Metro Areas

[idlewild]

Be honest!

[Aporkalypse]

You really think Memphis will grow faster than NWA?

[idlewild]

Yep the Wal Mart bubble can only last so long.

[mcheiss]

Yep the Wal Mart bubble can only last so long.

[idlewild]

The Memphis area also grows by 1,000 a month at least.

[mcheiss]

Just to throw some facts out there, which aren't necessairily relevant to the topic.

NWA was 6th in the fastest growing metros in the nation with an increase of 47.52% from 1990 to 2000. Little Rock Metro was 140th with a 13.78% increase, Memphis was 156th with a 12.74% increase.

[idlewild]

Great so they are all growing, the question I asked was not what is the current growth rates, but rather "Which metro, in your opinion, will see the most growth over the next 10 years?"

My opinion is that Memphis is on the cusp of major growth that will occur over the next 10 years that should surpass all other metros surrounding it.

But thanks for your figures from 1990 to 2000. It's 2006.

[mcheiss]

Great so they are all growing, the question I asked was not what is the current growth rates, but rather "Which metro, in your opinion, will see the most growth over the next 10 years?"

My opinion is that Memphis is on the cusp of major growth that will occur over the next 10 years that should surpass all other metros surrounding it.

But thanks for your figures from 1990 to 2000. It's 2006.

[johnnydr87]

Yep the Wal Mart bubble can only last so long.

[Aporkalypse]

Just to throw some facts out there, which aren't necessairily relevant to the topic.

NWA was 6th in the fastest growing metros in the nation with an increase of 47.52% from 1990 to 2000. Little Rock Metro was 140th with a 13.78% increase, Memphis was 156th with a 12.74% increase.

[idlewild]

I guess we just have a difference of opinion. Actually I think Memphis would be in the same situation. If NWA for some reason lost Wal Mart or if Memphis lost Fed Ex don't you think that the result would be devastating to either metro?

BTW Memphis has actually recruited and received two fortune 500 companies in the past year, if i'm not mistaken....International Paper and Servicemaster.

[Aporkalypse]

I guess we just have a difference of opinion. Actually I think Memphis would be in the same situation. If NWA for some reason lost Wal Mart or if Memphis lost Fed Ex don't you think that the result would be devastating to either metro?

BTW Memphis has actually recruited and received two fortune 500 companies in the past year, if i'm not mistaken....International Paper and Servicemaster.

[tim2462]

I believe Little Rock will take off over the next 10 years. Cities surrounding Little Rock are booming. Conway has been booming for years, and now the gas industry has planted itself in Arkansas and Conway is the headquarters, that will only further their boom there. Benton & Bryant are booming since the interstate has been upgraded to 6 lanes all the way past Benton. Maumelle is still swelling. Cabot is a boomer as well. North Little Rock, Sherwood, and Jacksonville are starting to take off. Little Rock is becoming a destination and the area is really benefiting from that. There are many huge corporations here. I work for a company that just relocated to Little Rock. Percentage wise, NWA will grow more...people wise...Central Arkansas will gain a lot more people than any of the other cities/metros listed. Memphis proper has only grown because they keep swallowing up surrounding cities and unincorporated areas. People aren't just moving into the Memphis area like they are here. None of Memphis suburbs are growing much, with the exception on Marion, AR. Germantown is very stagnate. I actually think the Memphis area will begin to lose population over the next 10 years as people move to more desirable areas like Little Rock, NWA, & Nashville.

[dimebag1980]

I guess we just have a difference of opinion.

[Aporkalypse]

I doubt it's a difference of opinion as much as it is based on fact.

Northwest Arkansas hasn't yet reached its full potential, as is evidenced by the small percentage of Wal-Mart vendors currently located in that region. Additionally, as hard as this is to believe, Wal-Mart currently accounts for less than 3% of the global retail market, which signifies that there is still a lot of growth to come. They've slowed down the amount of stores they build each year, but they are still building tons of them. According to an article about Wal-Mart in today's Shreveport Times, they're expected to open 300 new stores per year for the next two years in the United States alone.

Wal-Mart isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and neither is Northwest Arkansas. They have become a major player in not only the United States, but in the entire world, with the amount of enormous corporations based in that region.

[Rardy]

Okay, cut the crap out right now. I merly wanted to show growth rates, not boostering for my own city such as yourself.

The only reason you made this thread was b/c you wanted to debunk NWA and pride Memphis. I'd recommend not making any more of this threads in the future.

[vbfl85]

Im as big a fan of NWA as anyone but i thought that Memphis had been growing faster in the past. From 1990-2000 the Memphis MSA added 128,000 compared to 100,000 for NWA.

[mcheiss]

I believe this poll is based on opinion and I believe you asked idlewild her opinion. It's not appropriate to attack her simply because she disagrees, especially when you invited her to express her opinion.

I would suggest you visit Germantown before you call it stagnant. That city can be called everything but stagnant. I also think you're forgetting that the Memphis metro contains the fastest growing counties of both Tennessee and Mississippi (Fayette and DeSoto). Also, don't forget about our recent Fortune 500 coups! Aporkalypse, Memphis has 4 Fortune 500's - AutoZone, FedEx, International Paper, and now ServiceMaster.

This thread shouldn't be (and hasn't been) used to attack NWA. However, nor should it be used to attack Memphis.

[Rardy]

Everyone can see that the hidden message in this poll was to boosterize Memphis.

[johnnydr87]

It was clearly boosterizing. How many times has idle posted in this forum before?

That's like me going to the Missouri forum and asking the same set of questions...but using the NW Arkansas metro in a similar manner as idle used the Memphis metro. The NW Arkansas metro contains McDonald County, Missouri.

I would ask Missourians which metro will be most successful: NW Arkansas, Kansas City, St. Louis, or Springfield....just so that I could say, "Hey, I think NW Arkansas is better than all of your metros! I know it's not really in Missouri, but I wanted to boosterize it...even though I live in Arkansas."

[johnnydr87]

Im as big a fan of NWA as anyone but i thought that Memphis had been growing faster in the past. From 1990-2000 the Memphis MSA added 128,000 compared to 100,000 for NWA.

[tim2462]

Most people added to the memphis metro were in northen mississippi due to the casinos. Memphis itself was shrinking, which is why they swallowed up some more cities. They tried to swallow up Germantown, but it didn't work. Germantown is stagnant...it only gained 108 people in 5 years. Population (year 2000): 37,348. Estimated population in July 2005: 37,480.

[idlewild]

It sounds to me like no boosterism was being done by me, but it is being done now by others. The only reason Germantown could be labeled as stagnate might have to do with the fact that it is surrounded by other suburbs and the city. The city pretty much has nowhere left to grow. And yes, despite what you guys want to say, Memphis supports the Eastern part of Arkansas. I consider Memphis to be the capital of Arkansas and Mississippi since it is the largest metro for either one of these states. Instead of bashing me for bringing up a controversial topic, embrace it as a way to express different opinions and views. I love NWA, I love Memphis, I love Little Rock, I love Arkansas........you guys should calm down, i just thought this would stir up the discussion, i guess people can't handle it...i'm out.

[johnnydr87]

And yes, despite what you guys want to say, Memphis supports the Eastern part of Arkansas.

[mcheiss]

Okay after much debate and several complaints, I have decided to temporarily close this thread down.