What's wrong with Cordova? (Memphis, Knoxville: for sale, renting, new home)

[crossroad]

Originally Posted by MightyMouse1975

....Germantown is too expensive in my opinion, and a crime wave is taking Collierville by surprise.
maybe they can fight it off,.. ...

I thought Gmtown is closer to South and North Memphis. Isn't the wave hitting Gmtown as well? Or they take better fights??

[tp2009]

What has happened to Cordova is it has basically gone down "the crapper" since it was annexed by the city of Memphis. Also, there is alot of extra land in Cordova and in the past few years, tons of apartment buildings have been built (all with Section 8 housing) so families from the inner city, whose kids go to terrible schools such as Kingsbury, move in.

The whole suburb is not as safe to live in anymore and the school as gone to hell in a handbasket. It is now 70% black after only being a city school for only two years. White people are officially the minorites. So, kids whose parents have a certain amount of money and can afford private school for their child, are getting them out.

Many kids transfer to schools like Saint Benedict Academy. Others, whose parents are very wealthy go to schools such as: Lausanne Collegiate School which tuition is around 20,000 a year. Another is St.Georges Academy and St.Mary's School for Girls which are both 16,000. And for the incredibly wealthy of Memphis, they often send their children to Memphis University School, an all boys school which the tuition is an astronomical 25,000 along with it's sister school, Hutchison, the same price. There are other options, like Christian Brothers and Briarcrest and Evangelical Christian School each ranging from 10,000-12,500.

Basically, for your child to NOT get a horrible education in the city of Memphis, you send them to private school. It is not a smart idea to live in Cordova because recently there has been more gang activity and drug problems within subdivisions such as Berryhill, Countrywood, and Riverwood.

Many more affluent families often live in Collierville, Germantown, and East Memphis. There are still families with money living in Cordova. But it is not the same suburb of Memphis as it used to be.

[tomterr]

A recent newspaper article stated that Cordova High was getting a bad rap as a bad school, and the large number of arrests and fights and students having sex in the rest rooms did not mean that it was a bad school! The "Diversity" of the school is such a good thing that it overides the bad.

[TheBigApple]

Crossroad, Germantown is not near the high crime areas of North and South Memphis. It is in the Southeast part of Shelby County and is still pretty safe.

[chiva]

I really need help from those of you that know Cordova, Memphis, area. We have lived in apartments for a couple of months and are now looking to buy a house. I work downtown near Univ. of Memphis, Collierville is just too far.......it took me 1 hour to get downtown just on a Saturday........we really want a safe neighborhood and a good school nearby, I dont care how big the house is.............where should we look?!

[setachctub]

Collierville and Germantown are both alright. Collierville is perhaps a little more laid back with more of a small town atmosphere.
As a word of warning though, I would strongly urge you to stay out of the city limits (that's a joke because there is no "city") of Piperton which is adjacent to Colleirville and is located on Hwys. 72E AND 57E. This town is notorious for being a speed trap and their "officers" will use any excuse to stop you and write a ticket for a ridiculous amount for any and all minor infractions. They have speed limits of 45 mph extending out both of the aforementioned federal highways into areas where there is no reason for a 45 mph speed limit other than to set up speed traps.
Check it out for yourself. Mike Fleming on WREC AM-600 radio and others in local media often blast this insignificant little fake town for this very thing.
There ougt to be a law against Piperton, Tennessee!!

[pomartini]

Chiva - PM me with your questions. I live in Cordova and my house has not depreciated at all - currently on the market for almost $20K more for what I bought it for 4 years ago. I am certain to get what we are asking - as all the houses in my neighborhood have appreciated quite well. I am only selling it because we are being transferred.

[odrobot]

There is nothing wrong about Cordova; other than the negativity that we continue to hear from individuals that live outside the area. I am a homeowner in Cordova. My property values have not declined. My property values have increased. The schools are strong. We have plenty of amenities, diversity of housing stock, good schools, strong community groups and religious institutions.

I've worked in neighborhood development in Memphis for the past 11 years. You can not point to a single suburb or neighborhood that does not have issues.

I think the general feel on the blog is to run from Memphis. However, people fail to realize that as neighborhoods get older including Germantown and Collierville people at times lose interest and move to newer neighborhoods. There are houses in Collierville that are 20 years old. How will those houses compete against new construction? As people move in, taxes increase in order to support services for all of the new residents. I think where you chose to live is based on more than just property taxes. I know people that live in Midtown, Downtown, Cordova, Southeast Memphis (38125), East Memphis, and all around that are extremely happy with their neighborhoods. If you need more information about Cordova, I suggest you contact a realtor that specializes in Cordova or contact the Cordova Leadership Council for information. Flight from Memphis does not solve the problem; it only continues to spread the problem and avoids solutions for strengthening the region.

I wish you must success on your move.

[odrobot]

"The whole suburb is not as safe to live in anymore and the school as gone to hell in a handbasket. It is now 70% black after only being a city school for only two years. White people are officially the minorites. So, kids whose parents have a certain amount of money and can afford private school for their child, are getting them out."

Reply: Are you suggesting because there is an increased minority student population that the school has declined? People fail to realize that Cordova High is one of the top high schools in Shelby County. However, the school gets a bad rap because it is a city school and has a large minority student body. I would also suggest looking at the Memphis Police Department crime stats. Much of what you are hearing is perception and not reality. I have not had any problems in Cordova.

There is a wide range of incomes for families that live in Cordova. It is mostly a middle income community. However, there are more affordable areas and more expensive areas with homes ranging from $600,000 to $1,000,000. I think the greater diversity in Cordova makes it one of the more appealing areas in Shelby County.

"Basically, for your child to NOT get a horrible education in the city of Memphis, you send them to private school. It is not a smart idea to live in Cordova because recently there has been more gang activity and drug problems within subdivisions such as Berryhill, Countrywood, and Riverwood."

Reply: I live in Berryhill Farms. I did not realize we had a gang and drug problem. I serve on the advisory committee for the Berryhill Farms Homeowners Association. I am also active with several other community groups. I suggest getting information from the school system and checking out the Memphis Police Department website for crime stats. I recently attended a forum on schools in Cordova. It was mentioned from a police officer that focuses on gangs that Cordova does not have a gang problem. We do have a problem with over crowding at Cordova High that leads to tension. In fact, there are some surrounding suburban areas that do have gang problems.

[tomterr]

Reply: Are you suggesting because there is an increased minority student population that the school has declined? People fail to realize that Cordova High is one of the top high schools in Shelby County. However, the school gets a bad rap because it is a city school and has a large minority student body. I would also suggest looking at the Memphis Police Department crime stats. Much of what you are hearing is perception and not reality. I have not had any problems in Cordova.

There was an article in the local newspaper which tried to present a positive picture fo Cordova High School.
It pointed out that assults on school personnel have been reduced slightly, and that calls to police for in school violence have increased only slightly.
There have been several articles about the gangs in Cordova High being the source of much of the violence, one about drug use in the school, and one about sex between one student and several of her friends in the school restroom.
The positive in the article was the increase in diversity.
O yes, the editor of the local newspaper is a "minority." (which in Memphis is the majority).
A very great problem in Memphis is when local institutions are troubled or just outright corrupt, a large segment of the population will call it an attack on the "Minority."