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So Basically You're saying Memphis was never a Boom Town like You Would Imagine. But to say Memphis was Never A Major City is still Erroneous
Again, it's peak metro was about where the Triangle is today relative to the rest of the country (top 35), and few would consider the Triangle a major metro at the moment. The top 14 city ranking alluded to (1980) is basically the equivalent of Jacksonville now. Large city but not a major one.
Memphis might be the most famous city of the four (I’d say Nashville, but it’s a judgment call). But Memphis, outside it’s musical contributions (which are vast), has never been an otherwise major US city. It’s been overshadowed by other Mississippi River cities (St Louis, New Orleans, and Minneapolis being the Big 3) for its entirety, and I’m not sure it ever peaked in the top 30 cities/metro areas.
Does it’s culture mean Memphis is more important today than the Triangle? Maybe. It’s kept more historical cache than many peers of say 1950 (where it squeezed in between Rochester and Dayton). What the value of Beale Street or Graceland is in a conversation involving Tobacco Road schools and RTP is definitely in the eye of the beholder.
Memphis is easily more important today to the everyday person. It is a massive logistical hub containing some of the most critical rail and road crossings over this country's most prominent river, while being home to one of the world's largest air cargo transporters in Federal Express. Whatever is getting trucked from the west coast to the east coast uses Interstate 40, bisecting Memphis. Being at the nexus of two cross country interstates with another under construction, and having a regional interstate connector on the city's outskirts, Memphis is a lynchpin in this nation's intermodal transport infrastructure.
Memphis is easily more important today to the everyday person. It is a massive logistical hub containing some of the most critical rail and road crossings over this country's most prominent river, while being home to one of the world's largest air cargo transporters in Federal Express. Whatever is getting trucked from the west coast to the east coast uses Interstate 40, bisecting Memphis. Being at the nexus of two cross country interstates with another under construction, and having a regional interstate connector on the city's outskirts, Memphis is a lynchpin in this nation's intermodal transport infrastructure.
As I mentioned in a previous post on this thread, 3 of the 4 cities being discussed here are on I-40, with the Raleigh metro having the crossroads of I-40 & I-95. It's not a differentiator for Memphis.
No doubt that Memphis has more brand identity and cultural relevancy through its longer history among the US's larger cities, but that doesn't make it more important today.
Combined, the two TN cities have more cultural relevance than the two NC cities.
Combined, the two NC cities have more economic relevance than the two TN cities.
Combined, the two TN cities have a strong tourism component while the two NC cities don't.
Combined, the two NC cities have stronger growth than the two TN cities, though it's really Memphis that's the outlier here with the other 3 having very strong growth.
Combined, the two TN cities have stronger and deeper brand identities than the two in NC.
What's interesting is that there was a time not so long ago when Memphis was the largest southern city proper east of the Mississippi. Today it's quickly diminishing in relevance in the the same region as its peers rapidly expand.
At their CSA levels, Raleigh and Nashville are neck and neck in population with the difference between the two being only 1201 people with Raleigh's growing a bit faster.
As a side fact, 3 of these cities are along I-40 while Charlotte is not.
Nashville would have more in its CSA if Clarksville were included. Montgomery county has 220,000 people, while the Clarksville metro has more than 300,000 people. Clarksville is a very fast growing region. It is interesting that Raleigh's media market is larger than Nashville and only slightly behind Charlotte. What Charlotte has been able to do to position itself as a powerhouse region is amazing, considering it is not a media darling. I can't wait to see Charlotte reach 3 million and also open its first medical school.
The Tennessee gap seems bigger and the two seem on different trajectories.
But beyond that, Charlotte CSA covers only about a quarter of NC’s population, with the Triangle around 20%. Conversely Nashville has nearly 30% of Tennessee’s population, and Memphis is about 15%. In fact more Tennesseeans call Knoxville CSA home than Memphis.
Does the Memphis CSA population figure, include those in DeSoto County in Mississippi? I thought Memphis(while stagnant) may've been slightly ahead in population vs. Knoxville, but maybe that isn't the case?
Does the Memphis CSA population figure, include those in DeSoto County in Mississippi? I thought Memphis(while stagnant) may've been slightly ahead in population vs. Knoxville, but maybe that isn't the case?
The Memphis metropolitan area population is roughly 1,336,000 (2020), while the Knoxville metropolitan area population is roughly 868,000 (2020).
The consolidated Memphis metropolitan area is roughly 1.4 million, while the Knoxville consolidated metro area is almost 1.1 million.
Knoxville's CMSA will most likely pass the Memphis CMSA in the next 20-30 years or so, if growth stays strong for the Knoxville region and if the Memphis region stays sluggish.
Memphis has an extensive cultural, logistical, and urban legacy that's unmatched by all the cities on this list. Yes, Raleigh may be more popular, more healthy, and have a more prominent university.
The problem is Joe Public cares about none of that.
So why are a bunch of Joe Publics moving to the place in droves and have been for several years now?
As I mentioned in a previous post on this thread, 3 of the 4 cities being discussed here are on I-40, with the Raleigh metro having the crossroads of I-40 & I-95. It's not a differentiator for Memphis.
Not by itself. I-40's intersection with the Mississippi River is the differentiator.
As I mentioned in a previous post on this thread, 3 of the 4 cities being discussed here are on I-40, with the Raleigh metro having the crossroads of I-40 & I-95. It's not a differentiator for Memphis.
No doubt that Memphis has more brand identity and cultural relevancy through its longer history among the US's larger cities, but that doesn't make it more important today.
A bit of a stretch to compare the 40/55 interchange and the 40/95 one. I guess by your logic, we can say that 40 passes through Charlotte (metro) as well
Does the Memphis CSA population figure, include those in DeSoto County in Mississippi? I thought Memphis(while stagnant) may've been slightly ahead in population vs. Knoxville, but maybe that isn't the case?
The original post asked about the metros both nationally and within their respective states. On that score, I thought it worth mentioning that more people in Tennessee call Knoxville CSA home (1.15 million) than Memphis CSA (1.04 million). Memphis is larger overall, but not within the state.
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