Thinking of Memphis (Germantown, Collierville, Lakeland: cul-de-sac, crime rates, houses)

[dexivoje]

I have a very good job prospect at St.Jude's Hospital (research position) which is hard to resist given the reputation of the hospital. However, we are (paticularly my wife) very concenred about quality of life in Memphis (crime wheather, etc) is there any place you can live (suburb) that provides good quality of life and is not touched by problems in Memphis itself. We have two young daughters 5 and 3 and obviously look for decent schools

Btw, where do rich people of Memphis live?

Any suggestion would greatly help our dilemma.

Thanks a bunch.

[MrsMichelle]

Fayette County is east of Memphis...would be a good drive to work. Many of the elite of Memphis are moving out that way. Massive beautiful homes abound, but there aren't any good schools to speak of. Fayette academy is the choice of most or a Memphis private school. I have not really heard much about Fayette academy.

Tipton County is north of Memphis...straight shot to St. Jude. This area is very small town, country living, but they are starting to develop more and more. Housing is very reasonably priced. You can build or buy existing homes. There are many estate style neighborhoods going up. Memphis is moving here in droves. The schools are nice. My son goes to Tipton-Rosemark Academy. It is a small and (i think) Wonderful school. There is a waiting list to get into pre-k.

In Shelby county Germantown and Collierville are the elite areas. Arlington and Lakeland are 2nd in the running. Germantown and Collierville are the priciest. I would say Southwind is where the "rich" live. Many of the Memphis celebrities live there.

Downtown is growing. Harbortown has beatiful river views. If you like city living then that would be the place to look into. But, you would absolutely have to go with private schools. I am not sure which ones you would like. There are Catholic, Church of Christ, etc.

Hope this helps.

[Kicking4JC]

I personally would stay out of the city limits of Memphis, and on top of it, Shelby County. I only say that because the city of Memphis stinks, talk of consolodating both Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools which would make Shelby County Schools worse before Memphis City Schools get better. The mayor isn't much to speak of. The information about the county north and east are good and so is DeSoto County, Mississippi. We too are experiencing the growth, and are every year building a new school. We have one of the best school districts in the state of Mississippi. Private schools are available too, with SBEC being the largest of them all. Land is starting to increase though, as the demand for land has increased. Citites such as Southaven and Horn Lake are closer to I-55 a straight shot to Memphis. Olive Branch is further east, almost to the next county over, Marshall. Hernando is about another 10 miles south of the state line of Tennessee. As long as you don't mind the commute, which with increasing gasoline prices I can understand why one would not want to, but I do not find Memphis to be safe at all. Also, with the city of Memphis trying to annex so many areas the boarders get difficult to patrol which is why some areas that used to be great 10 years ago now are trash.

I absolutely hate the weather though, being from Wisconsin. I have had sunburn in early months of March. Summers usually do not have rain (inless we get rain from hurricanes) and tempertures are upper 90's and sometimes in the 100's with very high humidity levels. Pools don't help much as the water is like taking a warm bath. Winters aren't cold (to me) with tempertures in the 30's and 40's but the humidity makes you shake in your bones. The few weeks of Sping and Fall are absolutely wonderful (if not drenched in rain) as tempertures are in the 60's and 70's. It seems since I've been in Mississippi (Tennesee being so close) that we've gotten some snow / and mostly ice. The city isn't equiped to handle the ice and snow so roads can get bad, plus people aren't experienced like northern states to drive on them. (Talk about road rage when they slam on their breaks on ice ) I miss having colder winters, for longer periods of time, no so much cause I love the cold, but because I've never been so sick in my life. Up north I rarely got sick, I move to Mississippi and almost failed a year in school from being so sick. The viruses don't freeze and die. Allergies are a killer too with very high levels of pollen.

St. Jude is a great hospital though. You are right about that.

G'luck!

[TC500]

I have heard that Steven Segal lives on an estate near Germantown & Collierville and Cybill Shepherd lives downtown on the river. Several Memphis Grizzlies live in Southwind. Lisa Marie & Priscilla Presley live sometime at Graceland in Whitehaven. I think, Issac Hayes lives in east Memphis and so does Pat Tigrett. So basically rich people live all over Memphis.

Those that live within the city of Memphis usually send their kids to private schools with the exception of Grahamwood which is a Memphis city school with distiguished educational programs for elementary school aged students.

Of the suburban Shelby County schools, my pick would be the ones in Germantown. Riverdale was Memphis Parent's Magazine's choice of best county school. It is the last K-8th grade school in the system. If you are interested, drive around the neighborhood to look for houses. Many are sold by owner with a sign in the yard. They sell fast!

