Toronto to...Memphis?! (Germantown, Cleveland, Collierville: for sale, real estate, apartments)

[AznTO]

Alright -- so for some reason my company wants to relocate me to Memphis (so I can work with the Fed Ex account) - and my first thought was - H*LL NO. I'm from Toronto, Canada (similar to NYC but more multicultural and relaxed), so it will be a BIG change and even right now I am very hesitant to make the move. I am also a female Asian and I know that Memphis isn't the most multi-cultural city...is there even a China Town in Memphis?

Anyhow -- I've been reading the posts on areas to relocate to -- but only a few people have mentioned downtown Memphis (which is where I'd like to be) and how it is the new "hip" area to be. So I guess my question is -- are there specific d/t Condos that are recommended? I read some bad reviews about 10 Main Condos and others as well...any help would be appreciated...

Midtown condos would be alright too -- but I heard that each street is different from the next (can go from good to bad to good quickly).

What about life in Memphis -- I was told that I shouldn't go out at night ...

[Streetchie]

If I were you I would start by reading all of the great Memphis blogs instead of spending time at this site and others like it. I'm sure you've noticed the amount of negativity on this forum and if you look at any other "big city" forums it'll be the same, completely unhelpful. You can find links to some of the better blogs here... m3mphis. Scroll down on the left to the Blogroll.

Comparing Memphis and Toronto is a tough one, but I can assure you that winter here will be much more mild, we have better bbq and real estate, even downtown, is still pretty cheap. Good luck.

[North Pulaski Player]

Wow, talk about culture shock. If you're a single person, then it'll be much easier for you to adjust in Memphis though. You don't have to worry about sending kids to the terrible Memphis schools or anything like that. There are plenty of nice condos and townhouses in the Midtown and Downtown areas that would fit you perfectly. You'll be near all the action and you'll be near work, just do research on those areas of town. And as far as being multicultural, Memphis proper is only 25% white if that says anything...

[strumpeace]

Hi AznTO --

There are some great condos downtown. I would recommend Carolina Lofts or most anything owned by Henry Turley. The Lofts at South Bluffs is a cool place, probably my favorite downtown building. If you're looking at Midtown, there's a very cool building across the street from Overton Park on Poplar that was recently converted to condos.

Memphis is not like Toronto at all. There is not a Chinatown. There are Chinese here, but they are spread all over town, especially the east side of town. There is a small Vietnamese community in the Poplar/Cleveland area.

Come down and check Memphis out for yourself. Don't listen to the naysayers.

[Pearlbob]

No. 10 Main are apartments, not condos. Condos you purchase, apartments you rent. I know in bigger cities the words are sometimes used interchangably. Downtown is mainly condos for purchase now.

The condo boom is going on in the South part of town, South Main arts district. It is hitting it's limit though; they built so many and they can't find people to buy them. You could probably get a place for VERY cheap pretty soon. Be aware though, it is still a working railyard right there, so there are trains going through, construction, and it's not very pretty over there (at least the ones of the very south end).

There are plenty of condos on Main St in the middle area, between Peabody and maybe Jefferson. 413 S Main, 421 S. Main, the Shrine Bldg, the ones above Wang's chinese, those come to mind immediately as nice places. There are a couple beautiful ones right at Madison/Main for sale right now that take up an entire floor of an old building, very nice.

How much are you wanting to spend? That would help a lot to point you in the right direction.

I would suggest getting on crye-leike.com and searching for condos only, zip code 38103 (downtown). Those will be basically all your options.

There are also some condos on the island, but you'd be far removed from downtown (not walkable).

[Pearlbob]

Oh, and although we don't have a "Chinatown" here, there are a ton of good chinese, japanese, thai, and vietnamese restaurants in town. Jimmy Ishi, probably the most famous Memphis chef, is Japanese and has built an sort of empire of restaurants all over the midsouth (Memphis, Florda, NOLA, Carolina, etc). He has many great places all over Memphis, including downtown and midtown. So, it's not like Memphis is void of culture as so many people on this forum claim. We may not be NYC or San Fran, but given the fact that the entire town is basically half black and half white, I think we do pretty good in terms of culture.

[defiepilex]

yea, there is no Chinatown here, but the Whitestation area seems to have the largest concentration of Chinese residents.

[Pearlbob]

Ahhh very true defiepilex! There is a actually a huge chinese church out there, off Poplar.

[AznTO]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the responses - I guess for starters, I am looking to RENT (6 months to one year) first, just to see if I will like the city. I just found out that the main FEDEX building is in Collierville where I will spend most of my time -- so I guess I should move there? What's the commute like? My budget is about $1000, less is even better. What's the Quail Hollow at Kirby Parkway like (Germantown)?

I guess safety is a big concern for me as I will be traveling for my job, so I don't want my place being broken into while I'm gone each time...

And what's this business about needing a car, I have one in Toronto, but it's going to cost a lot to bring it South -- is public transportation that bad? Any other safe modes of transportation?

Thanks!
Ciara

[Pearlbob]

Yes, you will need a car. There is no getting around that. THe bus system here is pretty scary, it's used mainly be the very, very poor who cannot afford cars.

There is no grocery store downtown either, so you would need a car to get groceries no matter what. Memphis is NOT pedestrian friendly.

For $1000 you can find a much bigger apt downtown than 700 sq ft. South Bluffs is the only apt complex downtown where you can park right outside your building in a gated lot. Anything in the downtown core, you'd have to rent a spot in a garage and then walk to your building. There is a complex that used to be Echelon at the Ballpark, on 4th, but it's bad. I've known a bunch of people who have lived there and they all really hated it. It's also loud as all get out, with the traffic and cruisers on the weekends.

Where is Hunter's Terrace?

South Bluffs would be good, but even then it's a bit of a walk to the trolley stop, and it's about a mile or so from the main part of downtown. It is gated, but it's still next to that industrial area I mentioned before. Trains, trucks, etc. Just get a unit that doesn't face that stuff.

Peabody Place apts, Gayoso Bldg, those are nice but you'd need to pay more to park your car.

Some people buy condos and rent them out, you should check on commercialappeal.com or memphisflyer.com for those.