Is Memphis the forgotten city?

[TennBear]

Rocklands is on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park. It doesn't look like much, and the atmosphere can best be described as rustic. Still, the bbq is better than Old Glory in Georgetown. The latter is ok, but the hordes of tourists haven't done the place any favors and they have become complacent.

Rocklands- Washington, D.C.

[northernbizzkit1]

whew....bobbie Q......bobbie Q....Bobbie Q

Lots of cities certainly have more than, or better or just as good friggen bobbie Q

Brimingham has Bobbie Q

Monkeytown has Bobbie Q

Kansas City has Bobbie Q

Atlanta has Bobbie Q

the subject always turns to friggen Bobbie Q

[jmduke]

I don't think the spice braised short ribs at this establishment in Brooklyn are quite what we were thinking, Shecky, but they do have some mighty fine cocktails along with performance art.

http://www.monkeytownhq.com/monkeytownhome.html

Someone needs to lighten up...

[memphman]

I think a lot of you are simply out of touch with the truth on this stuff about Memphis. I'm not from Memphis, but everything I'd ever heard about the city before moving here was great (except the crime)! Everywhere that I travel to on business, people are fascinated that I live in Memphis. I hear things like....."what a lovely town," "the people down there are so nice," "its so affordable down there," and friends from L.A. say "I can get a million dollar house down there for $300k!" I don't think you people are giving this great city the proper praise and respect it deserves. As a person who's lived in L.A., Atlanta, Houston, et al, I have to say that Memphis has a lot to offer. Just because its not Anycity, USA with the same towers and suburbs doesn't make it any less of a great place.

[northernbizzkit1]

I think a lot of you are simply out of touch with the truth on this stuff about Memphis. I'm not from Memphis, but everything I'd ever heard about the city before moving here was great (except the crime)! Everywhere that I travel to on business, people are fascinated that I live in Memphis. I hear things like....."what a lovely town," "the people down there are so nice," "its so affordable down there," and friends from L.A. say "I can get a million dollar house down there for $300k!" I don't think you people are giving this great city the proper praise and respect it deserves. As a person who's lived in L.A., Atlanta, Houston, et al, I have to say that Memphis has a lot to offer. Just because its not Anycity, USA with the same towers and suburbs doesn't make it any less of a great place.

[fearlessvk]

I think a lot of you are simply out of touch with the truth on this stuff about Memphis. I'm not from Memphis, but everything I'd ever heard about the city before moving here was great (except the crime)! Everywhere that I travel to on business, people are fascinated that I live in Memphis. I hear things like....."what a lovely town," "the people down there are so nice," "its so affordable down there," and friends from L.A. say "I can get a million dollar house down there for $300k!" I don't think you people are giving this great city the proper praise and respect it deserves. As a person who's lived in L.A., Atlanta, Houston, et al, I have to say that Memphis has a lot to offer. Just because its not Anycity, USA with the same towers and suburbs doesn't make it any less of a great place.

[Memphis Love]

i would agree with you, most people that are negative about Memphis are usually Memphians, and they are usually the ones that shekelmeister points out, the ignorant, uneducated ones that have never left this city and move to Southaven so that they can move out of Memphis. It's an awful cycle that will never end. The people that tear Memphis apart are the ones that started out living in Whitehaven, moved when it got "bad", then moved east to Hickory Hill, moved from there about ten years ago when it got "bad" and moved to Cordova, which is now getting "bad" and so they are moving to Arlington, or Northern Miss which will both be "bad" in about ten years again.

