Memphis VS. Nashville ( which do you like better or prefer?) (Louisville: crime rate, how much)

[BlueRedTide]

Originally Posted by Shakeesha

How could areas like Memphis replicate Nashville's success?

Well if you look at Nashville's cornerstones Healthcare, State Gov't, Music, Higher Ed, the Only thing Memphis doesn't have is State Gov't, Memphis surly has Music, and it's Healthcare industry is expanding, "Hospital Building Boom Hits Downtown Memphis" ....https://www.memphisdailynews.com/new...town-memphis-1 As is it's Higher Education sector...College town: Higher ed boosts Memphis economy

Also Nashville is Central to Tennessee but Memphis is central to the U.S and better positioned for Manufacturing, Transportation and Logistics jobs, and interestingly, Memphis has more Fortune500 companies than Nashville, although Memphis isn't touching Nashville in GDP and Job growth, few cities are : )

For Tourism Memphis can, -especially to the "im not a fan of country music" crowd- go toe to toe with Nashville as far as number of tourist attractions go, Nashville still gets more tourists tho, But Memphis's Downtown is becoming more poplar and constantly adding new things, 6.5 Million Permit Filed for Malco Theater Downtown 3/30/16- https://www.memphisdailynews.com/new...ntown-theater/ ...A movie theater in downtown Memphis would be interesting

So That's a Start as to how areas like Memphis could replicate Nashville's success

[Hey_Hey]

Originally Posted by BlueRedTide

Well if you look at Nashville's cornerstones Healthcare, State Gov't, Music, Higher Ed, the Only thing Memphis doesn't have is State Gov't, Memphis surly has Music, and it's Healthcare industry is expanding, "Hospital Building Boom Hits Downtown Memphis" ....https://www.memphisdailynews.com/new...town-memphis-1

When people refer to the healthcare industry in Nashville, they aren't referring to hospitals. Every city in the US has roughly the same per capita number of hospital beds, physicians, nurses, etc., because it is based roughly on population. Healthcare in Nashville refers to the healthcare administration, startup community, healthcare IT, and corporate headquarters that is really unrivaled in the US. The two largest for-profit hospital corporations in the world are based here which has turned Nashville into a healthcare incubator.

The same can be said for the music industry. The music industry doesn't just refer to music venues, it is the corporate side of the industry that really drives the economy (and results in tremendous amounts of live music as well).

[jabogitlu]

This ^ is a great point. Memphis should (and is) connect the dots on how to grow its respected medical research sector (St. Jude's and UTHSC being the key players), as opposed to Nashville's nationally recognized administration sector.

Tourism can be a strong player for both cities. I would wager that the marketing and outreach for Nashville is stronger. Just compare Memphis, Tennessee - Attractions, Restaurants, Hotels & Things to Do - Official Site | memphistravel.com to Nashville, Tennessee Guide to Nashville Tourism and Visitors | Visit Nashville, TN - Music City. Memphis' site is outdated and static, while Nashville's has a clear message (Music City) and utilizes the page well to represent a cross section of interesting things in the city.

As far as work to connect and build community, I would say Memphis is doing a lot of the necessary work. On the physical side, projects like the Central Station and Chisca renovations, South Junction, and constant-but-slow work in Uptown are laying the groundwork for a bigger and better downtown. Crosstown Concourse and the Med District plans are coming together to link downtown to Midtown. Binghampton is a largely market-driven renaissance. The core of Memphis, which has always been somewhat decent yet surrounded by and intersected with fraying threads, is poised to strengthen itself immensely and re-establish itself as one of the major key players in its own region (along with East Memphis/Germantown and North MS). That's an important stepping stone for future growth potential.

On the social-economic side, I would say that Memphis is taking a somewhat different approach than Nashville, largely due to the economic development leadership vacuum which happened in Memphis in the mid 80s, 90s, and first decade of the 2000s. That era saw the loss of important companies like Holiday Inn.

A patchwork of groups like Grow Memphis, Community Development Council/Livable Memphis, Bus Riders Union, and the parks conservancies are increasingly working together to provide more and better opportunities for folks on the lowest end of the economic/social scale in Memphis. The government sector is pitching in to a degree, helping to bring projects like Nike and Electrolux to town. But I think that scaled growth in white collar work (which Nashville is awash in) is outside the bounds of Memphis' current growth plan and regime, and would perhaps be the focus of another, different growth spurt within the next few decades. Memphis is laying the groundwork (perhaps unintentionally even) to be a more successful city in its own right, but it's going to take a few decades. The destruction, decay, and loss of human capital that occurred over the past 40 years will take a while to recover from.

