Compare commutes to UTHSC from Bartlett/Arlington/Collierville (Memphis, Germantown: how much, house)

[babyjules25]

My husband and I will both be at UTHSC when we move to Memphis in a couple months (1 working and 1 at dental school). Probably doing public schools and thus living in the suburbs, even tho living close to UTHSC would have been awesome.

Bartlett is the closest, with Collierville and Arlington looking like comparable distances away.

I'd like information on what the commutes might look like from each of these areas to UTHSC.

Bartlett-- obviously the commute could vary a bit depending on where in Barlett you live and which way you come, so maybe some info on where in Bartlett is a decent commute and how it varies depending on route (i.e., using all freeway vs. coming down Austin Peay)

Collierville- specifically from the area near Collierville High School

Arlington/Lakeland- I already kind of assume we will want easy access to the freeway and not be far away from the freeway, but how is traffic coming in/out of there once you're on the freeway.


Also, what times is traffic the worst in these commutes? (i.e., how much earlier and/or later does it help to leave for work--- especially if you work day could shift from 8-5 to 7:30-4:30 or something like that).

Thanks so much for the information!

[CristenS]

If it were me, I'd care more about the schools for my kids and less about my own commute. So, I'd live in Collierville. The schools in Collierville are top notch. Bartlett schools are inferior and city just isn't as nice, and the Lakeland/Arlington area is still too country-bumpkin for me.

Your commute times would depend on how you are getting your kids to school, if they will do after-care, etc. Schools typically go from 8am to 3pm. Usually you can drop them off a little early for free, and then pay for after care for the younger kids.

[85rx-7gsl-se]

No offense to CristenS, but I think that post also gives insight into the kind of attitudes held by folks in various suburbs. Germantown/Collierville are kind of held out as the pinnacles of suburban Shelby County and while they are definitely nice, they also serve a certain class and status that are more important to some than others. Arlington is not ritzy like Collierville or Germantown, but it is not the sticks either.

[CristenS]

I said it was my personal opinion. My opinion should not be an indicator for "insight into the attitudes" of people here.

And there is no argument regarding the schools - Collierville and Germantown have the best schools. That has nothing to do with holding those suburbs into a fake high regard. Nor is it to say that people prefer "certain class and status" instead of holding other things important. If West Memphis, AR wanted to produce some top notch schools, I'd direct people that way too. Until then, when a person asks about free public schools in the suburbs, I'll direct them to Germantown and Collierville.

OP - you need to go visit for yourself. Drive aroung Arlington (it shouldn't take long HAR HAR) then drive around the older suburbs of Bartlett, Germantown, etc. See which you prefer.

[85rx-7gsl-se]

Originally Posted by CristenS

I said it was my personal opinion. My opinion should not be an indicator for "insight into the attitudes" of people here.

And there is no argument regarding the schools - Collierville and Germantown have the best schools. That has nothing to do with holding those suburbs into a fake high regard. Nor is it to say that people prefer "certain class and status" instead of holding other things important. If West Memphis, AR wanted to produce some top notch schools, I'd direct people that way too. Until then, when a person asks about free public schools in the suburbs, I'll direct them to Germantown and Collierville.

OP - you need to go visit for yourself. Drive aroung Arlington (it shouldn't take long HAR HAR) then drive around the older suburbs of Bartlett, Germantown, etc. See which you prefer.

I truly meant no offense when I said that. Every community tends to have its own culture and that is a good thing. Collierville/Germantown are the most affluent suburbs and with that comes the good and bad of that type of status. Collierville/Germantown schools are great and if being in the top ranked school is top priority, the decision is simple. If you want very good schools, then Lakeland and Arlington should definitely be considered as options that will also allow for a different type of community.

[My_home_town]

While living in Collierville would be a longer commute, actually if you live near one of the the I385 entrance ramps, you'll easily make up some time. While I live in the city of Memphis, I understand the desire to live out in the burbs. Nothing wrong with any of those cities. I probably would agree that Germantown and Collierville are excellent school systems, but I'm sure Bartlett is perfectly fine.

