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Old 07-05-2009, 11:00 PM
 
2 posts, read 5,119 times
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My husband and I are planning on moving from Boston to Memphis soon (as soon as we find jobs). Our main motivation for moving is the lower cost of living and the better climate (we HATE winter), but I would love to have some other good points about Memphis to highlight about our decision to move there since that seems to be the #1 question employers ask on interviews. I grew up in Memphis, and have visited my family since leaving, but things have changed so much since I left (10 years ago). I know that there are some great things to do in Memphis and great things about living there, but having never lived there as an adult and only having short visits to draw upon, I would love some input. Please spare me the negative aspects, I left as soon as I graduated high school for all of those reasons.

Also, we are thinking of downtown or Mud Island to rent an apartment to start with. We would love to find a loft to rent and are comfortable spending $1200-$1650/month. Any suggestions? Also, any other neighborhoods that are clean and safe? We do not have kids, so schools are not an issue. I grew up in Germantown and am not interested in that area or any of the other suburbs. We like an urban lifestyle.
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Old 07-06-2009, 12:20 PM
 
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Most of downtown lofts are condos (to buy) instead of places to rent. That being said, many people buy a condo and then rent it out later on. Check the local newspapers and online (memphisflyer.com, commercialappeal.com) for listings. Your price range should get you something pretty spectacular, I'm sure you're used to much higher prices for much less square footage in Boston!

Don't move to the island. It's very isolated from the rest of downtown, and is basically not walkable to "downtown". It's got a suburban feel to it, not an urban one.

Memphis has a lot of great things to do -museums, restaurants, bars, white and blue collar businesses, a laid back lifestyle, and some fair shopping.
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Old 07-06-2009, 01:48 PM
 
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Thanks so much! We are hoping to find something pretty nice downtown. In Boston, we are paying $1500 for a 500sqft basement apartment! I am visiting family this week and will take a look at some of the places downtown. What do you think about midtown? My mom lives in East Memphis, and that's a bit far out for us, but I think Midtown might be nice.
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Old 07-06-2009, 02:27 PM
 
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I love midtown. It is very ecclectic. It has very good neighborhoods filled with mansions, and it has very bad neighborhoods filled with boarded up homes. So you have to be very careful about where you live in midtown. But you can definitely find something very nice there, to rent or buy. It doesn't have a very urban feel though. Depending on where you live, you might be able to walk to a restaurant or two, but overall Memphis is a very car-oriented city. People drive everywhere, no one walks. Downtown is really the only area where people are able to walk around and not use a car everywhere they go. (I don't know if that is something you are looking for.)

For $1500, you can find a very nice rental house in midtown. The problem though, is that many places do not advertise - many advertise by word of mouth or yard signs only. Craigslist also has a lot of rentals too, I forgot to mention that earlier. While you are in town, drive around midtown and check the area out. Keep in mind though, that most places with For Rent signs up mean that it's vacant NOW and for rent immediately. Places here do not rent out months in advance like in other cities.
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Old 07-06-2009, 02:35 PM
 
Location: Memphis
54 posts, read 183,973 times
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Small world. We are moving from Waltham right outside Boston in August. We pay 1650, but for 900sq. ft. I am more comfortable with suburban feel though and probably living in East Memphis. You might want to check out a place called Fielder Square seemed pretty nice.
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Old 07-06-2009, 07:36 PM
 
3,371 posts, read 13,339,131 times
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I have to respond to this - I've known many people to live in those apartments downtown, and the complex was terrible. I could never recommend it to people. Hopefully it has changed in the last few years, but previously it was simply terrible.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GoJazz View Post
Small world. We are moving from Waltham right outside Boston in August. We pay 1650, but for 900sq. ft. I am more comfortable with suburban feel though and probably living in East Memphis. You might want to check out a place called Fielder Square seemed pretty nice.
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Old 07-08-2009, 12:50 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
1,065 posts, read 1,752,420 times
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You should check out an apartment building DT on Main Street called 10 Main. Extremely nice with an incredible roof top and also well within your price range.
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Old 07-13-2009, 04:04 PM
 
Location: South Main
55 posts, read 178,691 times
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Check out the South Main area. I love it here, and with the condo market's recent tank, many owners are renting theirs rather than selling them right now.
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Old 07-13-2009, 07:14 PM
 
Location: Kennewick, WA
235 posts, read 1,353,952 times
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Where did you live before in MEM? Did you like it?
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Old 07-14-2009, 06:51 AM
 
3,371 posts, read 13,339,131 times
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Very good point!

Quote:
Originally Posted by klmrphy View Post
Check out the South Main area. I love it here, and with the condo market's recent tank, many owners are renting theirs rather than selling them right now.
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