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11/8/2024 5:47:00 PM
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Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee 

Tennessee, a U.S. state, contains the city of Memphis. It is the county seat for Shelby County and is located along the Mississippi River in the states southwest. Memphis is the second-most populated city in Tennessee, behind Nashville, according to the 2020 U.S. Census, with a population of 633,104.


Memphis is the largest city bordering the Mississippi River, the 28th largest city in the country overall, and the fifth most populous city in the Southeast. The wider Mid-South area, which encompasses West Tennessee and parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, and the Missouri Bootheel, is part of the Memphis metropolitan area. Memphis, one of the Southern United States' more historically and culturally significant cities, offers a wide range of topographies and distinctive neighborhoods.


Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto traveled to the region of modern-day Memphis for the first time in 1541. As Memphis grew, Spanish, French, and English colonists competed for control of the high Chickasaw Bluffs that protected the area from the waves of the Mississippi. It was a part of American territory by the time the modern city of Memphis was established in 1819. The city was established by John Overton, James Winchester, and Andrew Jackson. Memphis became one of the biggest cities of the Antebellum South thanks to the abundance of cotton plantations and river traffic along the Mississippi. The city grew even after the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery in the 20th century. It grew to be one of the biggest markets in the world for lumber and cotton.


Memphis, which is home to the majority of African Americans in Tennessee, was an important location for the American Civil Rights Movement. In 1968, following efforts in support of a strike by municipal maintenance workers, activist Martin Luther King Jr. was killed there. A Smithsonian affiliate institution, the National Civil Rights Museum was founded there. 

Since the civil rights period, Memphis has developed into one of the top economic hubs for logistics and transportation in the country. The biggest employer is FedEx, which continues to operate its international air hub at Memphis International Airport. Memphis has surpassed Anchorage to become the world's busiest cargo airport since the fall of the USSR in 1991. In addition, Memphis' International Port is home to the fifth-busiest inland water port in the nation. Memphis is ranked as a "Sufficiency" global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network as of 2020.


Memphis is a hub for media, entertainment, and has a long history in the music industry. Memphis has earned the title of "Home of the Blues" because to Beale Street's blues clubs, which are credited with creating the distinctive blues sound. Country, rock and roll, soul, and hip-hop have all left their mark on the music of this genre.


The Grizzlies of the NBA are a well-known professional sports team that call the city home. The Memphis Pyramid, Sun Studio, the Blues Hall of Fame, and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music are a few additional sights. Graceland is another. Memphis-style barbecue has gained recognition on a global scale, and the city regularly draws more than 100,000 tourists to the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which is held there every year. The University of Memphis and Rhodes College are examples of higher education institutions. 

 

Climate 

Memphis is a city in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8a in the downtown area, cooling to 7b for much of the surrounding area, and has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa, Trewartha Cf), with four distinct seasons. The upper Great Plains and the Gulf of Mexico alternately produce winter weather, which can cause abrupt changes in temperature. Texas, which has extremely hot and humid summers, or the Gulf of Mexico (hot and very humid). Due to moisture coming from the Gulf of Mexico, July sees high levels of humidity and an average daily temperature of 82.8 °F (28.2 °C).


Thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening are frequent in the summer, but they typically stay for no more than an hour. Although it can be warm until late October, early fall is pleasantly drier and moderate. Rainy and chilly in the late fall, the peak months for precipitation are November and December. Winters can range from moderate to cool, with an average daily temperature of 42.1 °F (5.6 °C) in January. Winter months saw occasional precipitation, with an average annual snowfall of 2.7 inches (6.9 cm). More dangerous weather conditions include ice storms and freezing rain because they frequently cause tree limbs to fall on power wires and make driving difficult. Even though they mostly happen in the spring, severe thunderstorms can happen at any time of the year. These storms may also be accompanied by large hail, powerful gusts, flooding, and frequent lighting. Tornadoes can form in some storms.


Memphis has experienced a range of temperatures, with the lowest ever recorded being 13 °F (25 °C) on December 24, 1963, and the hottest ever being 108 °F (42 °C) on July 13, 1980. An annual average of 4.4 days with highs below freezing, 6.9 nights with lows below 20 °F (7 °C), 43 such nights, 64 days with highs above 90 °F (32 °C), and 2.1 days with highs above 100 °F (38 °C) are recorded.


During the North American cold waves of 1985 and 1989, Memphis had lows of -4 degrees Fahrenheit. 

High annual precipitation (54.94 inches [1,400 mm]) that is dispersed very evenly throughout the year. While August and September are comparatively drier, March through May and December experience particularly high monthly rainfall averages. 

 

Religion 

The religious structures of the Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational, and other Christian faiths, as well as a Jewish congregation, are depicted on a map of Memphis from 1870. There are places of worship for Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists in 2009.


