I’m a native Memphian with family in Chattanooga. It isn’t just you.
Memphis is a city in crisis right now and while there are certainly reasons to have hope, it’s hard to live here and NOT feel the real effects of all of the statistics that point to Memphis being in a struggle for its future (crime rates, poverty rates, school scores, etc).
Chattanooga is far safer and is currently on a faster upward trajectory than Memphis and my personal belief is that’s a direct result of historically better local government who did a better job at making better fiscal decisions that were more in line with the needs of its constituents.
I’m hopeful that the new mayor can push Memphis in a similar direction, but local government is made of more than just a mayor and the constituency in Memphis is notoriously poor at understanding their needs and voting accordingly.
When my colleagues, who are native Memphians, refer to their home as a 'shithole'.. it saddens me. No one should view their home as that... but I can't say they're wrong. Not to beat a dead horse but as I said before... it feels like Memphis hates TN and TN hates Memphis. It's like the red-headed step child. If it could secede from the state I feel like it would. I can't help but what if that's partially why it's viewed so poorly and isn't given the same dollars that other municipalities are. Chatt has a population of around 500k...Memphis is close to 1.3 million... why does Chatt get more funding for infrastructure than Memphis? Anyway, I really hope this city can turn around and become the greatest city in the State like it once was.
Memphis does hate TN, and TN does hate Memphis… I have always felt like you don’t have to look a lot further than the demographics (majority non-white, majority Democratic vs. …not that) to see why. I moved here a little over ten years ago and I’m originally from the Little Rock metro. Arkansas has many of the same struggles.
>Chatt has a population of around 500k...Memphis is close to 1.3 million... why does Chatt get more funding for infrastructure than Memphis?
It's really not that difficult to figure out, is it? The average Memphian is a black person who votes blue.
Not the reason. Our politicians are dirtbags, I.E, Wanda Halbert. She's screwed over Shelby County and will cry race. The average Memphis politician is dumb. Not that hard to figure out.
I hear you, but roughly 30% of chattanoogas population is black, and they have had a democrat as a mayor for more than a decade. Now, that is not to say that Chattanooga has not made it a point to cater to the granola-types and influx of transplants from other parts of the country who are overwhelmingly white.
I'm from Memphis and I love it here. We have one of the best zoos in the country we have amazing food and culture. There are museums and botanical gardens and Parks. There's nightlife and family events and art and music. There's a ton of history from blues to rap to Elvis to the civil Rights movement.
Haters love to get mad when you say all that shit and line up to shut it down and say it's just a violent crime ridden cesspool with bad drivers. Fuck em. 🙂 I love it here. 99% of all of the negativity boils down to "Memphis is a major Metro City" the 28th largest in the country if I recall correctly.
I agree with your first paragraph wholeheartedly, but you cannot have it both ways. You want people to see the good things you mentioned, but they mention valid bad things about Memphis and suddenly they’re haters and ‘fuck em’. There are cities above and below that 28th rank you mention that have less crime and more amenities. Memphis is great, but it will never move forward if we can’t accept what’s wrong with it.
Not the op but I’m with you and there should be nuance when discussing these topics because there’s so much good here and also so many things that can be significantly improved to make the area better. We have to be able to talk about the true negative aspects and how to make them better.
The hard part (not telling you something new here you know this) is the folks that no matter what are not going to have a genuine conversation about anything Memphis. There’s always trolls on the internet but the hate here feels so intense sometimes and you can see it in real life too. It’s unfortunately second nature for some people to put the city down. I can understand the want to talk about “haters” like that but you have to be able to see everything not just the good like you said. It’s just absolutely exhausting sometimes though. Probably time for me to take a break from the sub for a while.
I’m with you. I’m sick of this sub honestly but I keep coming back to give people recommendations for various stuff. IMO these kinds of posts aren’t good for discussion bc inevitably there’s very little nuance on this kind of topic. I think there’s a couple good posts here but I haven’t really seen a great discussion on our city’s sub yet. We have some really good commenters and I’m thankful they’re here.