[Clobber]

wow..... not my experience at all before i moved here. i was told such unbelievably horrible things, and found such unbelievably horrible things on the internet, that i was really convinced my life was basically ending. i was basically told that i was moving to a crime-ridden, anti-intellectual, reactionary, parochial dump where i would have to sequester myself in my apartment if i wanted to survive and buy books from amazon for any intellectual sustenance whatsoever. a lot of people i told i was moving here to just said to me: "are you insane?" or "you're going to hate it, good luck". one woman who was about to move to memphis because her husband found a job here was asking questions about memphis on an online forum and was told to divorce her husband immediately. a memphis BOOSTERISM site had to have its forums taken down because all the comments were insanely negative. i mean, shekelmeister's got NOTHING on the stuff i was told before i moved here.

i'm not saying this to be down on memphis because in the end i found i quite liked memphis and that all the negativity was overblown and unfair. however memphis has a TERRIBLE reputation so far as i can tell - both from many of its own citizens and from outsiders. there are of course those who disagree (this board was very helpful for me in getting my spirits back up that i wasn't moving to Hell on Earth) but i would definitely agree that its reputation is a real problem for the city.

[Clobber]

i would agree with you, most people that are negative about Memphis are usually Memphians, and they are usually the ones that shekelmeister points out, the ignorant, uneducated ones that have never left this city and move to Southaven so that they can move out of Memphis. It's an awful cycle that will never end. The people that tear Memphis apart are the ones that started out living in Whitehaven, moved when it got "bad", then moved east to Hickory Hill, moved from there about ten years ago when it got "bad" and moved to Cordova, which is now getting "bad" and so they are moving to Arlington, or Northern Miss which will both be "bad" in about ten years again.

[pearlbobb]

i would agree with you, most people that are negative about Memphis are usually Memphians, and they are usually the ones that shekelmeister points out, the ignorant, uneducated ones that have never left this city and move to Southaven so that they can move out of Memphis. It's an awful cycle that will never end. The people that tear Memphis apart are the ones that started out living in Whitehaven, moved when it got "bad", then moved east to Hickory Hill, moved from there about ten years ago when it got "bad" and moved to Cordova, which is now getting "bad" and so they are moving to Arlington, or Northern Miss which will both be "bad" in about ten years again.

[Lexy]

^^^^Interesting assesment. I was recently in Memphis for a weekend and enjoyed it greatly! Explored the city and 'burbs and found them to be nice places. The difference, since you mentioned Nashville here, in the two cities is that the slums of Nashville are bad, no getting around that. But the slums of Memphis are just down right depressing and you have to pass through those slums (in some cases) to get to downtown, or to get to the airport. This is what people see of Memphis outside of Beale Street and this is the lasting images that stay with them. There's a thread on here about "cleaning up the airport neighborhoods" and I think that's a great start. But clean as you will, it will take time to change thousands of opinions and ideas about the city. But like the old saying goes, "Time heals wounds" and I think that will happen with Memphis.

The thing about Tennessee's two cities is just plainly put out as "Sibling Rivalry". The two cities really dislike eachother and that was apparent in the recent "Race for Toyota" that Tennessee lost out on. The media propogated a mind set that dictates a hatred, or in the case of Toyota, a undermining, by the other city to prevent economic developments. That's bull just because it's based on opinions and not facts. It's not uncommon here in Nashville to see articles in the Tennessean about Memphis, but 9 times out of 10 they are about crime and not economic developemnt. I am sure the same is true in Memphis's Commercial Appeal.

I talk with people at work about Memphis because some are from there and they are ALWAYS telling me about how bad the city is and how glad they are to be away from it and they are all white and black. The issue of race never, EVER, enters the picture during those conversations. I ask them what they disliked about Memphis so much and they tell me the obvious, crime. But they go on to tell me there's so much more in other towns (not just Nashville). One lady, an African American, said, "There's fresh air outside of Memphis that would never be found back there." That's an interesting statement and one that sheds light on any number of things including government corruption to crime and lack of entertainment. Your guess is as good as mine, but that's a really big statement that I think describes the situation for some Memphians right now. Hopefully, with time and effort, that will change though. It's not all about "Race" as so many would like to make it seem. Sure it's there, but it's not the single reason things are the way they are there. Race just tends to be the "easy" choice for labeling problems and their root causes associated with Memphis.

