Moving from LA to Memphis - Best area for me? (Germantown: apartment, for rent)

[eurocali]

Hello,

I am likely to relocate to Memphis for work and I am starting to look at what areas might work best for me and my family.

I come from Europe and have been living in LA for 10 years (West L.A./Santa Monica area). I am in my early 30s, married with 1 young child (preschool age). After doing some research, it looks like Germantown/Collierville would work for us, however, I also want a community that doesn't revolve just around church AND where I can find ethnic/diverse/organic food relatively easily (looks like there is one Wholefoods in East Memphis?)

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Pearlbob]

Whole Foods is quite a ways from either Germantown or Collierville. But, it's definitely where people shop for organic. Germantown is going to have more restaurants and shopping, just because it's an older town and has been around longer (at least as a larger city). Collierville is sort of a "new" suburb. It was a small town until recently when people started moving even further east and building new homes there.

Despite what you may hear, nothing revolves around church here. Some people do, of course, but you can live here just fine without going to church. There are all sort of different people here.

With a pre-school child, I would assume schools are important to you, which is why you have mentioned those 2 suburbs?

[eurocali]

Yes, schools will be important to me. I will be looking for a preschool as soon as I know where we will be living. And where we decide to live will depend a lot on the schools. Any good preschools to recommend? (again, not religious) In terms of elementary schools, are there any good public schools?

Also, I wanted to ask about Cordova. I saw a lot of really big and nice houses for rent there (and for less than the price I pay for a 2-bed apartment in LA!). How does it compare to Germantown and Collierville?

Also, I should specify that I would be commuting to East Memphis (close to Audubon Park). I am used to horrible commutes in LA but looking fwd to shorter drives

Organic food is not on the top of my priority list, I would just like to be able to find a few European products (I shop almost exclusively at Trader Joes in CA, but it doesn't look like they are in TN).

Thanks again!

[Smtchll]

In the city it is hard to find a good school that isn't religious affiliated. Cordova is part of the city. The schools aren't horrible, but they have gone downhill since Cordova was annexed. I think all of the private schools in Cordova are religious schools.

Midtown is pretty liberal and not in your face about religion. East Memphis has always had a more liberal vibe to me, but many people would argue that it's conservative. I think it's more fiscally conservative, socially moderate-liberal. There are big churches in East Memphis but not many big Southern Baptist churches like a typical Bible Belt area. The suburbs is where it starts to feel more like the Bible Belt. I don't think it's too in your face, it might be uncomfortable for you.

[fittoac]

I moved to Memphis from LA (Los Feliz/Silverlake area) almost a year and a half ago. When it comes to traffic, you're in for a treat! The worst traffic I have ever seen in Memphis is comparable to a very average day in LA traffic. Sadly, I still miss Trader Joe's!

Germantown & Collierville are both lovely areas but I wouldn't consider them particularly diverse or cultural areas. As for the organic food, yeah.. there's only one Whole Foods here. However, pretty much all the grocery stores have an organic section in their produce department so you can still get some stuff at a regular store.

Have you looked at Mud Island yet? There's a Montessori school on the island that's supposed to be great. I really love Mud Island. It's really beautiful, tons of places to walk around, pretty safe and plenty of stuff to do nearby. It's a short bridge away from downtown where there's constantly stuff going on and plenty of great restaurants, people, etc. Here's a link: Downtown Memphis: Mud Island

Good luck!

[2nomadic4me]

The Whole Foods you mentioned in Memphis (which is in a good area) at the corner of Mt. Moriah/Mendenhall/Poplar Avenue.

I lived just south of Timmons Avenue on Hayne Road and it is still a good area. The schools there are the best in the Memphis School District: White Station.

That area is called EastGate.

[eurocali]

Thanks everyone for your answers! Mud Island looks pretty cool. Are there any down sides like mosquitoes, floods, etc?

[Pearlbob]

Mud island would definitely be the first to flood if we had some major, unimaginable flood. Last year the river was about as high as I've ever seen, and while it crept up into the park, it came no where close to the residential areas.

As for mosquitoes - welcome to the midsouth. They are everywhere, and they are big, and they are bad

[sahmommie]

Mud Island does sound like a great fit for your family.

As far as the one Whole Foods... it used to be a small, dingy Wild Oats, and was recently converted to Whole Foods after they bought them out. It's kind of pathetic compared to the Whole Foods in other parts of the country. The produce there is typically older than the organic items you can purchase at Schnucks and Kroger (the two main grocery stores in the area). I usually just made the trip for bulk quantity items (we're about 90% organic food eaters).

Good luck with the move!

Germantown and Collierville are both great towns as well, with lots of parks and great schools. You can find ethnically diverse neighborhoods there, but you do have to specifically seek them out (which is true for most of the Midsouth). I lived in one in Collierville until we moved recently, and we found it by we making a point to our realtor that we wanted people from all over the world as neighbors.

[lisake]

If you live Downtown, you'll also want to check out the Farmer's Market for locally grown produce, much of it organic. Memphis Farmers Market

Also consider living in East Memphis, since you'll be working the area. Superlo is a very good locally owned grocery store for items you can't find at Whole Foods, and they're good about stocking customer-suggested items. Some great public elementary schools in the area include White Station, Sea Isle and Richland. East Memphis is a diverse and safe part of town.