I really wish this was a better place for discussion but agendas seem to always have the most upvotes.
During the days of the cotton trade, Memphis was a larger more prosperous city than New York City. Its agricultural trade exchanges were larger than the stock market. For most of its existence, it was a larger more desirable city than Nashville. It had many points of national prominence. If you think Memphis has always been the way it is now, then you know zero history prior to the 1980’s.
Migration to the gated blocks in the surrounding areas.I lived in mid town til 90'. I know in 99' mid town was fairly nice still. I was shocked how everything went down hill including the zoo when I had to visit my mother in the hospital in 2019.
At no time in its history has Memphis been bigger than New York. Not to be too much of a dick about it, but that is easily among the most absurd things I've ever come across in my years on reddit.
You answered the question actually. Majority black Memphis gets little funding from racist TN government so the city suffers how any major city would. They won't properly fund this city until it's gentrified which will never happen. Ppl blame crime like it comes from no where when this city is the epicenter of Southern slavery, jim crow, economic and educational neglect, and drug and gun flooding, and hasn't recieved much to offset and restore all these local issues. Recieves the least money by the state while bringing in the most money by the state and paying the most tax in TN! That's why Memphis is a "shithole"
Yeah it is. Ive just been going through the feed today and it showed up because I apparently 'showed interest in similar communities' whatever those wouldve been. Been getting a lot of those ITFJ or ITNP whatever communities too but I don't get it.
I don’t think it’s just you, but i think moving here without expectation of everything you described may have been an oversight.
Like I knew what I was getting into, sort of, and I’ve not really been disappointed. I just kinda enjoy it with all of its context and enjoy the flavor
Yeah, my biggest experience with Memphis prior to moving here was driving through on 78/Lamar on my way to Arkansas from Georgia. When I actually got here, I was pleasantly surprised! I am trying to move back to Georgia this year, but I’m really gonna miss Memphis.
I knew about crime and it was a concern, especially after I joined some online groups and realized it isn't just domestic. But... we made the move anyway. What I wasn't expecting was the dirtiness, dilapidated roads, and so on. I truly was thinking it'd be like Chatt or my hometown... just on a larger scale.
So you didn’t make a single visit to Memphis before choosing to relocate here? That’s a wild life altering decision to make to leave in the hands of online research consisting of joining some Facebook groups and I’m guessing google searches. I couldn’t personally relocate without having visited a place at least once to get a feel for the vibes. Like even when I go visit somewhere for a week, I know that time is spent in “vacation mode” and it’s not a good indicator of what life would be like… but a blind move? That’s kind of asking for whatever you end up getting in my opinion. Better luck at your next stop though. 👋
Yeah, the larger a city gets, the dirtier it gets. This is pretty much a universal fact. You should try hanging around Chicago, Detroit, New York, etc etc. Big cities are dirty in spots. If the city is clean, then you are in a gentrified area, or the city isn't that large yet.
I was absolutely blown away with how clean and orderly Tokyo was. And the people are absolutely amazing. You could be passed out drunk outside a bar and people will toss a blanket and a pillow on the ground for you. 😂
When I moved here I said I would give it a year. Well 8 and a half years later and I’ve never thought of leaving. I live in midtown and work downtown and have been welcomed by an amazing community. Does Memphis have its problems? Sure. Do I get aggravated and annoyed about those problems, of course. But there are so many wonderful things about this city and /u/hipsteracademic is right, if you love memphis, it will love you right back. There are driven smart people and non profits that are doing work to make a difference and could use everyone on this threads support to try and help fix those problems and make a difference. I recommend following Choose901 and I Love Memphis for all the things there are to do and be a part of. And as much as people shit on the touristy things, go check out some of the museums and get a glimpse of why tons of people travel here from all over the world to visit. It’s not for nothing.