[sleepy]

wow..... not my experience at all before i moved here. i was told such unbelievably horrible things, and found such unbelievably horrible things on the internet, that i was really convinced my life was basically ending. i was basically told that i was moving to a crime-ridden, anti-intellectual, reactionary, parochial dump where i would have to sequester myself in my apartment if i wanted to survive and buy books from amazon for any intellectual sustenance whatsoever. a lot of people i told i was moving here to just said to me: "are you insane?" or "you're going to hate it, good luck". one woman who was about to move to memphis because her husband found a job here was asking questions about memphis on an online forum and was told to divorce her husband immediately. a memphis BOOSTERISM site had to have its forums taken down because all the comments were insanely negative. i mean, shekelmeister's got NOTHING on the stuff i was told before i moved here.

i'm not saying this to be down on memphis because in the end i found i quite liked memphis and that all the negativity was overblown and unfair. however memphis has a TERRIBLE reputation so far as i can tell - both from many of its own citizens and from outsiders. there are of course those who disagree (this board was very helpful for me in getting my spirits back up that i wasn't moving to Hell on Earth) but i would definitely agree that its reputation is a real problem for the city.

[Lexy]

So most whites in Memphis don't really interact much with their fellow black citizens, and that's reflected in income levels where whites have incomes above the national levels for whites, while blacks have income levels at or below the national incomes for blacks. That's probably true in many big cities, but in a metro area that's 51% black, that disparity is really evident.

[sleepy]

Yeah, the juxtaposition between the two worlds is really great. I think in New Orleans, the black/white income thing may be even greater, but there the rich/white and poor/black neighborhoods are mixed in with one another.

In Memphis, you've essentially got 40% Williamson County in the same city with 60% South-Central LA.

[pearlbobb]

That's a good statement sleepy and I think it is very true in this case.

[Lexy]

I think one thing about Memphis that hasn't really been touched on is that it's city government and even it's represetatives in state government aren't the most "open" and "approachable" in the land. Memphis' city government was widely known to be a shady, and a "mafia" controlled entity for quite some time. The state representatives that have came from Memphis, well.....all one has to say in modern times is "Operation Tennessee Waltz" and the fall out that continues to happen from that. The Ford family, even if they have a bright youg star in Harold, has given the Memphis political scene a black eye that will be hard to cover up in the future. They need to get the skeletons out of City Hall's closets and get out there and push the city. Promote what is good and positive in Memphis and clean the place up a bit around places that travellers see on a daily basis. Make it look good!

[bigshow1991]

In Memphis, you've essentially got 40% Williamson County in the same city with 60% South-Central LA.

[sleepy]

Completely unfair statement. That's typical thinking of Memphians however, they tend to put a community like Whitehaven in the same boat with somewhere like Binghamptom, when really there is much more diversity (economically, crime) between communities like Whitehaven, Orange Mound, Frayer, North Memphis, Raleigh, etc. But they all tend to get lumped together as one "big ghetto", when that is so unfair and untrue. There are many differences between the neighborhoods, but there is ONE thing they all have in common.........

[sleepy]

I think one thing about Memphis that hasn't really been touched on is that it's city government and even it's represetatives in state government aren't the most "open" and "approachable" in the land. Memphis' city government was widely known to be a shady, and a "mafia" controlled entity for quite some time. The state representatives that have came from Memphis, well.....all one has to say in modern times is "Operation Tennessee Waltz" and the fall out that continues to happen from that. The Ford family, even if they have a bright youg star in Harold, has given the Memphis political scene a black eye that will be hard to cover up in the future. They need to get the skeletons out of City Hall's closets and get out there and push the city. Promote what is good and positive in Memphis and clean the place up a bit around places that travellers see on a daily basis. Make it look good!

[UptownNewOrleans]

I've also noticed that Memphis doesn't have net migration issues, meaning more people are leaving than coming in.

[DoctorGonzo]

What's strange about Memphis' bizarro world is that the city, despite its problems, tends to do at least OK in attracting new business and corp. hq's. But then again, that seems to be the Memphis of the 40% that I mentioned earlier.

[sleepy]

I think Memphis tends to attract new businesses and HQs more due to geography than any other reason. If the city was in the condition its in now but located elsewhere in the nation, it would be more of a decrepit backwater.

