Is there anything good about Memphis? (Jackson, Millington: relocation, insurance, cheap house)

[guym2]

i relocated to memphis app 15 yrs ago. i live in north mississippi but worked in memphis. it is the most racist place i have ever seen. and i dont mean the first thing that jumps into people's minds, white against black, but black against white. it is aggressive and worse every time i have to go there

[restlessncurious]

Originally Posted by Wut2do

I am trying to find a reason for my husband to be able to take a job in Memphis, but everything I have read has been so negative. We live in East Tn. right now and have lived here all our lives. The comments I have found are not encouraging at all. They say the schools are awful and the racial tensions are high... things about annexation and being incorporated...so many things I can't mention them all. I am from a small town and I like small town living...and elbow room and nice people. I also have a son who is in high school and makes straight A's. I don't want to jeapordize anything for him. What are the best towns around Memphis that I might find these things?

Memphis is a ghost town compared to what it was 5 years ago. Everyone is moving out to surrounding states and sub burbs. Consider one of those instead and you will be much better off.

[Pearlbob]

I can't help but say just the opposite is true, IMO. 5 years ago, not many people lived downtown. Now, it is THE place to live for young adults and those with money, the condo craze shows that. There has been a wealth of new condo development in Midtown as well. I think it just depends on what type of people you are looking at; yes, maybe families with kids are moving out to surrounding areas, but I think young adults are definitely moving into town. It is definitely not a ghost town! Did you ever go downtown 10 years ago compared to today?? Now THAT was a ghost town.

Originally Posted by restlessncurious

Memphis is a ghost town compared to what it was 5 years ago. Everyone is moving out to surrounding states and sub burbs. Consider one of those instead and you will be much better off.

[strumpeace]

Unfortunately, most of the people moving downtown are not new to town. Rather, they're just shifting the population from one part of town to another. Crime and other problems will eventually follow, and downtown will become just another neighborhood.

[Pearlbob]

I find it hard to believe the people buying $250k condos in South Main are going to bring crime to the area eventually. There's a certain class that can afford things like that, and that class does not bring problems and crime to neighborhoods. Now, Uptown is a whole different story.....

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

I can't help but say just the opposite is true, IMO. 5 years ago, not many people lived downtown. Now, it is THE place to live for young adults and those with money, the condo craze shows that. There has been a wealth of new condo development in Midtown as well. I think it just depends on what type of people you are looking at; yes, maybe families with kids are moving out to surrounding areas, but I think young adults are definitely moving into town. It is definitely not a ghost town! Did you ever go downtown 10 years ago compared to today?? Now THAT was a ghost town.

The problem with your description is that downtown does not encompass all of Memphis city-proper. To be perfectly frank, I couldn't give a flip less about what's going on downtown in terms of development because it doesn't affect my life one iota. The other parts of Memphis city do affect me and they affect more people than the gentrification of downtown affects.

[Pearlbob]

Right...I was specifiying downtown. People who live downtown love it and don't venture out into "the east." It's a very closed knit community. My point is, there are areas of Memphis that have growth. It's not a GHOST TOWN as someone else said. That's ludicrous.

Edit: I don't even remember was the original poster's question was at this point But, I mention downtown because it has seen a ton of growth, has a good community feel, and it is good for young people. South Main was just ranked by cnn.com as one of the Top 10 places to retire to. That gives downtown a positive vibe to me.

[strumpeace]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

I find it hard to believe the people buying $250k condos in South Main are going to bring crime to the area eventually. There's a certain class that can afford things like that, and that class does not bring problems and crime to neighborhoods. Now, Uptown is a whole different story.....

Crime follows people. Hickory Hill was the hot spot for people with money 20 years ago. As of right now, what's happening in downtown is simply not sustainable. Trendy for now, yes. Sustainable in the long run, no. As the market for $250k condos erodes--as it will and, in fact, is--more and more units will become rental units. As the market for high-priced rental units erodes--and it will because Memphis does not have a limitless supply of well-to-do people--those rental units will come down in price. When that happens, the downtown quasi-neighborhood that currently exists will be no more.

A very good example of the high-priced rentals becoming low-priced rentals can be found just up the road on Mud Island. The Riverview apartments were once the trendy thing; they are now responsible for the majority of police calls to Mud Island.

I want downtown to succeed as a residential place. But without families, schools, parks, and community centers, it will ultimately fail. There are too many units going up too fast. And all this is happening while more businesses are moving away from downtown, resulting in fewer jobs in that area. There are actually people living downtown who commute outward to go to work, defeating the primary premise for living downtown.

[Pearlbob]

I definitely agree. Do you mean Riverset on the island? Those are the low scale apts, the originals to the island.

Many condo complexes (well, I don't know about downtown...) but many have clauses in them that state you CANNOT rent your unit out. Thus, if you buy it...you gotta live in it. That's an easy way to keep a condo building from getting some unwelcome people in it. As a condo tenant myself, I would never live somewhere that allowed owners to rent. That is asking for trouble, as you mentioned.

I think Uptown is a joke....a whole house for $70,000?? Gee, I can't imagine the type of people who will be living there in 5 years. Especially given the area is backs up to. It's a valiant effort, but...we'll see.

The list of how to get things to work is long...but one thing that I hope downtown residents will do is stick around...if people start moving in that cause problems...complain. Call the cops, over and over if you have to. Call the neighborhood watch people, the neighborhood homeowners committee, whatever it takes. Don't just move away.

Originally Posted by strumpeace

Crime follows people. Hickory Hill was the hot spot for people with money 20 years ago. As of right now, what's happening in downtown is simply not sustainable. Trendy for now, yes. Sustainable in the long run, no. As the market for $250k condos erodes--as it will and, in fact, is--more and more units will become rental units. As the market for high-priced rental units erodes--and it will because Memphis does not have a limitless supply of well-to-do people--those rental units will come down in price. When that happens, the downtown quasi-neighborhood that currently exists will be no more.

A very good example of the high-priced rentals becoming low-priced rentals can be found just up the road on Mud Island. The Riverview apartments were once the trendy thing; they are now responsible for the majority of police calls to Mud Island.

I want downtown to succeed as a residential place. But without families, schools, parks, and community centers, it will ultimately fail.

[OrgasmicSVT]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

There are actually people living downtown who commute outward to go to work, defeating the primary premise for living downtown.

The primary reason for a lot of people living downtown is the night life, not the close proximity to jobs. I work in Bartlett, but live and play in downtown. I love being able to walk everywhere on the weekends and enjoying all that the summer brings in Memphis.

I think a lot of your assumptions about downtown are way off. I belive that strong HOAs will keep a lot of things in check.