Pleasantly suprised at Memphis metro area (Germantown, Collierville: violent crime, daycares, how much)

[Orleron]

I am born/raised in NJ and had an interview down in Memphis this Monday. I admit, going down there I was very scared. People in NJ do not have great images of anything south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Lo and behold, after spending a weekend there before the interview and looking around with a realtor and a local, I was very suprised! The place is normal, livable even, especially in the "Poplar Corridor", which extends about a mile on either side of Poplar. I couldn't believe it. No banjos. No cars on blocks. Everyone had all their teeth. :P (that's tongue-in-cheek!)

Granted, there were places outside the corridor where I didn't care to go, but the area within the corridor is huge... about 2 miles wide and 15 miles long... much bigger than Manhattan, for instance. So, yes, definitely, one could live a life in there and never have to see a deadbeat. Not only that, but within that corridor, there was every basic kind of store or retail chain you could ever want, not to mention a few good restaurants and even a mall on Germantown Parkway. I was impressed.

The houses, of course, were to die for. I can't believe how cheap they are.

On the not so nice side, we kept hearing that the schools weren't so great, but that the Dogwood elementary school in Germantown was ok, and there was a private school we saw that was good too. Another lady I talked to at the interview said the place was tough on women, and that she lived in Newark, NJ a while back and didn't know as many people there that had been held up as the ones in TN.

But all in all, a good experience.

[Pearlbob]

Glad to hear you enjoyed Memphis! Not so sure about "never having to see a deadbeat"....I live in a pretty high-class area and see plenty. Just comes with the territory I guess. Anyway, thank you for reporting something NICE on Memphis! Feel free to ask any questions you might have if you do move here.

[strumpeace]

...yes, definitely, one could live a life in there and never have to see a deadbeat.

Not quite.

But I'm very glad you liked it here. Best wishes with the job. Let us know if you get it.

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by Orleron

I am born/raised in NJ and had an interview down in Memphis this Monday. I admit, going down there I was very scared. People in NJ do not have great images of anything south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Lo and behold, after spending a weekend there before the interview and looking around with a realtor and a local, I was very suprised! The place is normal, livable even, especially in the "Poplar Corridor", which extends about a mile on either side of Poplar. I couldn't believe it. No banjos. No cars on blocks. Everyone had all their teeth. :P (that's tongue-in-cheek!)

Granted, there were places outside the corridor where I didn't care to go, but the area within the corridor is huge... about 2 miles wide and 15 miles long... much bigger than Manhattan, for instance. So, yes, definitely, one could live a life in there and never have to see a deadbeat. Not only that, but within that corridor, there was every basic kind of store or retail chain you could ever want, not to mention a few good restaurants and even a mall on Germantown Parkway. I was impressed.

The houses, of course, were to die for. I can't believe how cheap they are.

On the not so nice side, we kept hearing that the schools weren't so great, but that the Dogwood elementary school in Germantown was ok, and there was a private school we saw that was good too. Another lady I talked to at the interview said the place was tough on women, and that she lived in Newark, NJ a while back and didn't know as many people there that had been held up as the ones in TN.

But all in all, a good experience.

All the public schools in the Germantown city limits are excellent, and most of the ones in Collierville are too. I've lived here most of my life, and I've never known a woman that has been held up. Inside the Memphis city limits, you'll find a lot of petty crime. However, nearly all violent crime is black on black and has to do with drugs. On rare occasion, you'll hear of something happening to someone that isn't poor. In Germantown, there is hardly any crime at all, including petty crime. I've never heard of anyone having their car stolen or even broken into in Germantown. Growing up in Germantown, we never even locked our doors.

[dubaidonna]

Orleron,
I too am totally amazed at how nice it is here in the Memphis area. I too grew up in NJ, Newark actually and we are relocating to the Memphis area. We have been in the area since Sunday and have seen quite a few houses and locations and put an offer on a house in Germantown today. Have you had any luck finding a house? We are ready to pack our bags!
Jersey Girl

[Kabluey]

Originally Posted by Orleron

I am born/raised in NJ and had an interview down in Memphis this Monday. I admit, going down there I was very scared. People in NJ do not have great images of anything south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Lo and behold, after spending a weekend there before the interview and looking around with a realtor and a local, I was very suprised! The place is normal, livable even, especially in the "Poplar Corridor", which extends about a mile on either side of Poplar. I couldn't believe it. No banjos. No cars on blocks. Everyone had all their teeth. :P (that's tongue-in-cheek!)

Granted, there were places outside the corridor where I didn't care to go, but the area within the corridor is huge... about 2 miles wide and 15 miles long... much bigger than Manhattan, for instance. So, yes, definitely, one could live a life in there and never have to see a deadbeat. Not only that, but within that corridor, there was every basic kind of store or retail chain you could ever want, not to mention a few good restaurants and even a mall on Germantown Parkway. I was impressed.

The houses, of course, were to die for. I can't believe how cheap they are.

On the not so nice side, we kept hearing that the schools weren't so great, but that the Dogwood elementary school in Germantown was ok, and there was a private school we saw that was good too. Another lady I talked to at the interview said the place was tough on women, and that she lived in Newark, NJ a while back and didn't know as many people there that had been held up as the ones in TN.

But all in all, a good experience.

Depending on the age of your kids, give St. George's a look-see. Especially elementary school.

Glad to hear your positive experience. Feel free to offer suggestions for improvements as well.

[Orleron]

Originally Posted by dubaidonna

Orleron,
I too am totally amazed at how nice it is here in the Memphis area. I too grew up in NJ, Newark actually and we are relocating to the Memphis area. We have been in the area since Sunday and have seen quite a few houses and locations and put an offer on a house in Germantown today. Have you had any luck finding a house? We are ready to pack our bags!
Jersey Girl

We're too early in the game to put offers down on houses. I need to find out if I got the job first, and then my wife needs to make sure she has a job too. Once we have offers in hand, we'll get serious.


We are not of the Christian persuasion, so I don't think St' George's school would be appropriate for our kids. However, the Schecter school looks pretty nice, on the border between Germantown and Memphis proper. If Dogwood or Bailey Station dont' pan out, I think we'll send them there. But right now they are only 3 years old and we're just going to put them into the Bright Horizons daycare. I think it's called Greentree. I hear good things about it and it only costs $1100/month to send my twins there for 5 days a week. Woo!

I know other daycares can be even cheaper, but this one is top of the line. The same exact daycare franchise in my part of NJ costs $3000/month to send both my kids, which is too expensive, but I can afford the $1100!

We might also opt to go for daycare 3 days a week and a nanny for 2 days a week. Does anyone do nannies for less than 5 days a week? Does anyone know where to research that and how much they cost down there?

[Kabluey]

I'm not Christian either, for the record. Before or after attending SG.

[Pearlbob]

I've got to give Orleon some back up here - coming from the north as well, non-christian kids don't go to christian schools. I wouldn't want my kids going to a school that teaches a faith that I don't believe in. It seems like people do that here because of a lack of other options, and just because it's such a high density christian area that almost all private schools are christian affiliate.

[mjpinto]

Being such a high density christian area - can you recommend any private schools that aren't affiliated with christianity? (please tell me there are some!)