Rush hour traffic is of course going to be your worst. But, depending on where you're coming from, it could be a walk in the park. Since you'll be working close to downtown, you can hit I-40 from Bartlett, Arlington, Lakeland, or from Collierville, Germantown, grab the 385 which dumps you onto the I240 and take the midtown 240 to get off at Union.

Once you're here and get acclimated, you'll get a better feel for the area and your best bet to attack the minimal commute from where ever you live. Good luck!

[babyjules25]

Originally Posted by CristenS

If it were me, I'd care more about the schools for my kids and less about my own commute. So, I'd live in Collierville. The schools in Collierville are top notch. Bartlett schools are inferior and city just isn't as nice, and the Lakeland/Arlington area is still too country-bumpkin for me.

Your commute times would depend on how you are getting your kids to school, if they will do after-care, etc. Schools typically go from 8am to 3pm. Usually you can drop them off a little early for free, and then pay for after care for the younger kids.

Thanks for your reply and input on areas!!

The kids' schools are of course extremely important but commute is a factor. If a community with a pretty great school offered half the commute time to work compared to a community with an excellent school, then the community with the pretty great school might be the winner because we'd have more family time and less child care. There are also other things we are taking into consideration in determining what is the best situation for our kids.

I understand my commute times will vary depending on the time of day. That is actually the point of my whole inquiry. I'm more looking for specific stretches of freeway that may be the worst at certain times or the timing of when the roads start to get really congested (i.e., if you leave Collierville by 6:30 there will be minimal traffic, but if you leave at 6:45 it will be getting heavy already).

[babyjules25]

Originally Posted by 85rx-7gsl-se

I truly meant no offense when I said that. Every community tends to have its own culture and that is a good thing. Collierville/Germantown are the most affluent suburbs and with that comes the good and bad of that type of status. Collierville/Germantown schools are great and if being in the top ranked school is top priority, the decision is simple. If you want very good schools, then Lakeland and Arlington should definitely be considered as options that will also allow for a different type of community.

Thanks for the info in both your replies... we definitely are interested in culture perceptions and not just school rankings!

[babyjules25]

Originally Posted by My_home_town

While living in Collierville would be a longer commute, actually if you live near one of the the I385 entrance ramps, you'll easily make up some time. While I live in the city of Memphis, I understand the desire to live out in the burbs. Nothing wrong with any of those cities. I probably would agree that Germantown and Collierville are excellent school systems, but I'm sure Bartlett is perfectly fine.

Rush hour traffic is of course going to be your worst. But, depending on where you're coming from, it could be a walk in the park. Since you'll be working close to downtown, you can hit I-40 from Bartlett, Arlington, Lakeland, or from Collierville, Germantown, grab the 385 which dumps you onto the I240 and take the midtown 240 to get off at Union.

Once you're here and get acclimated, you'll get a better feel for the area and your best bet to attack the minimal commute from where ever you live. Good luck!

THANK YOU! This is the type of information I am looking for!

When would you say the worst of rush hour is and how much does it actually slow down traffic? For example, is I-40 or 385 usually crawling at a slow speed between certain times so you can leave a few minutes earlier to avoid it. It seems to me that each city and different paths into cities have their own windows for avoiding the worst of the traffic.

[CristenS]

I think you'll find that compared to most metro areas, Memphis traffic is a piece of cake. It goes fast, even during rush hour. The worst is construction and accidents, but if you can avoid that, you're fine. Tons of people live much further out than Collierville and drive in daily, it's pretty easy and it's just what people do here. In the time it takes people in other metro areas to get to work (Los Angeles for example) you could practically drive to Nashville here.

It also depends on how far your exact house is from a major roadway. The longest part of my commute is getting out of my neighborhood and to a major street.

The interstate system here is notorious for having nonstop major construction. I believe they've had lanes blocked off and been doing construction on the I-40 bridge for about 3,000 years now. The interchange of 40 and 240 on the NE loop is under major construction and will be for a while. Once that's done, they'll start somewhere else. So honestly I wouldn't buy a house based on commute times - they could change significantly over the course of a few years.