More information about Memphis? (Germantown, Collierville: violent crime, homes, living)

[Pearlbob]

I agree with this as well, however I've found it to be similar over the majority fo the south, not just Memphis. Or maybe I should say - the majority of smaller town southern towns, of which Memphis seems to be a part of. Memphis is a big city with a small town mentality. (currently; - it can only improve and get better, and I think it is currently doing so)

Originally Posted by MemphisBoundNYer

DITTO.

People: People are friendly in the "yes, ma'am" sense of politeness, but people are not super eager to take "outsiders" into their circle. Again, I compare to NYC, where people cut out the "yes, ma'am" bullsh*t, but are eager to make new friends because, hey...you never know.

[MemphisBoundNYer]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

If your children grow up that way, that would be more of an indication of what kind of parent you are than what kind of city in which you live.

Don't sell yourself short. Surely you wouldn't be such a s****y parent.

LOL. I know. Just a bit of hyperbole. But you can't underestimate the impact of environment on a childrearing.

[ShelbyCop]

Are you coming here for the opportunity to work for MPD, or did you pick the city first and then find the job?

[thomasloganinman]

First of all, do not listen to the people who talk completely negatively about Memphis. Like every other large metropolitan city it has crime and some bad streets, but YOU WILL MOST LIKELY NOT BE MUGGED WALKING DOWN THE STREET!. The crime rate is high because Memphis used to suffer under a terrible mayor that is now gone. Crime had been down the last 2 years, the school board in memohis has allowed schools to become safer and has generally created a better educational experience overall. I applaud you for wanting to join the MPD and, over the last 10 years, it has become a huge force against crime, drugs, and gang activity however there are more cities around memphis that could use your services. Cities like Millington and Cordova and Tipton County to the north have equally good police forces but their residency laws allow you to live outside of Shelby County (which, unfortunately, has extremely high taxes and utililties). If you were to live in Tipton Conty to the north, you could be minutes from your PD and only about half an hour from Memphis and all its vibrant night-life and fantastic soulfull restaurants (BBQ and Catfish galore). Tipton County has lower taxes, crime rates, cost-of-living, and has a small-town feel with some of the city conveniences close by. For $250,000 you might find a smaller home in upscale Collierville or Germantown while you could get a sizeable home in T-County for around 225K. I really do enjoy Memphis and I would live closer to it if only the taxes weren't so gosh darn high and I really would recommend that you live here. The weather does get humid and hot in the summer but we also don't get the freezing cold, storms, and other disasterous weather that many other Southern states get. Overall it is a nice place to live. If you have any kids then I would either suggest a private school in Memphis or Munford & Brighton in T-County (great public schools). I hope the move works out well for you and if you need any help on moving to the area just message me and I can give you some pointers. Merry Christmas and Haaaaappy New Year

Originally Posted by daninAZ

My girlfriend and I are considering a move to the South, where we both would like to settle down, and we have decided Memphis may be the spot for us. We like the fact that it is a large city, but not too large, and the fact that you can get a nice house for not a lot of money. We seem to like the vibe we get when looking at pictures of the city.

We would like to get an insiders' view of the city. What do you like about Memphis? What don't you like?

I know the city is a mix of disrepair and renewal, so what is your general view of the city?

Is the weather nice?

People friendly?

is it an overall nice place to live for a family?

Also I will be applying for the MPD so I have to live within shelby county. What are good areas with homes between say 200-250,000? Thanks much.

I appreciate you responses! Thanks much,

Dan

[80sKid]

Originally Posted by thomasloganinman

Like every other large metropolitan city it has crime and some bad streets,...........

Here we go again with this backwards logic. So our high levels of crime are acceptable because other LARGER cities have high crime?!?!? This makes no sense, people!! Please name any other "large metropolitan city" and give statistics. And you have to compare us to cities with the same general population. If you do, you will see that we still rank near the top, if not #1. Violent crime IS high in Memphis. I haven't watched the news today but I'm sure someone was murdered in the ghetto/hood areas.

[one opinion]

After seeing some of the postings above, you may no longer be considering Memphis; no need for me to reiterate what had already been said...I'll just address the housing situation should you still be considering the city.

I would forgo the temptation to move to cordova or collierville (where the dollar buys more) and stick with something Germantown or East Memphis. These are better established neighborhoods and you should still be able to get a home in the 200 to 250k range in these areas (especially in this market), though I should warn that you won't be able to buy the best in either area for this price. Also, East Memphis can describe a fairly large area, so make sure you do your homework. You should be good if you are east of goodlett, north of park, south of Sam cooper. From Sam Cooper, the closer you get to Walnut grove the better. Between walnut grove and poplar is probably the best. I should stress that there are other parts of the city that are also good, but this area has far and away the best schools in Memphis. As you've heard the city schools are pretty poor, but there are a few exceptions. Richland Elementary is good as are the optional programs at Grahamwood elementary, White Station Middle and White Station High School. Alternately, all of the schools in Germantown are pretty good.