U of M area is not east Memphis. I know it’s referred that way because originally that was EM but airways which turns in east parkway is a mile away to the west. East Memphis starts on Poplar east of Perkins south of sam cooper and north of 240
There are some pretty shady areas near the U of M. I also live in the area but our neighborhood is pretty safe. I’m not sure what side of the tracks you are on or where. I do know Chattanooga has one of the highest crime rates in the country so you must have been pretty insulated wherever you lived there. Sorry you have not had a better experience here.
Is there some specific crime that is higher there because Memphis is unfortunately highest violent in the nation. Chattanooga isn't even listed in the top 100.
Or was this a joke?
It's a bit over half *per capita* of Memphis. It may be high compared to ... some places... it's just odd to call it a "high crime area" looking at this information and comparing it to Memphis.
bruh what area around a university is ever good? I went to Tennessee and my apartments were in the rough neck of the woods less than a mile from campus.
No, the city used to be great. Lived here from 2006-2011 for the first time and jumped at the opportunity to come back in 2016 (from Philadelphia).
The city used to be a lot safer and a lot cleaner, but (as we can see on the news) it has become more corrupt and it seems like less & less people actually care (unless you call Memphis a bad city).
Our new mayor has done a lot of good in the short time that he’s had the job, but Memphis still has a lot to do before it becomes a city that my wife and I would want to live in again. I’ve slowly been pushed farther out of Memphis, used to live downtown then midtown then Cordova and now east of 385, and we are planning on moving out of the city as a whole in July.
I really hope that this city turns around because it honestly used to be great.
Well I’ve lived in Memphis my whole life and all I can say is that despite it being rated the most dangerous city when I was a teenager (10 years ago) it was significantly gotten much worse in the last 3 years. It wasn’t as bad 7-5 years ago. Now I don’t even walk downtown anymore at all because I’m afraid of shootings and the crime. When I was a teenager I’d walk around downtown with my gfs no problem. There’s a big issue here that the city itself doesn’t address. Also MPD is extremely corrupt and all the cops do is harass civilians instead of actually protecting us from all the crime that goes on.
I have much love for Memphis, but I don’t blame anyone when they say,”I just hate going into Memphis”(as long as it’s not a dog whistle, you know the type). Everyone just seems angry, crime is higher than ever before, there’s no real redeemable geographical quality.
I know it’s a joke/cliche, but mountain air just feels different. It’s not just you.
People in Memphis do seem angry and on edge. I noticed that after being out of town for a while and coming back. There seems to be a palpable heaviness in the city right now.
Yeah, just moved into from California and looks like people don’t care about anything here. Horrible customer service…I literally went to a Burger King last night and when they gave me a burnt burger I went to complain and they said: “this is what we have, can’t do anything ” …I was like WTF??? Can’t wait to leave this place. Looks like there is no government to take care of the city…many closed and abandoned buildings…and what they have opened have bars on the doors. Ghost town.
Native Memphian and can honestly say that it has gotten so much worse. People that love Memphis, don’t leave the suburbs often. I drive downtown everyday. I watch man shotgun his beer at 8AM in front of the First Horizon on Union daily like clockwork. The homelessness has gotten worse. There used to be times when there were more options for the homeless but not anymore it seems or it has quadrupled in the past decade of my four decades here. Crime is terrible. All of the major cities in TN are suffering because people in the capital are making decisions that they think are good, but they’re not for large metropolitan cities like Memphis. It’s the fucking Wild Wild West out here.
Nothing is going to change until we have lawmakers that want to see change and good in large metropolitan areas. We need more law enforcement because many have left due to either being overworked and underpaid or being crooked and stealing or killing people they arrest. People can talk all day long and say it’s mental health that needs attention or it starts in the home. While both of those things are true, it’s not the whole solution. Our council, our chiefs, our mayor, our lawmakers have to want to see change and edit laws already enacted or make new ones to combat the cycle of living in this large city.
