Quick move to Memphis ... where to live? (Germantown, Midtown: for sale, apartments)

[maowkss]

Hi! I just got a teaching job with Memphis city schools and I have to move fast! All of the apartments on Rent.com, Aparmentfinders.com, etc. are very expensive in the areas that I was informed are safe (Germantown, Cordova, North Misisissippi, etc.) ... it's especially difficult because I have two dogs that are over 25 lbs, which some apartments feel gives them the right to extort ridiculous sums of money for ... any advice?! Are there free apartment locator services in Memphis that will do all this work for me?

[Pearlbob]

Charging a pet fee is common all over, not just Memphis. I don't think I've lived in an apt anywhere that didn't have some sort of pet fee or deposit, so just plan on paying that.

Unfortunately, you pay for safety here, so clean apts in safe areas will cost you more. What is your budget? What area do you want to live in, if you could choose anywhere? Cordova has the most apts probably, generally speaking. Mud Island. You could easily rent a duplex in Midtown, and you'd pay less and be able to have your dogs.

Look at apartmentguide.com too. There are apt locators here (I think they are just called Apartment Locators) that are free, I think. I know I've seen an office out off Gtown Rd, going towards shelby farms. Just search in the yellow pages.

[JMSTiger]

Originally Posted by maowkss

Hi! I just got a teaching job with Memphis city schools and I have to move fast! All of the apartments on Rent.com, Aparmentfinders.com, etc. are very expensive in the areas that I was informed are safe (Germantown, Cordova, North Misisissippi, etc.) ... it's especially difficult because I have two dogs that are over 25 lbs, which some apartments feel gives them the right to extort ridiculous sums of money for ... any advice?! Are there free apartment locator services in Memphis that will do all this work for me?

What section of the city is your teaching position located? Not all of the city of Memphis is dangerous. I live in the middle of the city and have never been the victim of any type of crime. By the way, Cordova is going down the crapper and so is much of the white flight areas of DeSoto County (Horn Lake, Southaven). Don't blindly listen to all the Memphis-hate that goes on here.

[strumpeace]

And don't blindly listen to the hypocritical dishonest Cordova hate that goes on here, either.

[JMSTiger]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

And don't blindly listen to the hypocritical dishonest Cordova hate that goes on here, either.

People can't get out of Cordova fast enough. I think it is silly, but it is true.

[strumpeace]

People can't get out of Cordova fast enough. I think it is silly, but it is true.

No, it's not. It's a myth, and it's being perpetuated by you and people like you. Yes, there are homes for sale in Cordova -- I see 'for sale' signs all the time. I also see lots and lots of 'for sale' signs in other, more beloved, parts of Memphis all the time. Simple fact is Cordova is growing in population. Literally hundreds of houses are being built to accommodate the growth. A quick drive down Dexter, Appling, or Whitten would make that point very clear.

[Pearlbob]

Maybe it's a different type of people that are moving there now? As in, the people who have lived there for decades are the ones who no longer like it and are moving out, but then there is an influx of new people who want to live there?

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

Maybe it's a different type of people that are moving there now? As in, the people who have lived there for decades are the ones who no longer like it and are moving out, but then there is an influx of new people who want to live there?

I think this is likely the case. My parents have lived out there since Germantown Pkwy was a two-lane country road. The monstrosity of shopping centers that's out at Hwy 64 and Germantown was once the site of cow pastures. They loved it out there then. Now, they are seriously considering moving. Their hesitaiton is in whether to move elsewhere in this area now or to wait another year when they retire and move to another area of the country. Of the people I know who are yearning to move from Cordova, most are of the mindset that it was ruined by being developed heavily. Of course, a lot of people think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. More power to them, but I wouldn't be one of them.

[strumpeace]

Absolutely a 'different type of people' are moving to Cordova now. Just as with other parts of the city, a phenomenon known crassly as 'invasion and succession' is happening in Cordova.

What irritates me is that just because black people and lower-middle class families are moving in automatically means that an area is 'is going down the crapper'. You guys use code language way too much.

Personally, I don't think Cordova is great. I don't think it's bad, either. It is what it is.

[Pearlbob]

I honestly had no clue that young black people were the people moving to Cordova now. My ideas on it had nothing to do with that. I don't understand why everything gets turned into a "you obviously hate black people" thing. Just because someone doesn't like Cordova? They are afraid of black people moving there? It's like talking to Herenton!!!