Meeting people in Memphis (Gibson: neighborhoods, live in, restaurant)

[BradfromNO]

I would also try and attend the various rooftop dealie-os at the Peabody Hotel on
Thursday nights and at the Madison Hotel one or more nights a month. Smoke you
some cigars and rub elbows with other people that want to know you. Online info
for either would be at their websites.

[Tigertate]

Originally Posted by Memphis10AC

There aren't many young professionals in Memphis. Memphis is a very blue collar city that mainly consists of undereducated, low-skilled workers. Most highly educated people and young professionals leave Memphis and go to places like Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, (or even Nashville), etc. to find better career opportunties, so good luck finding others here who are like you...

Is this fact or just your opinion? I see a lot of young professionals in this area.

[bjh]

Really it will depend on the circles you move in. Pay attention to posts like this one:

Originally Posted by Robert_J

As Pearlbob says, join a group. I met 14 other guys from Memphis and the surrounding area by being a member of another forum where we all share a common interest. Through this other forum we planned an outing based on this common interest. Some of the guys were old friends while others came from as far away as Nashville. One guy had just moved to Memphis two days earlier so he was already meeting new friends.

There are also meet up websites you should check out for a variety of interests. The people you do meet will be mostly friendly and receptive.

Not so much posts like these:

Originally Posted by Cosmicstargoat

You're going to have a tough time. Memphis is very religious and atheists are not tolerated at all. The majority of the city is Black, poor and crime is high. There big presence of lowbrow redneck fundamentalist christians in the Caucasian community. There is also a rapidly increasing Hispanic community that is poor and illiterate for the most part.

Memphis is not a Mecca for Freethought and culture. Just saying.

Again, the circles you move in.

There is more than one atheist meet up group in the Memphis area if that's your thing. There are a couple of UU churches that are very liberal-minded both politically and spiritually. They are Neshoba Welcome to the Neshoba Website!
and Church of the River: http://www.churchoftheriver.org/

Of course you may not want to attend a church or religious/non-religioius group at all. That's not a problem. In a city, generally most people are not going to ask or particularly care what your religious convictions are. Don't worry about it.

Come see Memphis and enjoy the sites sometime whether you move here or not.

[(901)]

There are hundreds of ppl at 201 Poplar you could meet

[Johnny Ryall]

Originally Posted by BradfromNO

I would also try and attend the various rooftop dealie-os at the Peabody Hotel on
Thursday nights and at the Madison Hotel one or more nights a month. Smoke you
some cigars and rub elbows with other people that want to know you. Online info
for either would be at their websites.

I was actually looking for a print version of a story I saw on the news a few weeks ago. The Peabody rooftop parties actually made a national list for top socialite hangouts with the likes of LA, NYC & Atlanta.

[Johnny Ryall]

Originally Posted by Tigertate

Is this fact or just your opinion? I see a lot of young professionals in this area.

I would say it is a fact Tigertate. It's obvious that all the Fortune1000 headquarters, major regional offices, major law firms & BioTech firms in Memphis clearly run themselves with no human interaction.

[weisenheist]

My detailed experience is quite different. People WILL constantly ask you about what 'church' you attend. It was generally one of the first questions asked.


One poster stated : "It depends what circles you move in"



I firmly agree. I will add that my opinion based on my experience as a participant in key business 'circles' and social 'circles', Memphis is full of 'cliques', and is one of the most 'clique-ish' cities in which I have resided in my life.

Memphis is also extremely insular. There is not the cross-cultural contact to the extent of many other southern cities, or cities completely outside the South.

For example, whites will 'say' they have many 'black' or Jews as so-called 'friends'. In fact it's almost the first thing out of their mouths in Memphis (as if it's something so unusual it should be heralded). But what they actually mean is that they interact well with their 'black friends' AT WORK. The workplace for them is their method of contact with other races or religions most times (not all, obviously so)......but if you ask the same whites if they have invited their 'black friends' over to their house to have dinner, watch the game, go to dinner in the evening (lunch is always brought up as a phoney proclamation that whites have black friends..lol....so lunch doesn't count..lol), or get invited to go to church on Sunday morning together, or go to the pool, or go to the Park, or have dinner at the Country Club, or play a round of golf, or shoot some basketball, then you see the OBVIOUS SCARCITY of white/black so-called 'friendships' !

The same or similar condition exists with blacks and their so-called 'white friends'.

In other words the 'circles' in Memphis TN is most times 'code language' for segregation. Memphis, to this day is probably one of the most bifurcated cities along racial lines than most places in America today (sure there are more, and there are less)..

It is true that Memphis does not have a plethora of true 'young professionals'. That is changing, but it can't compare to many other cities....

The roof top parties at the Peabody are mostly a pretenders mecca, generally not populated with a variety of what I would call true young professionals. It can't compare to, for example, happy-hour gatherings that I have certainly attended in cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, Orlando, Tampa, suburban St. Louis, NOVA, and several others.

White socialites in Memphis avoid social contact, after 5pm contact with black Memphians. The minute whites in Memphis 'see' what they consider to be 'too many blacks' in a restaurant, bar, or other social settings, they actually ARTICULATE that out loud in like company......then they FLEE. I have heard this out of the mouths too many times from friends of mine. Then they tell their other white friends to AVOID that place 'because it's turning into a BLACK place'............yes yes, I have heard this too many times than I would like to admit....

