What is Memphis like? Be honest.

[Smtchll]

Originally Posted by TN-rox

The description redneck is probably more preferable to some of the other titles cities are given, to me. But memphis? not a southern city? could the words memphis and north be used in the same sentence??? and memphians are some of the friendliest people around. Try going to some northern cities, see how much response you get from the people there. Ive been to chicago and found it the most other worldly place Ive ever been. And as a whole, city folks are going to be less friendly than small towners, even in the south. For such a large city, Memphis is mighty friendly.

Memphis is Southern, but not in the redneck way. It's more Black Southern & Bluesy-Rock Southern. If that makes any sense, haha

[Huckleberry3911948]

people that live in the greater memphis area do not like to go there alone.
a sure sign that it is bad is an empty motel very near the airport exit ramp with weeds growing out the parking lot pavement. next door a 7/11--- bars on the window and a nervous cashier in the daytime!!

[strumpeace]

Um, you're going to judge the town based on the area around the airport? I've been to many airports in many places, and I have yet to find an airport in a nice area. Typically, the area around an airport is filled with cheap motels, porn shops, strip clubs, Dennys and IHOP type restaurants, and convenience stores. In Memphis, there is cheap, rundown, ghetto housing near the airport.

If all cities were to be judged based on the area around their respective airports, I would say that 90 percent of North American cities are lousy.

[jwconne]

I lived in Memphis twice... Its what you make it. It has good areas and bad like Buffalo. I would move to De Soto Co. Mississippi. Its a suburb of Memphis and taxes are lower with less crime. If moving to Memphis the best parts of town are east. I would really consider De Soto County. A nice city there is Olive Branch.

[expatnortherner]

Originally Posted by jwconne

A nice city there is Olive Branch.

This depends entirely on your POV. As a former Manhattanite, Olive Branch (to me) is the absolute worst of places to live. There is nothing remotely attractive about sururban or quasi-suburban living to me, mid-town (especially Cooper-Young) is the ideal place.

But looking at the tone of the threads there's a certain suburban air of superiority in them, at least as it compares to Memphis in particular. This in and of itself illustrates one of the major problems with the greater Memphis area, that 'us' suburbanites versus 'them' city dwellers.

Ex-Pat

[expatnortherner]

Originally Posted by Smtchll

Memphis is Southern, but not in the redneck way. It's more Black Southern & Bluesy-Rock Southern. If that makes any sense, haha

To me there is not much difference between 'Black Southern' (whatever that means) and 'redneck', meaning the two cultures (as you seem to be defining them) are viewed as one in the north.

You rarely never see one without the other so it makes no sense to make a distinction.

Ex-Pat

[expatnortherner]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

Um, you're going to judge the town based on the area around the airport? I've been to many airports in many places, and I have yet to find an airport in a nice area. Typically, the area around an airport is filled with cheap motels, porn shops, strip clubs, Dennys and IHOP type restaurants, and convenience stores. In Memphis, there is cheap, rundown, ghetto housing near the airport.

If all cities were to be judged based on the area around their respective airports, I would say that 90 percent of North American cities are lousy.

Having grown up a stones throw from Kennedy Airport I can second this. Heck even LaGuardia Airport, as busy as it is, is right next door to a prison. You see it clearly everytime a plane lands or takes off.

LA International is the same way, surrounded by porn shops, sorry 'Adult Entertainment' shops, run-down-post-industrial neighborhoods and blight.
Memphis is not by itself by any stretch of the imagination, in fact it's actually BETTER looking than most of the immdiate airport surrounding that I have seen.

Ex-Pat

[Smtchll]

Originally Posted by expatnortherner

To me there is not much difference between 'Black Southern' (whatever that means) and 'redneck', meaning the two cultures (as you seem to be defining them) are viewed as one in the north.

You rarely never see one without the other so it makes no sense to make a distinction.

Ex-Pat

They're very similar, but not exactly the same. Are black culture & white culture up North the same? Probably not. Well they're not the same in the South either. The history of segregation in the South has caused these 2 cultures to not blend completely into one. Sure, they influence each other a lot, but they still remain distinct. If there wasn't such a history of racism and segregation then they'd probably just be one Southern culture today.

[expatnortherner]

Originally Posted by Smtchll

They're very similar, but not exactly the same. Are black culture & white culture up North the same? Probably not. Well they're not the same in the South either. The history of segregation in the South has caused these 2 cultures to not blend completely into one. Sure, they influence each other a lot, but they still remain distinct. If there wasn't such a history of racism and segregation then they'd probably just be one Southern culture today.

You can't compare 'white' culture in the North because with few exceptions you're talking about European immigrant culture. Most of the people you may consider 'white' don't identify themselves as such. Ask them and they'll flat out tell you "I'm Greek", "I'm Armenian", "I'm Italian", etc. They don't all get along, in fact many hate each other. And their neighborhoods and lifestyles are as different as night and day.

In many cases you only have to go back as far as the grandmother/father to encounter someone who does not speak english natively or emigrated from Europe or the Mediterranean.

The same goes for people you would consider 'black'. Ask most 'blacks' and you will find any number of cultures other than American Black. They too will flat out tell you "I'm not Black, I'm Jamaican, Haitian, Bajan, Cuban", etc.

My experience with the south has been exactly the opposite. Non-ethnic 'whites' or those whose ethnicity is buried far in the past and American-born Blacks make up the majority, not the minority. Sure there are exceptions, but language and culture are uniform across the city within the two groups.

From a northerners POV the desire for the two cultures not to blend has more to do with history and less to do with culture, language, ethnicity or religion.

Ex-Pat

[Pearlbob]

I think OP's question has been answered, and he hasn't been back since he posted in November to ask any follow ups, so I will close this thread.