[uofmwalton]

Originally Posted by Kicking4JC

I personally would stay out of the city limits of Memphis, and on top of it, Shelby County. I only say that because the city of Memphis stinks, talk of consolodating both Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools which would make Shelby County Schools worse before Memphis City Schools get better. The mayor isn't much to speak of. The information about the county north and east are good and so is DeSoto County, Mississippi. We too are experiencing the growth, and are every year building a new school. We have one of the best school districts in the state of Mississippi. Private schools are available too, with SBEC being the largest of them all. Land is starting to increase though, as the demand for land has increased. Citites such as Southaven and Horn Lake are closer to I-55 a straight shot to Memphis. Olive Branch is further east, almost to the next county over, Marshall. Hernando is about another 10 miles south of the state line of Tennessee. As long as you don't mind the commute, which with increasing gasoline prices I can understand why one would not want to, but I do not find Memphis to be safe at all. Also, with the city of Memphis trying to annex so many areas the boarders get difficult to patrol which is why some areas that used to be great 10 years ago now are trash.

I absolutely hate the weather though, being from Wisconsin. I have had sunburn in early months of March. Summers usually do not have rain (inless we get rain from hurricanes) and tempertures are upper 90's and sometimes in the 100's with very high humidity levels. Pools don't help much as the water is like taking a warm bath. Winters aren't cold (to me) with tempertures in the 30's and 40's but the humidity makes you shake in your bones. The few weeks of Sping and Fall are absolutely wonderful (if not drenched in rain) as tempertures are in the 60's and 70's. It seems since I've been in Mississippi (Tennesee being so close) that we've gotten some snow / and mostly ice. The city isn't equiped to handle the ice and snow so roads can get bad, plus people aren't experienced like northern states to drive on them. (Talk about road rage when they slam on their breaks on ice ) I miss having colder winters, for longer periods of time, no so much cause I love the cold, but because I've never been so sick in my life. Up north I rarely got sick, I move to Mississippi and almost failed a year in school from being so sick. The viruses don't freeze and die. Allergies are a killer too with very high levels of pollen.

St. Jude is a great hospital though. You are right about that.

G'luck!

Getting pretty good at the standard "bash Memphis" reply, aren't ya?

[JMSTiger]

Originally Posted by uofmwalton

Getting pretty good at the standard "bash Memphis" reply, aren't ya?

No kidding. There is nothing but city of Memphis hate here.

If you love cookie cutter suburban sprawl, bumper to bumper traffic, long commutes and a very boring lifestyle, then DeSoto County, Fayette County and Tipton County are the places for you. Plus, in Horn Lake, Southaven and Olive Branch you pay out the rear for a car tag, you have a state income tax and you have constant cross border criminal activity coming from Whitehaven (Whitehaven is the area of Memphis that borders the Mississippi state line). These people who hate the city so much probably never venture inside the city because they are scared to death. Downtown Memphis, Midtown Memphis and East Memphis are great places and some neighborhoods in those parts of town are far and away better than anything you will find in Germantown and Collierville and certainly better that anything you will find in the cookie cutter sprawled areas of DeSoto County.

It is true that crime is higher in the city of Memphis than the wealther suburbs around the city, but that is generally true of any metropolitan area in the United States. Most criminal activity in Memphis is focused in the poorer, blacker areas of the city. Downtown and East Memphis have crime rates similar to those of the Memphis suburbs. It is also true the schools suck in the city, unless you can get into White Station, Grahamwood, Richland and a few other neighborhood schools. Most upper middle class and wealthy residents of the city send their kids to private schools. The city has excellent private schools, whether Catholic or other.

Before you get scared off from the city by some of these people spreading their disinformation, do some research and actually talk to people who live inside the city, not those who live 45 miles from Downtown in a cookie cutter cul-de-sac.

[TNLove]

Originally Posted by dexivoje

Btw, where do rich people of Memphis live?

The White suburbs.

Just like the people who work in Nashville commute from Williamson.

Originally Posted by JMSTiger

Most upper middle class and wealthy residents of the city send their kids to private schools. The city has excellent private schools, whether Catholic or other.

Moderator cut: racial

[JMSTiger]

Originally Posted by TNLove

The White suburbs.

Just like the people who work in Nashville commute from Williamson.



Because White kids in predominately Black schools will constantly be the victim of racial hatred whereas a Black child in a White school will at the very most be ignored.

You sure have a racial chip on your shoulder, don't you?

Obviously you have never heard of Chickasaw Gardens, Central Gardens, Red Acres, River Oaks, Hein Park and Hedgemoor. These are all very exclusive, very wealthy neighborhoods full of wealthy people that are all located within the city limits of the city of Memphis.

[missthesun]

Can anybody offer any advice about West Memphis or Marion? I have kids. I'm looking for decent schools.

[Kicking4JC]

To not bash Memphis would be to lie. I am not going to mislead someone saying that Memphis is great. If the city was such a safe place to live in, then DeSoto County, MS, and surrounding counties in TN would not be seeing such an increase in their communities. I find it sad that 96 murders happened in Memphis YTD (Year to Date) and yet it is just slightly past the half way mark in the year. I find the city of Memphis to have its priorities *****ed up too. To have such a problem with their lack of funds for school but build two golf courses over 6 million dollars and yet cut the jobs of all 16 full time lawn maintaince crew. New leadership by a decent mayor and an attitude change would do the city some justice.