Should Memphis go head and accept being #2 (Knoxville, Chattanooga: transfer, high school)

[BlueRedTide]

Yea I know it sounds bad, But is it time for Memphis to go head and accept the #2 spot in Tennessee. Or is there too much pride in Memphis to admit it or will it be too painful to admit this. Just Think about it, there is nothing wrong with being the Second City, Look At San Francisco, look at Savannah Georgia, look at Orlando Florida, Raleigh North Carolina etc They All Seem to be doing just fine.

I think the Whole Rivalry thing stems from Nashville being jealous it's by population 2ñd Largest city in Tn and Memphis is the largest, Nashville's uppity attitude prevents it from able to accept that and so they b and moan about Memphis all the time . Now that that's about to Change. Memphis are you cool with letting Nashville have the spotlight and Carry the State. By ceding #1 to Nashville, Nashville can finally stop b and moaning and maybe the Rivalry will peter out Nashville will no longer have a reason to be mad at Memphis. ONLY THO if Memphis keeps improving tho, and keeps building and opening project after project, If Memphis stops building and becomes a dump again Nashville has every reason to be Mad.

When I was growing up Dallas was the 2nd largest city in Texas, Now it's the 3rd after San Antonio, When I was growing up St Louis was the Largest City in Missouri now it's the 2nd Largest, so is losing a rank all that bad.

Memphis will be the Unquestioned 2nd City of Tennessee Outside the Capital NO city can touch The M, Knoxville Chattanooga Clarksville etc will pale to Memphis in cultural and tourism significance especially if Memphis Keeps on Building. The Typical Memphis Hater or maybe someone from across the state will probably visit this thread and Decry that even Knox and Chatt are better then Memphis or that Memphis is dead last but don't be fool, In the Eyes of the Nation Outside of Nashville it's All Memphis

So what will it be Memphis, is the City Prepared to officially become The #2 in Tennessee in the coming years, or are there some in Memphis defiant and Refusing to take a back seat to Nashville, or is Memphis pretty cool about the whole situation ?

[jabogitlu]

?

The years I lived in Memphis, I never really thought about Nashville much. It's just an accident of history that any city is in any given state, so it just seems random to be propping up these false competitions. I was just happy to be living in Memphis and contributing to the city progressing and improving.

I mean, if you have to rank them, I think Nashville is #1 in terms of economy and growth. Memphis and Nashville both have so much history and culture of national and even global importance. It'd be great if we (speaking as a native Tennessean) could all just work together to better the state, not any individual cities necessarily.

[CristenS]

I've lived here a long time, and I've never once cared about Nashville. It's like saying we should be concerned with how we compare to Houston or Denver. Just not relevant, IMO.


Do people in Nashville actually care about something like this? How they compare to Memphis or if they are "#1"?

[jaydarl]

I have no problem being #2, as I've felt that Nashville has been ahead of Memphis since the early '90s. Years ago I did have irrational pride in population numbers. Today, I appreciate the freedom of movement Memphis offers in regards to being able to get around without crazy traffic. That hot city thing is a young man's game.

[JoeCartpath]

I can't imagine why most people would even care. Do you get a trophy if you win?

I like Memphis. I like Nashville...and a lot of other places in TN. It's nice to have the variety we have in the three grand divisions. If we just had a beach the state would be about perfect

[funtraveler1]

^I agree...Tennessee's a really great state, and a beach would be nice. But we have tons of water in this state, so it makes up for it. Atleast we don't gotta worry about hurricanes, tsunamis, erosion etc... (Mountains>beaches for me personally)

Anyway, like a user said above, Nashville has been ahead of Memphis since the late 80s-early 90s. There's already a thread explaining what happened and why Nashville surpassed Memphis so I won't talk about that.

I think Memphis will be fine. It's a great city.

[abc2330]

I've lived in both cities in recent years. Nobody in Memphis cares. If anyone has a negative opinion about Nashville, it is not because of a sibling rivalry. People in Nashville definitely have a much harsher opinion of Memphis, but I'm not sure what it stems from.

[jabogitlu]

Today, I appreciate the freedom of movement Memphis offers in regards to being able to get around without crazy traffic.

I always appreciated that, too. At one point (only a couple years ago, no less) I rented a whole house two blocks away from arguably one of the coolest corners in the metro (Cooper @ Young) and I still paid less than $700 in rent. That's the kind of stuff that makes living in Memphis easy and laid-back.

I think most of the state has a weird opinion about Memphis, but especially those folks living in Middle and East TN. I was living in the Tri-Cities when I decided to move to Memphis, and the quantity and severity of the criticism I received was really off the charts. Many people that live in the two easternmost grand divisions have never even been to Memphis.

[eastmemphisguy]

Sometimes I get the impression that many people in the suburbs have never been to Memphis.
I think Nashville is an uninteresting city, but that perspective is from a potential tourist. If they want to be number 1 in traffic and cost of living, they are more than welcome to have it.

[Edgefield D]

This rivalry has been around as long as I can remember. In 1993 I was living in Meridian, MS and was transferring (with my job) to either Memphis or Nashville (I had the choice). I had a group of established friends (since I went to High School about an hour from Nashville) that already lived in Nashville...so I chose here. My coworkers in Memphis thought I was crazy and made many derogatory references to Nashville. But....you live in the city that you live in and you are hopefully proud of whatever that city is. Memphis and Nashville are completely different cities with different development paths and different things to offer. I think we would ALL be a lot better off if we appreciated the differences and quit trying to tear each other down every chance we get. I want the entire state to be prosperous.