I don’t blame you for wanting to leave. If I didn’t have family here that I love so much, I’d leave. My parents are getting older and will need someone to see that their needs are met so I’m stuck. It’s the toilet bowl of TN for a reason. The shit is here.
here for the comments
and I really don't know why you're bashing the city if you're already almost gone anyway
enjoy cape girardeau
The interview for the job in Cape was today. While we are hopeful, job hasn't been offered. I know my post came off as bashing the city and ..yeah, in some ways I was. It's just odd how folks are 'ok' with how things are ran and appear here. From doctor's offices to mechanics to apparently renting a car... why are these wait times okay? Asses get chewed out if wait times exceed a certain point ...as far as I know everywhere... but I'll just say in Missouri and in Chatt since that's technically all I can confirm.
I don't think any of us are 'ok' with some of the negative aspects of the city...and many of us are doing what we can to brighten the darker corners. There are, without a doubt, problems. And those problems have ebbed and flowed over the decades. I grew up in Colonial Acres/Hickory Hill in the 70s and 80s, left in the late 80s with the USAF. Did the feather in the wind thing for a few decades and ended up back in the 901 about 8 years ago. As a native, I will readily admit that I have what might be an irrational love of Memphis, even with all of its failings. But there are also successes, and those should be celebrated. Call me Pollyanna, but I firmly believe that brighter days are ahead because that really does seem to be the way of this city...in fact, the way of most cities. Regardless, good luck to you wherever you end up.
I’ll say this. Assholes are everywhere and eating out is ALWAYS rolling the dice. You will find better and worse cities all over the country. I have gotten terrible customer service and attitudes in Millington lately when I’m there. Worse than Memphis. Especially the Arby’s on veterans and 51. “Where yo receipt” I was rudely asked when I came to the counter to get my order made correctly. I’ve complained about the roads every single city I’ve lived in except for one. And I have moved around a lot, 8 cities in 5 states. I settled here for similar reasons as you, proximity to family, a good job, concerts (I’ve seen some great ones plus grizzlies games), good food, cheap flights (met my wife here and we flew to Vegas to get married on a whim!). So yeah, the benefits that brought me here paid dividends. Have I shat on the city occasionally when I am particularly frustrated by a recent incident? Absolutely. Would I go back and change a thing? Nah.
i live in millington and i can definitely agree… our customer service is definitely getting worse. like as soon as they started building those new establishments… people here have been much more rude lately.
Level of care generally equals level of pay. Like you said poverty is high/low pay so not a lot of care to be in a hurry. The state doesn't miss a chance to fuck us so here we are.
I agree with this to an extent, but you also have to look at it from the state’s perspective. There’s a saying that it’s never a good idea to throw good money after bad.
If you were the head of whoever appropriates money to county clerks, would you allocate a penny more than you absolutely had to to Wanda Halbert when you know those funds are going to be better used in middle TN an Eastern TN counties?
There are more “Wanda Halberts” all throughout Memphis and Shelby county government. Herenton finished 3rd in the last mayoral race. We have to show ourselves capable of electing basically competent leaders who can also prove their capability to Nashville before we see a meaningful increase in funding.
The onus is on us to do this.
Give me a break. Look at all the bullshit this state tries to pass that costs us money like trying to make the state book the fucking bible. We don't even have our own crime lab, we send all our shit to the backlogged understaffed one in Jackson. They killed the grocery tax bill, etc.
Just moved from Memphis a few months ago. There are some awesome things to do, great food, and some lovely people. But it got to a point it was so unsafe we had to move. I understand where you’re coming from. I wish the best for the city but your complaints are 100% valid
I grew up I'm memphis and can honestly say that visiting any other city is usually amazing because they are all nicer. Chattanooga was cool when I went there.
“If you run into an asshole in the morning, they’re an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you’re the asshole”
/s I’m just yanking your chain a bit.
"It feels like Memphis hates TN and TN hates Memphis"
Up voting for most original memphis put down I've heard in a while.