Memphis serves as the home base for the Church of God in Christ, the largest Pentecostal organization in the country. Its Mason Temple bears the name of Charles Harrison Mason, who founded the sect. In April 1968, the night before he was killed at his motel, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his renowned "I've Been to the Mountaintop" address. The National Civil Rights Museum presents Freedom Awards during a ceremony held each year at Mason's Temple of Deliverance in Memphis, which is home to the Lorraine Motel and other structures. 

In Memphis, Bellevue Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist megachurch, was established in 1903. It has about 30,000 members as of right now. Adrian Rogers, a three-term president of the Southern Baptist Convention, served as its leader for many years.


Other prominent and/or substantial churches in Memphis include First Baptist Broad, Temple of Deliverance, Calvary Episcopal Church, the Church of the River (First Unitarian Church of Memphis), Second Presbyterian Church (EPC), Highpoint Church (SBC), Hope Presbyterian Church (EPC), Evergreen Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Idlewild Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), GraceLife Pentecostal Church (UPCI), Colonial Park United Methodist Church, Christ United Methodist Church, and First Congregational Church.


There are two cathedrals in Memphis. The episcopal diocese of West Tennessee is housed in St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, while the Roman Catholic diocese of Memphis is located in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. 

One of the biggest Reform synagogues in the nation, Temple Israel in Memphis is a Reform congregation with about 7,000 members. The largest Orthodox synagogue in the country is Baron Hirsch Synagogue. Before the Civil War, the city had some Jewish citizens, but in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, more Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe arrived. 

10,000 to 15,000 Muslims of diverse nationalities and races are thought to reside in Memphis. 

In Memphis and the surrounding metropolitan region, there are several seminaries. Memphis Theological Seminary and Harding School of Theology are located in Memphis. The Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary is located in suburban Cordova. 

 

Economy 

The city's geographic centrality has facilitated the growth of its economy. Memphis, which is located on the Mississippi River and is served by two Interstate Highways, I-40 and I-55, as well as five significant freight railroads, is well situated for trade in the transportation and shipping sector. With steamboats cruising the Mississippi river, it had easy access to water, which was important for its early development. The building of railroads improved its accessibility to other markets in the east and west.


Highways and interstates have played important roles as transportation corridors since the second part of the 20th century. I-69, the third interstate, is now being built, while I-22, the fourth, was only recently designated from the previous High Priority Corridor X. Trucks and railways unload river barges' contents. Memphis International Airport, which will surpass Hong Kong International Airport in 2021 as the busiest cargo airport in the world, is located in the city. FedEx Express' main shopping center is located in Memphis. 

Three Fortune 500 firms were based in Memphis as of 2014: FedEx (ranked 63), International Paper (ranked 107), and AutoZone (no. 306).


Allenberg Cotton, American Residential Services (also known as ARS/Rescue Rooter), Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, Cargill Cotton, City Gear, First Horizon National Corporation, Fred's, GTx, Lenny's Sub Shop, Mid-America Apartments, Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, ServiceMaster, True Temper Sports, Varsity Brands, and Verso Paper are just a few of the well-known businesses with headquarters in Memphis Companies with significant operations in Memphis include Smith & Nephew and Gibson Guitars (located in Nashville). 

Memphis is home to a branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.


In recent years, Memphis has gained attention from the entertainment and film sectors. Making the Grade (1984), Elvis and Me (1988), Great Balls of Fire! (1988), Heart of Dixie (1989), Mystery Train (1989), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Trespass (1992), The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992), The Firm (1993), The Delta (1996), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), and The Rainmaker (1997) are just a few of the notable motion pictures that were filmed in Memphis with the help of the Memphis (2011). The Blind Side (2009) was filmed in Atlanta but had a Memphis setting. Filming also took place in Memphis for the 1992 television movie Memphis, which starred Cybill Shepherd, a native of Memphis who also acted as executive producer and writer. 

 

Education 

Shelby County Schools provide education for the city. Residents decided to abolish Memphis City Schools' charter on March 8, 2011, which effectively merged it with the Shelby County School District. The merger came into being at the start of the 2013–14 academic year, following complications with state law and legal challenges. Six incorporated cities in Shelby County decided to create independent education systems in 2013.


There are more than 200 elementary, middle, and high schools run by the Shelby County School System. 

Additionally, there are numerous private, college-preparatory schools in the Memphis area, including the co-ed Briarcrest Christian School, the boys' Christian Brothers High School, the co-ed Evangelical Christian School, the co-ed First Assembly Christian School, the co-ed St. Mary's Episcopal School, the girls' Hutchison School, the co-ed Lausanne Collegiate School, the boys' Memphis University School, the co-ed Saint Benedict at Auburndale (co-ed). Memphis Harding Academy, a coed institution connected to the Churches of Christ, is also listed on this list.


