Is there anything good about Memphis? (Germantown, Cleveland: rent, buying a home, places to live)

[Pearlbob]

Haha, that's even better. And true!

Originally Posted by Lt. Dan

In the Mayors office?

[Kabluey]

Originally Posted by daneinmemphis

We recently relocated from Austin, TX (a very safe city) and I'm from Scandinavia -where guns are against the law and we have like 5 murders a year. That said, Yes Memphis has alot of crime, but it seems to be mostly in some areas, I live in Lakeland, and have not felt unsafe at all. I see police everywhere, and people are really super friendly and open around here. I would probaly never live downtown, it's weird how one street can be nice with expensive houses and the next street full of pushers. I think that is kind of unique. Normally it would be more divided. I think.
Anyway, I was reading all the horror stories before we made our choice to move here, and was kind of hesitent. But we did it, and no regrets. We have a 1 year old, and are planning to buy in Germantown within the next year, so hopefully the schools will stay exellent in that area. Or else we will have to move. Can't afford to pay 10000$ a year in private schools, and save up for college.
Besides, Memphis is a big city, so if you are from a "small town" and loved that, it probaly wont be for you. I'm a Big city girl -although I am in the Burbs now, I can still escape to the downtown once in a while
Good luck

Thanks and welcome! Although, as it's been mentioned, on the whole downtown is one of the safest districts in the region crime-wise.

[ss94]

Originally Posted by Beebird

I am new to this forum, but I have been reading replies for quite a while. As to the original poster from East Tennessee, moving to Memphis and being happy would have to depend on quite a few factors, not the least of which is how willing she and her family are to acclimate to a city like Memphis. I lived there twice for a total of 10 years and owned property there. I have also lived in Chicago and a number of mid-sized cities. Now I live in East TN (Knoxville). I will have to say that the stuff that goes on in Memphis shocks the living daylights out of people here. As there is no comparison to the size of Memphis vs the size of Knoxville, the original poster is coming from a small place to a big place. The true question is how much she is willing to deal with. I always tell people that Memphis is where I learned to lock my doors. To this day the one daughter I have who spent her early years in Memphis suspects anyone out and about who walks by a car while we are going somewhere. While in Memphis I worked with a woman who got shot on her way to church by someone she didn't know. It was very sad; she was young and responsible. There was also a woman police officer who had her gun turned on her by an assailant in her patrol car. He shot her in the back of the head. On the way home once I witnessed a robbery and shooting in progress at a convenience store. When I worked in downtown Memphis, I observed some people fornicating in an alley next to a parking garage where professionals park their cars. One time as I was driving through a retail area, a police officer cut off our vehicle and we saw the reason why: A guy on the sidewalk was wielding a gun at passersby. Another time my husband was robbed at an ATM. A co-worker had to transport some documents out by the airport and was run off the road intentionally. As I returned from Mid-town with some friends, my car was pelted with rocks and bottles. All of these experiences are first-hand and I am telling the complete truth. While the poster may very well be able to find a home within the stated price range in a nice neighborhood, she is going to have to leave its borders sometimes. Work and recreational requirements mandate it. In addition, as other posters have stated, some of the seemingly shorter commutes can be made difficult by traffic issues. I completely understand the perpetual defense of Memphis. I met my best friend there and after I left, I begged her for years to leave. She kept citing amenities like the AutoZone Park. When she finally did get a great job in another city, she can't stop saying how glad she was to get away. It is human nature to want to justify a situation you can't change. I feel bad for Memphis. It could be great. I was distressed to hear recently that the metro area achieved the distinction of most violent city in America. Why is the crime rate in New York so low? Instead of deflecting the blame on statistics and the fact that so far in 2007, crime is down 8% (to me 8% of a lot of crime still leaves tons and tons of room for improvement), the government and law enforcement of Memphis should be investigating ways that other cities have remained safer.

I RECCOMEND NOT TO LIVE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF MEMPHIS.I HAVE SOME FAMILY UP THERE....I WENT THERE FOR 1 WEEK AND ALL IN THAT 1 WEEK 2 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN A DRIVE BY SOME PEOPLE WERE BEATING SOME OLD MAN ON TOP OF A BUILDING AND THE MAN WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN THAT HE JUMPED OFF THE BUILDING AND KILLED HIMSELF IN THE PROCESS. MEMPHIS IS A EXTRMELY VIOLENT CITY AND I KNOW I DONT MESS AROUDN THERE.

