Jackson Mississippi vs. Memphis Tennessee (living, best, state, better)

[oobanks]

Jackson MS. Vs. Memphis TN., These two cities are in some what similar regions of the US. In spite of Memphis having over 650,000 residents, much larger than Jackson's 169,000 some time's Memphis gets the Stereo type of being more of a Mississippi type City than Tennessee and catches a lot of heat as far as not being a decent place to live in spite it being a popular visiting destination with history. My question is which do you think has the Better Quality of Life, best city to live, education, crime, COL, things to do, etc. Which is more Metropolitan, hustle bustle etc. Have been to Memphis several of time's, Downtown wasn't that impressive but Love the Night life, Casino's in the surrounding Suburbs etc. but couldn't see my self living there. Don't know much about Jackson but just seeing it passing through on the way to Texas. Get the feeling Jackson is somewhat a Smaller Memphis...

[Mutiny77]

Jackson is indeed a smaller version of Memphis; that's been my impression. Memphis pretty much takes this due to size if nothing else.

[projectmaximus]

I speak as a total outsider. Never been to either city in the past decade though I am pretty sure we drove through both when I was a kid.

Hands down I would pick Memphis. Offers more amenities, more excitement, and I'd much rather live in TN than MS.

[linnemj]

I spend 5 years working part of the time in Jackson, MS. Having moved 8 times in my life, Jackson would be very low on my list. Brandon, Madison and other suburbs are alright but the city itself has a lot of issues. High crime, crumbling infrastructure, and poverty are all there.

We lived slightly south of Memphis for 10 years in North MS. Memphis has some of the same problems as Jackson but because it is a bigger city, much more to do.

[bawac34618]

I would say Little Rock is more of a smaller Memphis than Jackson MS is.

Jackson is quite a depressing place and is one of the worst cities its size in the country in my opinion. In that tier, places like Little Rock, Mobile, Baton Rouge, and Knoxville all blow Jackson MS out of the park.

[Phil75230]

Memphis, hands down. I am familiar with both cities, at least until 10 years ago. What I say is for the 90s.

Midtown Memphis, at least, has a much more liberal social climate. Even as far back as the 90s, homophobic remarks were very inappropriate among that area's population. If bumper stickers are a worthwhile indicator, the conservative-liberal bumper sticker ratio was about an even split (NOT counting candidates for office, btw. I mean general talking points on social and political issues). Non-Christian alternative religions (even wicca and other - in strictly numerical terms - minor religions) also seem much more accepted in Memphis than in Jackson. In all categories, Jackson has a much smaller area where non-traditionalists have their space. In any case, non-conservatives do exist in Jackson, but just barely.

To be fair, Memphis is about three times bigger than Jackson, and thus naturally has the "more" that you expect of bigger metro areas.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by bawac34618

I would say Little Rock is more of a smaller Memphis than Jackson MS is.

I've heard that about Little Rock, but even though I haven't visited, it's kinda hard to see how Little Rock is more of a smaller Memphis than Jackson, at least demographically. Metro Memphis is 45.7% Black and metro Jackson is 47.7% Black, according to 2010 Census figures--#2 and #1 in the country, respectively. By contrast, metro Little Rock is only 22% Black. Also, both Jackson and Memphis tend to rank near the bottom of their respective tiers compared with their peers whereas Little Rock performs better. And then there's that whole "Memphis fits in better with Mississippi than Tennessee" sentiment. Never heard it said with respect to Arkansas. Also Jackson and Memphis are firmly within the coastal plain while Little Rock is right on the edge of it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...an_populations

[Turnerbro]

Not use to seeing Memphis dominate a poll like this.

[Jandrew5]

I really don't care for either, but this is an easy win for Memphis. It is much bigger, better jobs, and better culture and amenities. Memphis' suburbs are apparently very nice. I watched the Grizzlies vs Spurs series and those Memphis fans were loud and proud, and so were the players. Can't see any kind of unity like that in Jackson.

Plus Memphis borders MS and AR, and MO and KY aren't too far away, so you can easily run to other places for trips. And TN over MS in general. And living in a city named after ancient Egypt, rather than another American dude would be pretty neat.

[murksiderock]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

I've heard that about Little Rock, but even though I haven't visited, it's kinda hard to see how Little Rock is more of a smaller Memphis than Jackson, at least demographically. Metro Memphis is 45.7% Black and metro Jackson is 47.7% Black, according to 2010 Census figures--#2 and #1 in the country, respectively. By contrast, metro Little Rock is only 22% Black. Also, both Jackson and Memphis tend to rank near the bottom of their respective tiers compared with their peers whereas Little Rock performs better. And then there's that whole "Memphis fits in better with Mississippi than Tennessee" sentiment. Never heard it said with respect to Arkansas. Also Jackson and Memphis are firmly within the coastal plain while Little Rock is right on the edge of it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...an_populations

That's because, I believe, you're reading too much into the comparison. Little Rock and Memphis aren't going to cleanly fit alongside each other on a stat or fact sheet...

Black Little Rock and Black Memphis are very, very similar. I don't know much about the white communities of either, and yes, Memphis has a larger and more locally relevant black community than Little Rock, but they are very similar elsewhere...

I think Little Rock obviously has different topography, and it's historically been a much smaller city, so it doesn't have the cultural cache as Memphis, but make no mistake, Memphis is Little Rock's big brother, and for years, probably centuries, Little Rock has sought to emulate Memphis. Memphis is "the city" to most Arkansans (as well as Dallas, though I'd say proximity gives Memphis a noticeable, though small, pull)...

I'm not sure how to describe the connections and/or parallels in a way that doesn't get dismissed as "oh, that's just Black America". But as I've stated many times, the people I claim as my parents, my (step)father is from Little Rock, and (step)mother from South Memphis (by way of Upstate New York). I'm probably more familiar with LR and Memphis as a pairing than anybody on this board...

Jackson is also a little brother to Memphis, in similar and different ways. It is also akin to Little Rock in a manner that could be described as "cousin cities". There is a connection between the two that has been around forever. It's not as strong as either's ties to Memphis, but this is all researchable and anybody from either city would know this...

And again I lol at people who don't Little Rock is playing near the bottom of its tier, as well. Little Rock and Jackson aren't truly peers, though many people at first glance might consider them so. Little Rock is larger, healthier, cleaner, more economically stable, larger economy...Little Rock fits into the same regional tier as Columbia/Greenville/Charleston/Greensboro/Durham/Knoxville. And it's playing at the Bottom of that tier, no question, bottom two, easily. Jackson is really not close to competing with any of these cities...

But Little Rock has outgrown its former regional tier, Jackson's tier, which would include (to name a few) cities like Lafayette, Newport News, Fayetteville (Ark.), Corpus Christi, Chattanooga, Fort Myers, and Augusta...and we all know Memphis regional and national tier. All three cities are towards the basement of their tier--score another commonality that's indicative of their sibling/cousin relationships lol...