Possibly moving to Memphis - need advice.

[Dd714]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

I took care of it. Suprisingly, our friend was from Tampa

HAHAHA, that guy still coming around here? I remember him sending me troll-like PM's, kept MBmouse busy banning each new membership he would come up with. Got to give him credit for his persistance as a troll, well maybe not, but...off topic.

Blondemom I am going to hit on one topic that you discussed. That is "move to a big city to increase salary". Now I don't know your husband's specifics but if he does not have a skilled or professional job I don't think he will increase salary a whole bunch more than in your little Arkansas town. Memphis has lots of jobs, but most of those are warehouse related given Memphis's distribution headquarters point - packaging, shipping, forklift operator, etc. Not exactly the highest paying. Of course the cost of living is low here, probably not that much different from where you are. I just think you need to have a salary reality check.

edit - saw later that you said his business was "insurance/car salesman" and I have no idea what the job prospects are in that. I would venture to guess that indeed the bigger the town the better - I see in your future your husband working at the Germantown Jaguar dealership! Probably beats working in Bubba's Used Cars in Bumpkin, Arkansas right?

[memtndude77]

Crosswind Elementary is a nice school. It's off Shelton Road. Tara Oaks is good. Sycamore Elementary is outstanding. Collierville is very family friendly and safe but a bit expensive. It is perfect for your kids. I really enjoy living in Collierville and have been here a while. I've lived in Memphis area all my life and Collierville is the place to be. One caveat - water is VERY expensive here. You experience the small town atmoshpere but it's close to Memphis too. Schools can be crowded but the quality is really excellent. I've always felt safer in Collierville. Crime is very low out here. The worst complaint i have is the bad traffic on byhalia road.

[restlessncurious]

Originally Posted by blondemom07

Here is a brief discription of the circumstances:
My husband is originally from Memphis, he lived there his entire life until age 30, then moved to Arkansas. He has 3 kids who still live in Bartlett, and his mom in Olive Branch, MS. I am from Kansas City originally, but have lived in SMALLTOWN, Arkansas (pop. under 3000) since I was 6. There is virtually no crime rate here, the schools are great. We have my husband's oldest son living with us, along with my 5 year old, who's father lives in Central Arkansas - so we have to stay within reasonable distance to him.


We have made the decision that we need to move to a larger metropolis for my husband to increase his income, probably for 5-10 years, giving us time to build some security. We had considered Oklahoma City or Kansas City - but they are both too far from the kids in Memphis. Therefore - for my husband to work out of Memphis and us to live in a surrounding areas seems to be ideal. However, my husband is very reluctant to move back, he hates the area. And from what I know of it, it scares the crap out of me. Of course, my husband knows of the good places around Memphis to live - we DO NOT want to live inside the city - but I need to know of some really good schools in the nicer areas, somewhere with a very low crime rate and easy access to shopping. Our youngest is just in Kindergarten and I have to find a really good school for him. Can anyone out there who lives in the nicer areas (Germantown, Fayette county, Collierville) give me some advice on finding a good school, and please tell me honestly - how do you like living in the area?? Are any of you transplants from out of state? This move will allow us to see the other 3 kids and my mother in law, so we are thrilled about that - but it is also a very scary thing, especially for me, to move somewhere that we are both reluctant and apprehensive about. It is for convenience - not choice, but I want to make the most of it and be happy there. Any advice or ideas are GREATLY APPRECIATED and thank you so much in advance for answering my questions!~

I was raised in Memphis and lived there most of my adult life. Have you considered St. Louis? I hear it's real nice in the blogs I've read.

[Pearlbob]

St Louis was voted most dangerous city last year...one of the top ones this year. It is absolutely no safer than Memphis.

With every city, you have good areas and bad. The St. Louis that I have visited looks great!! But obviously there are tons of unsafe areas there that I have not had the pleasure of driving into. Just like St. Louis, you can find great, safe areas of Memphis.

If you are randomly choosing a city to live in, I agree...why Memphis? But I wouldn't offer up St. Louis as a better option. Louisville maybe. Nashville even. Knoxville. Charlotte. I don't know...everything has it's bad and good.

Originally Posted by restlessncurious

I was raised in Memphis and lived there most of my adult life. Have you considered St. Louis? I hear it's real nice in the blogs I've read.

[ZDS]

Hi there,

I am still trying to feel my way around the concept of living in the Memphis/surrounding area. My husband and I have moved into our new home in Collierville-we are originally from Toronto so this has been quite an adjustment. Collierville is a nice place to live but we are used to be able to step outside of our little community and explore "the City" and surrounding areas....Most of the people that live in Collierville-stay in Collierville and rarely venture outside of the bubble. At this point, I don't have anything negative to state about Collierville-its safe, the schools seem great-specifically Tara Oaks area. I would like to explore what Memphis has to offer and we have been to several music festivals and recently checked out a concert at the Gibson Showcase on Beale Street. Unfortunately-the events are few and far between and in terms of culture and diversity-its very limited. If you are originally from memphis-you should not have an issue. Personally, I find the pace very slow and likewise-everyone works slow....I do cringe when people say they hate memphis or that they are afraid of it. You need to give it a chance-like any other city-Although, I reluctantly refer to it as a "city" as its all relative to me-we have lived in and visited many cities and memphis is too small for us to call it a city! Keep an open mind as I am trying to do. Ideally-its the mentality here and the social issues that bother me more than anything else. Its not 1952! Something I am dying to scream when I hear some folks speak of the social inequalities...as you can tell-I am conflicted. I do not want to live here longer than we need to but while we are here-we are going to have to make concessions and I hope that I can maintain my open mind and optimism...some days are more challenging than others. Good luck.
ZZ

[psi2007]

Cordova is great. We moved from Atlanta, GA but have lived in lots of other places (military). Our home is close to the mall, loads of shopping and restaurants and the interstate. It couldn't be more convenient. The public schools are good and there are also several private schools nearby. If you are looking to buy a house this is a good area. Collierville, for me, is out of the way. Germantown is okay but not as convenient and homes are pricey.
We live in a bedroom community called Countrywood.