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Hi there everyone. I am looking to relocate to Memphis/Bartlett, TN, for a fresh start personally and professionally. I've never been outside of Chicago, IL before, but it's time for a change. So I'm doing a lot of research before I take the leap. I am a single, middle aged African American woman, who is creative, eclectic and industrious but quiet and laid back too. I have a professional background in IT, office management, marketing and communications. I want to live in a truly diverse community that is safe, neighborly (as can be in America), some place that is seriously affordable and is close to employment and public transportation (until I get a car!) and has a big city/down home feel. I'm looking for an environment where people are business minded, even as employees, because that's what I am, too. Please suggest best neighborhoods. Thanks.
If you do not have a car, you will need to live pretty close to your job because the public transportation in Memphis is not that great. Other than that, Downtown and Midtown are your best options as they are somewhat walkable and relatively 'diverse'. Other neighborhoods will require a car.
As I suggest with others, I recommend that you visit the city a couple of times before you make the move if possible. Try to visit during fun times (e.g. Memphis in May) and regular times when there's nothing going on. That is the best way to get a feel for if the city is a good fit for you.
What makes you pick Bartlett over any other area of the county? It is pretty much impossible to live here without a car. There would be no way for you to live in a suburban residential neighborhood and get to a grocery store, work, etc without a car. You could feasibly live downtown, work downtown, and walk to work - but you'd still need a car for grocery store trips and anything else.
Definitely come visit the area first, preferably several times as the other poster mentioned. There are a lot of negative things about Memphis, and of course some positives. One may outweigh the other, depending on how full you keep your glass
People harp the car mantra, especially for groceries. If you live in Midtown, it is quite possible to walk to a grocery store - you have to position yourself very carefully. It will be difficult to walk to work, though - probably.
If you live/work downtown, you could take the bus for groceries. There are a few grocery stores on bus routes near downtown, including Kroger/Walmart in West Memphis (Arkansas), the Kroger at Poplar/Cleveland, or the Kroger on Union in Midtown.
I'm not trying to gild the lily; Memphis is almost entirely suburban, even in its oldest extant neighborhoods. That having been said, thousands of people live here and don't have cars. They survive somehow.
I see lots of job listings in IT, office management and marketing. Craigslist actually has lots of real, local jobs for the Memphis area. Also try indeed.com.
Your criteria of safe and affordable probably led you to Bartlett, correct? That is probably a decent assumption, except that living without a car in Bartlett will be especially difficult; it's one of the most suburban of the suburban communities here.
I'm going to throw out a couple inner-city areas that are more affordable, safe (which is relative in Memphis), and close to public transportation. Please do some research, correlating these areas with crime maps and public transit lines.
- Evergreen (parts of Evergreen are affordable. Look especially south of Poplar Avenue, e.g., Stonewall Street)
- VECA (again, parts are less affordable, others are more affordable. In general, north of Jackson Ave. is probably more affordable)
- Cooper-Young (I have a one bedroom for $700; I would look primarily east of Cooper Street and south of Young for maximum affordability, although I live north of Young myself.)
- University District (contact udistrictmemphis.com for some more info here. They're very friendly folks with arguably some of the most affordable housing.)
If you're planning on getting a car soon, I would try to position myself in a short-term rental in a Midtown/U District/downtown neighborhood and slog through having to use public transit here.
If you've never left Chicago, it may surprise how bad public transit is here. You need a car here. Seriously. Without a car, you need to go to the grocery a few times a week because nobody can physically carry a trunk load of groceries at one time. It gets old fast.
It's not well known, but the north side of Bartlett (near Old Brownsville Rd) has a large professional black population if that appeals to you. It's probably the nicest area with a large black population in the whole area.
Memphis is, of course, a much smaller city than Chicago, but this area is not "close in" by our standards. People commute a little further to get a large new home out there. No grocery store out there, but by car it'd be only about 10 minutes to Kroger at Summer and Appling, Kirby Whitten and Stage or Bartlett Blvd and Stage.
You don't mention budget or what you'd like to be close to. Those would be most helpful for making suggestions.
You will need a car. There is no way to get around this unless you live downtown/midtown. Out east it's nearly non existent. Public transportation is a sore point for Memphis due to it being a spread out city. Most of the recent annexation areas where suburban areas that are car centric communities. The closest grocery store to me is 3.5-4 miles in either direction and I live near one of the busiest parts of Memphis outside of Poplar. People may harp on this but if you are looking for diversity why not look into the Cordova area. To me, its the most diverse area outside of midtown. Bartlett is a really nice place to live but I wouldn't put it high on the diversity list. Also, there are not many major businesses outside of retail in Bartlett. It more of a residential community.
