Toronto to...Memphis?! (Knoxville, Collierville, Midtown: transplants, rent, hotel)

[AznTO]

Haha -- well I see what I can squeeze out of them.

I will most likely go back to Toronto for the 14th and 15th, then fly back to NY for the rest of the training -- assuming I still decide to work in Memphis...

Midtown --- I like grocery stores and parking is easier midtown I assume -- 10 minutes drive to downtown is nothing. The traffic in Toronto is probably 10 times more worse than Memphis

Thanks everyone, I will be sure to post more questions if I have any...

[Pearlbob]

In midtown, you just park in your driveway. It's all residential Downtown parking is pretty simple though too, if you know where to look and don't mind walking a bit. Our downtown is very, very small. I'd say the drive from most places in midtown to the general area of downtown is more like 5 minutes too. You don't want to walk it though...you go through some iffy areas.

I'd call the downtown center to be Union and 2nd. And the center of midtown...hmm...the main "fun" areas are Cooper and Young, and Madison and Cooper. About a mile in between.

[Streetchie]

As for hotels, try the Westin, Madison or Peabody. Have fun.

[sliverbox]

My simplified advice is to go into Memphis with an open mind.Your post sounds like you already made up your mind about what kind of city Memphis is. Trust me- Memphis will not be like Toronto, NYC, or any of those other upity kinds of places. But in itself, it is a unique and interesting city. My Aunt, who herself is very liberal has lived there for 30 years and loves it. She has friends from all over the world. She used to take me out to all kinds of ethnic restaurants as a kid. I always and still feel like it has a kind of cool vibe.

Lastly, there are some obvious advantages. For one, Memphis is going to be 1/3rd the cost to live there than Toronto and... it doesn't get freezing AS$ cold either in the winter. So visit, have an open mind about it, and have fun.

PS: Make sure and see the Peabody Ducks.

[fedexforum]

I came to Memphis from Hamilton three years ago, I am also an asian canadian, this is what I am thinking of Memphis. I hope it can be of help

pro:
1. The weather is definately better, almost no snowing during the winter. Summer is hot, but not bad.
2. BBQ capital of USA
3. House is relatively cheap, most apts have washer, dryer, Dishwasher, etc.
4. Traffic is good, no DVP or QEW like traffic jams.
5. much lower tax rate than ontario, private health insurance and private hospital

con:
1. Crime! Crime! Crime! one death every other day.
2. school system sucks,worst in Tennessee, and Tennessee is the worst in the country
3. Southern accent is terrible, I really don't want my kids to speak like that, that's the reason I am looking for a new job
4. Chinese food is horrible here, and all americanized
5. not many place to go in driving distance, no big city around, NO is destroyed, SL is boring, just like memphis, zoo is too small, only amusement park (not a good one) was shutdown last year

7. Heart of Jesusland, or maybe it is Texas, anyway

[Pearlbob]

I think there were some awfully racist/prejudiced things mentioned right above by FedExForum.

Tennessee does not have the worst school system in the country.

What is worse about a Southern accent vs an Asian one? They are both just accents. You can't generalize that an accent is worse than another.

New Orleans is not destroyed either; the places that were destroyed were poor residential neighborhoods anyway.

I deleted # 6 due to the racist remark which I will not repeat.

And "jesusland" basically is putting down the entire religion of Christianity, which could be a big reason why you are not enjoying living in the south. People do not take very kindly to those bashing their religion.

[sliverbox]

con:
1. Crime! Crime! Crime! one death every other day.
2. school system sucks,worst in Tennessee, and Tennessee is the worst in the country
3. Southern accent is terrible, I really don't want my kids to speak like that, that's the reason I am looking for a new job
4. Chinese food is horrible here, and all americanized
5. not many place to go in driving distance, no big city around, NO is destroyed, SL is boring, just like memphis, zoo is too small, only amusement park (not a good one) was shutdown last year

7. Heart of Jesusland, or maybe it is Texas, anyway

Wow. I wasn't sure if you were kidding.

Also- I take high offense to your remark about southern accents. We have one of the last existing original, regional dialects left in the country that hasn't been totally annihilated by suburban assimilation.

Oh- and before I forget- A Buddhist person would probably find it very offensive if we were to refer to a heavily Buddhist region as "Buddaland". I don't get how people like yourself, whom I assume must consider themselves educated, smart, and- enlightened( I couldn't resist the pun) can assume that it is perfectly A-OK to poke fun of another religion just because it happens to be the predominant one in the area. Look at yourself in the mirror next time and think about it.

Oh- and before I forget- When was the last time you heard Americans wanting to move to Canada? Oh boy! I So want to live in Canada! Not.

[defiepilex]

i actually have thought about moving to toronto, but i agree with sliverbox on everything else. i dont speak with too much of a southern accent, but you're in the south--GET USED TO IT. and let it be known that i wasnt making fun of any religion in my previous statements, i was simply informing the topic starter to get ready for it.

as for the crime, yes there is tons of crime to be found in memphis, but a majority of the victims are in areas known for crime. dont live there! if you arent doing anything to help the crime situations, then dont complain.

also, there is plenty to do in NOLA and right now things are fairly cheap there, as they are trying to bring tourism back into the city. STL is fairly boring, in my opinion, but lots of people still go there and find plenty of fun. Nashville is 2-3 hours away, ATL and Dallas are both about as far away as NOLA.

you obviously havnt experienced Memphis and have no idea what you are bashing.

[AznTO]

There are a lot of Americans living in Toronto - lets stop country/city bashing...

I think what FedExForum meant was that he prefers the Northern English accent to the Southern English accent ... there is a big difference. It's not whether which is 'better' overall.

I know that TN is part of the 'bible belt' - which is fine as long as I am not haggled everyday, solicited with conversion type mail etc, people 'looking down on me' because I am not Christian...

I will get a better sense of the city once I am in it - so I am keeping an open mind, else I would not have bothered after reading stuff on TN/Memphis (crime rate, bible belt city, etc).

Anyhow, lets refrain from bashing each other

Is there a hotel in Collierville - I can't drive in Memphis without an American license anyway so no car rentals. I will probably stay for Friday night then leave the first thing in the morning back to Toronto.

[Streetchie]

Actually, I think you can drive in the States with a Canadian license. I do the opposite all the time.