Please tell me why people hate Memphis (Germantown, Collierville: countertops, violent crime)

[MissMee]

I was originally excited to learn that my husband was looking into a VP job in Memphis or the area, but I came on here to look into it and see mostly bad thoughts! I visited Mud Island many years ago and thought Memphis was so beautiful and nice. Yes, visiting is much different than living, I know.

So, why does everyone that live here seem to hate it? Or is it just the city itself and not the suburbs? Do people like the suburbs of Memphis better? For example, people wouldn't like to live in Boston or some of the terrible boston neighborhoods, but the suburbs within 30 miles or so are great with great schools. Is that the same for Memphis?

Any insight into this, and does anyone have any recommendations for good areas/towns with good school systems?

Thanks!

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by MissMee

I was originally excited to learn that my husband was looking into a VP job in Memphis or the area, but I came on here to look into it and see mostly bad thoughts! I visited Mud Island many years ago and thought Memphis was so beautiful and nice. Yes, visiting is much different than living, I know.

So, why does everyone that live here seem to hate it? Or is it just the city itself and not the suburbs? Do people like the suburbs of Memphis better? For example, people wouldn't like to live in Boston or some of the terrible boston neighborhoods, but the suburbs within 30 miles or so are great with great schools. Is that the same for Memphis?

Any insight into this, and does anyone have any recommendations for good areas/towns with good school systems?

Thanks!

This question has been answered a lot of times and to answer all of it in one post would be exhaustive. I think a perusal of past posts in the forum would give you the answers you seek.

[Bowyer]

Like any large city, Memphis has good and bad aspects. I think Memphis is a good area in general. I have kids and live in the suburbs. I have lived in the city itself (east Memphis, Midtown and Poplar Highland area), but the public schools were not something I wanted for my children. Plus the property taxes in Memphis are higher than any surrounding suburb.

I really liked living in Collierville. The schools are good, the neighborhoods are full of kids, the area is very safe. Very little in the way of violent crime and property crime. In Memphis, every place I lived I experienced some sort of property crime. My car was broken into and my garage was burgalarized.

I would highly recommend Collierville if you have kids and don't want to pay for private schools. There is a lot of great things to do in the area, and driving to Memphis is easy and quick. My wife works downtown (Front St--on the river) and the drive was manageable on a daily basis.

Don't be intimidated by this board. A lot of negative comments can be found here, but use common sense, buy in a good area and you will be fine. Check out the thread that asks what people like about Memphis and you will see that the city has a lot to offer.

Granted, the suburbs are suburbs. 'Cookie cutter' houses and neighborhoods are all over the place, but I'll sacrifice looks for amenities. 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, modern kitchens that don't need complete makeovers, safe streets where kids can ride bikes and play outside, low enery costs due to modern construction, central heat and air, whirlpool baths, tiled floors, granite countertops, tons of windows, hard-wired smoke and burglar alarms, 2-3 car garages, etc, etc. are what a lot of these 'cookie cutter' houses offer. Not a bad deal if you ask me.



I now live in Lakeland which has no city tax. I save about $1200.00 a year for the same price home versus Collierville. In Memphis, living in the same house would add an additional $1000.00 per year.

Come on down, we need good people in the area!

[Escape Memphis]

MissMee, I echo what tigergal said above. More specifically, look at this thread http://www.city-data.com/forum/memph...g-memphis.html.

You made an observation that other cities have 'bad' areas just as Memphis has and others on the board will point that out too, inferring that everything is just lovely in most areas assuming you never venture into those few 'bad' areas. However having lived in other places, let me advise that the 'bad' areas of other towns are more the minority of the overall MSA. In the Memphis MSA, it's easier to to advise of the MINORITY of places that are actually SAFE - from a geographical perspective, the MAJORITY of the Memphis MSA is clearly unsafe when you look at FBI crime statistics by ZIP code. Looking at that information you'll find that most ZIP codes in the Memphis MSA where there are homes, have an FBI violent crime index of 2 to 4 times the national average - that's not opinion that's fact.

Now for opinion...this is the result of ignorance in the population that is perpetuated by kids having kids without stigma in this culture, sent to schools where administrators look on at a 'talent' show as minor children perform what is termed the "rape dance" (I'm not making that up - see thread noted above for media links to the same), city school honor students riot at a pretty cool place called the Incredible Pizza Factory and injure employees in the process (last week), 3 shootings in city schools during school this year, school board members that indicate that non-Aftrican Americans and women need not apply for the city school superintendent position that is opening because a "courages young black man" is what is actually being sought, and an overall attitude of the population that screams: "I like my attitude problem, thank you very much."

Opinions are like belly buttons though, everyone has them. Some/many people seem to like it here. From my perspective and as the owner of one of the largest moving companies in town, looks to me like more people are evacuating Memphis than moving in. The Memphis Chamber of Commerce several years ago lamented about the flight of wealth not to the burbs, but completely out of the MSA. I'm now one of those refugees and moving about 3 hours from the MSA to Hot Springs AR in July. Area employers gripe to me that it's real hard to get recruits to move here - when a recruit visits, typically the recruit's wife will veto the move because the place has lots of shiftless, scare the daylights out of you, people walking out in the middle of the streets and at corners in groups.