If a white person is buying a house in Memphis, one of first questions they attempt to get answered by the real estate agent, or anyone else in that community, is "How many BLACKS live" on that street which the white person is considering purchasing. Again, I've heard this with my own ears and it is my experience.

Even though the real estate agents break federal law each day in Memphis by even entertaining race questions in re a particular neighborhood, they seem to be undeterred in fanning the flames of prejudice....

People in Memphis don't like to talk truthfully about this sort of stuff.....why ?? it's awkward for a racist to be caught being the fool he is...just another racist....moreover, If you are caught and thus labeled as being a card-carrying racist in Memphis you become 'radioactive' to all the so-called other enlightened, good white folks (who themselves just haven't been caught yet...lol)


One code word used in Memphis by agents, and by prospective BUYERS is 'political', er....well it's couched as 'political' but it's HARDCORE RACIST...........the agent will say something like : "THERE AREN'T any DEMOCRATS that live on this street, and there might be one or two in the subdivison".
The agents mean democrats=BLACKs, and republicans=WHITES..........I have heard agents and sellers say things like "This is an ALL Republican neighborhood and we want to keep it that way".....

Yep, Memphis is a wonderful place.....for young thoughtful professionals finding like-minded progressive friends....

It is one screwed up community for young professionals, because the status quo keeps young professionals from having a voice, and subsequent power. True young professionals oftentimes don't 'play by the stated rules', and they try different approaches to solve problems......that is a threat to 'good ole Memphians', so the social dynamic necessary for growth is suppressed....jintentionally fractured and scattered.......

My advice, I would not be that hopeful....and 'cast my bread upon the water'.....quickly.

[rockadoodle]

I've lived in Memphis since the early 90's and hung out frequently here before that. I've never once been asked what church I go to by anybody here. Not in any situation. Ever. (Freaky, huh?)

[plattsburgher]

My take on Memphis is that if you live in one of the east suburbia areas, then yes............it is more insular and there is less real interaction between people and people tend to be more cliqueish.........Midtown and downtown just feel different in that way......less 'old school' Memphis and more into getting to know people and if you like music at all, there is Minglewood Hall and just some other places around where music is nice, but you can still talk and get to know people. People are friendly but sometimes in Memphis, a newcomer has to definitely make the first move...............maybe more than some other places. Not everyone (especially young professionals) attend any church at all.....there are lots of UT people/students/nurses/docs downtown.....more medical people than you might think down there......working and many from out of town.

[weisenheist]

[quote=plattsburgher;14996305]My take on Memphis is that if you live in one of the east suburbia areas, then yes............it is more insular and there is less real interaction between people and people tend to be more cliqueish...THAT'S AN UNDERSTATEMENT IN MY OWN EXPERIENCE.........Midtown and downtown just feel different in that way......less 'old school' MemphisLESS OLD SCHOOL FOR SURE I AGREE, BUT FAR MORE PHONEY, EVEN PSUEDO-SOPHISTICATE/HIP/PROGRESSIVE, AND DISINGENUOUS and more into getting to know people and if you like music at all, there is Minglewood Hall and just some other places around where music is nice, but you can still talk and get to know people. People are friendly but sometimes in Memphis, a newcomer has to definitely make the first moveTHAT MAY BE TRUE IN JUST ABOUT ANY LARGE(R) CITY, BUT PEOPLE HERE ACTUALLY ARE TWICE AS XENOPHOBIC THAN ANY WHERE ELSE I'VE LIVED...............maybe more than some other places. Not everyone (especially young professionals) attend any church at all.....there are lots of UT people/students/nurses/docs downtown.....more medical people than you might think down there......working and many from out of town. I FIRMLY AGREE WITH THIS DEMOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION, BUT YOU DON'T JUDGE A COMMUNITY IN TOTO BY THE NUMBER OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS OR ACADEMICS, BY DEFINITION THESE GROUPS TEND TO BE ISOLATED AND HAVE FAR MORE EDUCATION THAN THE POPULATION, AND THE UNDEREDUCATED WHITES AND BLACKS GENERALLY DON'T PARTICIPATE IN THIS SMALL GROUP...............YES, THERE ARE LOTS OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM "OUT OF TOWN".......NO DOUBT........MY OWN SIBLING, A NATIONALLY KNOWN PHYSICIAN AND EXPERT IN MANAGED CARE, HAS HAD TWO (2) POSTIONS OFFERRED , ONE AT UT, THE OTHER HOSPITAL BASED IN MEMPHIS, AND DECLINED BOTH BECAUSE AFTER DETAILED REVIEW OF THE SOCIO-CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT, MY SIBLING DECIDED NOT TO HAVE THE CHILDREN REARED AND AROUND SUCH AN INTELLECTUALLY REPRESSIVE AND RECALCITRANT ENVIRONMENT, COMPARED TO THEIR CURRENT CITY......AND THE SPOUSE DIDN'T REGARD THE REWARD WORTHY OF THE RISK....BUT THAT'S JUST ONE CASE[/quote]