[mandrws1]

How do you not react with 51% of anybody ? You have to consciously avoid them, and that's exactly why north Mississippi and place s like Arlington are developing !

Racism is certainly in Boston, and Chicago (the most stratified city on earth probably), the racism in Memphis is the sneaky sort (the 'hey, we're not racists, what do you mean ? " .....or "hey, we're not any worse than anywhere else" ) I've heard all kinds of crazy remarks coming from so-called thinking people, both black and white in Memphis ! believe me it's a PROBLEM. There is a sort of expectation by the locals that if you move to Memphis, you're the one that must adapt, roll over, play dead, and leave your own other world experiences (or other city experiences) at the 'city limits'. The newcomer dare not challenge the local color, status quo, city fathers, good old boy Memphis County Club set, social hierarchy, cultural tastes [including food], driving habits, or most anything else. In short, the city is demagogic and narrow. There are many great southern cities. I don't think Atlantans are overly impressed [or worried] about Memphis, I know Nashvillians don't seem to care one bit strangely enough...I don't even hear too much concern out of the people to live or move to Knoxville, which is a different world. The South is not the 'solid South' and really never has been. Memphis is hardly indicative of 'average' southern culture. Memphis is, well...Memphis, a city in the MID south. It's not a Charleston, Richmond, Atlanta, Nashville, or a Charlotte. In some areas, it pales to a fine little city called Huntsville, Alabama. Memphis has huge potential..probably like no other city it's size. It is not using it however. It is frightened by its own potential. That fright keeps it needlessly immobilized as a practical matter....fear of the unknown, fear of strangers moving in 'their city' with their different and divergent ideas, attitudes, education, culture, and knowledge of the outside world. These things enable an inferiority complex, and a negative, knee-jerk reaction to valid criticism. Memphis refuses to be dragged into facing it's own deep-seated problems, somewhat like an alcoholic. With education, comes confidence. All education is not academic. Experience is the great writer on the mind. Some Memphians bristle at the axiom : 'if everyone is thinking the same, someone is not thinking'. Homogenous thought creates an environment of mediocity. Admittedly, I know many Memphians that appear to be quite happy with not rocking the boat....others seem perfectly happy with exhibiting 'ostrich-like' behavior. Truly great cities rise to the occasion. It might take Memphis another decade or two, baut its' possible. Meanwhile, there is a plethora of other fine southern cities, some much much smaller, that are whizzing by at star speed, and will leave Memphis in their wake.....a few within the state of TN itself. Shalom...heh heh

[memphman]

A lot of stuff you guys are talking about I think is generational. I would consider myself a young Black (26) professional. I think I speak for othes my age (Black & White) when I say Memphis is great. There is a tremendous amount of opportunity here and as far as entertainment goes, it doesn't get any better from a southern standpoint (except maybe New Orleans or Miami)! Yeah Memphis has big city problems that other cities have too. As far as the content, backward thinking behavior; like I said in an earlier post I think its from losers who can't make their situation better so they blame Memphis. I've heard this before, "if I were in Atlanta I would be doing much better." Huh?! In my field and just simply who I associate myself with, I see and hear the good and bad about the city in ways that are fair and balanced. Memphis is similar to its housing market, always growing at a steady pace. I'll say it once again, just because we're not taking the same routes as other cities and we don't look like Anytown, USA doesn't mean that the place is a black hole. There are some amazing things going on it this city from St. Jude to IP to other companies growing and coming everyday.

Now that I've said that, does Memphis have some issues? Of course, but with this new generation of positive thinkers/doers like myself, Memphis will improve its position in the long run. Remember folks, the grass aint always greener in Anycity, USA

[fearlessvk]

Hello from the Las Vegas airport....a very strange place to be posting on these forums from!! (en route back to m-town!) So far as I know, Las Vegas is the only American airport that has free wi-fi. But I digress...

I suspect most of what you heard came from folks on the east or west coasts, and they tend to put down most of flyover country in general and the south in particular--with the exception of New Orleans and South Florida. If you'd told your friends that you were moving to Texas, I imagine the responses would have been at least as bad.