Now maybe that's normal in other cities that I haven't lived in too, but the ones I have lived in (except Newark, NJ, another super scary place) didn't have the scary cloud over the entire area except for a few oasis areas here (Germantown, Collierville or other residential areas that are 45 minutes away from Memphis). Germantown, where I live, about 6-9 months ago had issues with maids that have ghetto ties advising thug friends when the best time to perform home invasion burglury (husband not home) in the homes they cleaned and where the valuables are kept. Don't know what invasion burglury is? That's where thugs break down the door with you in the house, guns pulled, tie you up and then ransack your house - hopefully that's all they do.

Over the last 3 years, I've had my home burlarized once (wasn't there thank God), a car stolen (recovered with stereo hacked out of dash with a hatchet or something apparently like that), and a car broken into by way of asphault chunk through drivers window for CDs I made the mistake of leaving in plain sight. Hence, I speak from personal perspective in regards to property crimes. Maybe I'm just easy to intimidate but the place scares me. Maybe you're not as wimpy as I am when it comes to this but I got 2 young children so I can't take chances. Good luck!

[pushkinswife]

Originally Posted by MissMee

I was originally excited to learn that my husband was looking into a VP job in Memphis or the area, but I came on here to look into it and see mostly bad thoughts! I visited Mud Island many years ago and thought Memphis was so beautiful and nice. Yes, visiting is much different than living, I know.

So, why does everyone that live here seem to hate it? Or is it just the city itself and not the suburbs? Do people like the suburbs of Memphis better? For example, people wouldn't like to live in Boston or some of the terrible boston neighborhoods, but the suburbs within 30 miles or so are great with great schools. Is that the same for Memphis?

Any insight into this, and does anyone have any recommendations for good areas/towns with good school systems?

Thanks!

I would echo what those have said: search and browse some of the threads to get a little more perspective. One you do that check out: List some good things about Memphis thread for some things to look forward to when you and your husband arrive.

[JMT]

As you peruse past threads, I think you'll notice that most of the anti-Memphis posts tend to be from the same people over and over again (one of whom keeps registering under different names but is clearly the same guy). It seems very few people are wishy-washy about Memphis; they either LOVE it or they absolutely despise it.

I'm one of those people who absolutely loves Memphis. In the 8 years I lived in the area (5 years in Memphis proper and 3 years in N Mississippi, and I do NOT recommend living in Mississippi) I grew to adore the city. And make no mistake, Memphis is a CITY complete with all the many problems and many benefits associated with other big cities that gained prominence in the days when suburbs didn't exist.

There is a lot of crime in Memphis, and it's not confined to just one or two parts of town. Even the most beautiful neighborhoods aren't too far from run-down crack neighborhoods. Belvedere Boulevard in Midtown is a classic example; you go from spectacular turn-of-the-century million-dollar mansions to boarded-up shotgun houses in just a few blocks.

The Memphis City School system is awful, I mean just miserable.

Also, there's rampant corruption in Memphis. It's kind of a big open secret. It's not nearly as bad as New Orleans, but with such prosperous cities as Nashville nearby it really makes Memphis look bad.

I really think there are 3 main reasons why people hate Memphis:
1) Crime
2) Pitiful schools
3) Corrupt city government

I absolutely adored my time in Memphis and would move back in a heartbeat. I think the suggestion to look at Collierville or Arlington are excellent ones, as the county schools are very good, and those suburbs are family-friendly and safe. Plus you're not too far from the city for those times when you want to take your family to a ball game, or to see a classic movie at the spectacular Orpheum Theatre downtown, or for one of the many concerts and public festivals which make Memphis such a great place.

[pushkinswife]

Originally Posted by JMT

I absolutely adored my time in Memphis and would move back in a heartbeat. I think the suggestion to look at Collierville or Arlington are excellent ones, as the county schools are very good, and those suburbs are family-friendly and safe. Plus you're not too far from the city for those times when you want to take your family to a ball game, or to see a classic movie at the spectacular Orpheum Theatre downtown, or for one of the many concerts and public festivals which make Memphis such a great place.

Another good thing about Memphis

[Beretta]

JMT - another great post, as usual. I can't rep you until I spread it around some more.

[Tennesseestorm]

I would probably love it there compared to here in northeast Tennessee, because I like low lying flatlands. I am kinda tired of these mountains, ya know?

After about two weeks, I would probably want to come back though. Always do.

[bjh]

Originally Posted by JMT

In the 8 years I lived in the area (5 years in Memphis proper and 3 years in N Mississippi, and I do NOT recommend living in Mississippi).

Please explain why you do NOT recommend Mississippi. Thanks.