University of Memphis, Rhodes College, Christian Brothers University, Memphis College of Art, LeMoyne-Owen College, Baptist College of Health Sciences, Memphis Theological Seminary, Harding School of Theology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide (Memphis campus), Reformed Theological Seminary (satellite campus), William R. Moore College of Technology, Southern College of Optometry, Southwest Tennessee Communit The University of Phoenix, Concorde Career College, ITT Technical Institute, Vatterott College, and other for-profit post-secondary institutions all have campuses in Memphis. Local post-secondary nonprofit school Remington College. 

The University of Tennessee Institution of Dentistry was established in 1878, making it the third-oldest public dental college in the United States and the oldest dental college in the South. 

With its founding in 1872, the Christian Brothers High School Band is the nation's first high school band. 

 

Population 

Tennessee's Shelby County contains the city of Memphis. Additionally, Shelby County's County seat is there. It is the second-largest city in Tennessee and the 27th-largest city in the United States with a population of 628,970 in 2023. Memphis' population has declined by -3.37% from the most recent census, which showed a population of 650,910 in 2020, and is currently falling at a pace of -0.22% annually. Memphis has a population density of 1,982 persons per square mile, spanning over 326 miles.


With a poverty rate of 30.50 percent, Memphis has a $62,588 average household income. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. Memphis has a 34.2-year median age, with males being 32.4 and females being 36.


Memphis, the county seat of Shelby County and the second-largest city in Tennessee, is situated in the southwest of the state. With a projected 651,011 residents in 2021, Memphis will rank as the 20th-biggest city in the country, the largest city on the Mississippi, and the fifth-largest city in the Southeast.


With an estimated 1.33 million residents, the greater Memphis metropolitan area—which spans counties in Arkansas and Mississippi—is the second largest in Tennessee behind Nashville. The counties of Fayette, Tipton, and Shelby in Tennessee, Tate, Marshall, DeSoto, and Tunica in Mississippi, and Crittenden County in Arkansas are all included in this metropolitan statistical area (MSA). In comparison to the city itself, the overall metro region has a higher proportion of white population and a higher per capita income. 

 

Top 2 News Websites 

WREG NEWS 

West Tennessee, North Mississippi, and Eastern Arkansas are all included in the most recent events and breaking news for Memphis and the Mid-South. 

Commercial Appeal 

The Commercial Appeal provides news, weather, crime, photographs, video, sports, the Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis Tigers, and other information for Memphis, Tennessee, and the Mid-South. 

 

Current City Mayor 

On January 1, 2020, Jim Strickland took the oath of office to serve a second term as mayor of Memphis. He vowed to continue making investments in our communities, our people, and our economy. 

In addition to the diligent work of City staff, significant development has taken place, as evidenced by the retention of ServiceMaster, St. Jude expansion, IndigoAg, the Union Row development, Amazon, a $200 million Renasant Convention Center renovation, Loew's Hotel, and FedEx Logistics moving downtown. These developments speak to the momentum of the city's economic development.


In order to change the long-held belief that Memphis should expand outward, Mayor Strickland's objective is to reverse population loss through a strategy that reinvests in the city's core and its communities. Memphis 3.0, the city's first long-term plan in almost 40 years, is being implemented. The mayor declared that his administration will concentrate on "building up, not building out," and we are doing just that.


As always, the mayor's top priority is public safety. Two of the largest police recruit classes in more than a decade have been produced as a result of his initiative to rebuild the Memphis Police Department, along with the first annual net increase in officers in in years. Mayor Strickland's administration has worked with the Memphis City Council to create four budgets without raising taxes. In keeping with his dedication to infrastructure, Mayor Strickland has doubled street paving since he took office four years ago. The city's financial standing has also received praise from the state comptroller and rating agencies.


A transparent and open government has been a priority for Mayor Strickland, who also started a weekly email update to residents that addresses both the city's problems and its accomplishments. (Click here to sign up for the mayor's weekly update.) As part of what Mayor Strickland refers to as a "great at the basics" concept of city government, his administration is working to improve essential city services while also committing to transparency and trust. This is done in order to facilitate Memphis' continued growth. The City of Memphis received a silver accreditation from What Works Cities for its intense concentration in this area, which led to its recognition as one of the best-run American cities. One of just 13 communities in America with this distinction, this assessment of our capacity to perform was independent and objective.


Mayor Strickland graduated from Christian Brothers High School in 1982, the University of Memphis in 1986, and the University of Memphis School of Law in 1989. From 1990 until 1998, he was an attorney with Glankler Brown PLLC. In 1998, he switched to Kustoff & Strickland PLLC, where he worked until being elected mayor. 

In 2007, Mayor Strickland won a seat on the Memphis City Council, and in 2014, he held the position of chairman. Former councilman Strickland, who served District 5 for eight years, became well-known for his advocacy of public safety and open government.


Mayor Strickland has long been active in the community. He has volunteered with a number of groups throughout the years, including the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen. He belongs to the NAACP as a gold life member. 

Mayor Strickland has two kids and is married.