Is anyone around here happy to be in the Memphis area? (Knoxville: fit in, lease)

[magicstorm]

Does anyone really like living in Memphis area...suburbs...and schools for their kids.....? I was looking into bartlett..it was rated as top 100 city and now im hearing certain areas of that city are bad too....germantowns too expensive i think for me....am i screwing myself and my kid by moving here. I actually really wanted to till i got on this site. urgh....sorry, just venting. Im about to give up...not really, but im getting frustrated.

[Pearlbob]

MEmphis definitely has its ups and downs. If I could, I would live elsewhere. My job is here though, so I make the best of it.

Bartlett is a great area. Period. Don't believe anyone that says it is dangerous. West of Bartlett, further away, it gets bad, but Bartlett the city is fine. I would personally send my kids to private, no matter where I lived here, but that is just my opinion.

Schools is Memphis are the worst in the nation overall. Bartlett schools are okay.

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by magicstorm

Does anyone really like living in Memphis area...suburbs...and schools for their kids.....? I was looking into bartlett..it was rated as top 100 city and now im hearing certain areas of that city are bad too....germantowns too expensive i think for me....am i screwing myself and my kid by moving here. I actually really wanted to till i got on this site. urgh....sorry, just venting. Im about to give up...not really, but im getting frustrated.

I don't know where you're hearing that Bartlett is bad. Bartlett is a nice place to live. Of course, it's adjacent to the city of Memphis, so the problems don't stop at the city limits. However, they have a good, effective police department, good schools and a wonderful park system where there's a park within walking distance of almost every house in the city. The Western edge of Bartlett is transitional (where it borders the Raleigh area of Memphis), but so far it's still nice. The historic homes of Bartlett are in that area. I think it was mentioned that Germantown and Collierville schools are more "exclusive" but all that can be meant by that is more rich kids go there. Obviously, no public school is "exclusive" strictly by the definition of a public school.

As for whether I enjoy living in Memphis? No, but that's a matter of personal preference. I don't want to live in *any* city. The biggest (ok only) reason I'm still here is because my family's here; that's the only thing that makes it difficult for me to leave. However, I'm looking to live somewhere out West with a dry climate more conducive to my husband's orthopedic health and to an environment that doesn't trigger my daughter's asthma. I'm also looking for some place wide open, not full of people and with wildlife, mountains and desert. Obviously, we have none of that here! lol


Can I ask what made you interested in Memphis in the first place? I know you mentioned the friendly people, etc. Have you considered other areas of Tennessee? The people are welcoming and inviting throughout the state, you get the same tax benefits (no income tax) throughout the state and schools etc are going to be better throughout the state than in Memphis.

[Pearlbob]

I agree with tigergal....why Memphis? Chattanooga, Nashville, and Knoxville are other large cities with few of the same problems that Memphis has.

[strumpeace]

Quite frankly, no, I am not happy to be in Memphis. When my lease expires next year, I will probably move elsewhere. However, I do not bash Memphis, and I don't care much for people who do.

Bartlett, btw, is just fine. Personally, I don't like some of the areas that border the city limits (particularly toward Sycamore View/Raleigh-LaGrange and the western edge of Bartlett around Old Brownsville Rd). I worry about spillover property crime in those areas. Bartlett as a whole, however, is a great community. In fact, it is one of the few Memphis suburbs that actually has something of a community feel; it is, in some ways, its own place.

Anyway, before moving anywhere, you should visit and become intimately familiar with the area. What one person may find awful, you may find great. What you find unbearable may be the very thing that others like the most. That's just the way life works.

Best wishes.

[defiepilex]

I've lived in Memphis, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Orlando, and spent lots of time in Nashville, St. Louis, and New Orleans. I always come back to Memphis. I love it here. Sure, there are a ton of problems, but that is in every city. You make the best out of your surroundings. Memphis is just big enough that I can meet new & cultured people and spend all of my time inside the city, but it's small & rural enough that if I ever want to get away from it all, I can still enjoy country activities within the same county. I love the history in this city. I could literally just sit at the library all day and read books (See: look at pictures )on Memphis.

[strumpeace]

Are you from Memphis? Did you spend your formative years here? I wonder if where one comes from makes a difference in how one views Memphis. I am not from Memphis, so I'm not rooted here in any way whatsoever.

[Pearlbob]

I agree. While this does not appear to apply to you, defieplex, it seems like the majority of people I talk to who say "I like it here" have never lived elsewhere. There is a surprising amount of people who grew up here, went to college here, and still live here. (or...cut the college part out...grew up here and are still here..) To which I say, How do you know Memphis is so great when you've never lived anywhere else?

I've lived in a bunch of other cities, and Memphis is by far the worse. Granted - I have also lived in small towns where I was bored to death, and I would take Memphis over those anyday. However, in terms of basic concepts like safety, cleanliness, where to raise a family, schools, etc - Memphis is at the bottom (of where I have lived). Just living in other large cities that have so much less crime and are just overall more cultured and educated...it's a big shock to move here.

That being said, you just have to try and surround yourself with people similar to you. So if you find Memphis to be a bit substandard, you need to find the niche here that you fit into and will make you happy. Like any other city.

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

Are you from Memphis? Did you spend your formative years here? I wonder if where one comes from makes a difference in how one views Memphis. I am not from Memphis, so I'm not rooted here in any way whatsoever.

I don't know if that affects it or not. I've lived in Memphis from the day I was born, but still have a strong desire to leave.

[Pearlbob]

Originally Posted by tigergal

I don't know if that affects it or not. I've lived in Memphis from the day I was born, but still have a strong desire to leave.

I think this is more the norm of any city; you grow up in an area and just want to "get out" when you get older, no matter if the city is great or not. Nothing wrong with maturing into adulthood and wanting a change of scenery.