Frankly, from what I'm reading from you, Memphis does not sound like a fit for you. If you're "eclectic," a lot of people here will think you're weird. If you're quiet, a lot of people definitely will think you're weird, rude, unfriendly or antisocial--people here talk nonstop and act as if they're entitled to your speaking to them and/or to your being on speaking terms with everyone around. Part of it is just a Southern thing, but, depending on what kind of environment you work it, it can be pretty bad. Especially with your being from Chicago, if you're quiet and they know you're from Chicago they will act like you're some rude Yankee and blame it on your being from elsewhere. I'm originally from here, but I've lived in Chicago and Michigan much of the last 10 years, have been fairly de-Southernized and I get "jokes" about being a certain way because I'm "from" Michigan or whatever.
And Memphis is not diverse. It's black people everywhere you turn. Damn-near the only white people you'll see will be your bosses, and 9/10 your bosses actually live in Mississippi. People here are not business-minded. The people who have leadership positions in Memphis aren't even business-minded. Your next-door neighbor will probably be a hairdresser (seems like that's what half the black women here do), and her husband will work a warehouse position at FedEx or something. And like other people have said, you need a car here. Public transportation is almost nonexistent. That nice little subway system you have in Chicago (which I definitely miss)...nothing like that here.
I work in IT, as well...don't know what your exact IT area is, but I don't perceive there being a lot here in IT.
It sounds like you'd have culture shock if you moved here. I have experienced culture shock ever since I came back, and I grew up around here. If you really want to move South and are looking for the types of things you describe, you might want to look at some cities in Texas. I'm interested in Austin, and Austin might fit you, as well.
I would second jabogitlu's response. Midtown is the most eclectic. Not sure about the IT scene, so transit might be an issue although there seem to be more and more tech offerings and infrastructure sprouting all the time. From the makerspace in Bartlett (I don't recall the name) to the Cowork Memphis (Cooper Young) and the recently announced Forge (Broad Ave area). They don't necessarily directly involve the IT sector, so don't be confused. Just relaying some of the offerings in tech and creativity.
Frankly, from what I'm reading from you, Memphis does not sound like a fit for you. If you're "eclectic," a lot of people here will think you're weird. If you're quiet, a lot of people definitely will think you're weird, rude, unfriendly or antisocial--people here talk nonstop and act as if they're entitled to your speaking to them and/or to your being on speaking terms with everyone around. Part of it is just a Southern thing, but, depending on what kind of environment you work it, it can be pretty bad. Especially with your being from Chicago, if you're quiet and they know you're from Chicago they will act like you're some rude Yankee and blame it on your being from elsewhere. I'm originally from here, but I've lived in Chicago and Michigan much of the last 10 years, have been fairly de-Southernized and I get "jokes" about being a certain way because I'm "from" Michigan or whatever.
And Memphis is not diverse. It's black people everywhere you turn. Damn-near the only white people you'll see will be your bosses, and 9/10 your bosses actually live in Mississippi. People here are not business-minded. The people who have leadership positions in Memphis aren't even business-minded. Your next-door neighbor will probably be a hairdresser (seems like that's what half the black women here do), and her husband will work a warehouse position at FedEx or something. And like other people have said, you need a car here. Public transportation is almost nonexistent. That nice little subway system you have in Chicago (which I definitely miss)...nothing like that here.
I work in IT, as well...don't know what your exact IT area is, but I don't perceive there being a lot here in IT.
It sounds like you'd have culture shock if you moved here. I have experienced culture shock ever since I came back, and I grew up around here. If you really want to move South and are looking for the types of things you describe, you might want to look at some cities in Texas. I'm interested in Austin, and Austin might fit you, as well.
Agreed. As a quirky black woman you will be an outcast here. I know this because I am one and I am leaving Memphis behind next month! It will be a huge culture shock, especially for a single go-getter. The environment here is conducive to starting a family early and settling down--that's it. People are not business-minded. There is no entrepreneurial spirit here. People just want a job, any job, and few have any desire to move up or take advantage of any opportunities to get up and explore. The creative industry is non-existent here. If you don't have connections for the handful of creative jobs that are here, forget about it.
Memphis is not diverse and you will likely not find a cohesive, upward mobile African-American community here that is open to newcomers. Go to Houston for that. People here will think you are weird for being ambitious. African-Americans here have an inferiority complex and it shows. There are too many talented individuals still slaving away in a warehouse who haven't taken advantage of things like tuition reimbursement, management training programs, etc... They are happy making $15.00/hr after putting in 15+ years. I don't get it.
Now if you told us you were married or looking to settle down and worked in the medical industry or supply chain I would tell you to come on down. Memphis isn't terrible but it is for a certain type of individual, and you are not it. Plus you need a car as there is no sophisticated public transportation system here. If you still want to come here, get a car and look into Midtown or East Memphis. As a single woman there is nothing for you in the suburbs as they are family-centric. The Levitt Shell will provide great free entertainment during the Spring and Summer and downtown is a blast on the weekends. Traffic is a breeze here compared to most cities which is a plus. The cost of living is fair though the wages are lower than average.
Look into Houston if you want to go somewhere with a good job market and an upwardly mobile African-American community.
Look into Austin if you want to be around other quirky individuals and diversity isn't as important to you.
Charlotte, NC is pretty cool as well. Dallas is nice and everyone I know who moved there loves it!
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