[valady29]

Hello everyone. My family and I are currently residing in VA. My husband commutes to NC where he works for Nucor Steel Corp. Nucor will be opening a plant in Memphis very soon. My husband may possibly be transferred to this mill. We considered relocating to Memphis but due to the crime rate, we have crossed that option off of our list. We are now looking into Marion. I am wondering about the race relations of Marion. My husband and I are both african-americans and are originally from a small Arkansas town and do not want to put our children in some of the same situations we had to deal with growing up. Our children are 13, 9 and 7. We have been in VA for 7 years now and would love to find an area that makes us feel as welcomed and safe as our neighborhood that we currently reside in. The area that we live in is very diverse and has a great school system. I would just like to get a feel of the Marion area before we consider this area on our list. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[Pearlbob]

Search through this forum, people have asked about marion many times.

Why AR? Why not the NE burbs or the MS burbs of Memphis? The NE burbs and the places in MS are growing 100x more than anything in AR. THe river really segregates that area from Memphis. The other areas have shopping, restaurants, etc that you're not going to find in AR.

[jtown,man]

Marion is a GREAT option for people working in Memphis. Unlike East Memphis or Mississippi, you can live 6 mins from Downtown without any of the problems those places have. Marion is growing FAST and the development is everywhere. Great school...Great small Community.

[rain8]

yeah is hard to find a safe place now a days , we just recetly move to marionlike a month ago is just me and my husband we dont know anybody here at all so we are just both of us here , we want to find friends im 23 and he is 25.

[Sam I Am]

If a river is all that's separating you from the "culture" of Memphis, I'd highly recommend looking there. A bridge is a small thing to maneuver most of the time for the joys of living in a smaller, upcoming town. Marion may be a little smaller, but I'd bet the cost of living and taxes is cheaper there...I'm pretty positive licensing a vehicle is cheaper in Arkansas than Mississippi. Median income in Marion is slightly higher than say Horn Lake, Mississippi - property values are a little higher according to the City Data home page. The racial make up is almost identical, with Caucasian being the largest percentage.

Others will have to tell you aboout the actual race relations, but Marion is what I would consider to be a "suburb" of sorts to Memphis with the benefit of true small town living. I think you are wise to consider this option and wish you the best in your decision. I would hope that racial concerns will fall by the wayside. Not sure where you were raised in Arkansas, but I can tell you that we've come a long way in the last 20 years.

[strumpeace]

Getting a vehicle licensed here in Memphis costs more than $100 annually.

Of course, Tennesseans don't have a 'personal property tax' to pay each year. I'm going to miss not paying that tax.

[Sam I Am]

Gosh, I think our PP tax on 4 cars is around $60, with a license renew of $35 or so per vehicle, maybe not that much...on 4 cars it's half of what TN would be. Does TN pay real estate tax? There is sales tax and state income tax? Wonder what the comparison is to Arkansas?

[strumpeace]

Hey Sam --

Tennessee has one of the lowest tax burdens (THE lowest, IIRC) in the nation, while Arkansas has the 12th highest. TN does not have a state income tax. Property taxes are at the county and municipal level only. There's no personal property tax.

Automobile registration is relatively expensive in the larger cities. Memphis has the highest auto registration cost in the state. Memphis also has the highest property tax rate in the state at $7.47 ($3.43 city and $4.04 county) per assessed $100. I don't know of a single Arkansas city or county that gets anywhere close to that. Further, the assessment rate in Memphis/Shelby County is 30 percent of appraisal, whereas the assessment rate in most of Arkansas is 20 percent of appraisal.

Tennessee has a super-high sales tax rate, considerably higher than Arkansas'.

I've lived in both states, and I think it all balances out in the end for the average person. (I don't like the personal property tax because I hate having to just hand over a lump sum of money at one time )

I'm looking forward to moving back to Arkansas. Only 12 more days!