Memphis ranked 10th for "Cities You Don't Want to Live In ... Yet" (Jackson: low income, crime rate)

[simcity]

Memphis, Tennessee
The Bad: Memphis made it to the list for its high crime rate and high obesity and diabetes rates, according to city-data.com. Plus, its unemployment rate is 9.4 percent.
The Good: Memphis is rich with culture, famous for blues, gospel and country music -- Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Isaac Hayes and B.B. King all got their starts here. "Memphis has a great sense of place -- it's interesting and colorful with unique cultural assets," Sperling said. It's also home to more than a dozen universities, two of the largest private hospitals in the country, and its central location for the south and Midwest makes it attractive for business. It's home to three Fortune 500 companies, including FedEx.
The Recovery: Memphis is an interesting example of a targeted recovery: There is a push here to focus on growth in existing parts of the economy -- medical and biosciences. And, in an encouraging sign for the U.S. economy as well as the economy of Memphis, FedEx reported its average daily volume of box shipments rose 2.4 percent in the quarter ended Feb. 28.

Source: cities-you-dont-want-to-live-in-yet: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/112409/cities-you-dont-want-to-live-in-yet?mod=realestate-buy - broken link)
Full list as slide show: News Headlines

When I read the title to this article I expected Memphis to be on the list, but was relieved to see it was only ranked 10th out of the top 20 cities you don’t want to live in yet.

I was surprised to see that Little Rock, Arkansas was ranked 7th on this list. I haven't been there in a few years but didn't realize it had decayed so badly.

[strumpeace]

I've lived in both Memphis and Little Rock and have always liked both.

It's funny that one of my biggest negatives with Memphis is listed as a positive by the Yahoo yahoos. IMO, Memphis needs to progress culturally. While Elvis, Johnny Cash, etc., are incredibly important to music, Memphis needs to figure out a way to honor that wonderful history while moving forward. The city's biggest tourist attractions are relics of things past -- Graceland and Beale Street most notably. Those places are great and warrant appreciation. But it's time for Memphis to stop resting on its cultural laurels. Memphis is the home of the blues, birthplace of rock and roll -- but it's not even in the top 20 cities in the US for employment in the music industry. (Nashville is first, btw, for percentage of population employed in that industry.)

[Anongmous]

Its hilarious to read that memphis was on the list with some very obviously awful cities...

But its more ironic that this site, city-data was involved in the review....and this site is where posters on the memphis forum get slammed for stating the negative truths about memphis !

This site itself obviously disagrees with the 'resident cheerleaders' about the lack of competitiveness and forward movement of the city of memphis.


There's nothing like being in the company of

stockton ca

detroit, mi

jackson ms

and nasty, newark !!




So where are the city-data memphis 'rah'rah' omnipresent posters now, when even city-data clearly acknowledges the truth about memphis ??


Good stuff....ironic, but still good stuff


everybody is not just lying on how bad memphis is, by intelligent comparison

[DubbleT]

"City-data.com came up with a list of cities that, by the numbers, are some of the most beaten-up, undesirable cities in America."

Not that I'm a Memphis cheerleader, but is there a link somewhere that has the actual City Data list of cities (not the CNBC slide show but something actually from City Data), and what criteria exactly the list is based on? I'm curious to see it. Because the way I read the article it's a list CNBC came up with using numbers pulled from city data, which is somewhat different.

[TheKernel91]

The interesting thing is, out of all the cities Memphis had one of the most positive things said on the Good, and recovery. The negatives that were listed are actually improving as we speak..