[amiev]

Originally Posted by ss94

I RECCOMEND NOT TO LIVE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF MEMPHIS.I HAVE SOME FAMILY UP THERE....I WENT THERE FOR 1 WEEK AND ALL IN THAT 1 WEEK 2 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN A DRIVE BY SOME PEOPLE WERE BEATING SOME OLD MAN ON TOP OF A BUILDING AND THE MAN WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN THAT HE JUMPED OFF THE BUILDING AND KILLED HIMSELF IN THE PROCESS. MEMPHIS IS A EXTRMELY VIOLENT CITY AND I KNOW I DONT MESS AROUDN THERE.

Good grief, between this and the person he was quoting, no wonder people are afraid of Memphis. I have lived here for 4 years and never had a problem, and my family has lived here for 4 GENERATIONS and not had a problem. I go into all of the different neighborhoods in Memphis to shoot photos, too. The thing I have found? If you go into neighborhoods NOT acting afraid AND treating people with respect... they tend to return the favor. I have lived in major cities all over the world including Washington, DC (when it was the murder capital), Boston, SF, Madrid, Las Vegas, and so on, and Memphis is NOT worse for crime than any of those. Yes, there is crime in Memphis, and yes, there is murder, but welcome to the HUMAN RACE.

[censusdata]

Memphis may have a lot of crime, but it least it also has a vibrant nightlife and music scene and is unique. Cities that have high crime w/ none of those amenities (like Birmingham, Cincinnati, Dayton, etc) are really bad places to live.

If you're going to put up with big city crime, at least have some big city fun

[spamcatcher]

University of Memphis basketball and radiopig.com is just about it. Look at it this way Desoto County, MS is made up of mostly ex-Memphians that could afford to get out (i.e. neoconservative/republicans). Memphis and TN don't have an income tax (yet) but MS does. Now ask yourself how bad does a place have to be for a republican to move from a place where he is not taxed to one where he is?

[spamcatcher]

And I agree with people that say Memphis has a vibrant night life - it's sort of like Baghdad after dark.

[Pearlbob]

Come on. When people say things like this, it automatically negates any real opinion you have.

I love it when people insinuate that republicans are the only people "smart" enough to "get out" of Memphis.

Originally Posted by spamcatcher

And I agree with people that say Memphis has a vibrant night life - it's sort of like Baghdad after dark.

[chuck1229]

I just can't stand people that just have nothing good to say about anything. If you can find any good in Memphis, why don't you just leave. As a matter of fact, please go to Bagdahd if you really think Memphis is that bad.

[Emuche]

I agree with PearlBob. After reading some of these replies, I was terrified to relocate to Memphis. However, I had to remember my own Cleveland roots and I settled down. I grew up in Cleveland and due to job promotions have lived in Philadelphia and Las Vegas. Cleveland and Philadelphia are both known for crime and Las Vegas is well known for something else. However, I raised my family in all these cities and I can say one thing. Cleveland had a high crime rate, however there were great places to live within the city as well as in the suburbs. The crime was low to none and the people were great. The same went for Philadelphia. We did expericence a couple of thefts (someone stole my car) however the overall experience was great. I worked in the city ( where my car was stolen), however I really never felt threatened or scared. I walked daily in the neighborhood to eat at the local restaurants and I was fine. The scenario is the same with Las Vegas. Las Vegas was definitely a sex-industry city. However, we did not live on the strip. We lived in the far west area of Las Vegas right outside of Summerlin. Although slot machines are a pervasive presence throughout Las Vegas, we managed to carve out a pretty good life there. And we rarely visited the strip except when our families visited. To make a long story short, crime is everywhere. Besides Collierville, Germantown, etc.. ; I am sure there are pockets of neighborhoods within Memphis (as there are in every large city) where there is less crime and there are good people. So, I am going to give greater Memphis a try. I respect and agree with everyones desire to live in a safe environment and I am sure there are communities within, as well as outside, of the Memphis area that provide a sense of security and community (just like in every other city). The task is trying to find that niche. Resources such as this forum and the Internet provide both objective and subjective information that allow us to make an informative decision.