[TheKernel91]

Memphis has to keep playing it's strengths, simple. Geographic location is one of them. Because of that, Logistics & Distribution is King here. Being a top US city in that category with international connections is beneficial to the possibilities. This type of investment has to keep happening. http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/n...stment-in.html http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/n...s-memphis.html http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/n...n-memphis.html



Just a few links that I can remember. This industry is getting stronger by the year in the Memphis area. Memphis has seen the highest absorption in Industrial space in over a decade. Jobs still locate here because of location alone. This is one card that has keep it up, and reach new levels.

[Hey_Hey]

No city needs to mimic another to match its growth. It will never work because no two cities are the same. Memphis can't recreate Nashville's growth by doing the same things. Memphis has the infrastructure to innovate in supply chain and distribution and has the know-how with fedex.

What happened in Nashville with healthcare is that junior execs and C-suite execs team up and form a new, innovative company that is built up and sold which then allows further investment. The same could happen in Memphis if things go right. A couple executives at FedEx could figure out the next major innovation in distribution or shipping and can form a new company. Once that happens a few times that sector can continue to grow.

Of course, government can't make this happen. Local government can help foster the environment that allows those things to happen, but it has to develop organically which take a little (or a lot) of luck.

[jabogitlu]

Of course, government can't make this happen. Local government can help foster the environment that allows those things to happen, but it has to develop organically which take a little (or a lot) of luck.

The key, I think, is in the fostering. That's a long game to play, and involves so many different factors. Investing in high quality K-12 education, investing in scholarships, grants and other methods to get more folks in local universities. Helping to connect those universities to local key industries. That's a good start that will take a couple decades or longer in Memphis.

[the_commuter]

I've lived in both. Personally, I prefer Memphis. I like the history, the grit, the street network, the neighborhoods, the U of M, the P & H. and the Griz. As far as urban 'feel,' Memphis has it. Nashville--to me--doesn't. Nashville feels like a patched-together group of former independent towns with no rhyme or reason. (That's probably because Nashville is a patched-together group of former independent towns with no rhyme or reason.)

All that aside, Nashville has many great things going. I live here now, and I've grown to like it. I'm not down with hipsters or overpriced real estate or excessive traffic, though.

[BlueRedTide]

Originally Posted by the_commuter

I've lived in both. Personally, I prefer Memphis. I like the history, the grit, the street network, the neighborhoods, the U of M, the P & H. and the Griz. As far as urban 'feel,' Memphis has it. Nashville--to me--doesn't. Nashville feels like a patched-together group of former independent towns with no rhyme or reason. (That's probably because Nashville is a patched-together group of former independent towns with no rhyme or reason.)

All that aside, Nashville has many great things going. I live here now, and I've grown to like it. I'm not down with hipsters or overpriced real estate or excessive traffic, though.

I Keep Telling People, Memphis is on an upswing, but they don't hear me tho

[censusdata]

Perspective from a non Tennessean:


There is a big perception difference nationally between them. Nashville is viewed as cool and hip while Memphis is viewed as high crime but with Beale Street.


My take on each...


Nashville- great/ diversified economy, lots of unique tourist places, pretty topography with hills and forest, great downtown. One thing I hate is the confusing interstate system combined with no complete beltline. It is by far the hardest city to drive through I've ever seen because routes are constantly joining and exiting each other.


Memphis - compact layout, nice waterfront in downtown and Mud Island development is cool, good barbecue. Like my metro area the big economy strength is having the FedEx (up here UPS) world hub, which creates lots of warehouse and trucking jobs.

[jabogitlu]

One of the big differences to me is the quality of the built environment in the neighborhood. Granted, I'm not as well-versed with Nashville, but many of the neighborhoods that I find myself in, in Nashville, look like this:

http://tinyurl.com/hqnuqcn
http://tinyurl.com/jk2sycb
http://tinyurl.com/jld5pfr


Memphis grew larger during an earlier era than Nashville, and as a result has (at least, in my mind) a larger selection of this type of neighborhood:

http://tinyurl.com/zngp5br
http://tinyurl.com/j9r8kkm
http://tinyurl.com/hsyudlf
http://tinyurl.com/zpzzp6f



Although when I was putting together these links, I did find a few new cool Nashville neighborhoods I didn't know about, e.g.:
http://tinyurl.com/znmbbhn


There's tons of ways to compare the two cities and undeniably Nashville is a boomtown these days, but this is one small way that influences how I think about the two places in general.