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I have always thought that the Crosstown area was a vital link to connecting the city. As a child we would hop in the car and watch movies at the Crosstown theatre. I look forward to the day it's back and strong. An artist colony similar to the ones in New Mexico and Arizona would be just fantastic.
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Originally Posted by Kabluey
Sweet. I understand. Hope it's a grand slam plan that creates a magnet and resurrects an architectural icon. It'd also be cool if they kind of adorned the top of that art deco tower with neon accents and a beam that shoots straight up.
Be sure to read Sunday's CA. Not sure if is front page or not, but look for news.
I've been going to memphis since the sixties to visit several relatives;aunt's,uncles,cousins,etc. I loved seeing and being with my relatives,but I could never get into Memphis as a place I'd want to spend a lot of time in.The only thing that appealed to me was the southern hospitality of it's people;and that has long since diminished! That seemed to have gone the way of the covered wagon!! But in all fairness,that could be said of a lot of places...I know.But the thing about Memphis that I could never get into was its ruralness.I know,a lot of people love that kind of ambience,but it's not for me.I've always thought of Memphis as semi-city.I've never seen a major city with so many large tracts of wooded areas and such low population density so close to the inner city?The general perception there seems to be that Memphis is this huge city....I don't get it! The 300 plus sq.miles it has got to be mostly woods as far as I can tell.I had a uncle who stayed off Thomas back in the boonies with pigs,chickens,etc.and close by was a radio station,and when it flooded around there;out came the water moccasins!!And it wasn't that far from downtown!Not my idea of a big city....maybe it's just me,ya think?! For decades there was no major league sports,and finally,they got the NBA! Beale street is just 2 blocks of bars...every city has bars,no biggie! And then there's Elvis,WOW!! Is West Memphis still farm land? Sorry,I don't see Memphis as being "the big city",maybe it's me!
I've been going to memphis since the sixties to visit several relatives;aunt's,uncles,cousins,etc. I loved seeing and being with my relatives,but I could never get into Memphis as a place I'd want to spend a lot of time in.The only thing that appealed to me was the southern hospitality of it's people;and that has long since diminished! That seemed to have gone the way of the covered wagon!! But in all fairness,that could be said of a lot of places...I know.But the thing about Memphis that I could never get into was its ruralness.I know,a lot of people love that kind of ambience,but it's not for me.I've always thought of Memphis as semi-city.I've never seen a major city with so many large tracts of wooded areas and such low population density so close to the inner city?The general perception there seems to be that Memphis is this huge city....I don't get it! The 300 plus sq.miles it has got to be mostly woods as far as I can tell.I had a uncle who stayed off Thomas back in the boonies with pigs,chickens,etc.and close by was a radio station,and when it flooded around there;out came the water moccasins!!And it wasn't that far from downtown!Not my idea of a big city....maybe it's just me,ya think?! For decades there was no major league sports,and finally,they got the NBA! Beale street is just 2 blocks of bars...every city has bars,no biggie! And then there's Elvis,WOW!! Is West Memphis still farm land? Sorry,I don't see Memphis as being "the big city",maybe it's me!
It sounds to me as if you are focussing on one area of town and painting the broad stroke over the rest of the city based upon what you've seen on occasional visits over many years. The obvious reason that the area with the radio tower didn't develop in the first place was that it is lower lying flood plain, and much of the nearby neighborhoods just weren't near desireable growth patterns which moved enmass eastward. Most visitors to Memphis don't see these blighted spots. Downtown and Midtown continue to grow or infill with new vitality because they contain demand generators and better maintained properties and streets which go somewhere. Every city has to varying degrees a few areas like the one to which you are referring which have been bypassed by time or suburban march. I've seen them in every direction I've travelled, and contrary to your observation they are almost always near the inner city.
Those bars you say that you see in every city aren't on the street which produced the first commercial Blues music and saw the mixing of white and black talent to produce Rock n Roll, they merely play the music which sprang from this birthplace on Beale St. It isn't the only place you can find rows of bars in town.
As to wooded lots scattered around in different locations, most big cities with super high density buildings and heavy industry would love to have room to spread out and trees to create some oxygen to combat the smog.
Because of the eastward expansion of the city away from the original Downtown which couldn't grow westward due to the large MS River flood plain, some lower value tracts were left behind over the years, and smaller centers of density sprang up. This isn't the only city whre that happened.
I've been going to memphis since the sixties to visit several relatives;aunt's,uncles,cousins,etc. I loved seeing and being with my relatives,but I could never get into Memphis as a place I'd want to spend a lot of time in.The only thing that appealed to me was the southern hospitality of it's people;and that has long since diminished! That seemed to have gone the way of the covered wagon!! But in all fairness,that could be said of a lot of places...I know.But the thing about Memphis that I could never get into was its ruralness.I know,a lot of people love that kind of ambience,but it's not for me.I've always thought of Memphis as semi-city.I've never seen a major city with so many large tracts of wooded areas and such low population density so close to the inner city?The general perception there seems to be that Memphis is this huge city....I don't get it! The 300 plus sq.miles it has got to be mostly woods as far as I can tell.I had a uncle who stayed off Thomas back in the boonies with pigs,chickens,etc.and close by was a radio station,and when it flooded around there;out came the water moccasins!!And it wasn't that far from downtown!Not my idea of a big city....maybe it's just me,ya think?! For decades there was no major league sports,and finally,they got the NBA! Beale street is just 2 blocks of bars...every city has bars,no biggie! And then there's Elvis,WOW!! Is West Memphis still farm land? Sorry,I don't see Memphis as being "the big city",maybe it's me!
Seems like you need to live in Manhattan. There all your wishes will be filled. Good luck to you and yours.