[thomasloganinman]

Originally Posted by 80sKid

Here we go again with this backwards logic. So our high levels of crime are acceptable because other LARGER cities have high crime?!?!? This makes no sense, people!! Please name any other "large metropolitan city" and give statistics. And you have to compare us to cities with the same general population. If you do, you will see that we still rank near the top, if not #1. Violent crime IS high in Memphis. I haven't watched the news today but I'm sure someone was murdered in the ghetto/hood areas.

Yeah, the "ghetto areas". I know crime is high in Memphis but it is pretty much centralized in certain areas. It has it's nice areas and pleasant communities but, as I said, just like many other metroploitan cities (Chicago, New York, New Orleans, etc;...) it has it's bad areas (maybe more than others) but you cannot judge some areas of the city as a whole. Don't be one of those people who olny sees the bad side of a city. I did not say that the crime level is acceptable but they should not, according to YOUR logic, avoid living in Memphis...shame on you...where's your holiday spirit man!

[bigman123]

IMO, Memphis is no paradise. But theres an explanation as to why they rank so high on these crime lists.

The Memphis Police Department’s use of the FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System, which is a more detailed method of reporting crimes than that used in many other major cities, has been cited as a reason for Memphis’s frequent appearance on lists of most dangerous U.S. cities.” — Conley, Christopher (2009-06-29). “Memphis a victim of crime reports”. Commercial Appeal. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...ports/?print=1

Other discrepancies surface in cases where several crimes are committed in one incident. While Memphis reports each individual crime, some cities report only the highest offenses -- such as murder.

Memphis, because of its data-driven approach to crime fighting, tries to record as much as it can.

In the Memphis Police Real Time Crime Center headquarters on Jefferson, police and civilian analysts can view every crime report within three minutes of it being recorded by officers on their PDAs.

Strict reporting of crimes drives up the rate, but ultimately is a necessary tool for driving them down, officials say.

Can't read too much into those rankings...

[ColliervilleMom]

Originally Posted by one opinion

After seeing some of the postings above, you may no longer be considering Memphis; no need for me to reiterate what had already been said...I'll just address the housing situation should you still be considering the city.

I would forgo the temptation to move to cordova or collierville (where the dollar buys more) and stick with something Germantown or East Memphis. These are better established neighborhoods and you should still be able to get a home in the 200 to 250k range in these areas (especially in this market), though I should warn that you won't be able to buy the best in either area for this price. Also, East Memphis can describe a fairly large area, so make sure you do your homework. You should be good if you are east of goodlett, north of park, south of Sam cooper. From Sam Cooper, the closer you get to Walnut grove the better. Between walnut grove and poplar is probably the best. I should stress that there are other parts of the city that are also good, but this area has far and away the best schools in Memphis. As you've heard the city schools are pretty poor, but there are a few exceptions. Richland Elementary is good as are the optional programs at Grahamwood elementary, White Station Middle and White Station High School. Alternately, all of the schools in Germantown are pretty good.

Just curious....why not Collierville? What's wrong with a "not established" city when you're new in town? Frankly, I think it's easier to make friends in a town like that, than in an 'old money' town like Germantown where everybody already knows everybody.

[Dawn10am]

I think everyone on here has done a pretty good job of highlighting the negatives: Rampant racism (on BOTH sides), high crime, and high poverty. I'll just go ahead and state the positives:

The people: I've always found Memphians to be very friendly and polite. There's definitely a sense of Southern hospitality here. People usually always hold the door for you, say "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am," and just yesterday I was at a fast food drive through and the young lady who served me said "There you go, SWEETIE," and it's not the first time a waitress has called me that either. That's something you can't find everywhere.

Incredibly low cost of living: I heard recently that the Memphis metro area has the lowest cost of living in the country, and I'd believe it. My family lives in a relatively new 4 bed/3 bath on an acre lot across from a park that we paid well under 300K for BEFORE the recession. That price would be unheard of in the Northeast or CA.

Southern charm: I challenge anyone to drive down Central Ave past those enormous houses with wide porches and towering trees to tell me they hate Memphis. Or try not to smile when you hear the word "y'all," or smell fresh barbecue cooking, or watch the sun set over the Mississippi River. Go on, I dare you!

Yes, Memphis has a ton of problems, but I believe that you should love where you live. Instead of focusing on the bad, get out there and find the good.