moving to Memphis area (Collierville: loan, how much, magnet schools)

[Kabluey]

Although in my experience, diversity persists after 5 in many areas of town.

[strumpeace]

while you don't have overt 'Kluxers' you'll find sneaky "i'm not a racist racists" all over the place...

Yes, yes, the old I'm not a racist...I had a black person over to my house one time (to fix the furnace)...

[SuburbSue]

the posts have been great. Keep 'em coming! It has given me some insight on the area and the schools. We will most likely settle down in the Collierville area. What is the possibility of employment with the school system? Would that increase my son's chances of getting into a particular school?

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by SuburbSue

the posts have been great. Keep 'em coming! It has given me some insight on the area and the schools. We will most likely settle down in the Collierville area. What is the possibility of employment with the school system? Would that increase my son's chances of getting into a particular school?

I sent you my thoughts Private email as I wanted to get you some food to think on.

[Pearlbob]

SuburbSue - are you asking if being a teacher in the public schools will help you get your son into a public school? I am confused. You have to attend school where you live, ie the neighborhood school. Unless he goes to a magnet school, but in that case, I would hope, they don't play favors like that. The lines and the drama to get kids into those schools is quite substantial. As for private schools, if you have the $$$, you can get your kids in. Or, do you mean Collierville schools?

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

SuburbSue - are you asking if being a teacher in the public schools will help you get your son into a public school? I am confused. You have to attend school where you live, ie the neighborhood school. Unless he goes to a magnet school, but in that case, I would hope, they don't play favors like that. The lines and the drama to get kids into those schools is quite substantial. As for private schools, if you have the $$$, you can get your kids in. Or, do you mean Collierville schools?

What SuburbSue should do is call the school district and ask if her working for the district will allow for her son to be transferred to the district's school. I see districts allowing out-of-district kids into district schools if their parents are employees.

[Pearlbob]

But if you are living in Collierville...what other schools would you want your kids in? Cville schools will be about the best you can get. If your'e already living there, no need to plan anything else. ??

[ParkTwain]

Originally Posted by IncognitoBlue

I grew up in Florida, went to college in Raleigh, grad school in Chicago, began my career in Memphis and have lived in Los Angeles, Charlotte, Atlanta since..Memphis is much like any other city. ... If you're on a budget for a nice neighborhood, try Cordova or Bartlett..If you can spend excess 300K, try Germantown or Collierville. The more you pay, the better public schools and less crime. There are many private schools in the Memphis area but most folks put their kids in private school not because of the education but mainly they never got over integration..Most public schools are majority black but Memphis is a majority black city much like L.A. a majority Hispanic city. There are good public schools in Memphis but like any city with a large population, public schools have a poor reputation. The suburbs have pretty good public schools. Actually, this entire region is majority minority so there is no escaping diversity. To escape it is to pay 40% more for a house than necessary. The builders here are really getting over on the white community by building the same houses and charging folks extra to escape diversity. Its your call on whats important. Me, I'd rather learn to live next door to someone with the same income and education if it will save me 40K - 70K for a house. ...
One thing about Memphis, its a big city that operates much like a small town. The average person here hasn't been more than 500 miles away for an extended period. Most are threatened by outsiders so it may be difficult finding new friends (unless you find another transplant). ...
One last thing, Memphis is stuck in 1975 (honestly) so those issues that most cities have overcome, Memphis hasn't been able to bypass that barrier. Its a racially unhealthy city. Politically, power is held by the black community but economic power is held by whites in East Memphis and far east suburbs. Some white Memphians haven't gotten over the fact that the city is ran by black politicians which explains the exodus to Mississippi. Let them tell you, its the city taxes, schools and crime. There is a thriving minority community (blacks and Indians). Most Indians are in Collierville. Most hispanics live in southeast (Hickory Hill) or north Memphis. They are quiet but numbers are growing and adding a great deal of value to the city.

You won't see much diversity after 5PM or on weekends. There is a great deal of poverty here and the number of college educated residents is below the national average. Its not a fitness (healthy lifestyle) kinda place but I admit, there are good people here (both white, black and brown). You'll just have to find them.

This post is actually getting somewhere in addressing the "state of things" in Memphis. Your comments about not paying a premium to live in a predominantly white neighborhood are right on. I grew up in East Memphis and left for good after 22 years in 1979. I don't know the present scene, neighborhoods, prices, etc., but I do have a few opinions about the underlying forces that shape the social situation in Memphis.

