considering move to memphis...need input (Germantown, Central: crime, house, safe neighborhoods)

[gator girl]

Hi All,

We are considering a move to Memphis. We have visited and toured with an excellent realtor, however I would love some opinions from others who have nothing to gain from our relocation.
*Our children are grown, so schools are not a factor, other than resale value.
*Work will be at the medical center. Traffic?
*Housing will be in the 600K-900K range, so midtown, east memphis and germantown would be our target neighborhoods.
*We currently live in Florida, so heat and humidity are understood.

Please tell me a couple of reasons you love Memphis and a few problems you see living in this area. Lifestyle, cost of living, weather, crime, local issues, etc. should all be a consideration.

Thanks for your comments!

[Pearlbob]

$900k for a house in Memphis?! That is unheard of, really. You could buy just about the nicest home in western TN for that price

You can read through this forum to get people's opinions.
Cost of living is extremely cheap.
Weather is hot hot hot hot hot and humid in the summer and very mild in the winter.
Crime is terrible, one of the worst in the country. But if you are living in a neighborhood with a $900k house....this will not be an issue for your home.
Politicians here are corrupt and the city is run horribly.
Traffic is not bad at all compared to most other large cities. There is basically no traffic around the medical center in midtown. Traffic is mainly on the interstates coming in from the suburbs.

On the plus side, the city has surprisingly a lot to offer for younger people, bars, restaurants, outdoor activities, etc. Downtown has grown a lot over the years. There are also some great museums, the zoo, art center, etc.

[gator girl]

I'm curious what you mean about the politicians being corrupt and city horribly run. Does that mean that taxes are misspent, or is money mysteriously missing? Does trash get picked up and potholes filled? Are "dead" people voting and keeping this corrupt city govt in office? I have read a few remarks about "King Willie", can you elaborate?

Is Georgetown faced with the same corruption? Is the county govt guilty as well as the city?

Thanks for your input.

[Pearlbob]

Georgetown?

I can say, my trash DOES get picked up every week Other than that, you explained part of the problem. Memphis on a whole is very uneducated and poor, and people who vote are not always the best decision makers. For instance, King Willie's campaign this year was "Shake Tha Haterz Off." Which people liked. People get voted in for being cool, having a recognizable name, etc. Not because they are good human beings who do the right thing in their personal lives or for the city.

[hgupta]

If you're going to be working in the medical district area, I highly recommend midtown. The drive is much shorter, and there is a lot more for you to do. Either Central Gardens, or East End Neighborhood, or Bel Air circle near overton park. All of these are neighborhoods that aren't heavy with kids, but have good amenities nearby and strong safe neighborhoods. These are all terrific neighborhoods with homes in averaging in that price range. There are a few other pocket neighborhoods off of east parkway that are terrific as well. The drive to Germantown or East Memphis will be painful, and only makes sense if you have kids.

[Dd714]

Originally Posted by gator girl

I'm curious what you mean about the politicians being corrupt and city horribly run. Does that mean that taxes are misspent, or is money mysteriously missing? Does trash get picked up and potholes filled? Are "dead" people voting and keeping this corrupt city govt in office? I have read a few remarks about "King Willie", can you elaborate?

Is Georgetown faced with the same corruption? Is the county govt guilty as well as the city?

Thanks for your input.

HAHA, almost like she lives here.

Taxes misspent - yes
Trash get picked - Well, trash for the most part gets picked up, but I find the city does not clean up well. You well see garbage in the streets.
Potholes - there are potholes galore (mostly, in the cities defense, due to tractor trailers tearing up the roads).
Dead people voting - yeah as a matter of fact, that has occured.
King Willie - Just watch the evening news when you visit.

Georgetown doesn't have these problems at all.

[Pearlbob]

What is Georgetown? In DC? What does that have to do with Memphis?

Agreed - the city is full of trash everywhere. Dead cars on the side of the road, crap all over the streets. But in terms of your personal trash cans getting picked up at the curb, I've never known that to be a problem in good neighborhoods.

[UofMGrad92]

First post for me, but this trash issue is one I felt a need to address. This city went from City Beautiful winner in the early 80's to a litter strewn mess in about a generation. I don't know if it relates to the crime problem or general malaise in town, but I for one wish that 1) people would throw there stuff in a trash can 2) people would pick up trash rather than stepping over it (unsanitary, I know, but I do it and wish others would as well), or 3) those out there receiving various government benefits (housing, AFDC, food stamps, room and board at the county jail/workhouse) were put to work cleaing up this place. I may be crazy, but I truly think that a clean city would encourage people to be better citizens.

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

What is Georgetown? In DC? What does that have to do with Memphis?

Agreed - the city is full of trash everywhere. Dead cars on the side of the road, crap all over the streets. But in terms of your personal trash cans getting picked up at the curb, I've never known that to be a problem in good neighborhoods.

I think we can safely assume the original poster made an error and meant to type "Germantown" instead of "Georgetown".

[hgupta]

No kidding! I can't figure out when people became so lazy that holding onto trash until you got to a trashcan became so hard. Was it the slacker=hip culture of the 90s?

I hate that the city is responsive about problems, but not proactive about preventing them. I like that the mayor's citizen service will take care of any problem that you alert them about, and they will even send you a letter detailing how they corrected the problem. But I hate seeing city workers (including code enforcement!) drive by problem properties without taking action.

I would love to see the solid waste department take on more responibility. They are the only crew in the city that travels every city road on a weekly basis. They should be identifying potholes, overgrown lots, grafitti and code violations while they are driving around and be rewarded for the extra contribution. (Boston even has sensors on their trash trucks to detect potholes!).