1. Unemployment rate....Did you hear all of the jobs and companies coming to Memphis lately ?? (Mitsubishi,Electrolux ,and etc..) these jobs are estimated in employing a few thousand. "More announcements like this is to come", Mayor Wharton. FACT

2.high crime rate...... Violent crime decreased over 30% since 2006 and still decreasing and number of murders from last year was at its lowest since the 70s! FACT

3. Obesity/diabetes ....Idk about diabetes but, I do know about the new greenlines opening and the work to have it to extend across the old brigde to West Memphis. Walkers,runners,bikers,and joggers will all be able to use this. If Im wrong correct me, but I believe it will be from West Memphis Ark, to Shebly Farms. There is more to this just do not feel like searching. FACT

IMO, this data is based off the past and still have the some of the bad rep with it. All of the negatives are changing, and moving into the right direction. All im worried about is now 2011, alot of good things have been happening and alot improvement . Soon you will not be able to find Memphis name on list like this. FACT

[REPBOY]

Obviously the purpose of this list is to point out the cities which are perceived to have growing or existing positive aspects to the point of being desireable, but also are sadled with conditions such as low income segments or high crime stats in some categories which put them on a negative list for the present, but not for long. I think most people get it, now that the Kernel has explained so well.

Thanks for making the point clearly, Kernel.

[Anongmous]

Every city probably 'wants to improve', and my guess Detroit does too...lol


"soon you will not be able to find Memphis on a list like this FACT" ????????



The true "fact" is that MEMPHIS IS ON THAT LIST...now, the present, today ! that's the only fact to consider.

Another fact is no one can state with certainty, ANYTHING about the future movement of Memphis, TN (or any other city) ..no one can predict whether Memphis will continue to LOSE population for example..


And what's this "for long" stuff ?? how long is 'long' ? what's too long ??

Sorry pal, I think it's going to take a very very long time, probably well over a lousy 10 years, but more like 15-20 years.

Just look how Detroit has continued to fail.....so has Newark ! and certainly Birmingham (also on the list) all of these cities have been 'thinking' they can turnaround for the last 25 YEARS ! lol
and, it has not happened.

Memphis squandered huge opportunites since the early 1980s, pal.

Awakenings in Memphis are SLOW...always have been.

Don't be silly, Memphis and most of these other cities mentioned won't be turning around any time 'soon'....'soon' meaning in less than 5 years.

I'm not buying such crazy, overly hopeful, impratical 'spin', about the future of Memphis, or the future of a dump like Jackson MS ..lol......or a similarly backward place as Memphis, Birmingham, Alabama.


I remain somewhat hopeful, but I'm not drunk on Memphis cheerleading and kool-aid.

Knock yourself out if you have, say, 15 years to experience the "positive change". If you have time to 'wait' for Memphis not to be ranked or compared to Detroit and a few of those other losing cities, then you go right ahead, friend....LOL

[strumpeace]

My goodness. Seems like just a few days ago that our latest troll was lecturing me about disagreeing with others' opinions. Yet, he/she seems perfectly willing to be combative when others express opinions he/she doesn't like. Oh, the humanity! Oh, the hypocrisy! Even throwing in pal, friend, lol, and a kool-aid reference for good measure. Trolls and their limited vocabularies -- always entertaining, always hypocritical, always silly, never surprising.

[westtnman]

"Piling on is an age-old tradition. People get a whiff of negative air and, like a pack of wolves, turn against it." -

That first sentence of the article epitomizes the Memphis board.

Originally Posted by strumpeace

My goodness. Seems like just a few days ago that our latest troll was lecturing me about disagreeing with others' opinions. Yet, he/she seems perfectly willing to be combative when others express opinions he/she doesn't like. Oh, the humanity! Oh, the hypocrisy! Even throwing in pal, friend, lol, and a kool-aid reference for good measure. Trolls and their limited vocabularies -- always entertaining, always hypocritical, always silly, never surprising.

You are correct except that this is an old troll with a new name!

[maximus10]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

My goodness. Seems like just a few days ago that our latest troll was lecturing me about disagreeing with others' opinions. Yet, he/she seems perfectly willing to be combative when others express opinions he/she doesn't like. Oh, the humanity! Oh, the hypocrisy! Even throwing in pal, friend, lol, and a kool-aid reference for good measure. Trolls and their limited vocabularies -- always entertaining, always hypocritical, always silly, never surprising.

It's the 'Heist! LOL