Geographically, Memphis is in the center of a circle of predominantly agricultural activity dotted by small towns that extends a couple of hundred miles in every direction. Outside of Memphis, find a college or university in that circle. Find non-agricultural economic activity in that circle, other than casinos and hotels in north Mississippi. So Memphis is a draw for folks needing work but not continuing to perform agricultural activity in the surrounding area and also for those wanting higher education. The people being drawn are poor, predominantly black, uneducated, and with the expected higher birth rate. Northern Mississippi, part of basically the poorest state in the nation, has been exporting people to Memphis for over 100 years. Same for eastern Arkansas. Memphis's own populace has a given population growth rate, before you add the inflow from the surrounding area. So Memphis tends to have plenty of labor to support an expanding economy. However, if the job creation portion of the Memphis economy doesn't produce jobs as quickly as its population is growing, you get social problems. Traditionally, the levers of the job creation portion of the Memphis economy have been closely held. That has loosened up in the last 30 years but not enough to grow the economy to match the underlying population dynamic. The city leaders can address the dynamic by increasing basic education to improve the employability of its people for the types of jobs most in need today. Is this happening? Beyond UM, is Memphis's non-professional education system meeting the needs of the local economy? Let's assume optimistically that it is. In that case, it is the role of the political leaders to grow the economic base for employment in the city. This is accomplished via investment from local sources and non-local sources. Local sources should also be helping to grow local entrepreneurs. How well are the business community and political leadership doing? Tax reveneues tell you something. Aggregate commercial property values tell you something. Aggregate employment numbers tell you something. Memphis must build on its strengths, its "comparative advantages": large unskilled yet trainable labor supply, music-based tourism (there is still lots of upside to this; are the local banks really taking care of entrepreneurs who want to grow this sector?), geographic proximity to commercial distribution routes, medical care, abundant high-quality water supply (this will continue to become a differentiator for the city). Additional institutions of higher learning should be created in Memphis to fill niches that are found in other U.S. cities with diversified economies.

Look at this breakdown of employment in Memphis as of 2005 by the Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce:
Memphis Regional Chamber

(I am certainly open to finding a better set of data that reflects Memphis's economic reality.) Notice that the highest numbers of employed are in GOVERNMENT (category "government" plus category "educational and health services"). This should shame the CoC into getting its act together and growing the PRIVATE SECTOR of the economy. And this is where you get into the underlying historical-social-political dynamic in Memphis, which can be seen as emblematic of the Old South. If the levers of capital in Memphis are historically in the hands of the descendants of white landed gentry whose attitude is to avoid diversifying the economy (that is, diversifying it out of their means of influence), then the majority citizenry (blacks) have to bootstrap the rest of the economy using its own slowly growing resources to achieve a growth rate that begins to match the population dynamic. But reaching that economic growth rate in an "organic" (i.e., mostly self-funded) manner hasn't yet been achieved. That is what I believe is the political-economic situation in Memphis to this day. The result: SLOW growth in relatively low productivity industries, while other cities and regions in the U.S. are exploiting technological trends to grow faster and provide their populaces with relatively higher standards of living.

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by acedog

My family is moving to Memphis from Austin, TX suburbs. We have 2 sons, one in elementary and one in middle school. Looking for good family neighborhood with good schools, shopping, etc. Any suggestions for favorite elementary/middle schools - there are so many in Shelby Country district, it would be helpful to narrow down the choices. Thanks!

Check out Desoto County Mississippi!

[ParkTwain]

"find a college or university in that circle"

Outside of but within about 150 to 200 miles of Memphis, the most colleges and universities, and enrolled students, are found in eastern Arkansas. This is not what I expected to find.

Bethel College, McKenzie, TN (830 students)
Freed-Hardeman Univ, Henderson, TN (1,950 students)
Lambuth Univ in Jackson, TN (836 undergraduates)
Lane College in Jackson, TN (1,150 undergraduates)
Union Univ in Jackson, TN (~3,800 students)
UT-Martin in Martin, TN (7,000 students)
Western Tennessee, Total: ~15,500 students

Blue Mountain College in Blue Mountain, MS (425 students)
Delta State Univ. in Cleveland, MS (~3,800 students)
Mississippi Valley State Univ in Itta Bena, MS (2,700 students)
Rust College in Holly Springs, MS (~900 undergraduates)
Univ of Mississippi in Oxford, MS (~14,000 students)
Northern Mississippi, Total: ~22,000 students

Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, AR (~187 students)
Arkansas St. Univ. in Beebe, AR
Arkansas St. Univ. in Jonesboro, AR (~7,500 full-time undergraduates)
Arkansas St. Univ. in Newport, AR
Central Baptist College in Conway, AR (~500 students)
Harding Univ in Searcy, AR (~5,000 undergraduates)
Hendrix College in Conway, AR (~1,000 undergraduates)
Lyon College in Batesville, AR (~500 undergraduates)
Philander Smith College in Little Rock, AR (~800 students)
Univ of Arkansas-Little Rock in Little Rock, AR (~12,000 students)
Univ of Central Arkansas in Conway, AR (~10,000 undergraduates)
Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge, AR (~600 undergraduates)
Eastern Arkansas, Total: ~31,500 students (not incl. ASU-Beebe and ASU-Newport, but probably incl. part-timers at UALR)