living, TN is one of a small group of states that does not have a state income tax- it can make the difference of a few hundred $ a month (I've no idea about your other choices, just food for thought when you are comparing).<BR>Regarding the Ridgeway area, Ridgeway Road runs parallel to and just outside the 240 loop, but the area itself is right around it and 240 is easily accessed. Yes, it is a nice area, centrally located, as East Memphis is more the true center of town.<BR>I hope you are able to visit before you have to make your list. If you have more questions, I'll do my best to help.

<BR>TTT!

There are plenty of apartments near the University of Memphis which is ajacent to East Memphis. Also I really like the Overton Park neighborhood.

I feel like I have to reply because I too was a transplant to Memphis. The Ridgeway area is not a great place to rent an apartment. We refer to that area at "Hickory Hood." Don't stay south of Winchester Rd. Even the apartments on Mt. Moriah and Hickory Hill, Kirby have gotten pretty bad (I used to live there). East Memphis is good in other areas, though. I can't think of any middle of the road apartment complexes, but that depends on your taste, I guess. There is a pricey place on Park Avenue called Park Palace or something like that. I agree that Cordova is not the best place to live, although I have tons of friends who live there and love. I even rented a great apartment right by Shelby Farms for a year. Traffic is getting worse by the day, but in comparison to other cities, Memphis doesn't have a big traffic problem. Of course, if you are going to work downtown, it will probably take you over 30 minutes to get there from Cordova or Germantown. East Memphis probably anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending where you are and where you work. (by the way, my husband and I are also 30 and no kids, just so you know where I'm coming from) I've lived in several other cities, so I think I have a pretty good prespective. I also agree with another poster than Mempians are pretty closed minded. Of course, they don't think so! They think they are very hospitable and gracious. Some are, most are fakey, some are plain rude. Lots of racial issues in this city. It's completely different from Nashville, so don't compare the two. I've heard only great things about Nashville even from Memphians. Don't get me wrong, I like Memphs, but I also don't want to live her forever. I think you'd enjoy living her as a young couple. Lots of fun things to do. It's just very different and takes some getting used to. You will hear the "N" word more than you ever thought you would. It's shocking, but you get used to it. It's even the younger people, not just the older generation, which really shocked me. My husband and I live in Germantown and love it. It's a great place (the only place in my mind) to raise a family. I don't know much about Bartlett, but I think that is mostly a blue collar area. Nothing wrong with that (half my family is "blue collar"), but I thoguht I would say it. Oh, my husband (before we met) lived in the perfect location. It's one of the more expensive apartment complexes, but it's in a great location, it's gated, nice pool, great neighbors, etc. It's in East Memphis on Humphreys. it's called the Arbors of River Oaks. I would highly recommend this place. Oh, you might also like the Harbor Town area. Dated a guy who owned a little house down there. Loved it!!!!! Harbor Town has a unique feel to it. It's right downtown on the river. Hope some of this helps. Sorry it's so disjointed.

TTT

Why would you even consider moving to Memphis, which has very limiting opportunities especially from a cultural perspective, when you could move to DC or Boston? How can you compare old time religion and Bar-B-Q to the Smithsonian and the Boston Pops?

exactly how much time would a young couple spend at the Smithsonian or listening to the Boston Pops? ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Dawn you clearly didn't read the full post. Jan said they hated snow and disliked cold weather, I think that probably cuts out Boston for sure and maybe even D.C. Jan also said the cost of living was too high for them in D.C. I gathered their first choice was Dallas and second was Memphis. To me, Memphis is great. You get 4 seasons in Tennessee and even though it is hot in the summer, its not nearly as bad as Dallas or Florida. Its also a nice size city not too big, but big enough to have restaurant and shopping choices. There are some very nice suburbs as well. Not everyone is into that east coast feel, I personally hate the attitude and way of life. I went to college at American U and found that some of the people in general there were very snobby about so-called culture. Heaven forbid you don't enjoy museums and the pace was just to frenzied for me. I'll take Memphis any day.

Memphis is a GREAT area to raise a family! Don't count out the Memphis suburbs in Northern Mississippi either. We live in town now but are scouring the real estate ads weekly and looking to buy a home in Northern Mississippi where you get more house for the money.

After some searching I found my old post! We ARE moving to Memphis in October and have been watching realtor.com a lot to see what housing is like. We sent off and got the Apartment Finder book for Memphis and have narrowed it down to a couple of Apartments (one of which is the aforementioned Arbors of River Oaks, THANKS!) We will rent for 6-9 months before buying. <BR><BR>Still looking for general information about the city adn things to do though!

Must disagree with John Q, the burbs in Northern Mississippi are great, Olive Branch and Horn Lake are growing by the minute. Many super stores and close to the Memphis area, seven miles from city limits. Traffic from anywhere to anywhere in Memphis is bad 240 is confusing and always hideous. These to towns offer small town living with big city amenities close by. you will be in the heart of Dixie and close to jazz and blues clubs. Crime rate is also up there, but you learn where to avoid. Let us know where you end up!!!

Hi Jan, I just reread this post to see if there was anything new and I see you are moving to Memphis! (I had a long, rambling reply to your first post and recommend the Arbors at River Oaks.) I don't know where you're moving from, but I think you'll be nicely surprised with the real estate down here. Very affordable! Apartments seem to be about the same cost as other cities, though. It probably is wise to rent before you buy, but as soon as you find a neighborhood to buy, you'll probably move fast. If you want more information or ever have questions, feel free to email me at [email protected] (remove the xx's). Since we're the same age and same situation, I might have some good answers for you. Good luck!