Where ohhh Where to Live In East Memphis (Germantown, Belle Meade: fit in, sale)

[cats935]

Hey all, newbie here. Our family (me, wife and 2 small kids both under 5) is thinking of relocating from the Northeast and Memphis is a strong possibility. There's some good info on this forum, but at this point I feel like I know just enough to be dangerous. My wife lived in a Memphis when she was young, but that was about 25 yrs ago.

So, here's what I know so far:

- we'd probably want to be around the Poplar Ave corridor. I imagine no closer to Downtown than, say, Chickasaw Gardens and no further out than, say, Germantown.

- With young kids, safety is a HUGE concern (a lot of chatter on this forum about the crime rate!!), as is an established neighborhood. We don't mind new construction; just hate the no trees, cookie cutter, Mcsubdivisions that sometimes go along with it.

- Coming from the Northeast, we're used to stupidly priced real estate. But having said that, I'd rather not go over $500K, and would frankly prefer to be way under that.

Aside from Chickasaw Gardens and Germantown, other areas that pop to mind are: Galloway, Belle Meade and High Point. Obviously, some of these would have to fit into the "cheapest house on the street" mentality.

Are there any other neighborhoods you'd recommend? Are there certain areas within those neighborhoods you'd stay away from? Also, are there any good links to "neighborhood maps"? Everybody throws out so many darn neighborhood names that obviously don't show up on any maps, and it takes FOREVER for someone not all that familiar with Memphis to figure what the rough boundaries of neighborhood x, y, z, etc. Clearly, I need to visit the city to get acquainted with everything, but I'm also a huge believer in advance prep work, so I kinda need all this info now.

Thanks to all in advance

[JoeCartpath]

I'd say you're looking in the right areas - depending on your plans for schools for your kids. If you plan to use public schools, I'd find the best ones and limit your search to those districts. Someone here a lot more familiar with city schools than I am (my youngest is 31!) should be able to steer you in the right direction there. If you plan on private schooling, that'll probably allow you better options.

In east Memphis, you'll most likely stay east of Highland, north of Poplar and south of Sam Cooper. There are some places south of Poplar too - but most of that area between Poplar and Park is commercial. Generally, the further east the better - but not necessarily. $500K should get you in a very nice home in an excellent neighborhood in that area.

As for the crime rate....you're not going to be anywhere near 95% of that if you live in a $500K home. Most of that (especially the violent crime) is limited to the poorer areas of town. In the nicer areas, I don't think crime is any more of a problem than in most large cities.

[Smtchll]

Try White Station Rd and the neighborhoods on either side of it. Most of the homes are under $500K. It's a safe, established area, but there are also alot of homes going up which is not a bad thing at all. It's a very Catholic/Jewish area. There are numerous Catholic schools like CBHS, St. Agnes, St. Dominic, St. Louis, and Holy Rosary. There's also a small Jewish school. As for public schools, White Station high school has one of the best optional programs in TN. The whole road is generally safe, but if you want the best areas then stay south Mason Rd of and north of Park.

[Pearlbob]

One of the most upscale areas in eastern Memphis, north of Walnut Grove, is the "Hedgemoor" area (I think I am spelling it right). It's almost hidden and I've heard almost no one mention it on here. However, if you are willing to pay near $500k, you can most likely find a home there. The area is hidden among huge old tree and tiny windy roads. Very big, unique homes. Look online at a map of Devon Way at Walnut Grove Rd, I believe it is 38111.

Also, the Galloway neighboorhood, which is west of that area. Again, huge old homes, around the Galloway Golf Course. Right by the U of Memphis campus (but not so close that you'd have students living around you...students can't afford those homes anyway!)

Were you doing private schools for your kids no matter what?

In midtown you can also find huge old homes for upwards of $500k. In Central Gardens especially, and also Evergreen (Both are national historic districts). Unlike the more eastern homes though, midtown homes will have smaller yards (built around 1900 as opposed to east Memphis, where homes were built around 1940's).

High Point, while nice, has MUCH smaller homes than Galloway or Chickasaw. Much different scale of neighborhood. More working class (or used to be) vs Galloway/Chickasaw which was obviously always built for the upper class. High Point's prices are higher just because it (for whatever reason) became the "cool" place for young families to live about 5-10 years ago. Don't get me wrong - it's a nice area. But if you can afford $300-400k, you'd rather be somewhere else.

[JoeCartpath]

I seriously doubt you'll find a home in Hedgemoor or Galloway for $500K....probably more like $750K and up....

[Pearlbob]

Doesn't hurt to look! Especially in the bad market At least it would be a good place to start, and they can use that a target area and spread out around it to look for homes.

Even if you can't afford the homes, it's nice to see the neighborhoods and realize that not all of Memphis is war zone like people make it out to be There ARE some very, very good areas in this city!

Originally Posted by JoeCartpath

I seriously doubt you'll find a home in Hedgemoor or Galloway for $500K....probably more like $750K and up....

[cats935]

thanks to all for the replies. If I'm inside the I-240 loop (in East Memphis), should I just assume my kids will go to a private school, and about how much does tuition run generally? BTW, before anyone gets overly sensitive, I'm not knocking the public school system (I'm a public school product, albeit a midwestern public school system), but my wife is a southern private school product, so the internal debate will continue for sure.

Also, I'm seeing a bigger bang for the buck out in Germantown (compared to 38111 and 38117 east memphis). What's the story other than the obvious ones such as distance from town, etc.? They also seem newer and more std colonial red/orange bricky mcmansionshy type.

BTW, additional thoughts on neighborhoods already mentioned or new ones are still appreciated.

Thanks again guys; your feedback is very helpful.

[Pearlbob]

Go ahead and knock the public schools. We don't care

Yes, if you need a generalization, anything within the city of Memphis would require private schooling. Everythign inside the loop IS Memphis City. As is a lot outside the loop.

Tuition varies a ton, depending on the scale of private school and how old the kid is. I have heard places like Hutchinson are close to $20,000 a year for high school. (anyone know for sure?) But otherwise, you can probably do around $2,000 for lower elementary kids at some places.

Yes, Germantown will have more "McMansions" than east Memphis. Almost everything in east Memphis is old, other than a few areas here and there that were bulldozed and rebuilt. I don't know why Germantown homes would be cheaper than places in east Memphis, that doesn't sound right to me. If it's a newer subdivision in Germantown (McMansions) then yes, it might be cheaper than a 1940's huge house in east Memphis. But Germantown also has very, very old homes just like Memphis does. Those probably don't go on sale often though.

[JoeCartpath]

Parts of the western side of Germantown might be cheaper than some of the east Memphis areas. Why? Some of those subdivisions were built in the 1960s and 1970s - maybe even early 1980s - and many of the homes and neighborhoods don't have the same character as many of the slightly older east Memphis areas. Many of the homes built during that era were built as cheaply as possible, and they don't age as well as the older homes....

[Smtchll]

If you live in the loop, or even outside the loop but within the Memphis city limits then I would go with a private school. What kind of private school would you be interested in? Do you have a preference? It's hard to say how much tuition would be because there's such a wide variety of schools.