I've been going to memphis since the sixties to visit several relatives;aunt's,uncles,cousins,etc. I loved seeing and being with my relatives,but I could never get into Memphis as a place I'd want to spend a lot of time in.The only thing that appealed to me was the southern hospitality of it's people;and that has long since diminished! That seemed to have gone the way of the covered wagon!! But in all fairness,that could be said of a lot of places...I know.But the thing about Memphis that I could never get into was its ruralness.I know,a lot of people love that kind of ambience,but it's not for me.I've always thought of Memphis as semi-city.I've never seen a major city with so many large tracts of wooded areas and such low population density so close to the inner city?The general perception there seems to be that Memphis is this huge city....I don't get it! The 300 plus sq.miles it has got to be mostly woods as far as I can tell.I had a uncle who stayed off Thomas back in the boonies with pigs,chickens,etc.and close by was a radio station,and when it flooded around there;out came the water moccasins!!And it wasn't that far from downtown!Not my idea of a big city....maybe it's just me,ya think?! For decades there was no major league sports,and finally,they got the NBA! Beale street is just 2 blocks of bars...every city has bars,no biggie! And then there's Elvis,WOW!! Is West Memphis still farm land? Sorry,I don't see Memphis as being "the big city",maybe it's me!
I grew up in Manhattan. You can have that. I'll take Memphis any day.
By the way, since I started this thread I should say that I've settled into a very nice apartment near the Windyke Country Club. Nice and quite and not TOO far away from the 'Big City".
Yo,Repboy;you gave me a logical explanation of the flood plain of Memphis,ergo,admitting that the city has pockets of underdevelopment.If you agree,we're somewhat on the same page...ok? Then you refered to those areas as blighted,but blighted and underdeveloped aren't quite the same thing.Many parts of Memphis that I've come across ostensibly were never developed,and that goes for north,south,east and west! I'm talking Davy Crockett wilderness! With that said,I have to admitt that Memphis has come a long way in the last thirty years.That's a good thing. I recall when there was nothing,I mean nooothing,downtown! Even though still small,it's much improved!! Look,I'm not here to berate Memphis;I'm just stating the obvious.A lot of residents have delusions of grandeur,let's face it.A resident told me it was 40 miles from Germantown to downtown!! Come on!! The entire I-240 loop is only about 20 miles!! Hey,Memphis is a work in progress.....it's not there yet. Shelby County is no where near built out.Build it out,throw in a rail system that's tied to the Mud Island Monorail,double the size of downtown,and get a couple more pro sports teams....and you might have a real city!! Word!!
Last edited by Butchie Boy; 08-22-2012 at 09:04 PM..
Yo,Repboy;you gave me a logical explanation of the flood plain of Memphis,ergo,admitting that the city has pockets of underdevelopment.If you agree,we're somewhat on the same page...ok? Then you refered to those areas as blighted,but blighted and underdeveloped aren't quite the same thing.Many parts of Memphis that I've come across ostensibly were never developed,and that goes for north,south,east and west! I'm talking Davy Crockett wilderness! With that said,I have to admitt that Memphis has come a long way in the last thirty years.That's a good thing. I recall when there was nothing,I mean nooothing,downtown! Even though still small,it's much improved!! Look,I'm not here to berate Memphis;I'm just stating the obvious.A lot of residents have delusions of grandeur,let's face it.A resident told me it was 40 miles from Germantown to downtown!! Come on!! The entire I-240 loop is only about 20 miles!! Hey,Memphis is a work in progress.....it's not there yet. Shelby County is no where near built out.Build it out,throw in a rail system that's tied to the Mud Island Monorail,double the size of downtown,and get a couple more pro sports teams....and you might have a real city!! Word!!
I should preface this by saying I'm not one who claims that Memphis is NYC/Chicago/L.A. huge, I really don't know anyone who thinks that. It's merely competitive with those in its tier in size and development and preferable to many others across the board in certain ways. The city's density is more than that of Nashville and Oklahoma City for instance, and the city population is also more than theirs, though Nashville reaches out to include more counties to build its numbers within its larger metro, and OKC stretches its actual city limits to include many square miles of prarie, thus lowering its population density substantially. Both would feature sizeable "pockets of underdevelopment" if you want to look at it that way, just like many other cities. Of course Memphis should restrict future city limit creep and attempt to develop or redevelop (infill) areas, but widely encircling highways benefitting the region, not the city, continue to encircle the metro and business and residential development crawl out there to those new limits. You can't always detect all that or judge the "big time" nature of a city by only focussing on the older or inner parts of that city.
As far as rapid transit is concerned it should connect the airport to other areas, not Mud Island which is a tourist attraction. Many have pushed for light rail through the area, and maybe it will happen one day. Right now drivers have an easy commute to work compared to other cities by car; a plus for those considering mving here, not a negative.
Sports offerings are fairly appropriate for the size of the city, even though another pro team would be good and supportable. You may consider only major league sports as worthy of a "big city" fan's attendance, but in the same given number of hours you could have a potential sold out Grizzlies game and sold out natl' top ten attendance U of M game in the FedEx Forum back to back totalling 36,000+ butts in the seats. Neither St. Louis, Charlotte, Kansas City, Seattle, Nashville nor many other cities can do that. Baseball in the best AAA park in the nation is not chopped liver either, according to thousands of St. Louis and hundreds of thousands of local fans + thousands of National & international tourists who come to town and catch a game. Auto Zone Park has the largest jumbotron screen in all AAA and many MLB parks. NCAA Basketball and football respect will ratchet up a notch now with the Tigers move to the Big East. We've got the facilities for it.
It sounds like you're just talking to some folks who are proud of their city and maybe exagerating a little here and there. Good for them!
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