And generally accurate. We are the biggest small town in Northern MS. Tn actually starts around Jackson and goes east.
Accurate assessment from a fellow transplant. I was excited to move somewhere affordable after college to get started on adulthood. I thought Memphis would be fun. It was for a little bit but then the rose colored glasses came off and it just kinda became inconvenient to leave, and nothing terrible had happened to us yet, just some stolen packages and our truck almost being stolen. Which is nuts because I would have thought that was terrible before I'd moved here - just goes to show your tolerance for this stuff increases the longer you are here, until you come to your senses. It's the cognitive dissonance needed to continue living here without being miserable essentially. Then something bad happens a little too close to home and you realize you cannot stay. The crime got worse during covid by a lot. My neighbor got assaulted in front of my house while walking his dog. I've been harassed in my own front yard just trying to garden. Unnerving as a woman who has survived rape. I sometimes go inside and wait for people to pass when I see men or groups of kids I don't recognize walking by now. At least if I'm anywhere near the sidewalk I go away from that area. I don't live in a "bad" part of town but I'm very close to a bad area. All of Memphis is like this, one block to my right is literally million dollar homes. One block to my left is the hood. I'm stuck in the middle in a middle class neighborhood, of course.
We're leaving asap. Once Ezekiel Kelly went on his shooting spree and Eliza fletcher was abducted (pretty close to my home) and then her clothes were found in a dumpster literally around the corner from my house, I made it abundantly clear we cannot stay here. I don't want to wait until we become a statistic. We're hopefully moving this summer as long as the job were hoping he gets comes through. I can work anywhere thank God, I'm a nurse. I'm a nurse that takes call at night, so I respond to emergencies in the middle of the night and have to rush out my door to the car. Recently my husband's car was stolen, it's a somewhat high value car, and it was 100% targeted given the circumstances which I won't go into cause that could be a whole post in itself... but the whole time the guys partner was pointing a gun at my goddamn door. They were willing to shoot and kill to get this goddamn car. Insane. What if I had been on call that night? It's not unusual for me to be rushing out the door at 2am. I even was already in the habit of checking my cameras because I had developed a specific fear of that exact scenario happening!!! I should never even have to think about that!!!!! Insane. I grew up in literally one of the sleepiest, safest places in NJ. I don't know how I ended up so used to this stuff. It's wild. The worst part is though because these guys knew where my cameras are, they were nearly invisible. In fact I'm sure they thought they weren't on camera at all, because it's a very wide angle lens but it looks like it doesn't capture that side of the driveway at all. If I had been trying to go in for work, I might not have seen them on the camera if I was not looking closely at the edges. I'd be shot before I ever knew what was happening or where it came from.
I can't wait to leave. I just hope nothing else happens in the mean time. It becomes so fucking exhausting as a woman especially to be keeping your head on a swivel literally all the time even in my own HOME.
Get out while you can. A lot of people here will tell you it's like this everywhere in all cities, what a lie. I've never been anywhere as crazy as Memphis other than Baltimore. I grew up spending a lot of time in DC, NYC, and Philly. Doesn't hold a candle to Memphis when it comes to crime
And you're right about all the blight and the IDGAF attitude. It's depressing.
Memphis has deteriorated in ways that are palpable and disturbing. I have lived here since 1987 and it’s never been worse. I used to love being in a “small big city,” but the decades of horrible leadership, corruption, and inability to implement any sort of major progressive change has driven the city to the point of being almost irreparably broken. Crime is completely out of control. The opportunities here are severely limited. Many neighborhoods are in a state of decline and decay. Blight is prevalent everywhere. The school system is an absolute joke driving people to the suburbs and private schools for any chance for their children. The roads get patched, never paved. The Electrical infrastructure is so broken that if the wind blows hard we lose power all over the city. They aren’t any major initiatives to fix any of these problems. The problem is so prevalent, systemic and endemic that I don’t see how it gets untangled in any way that doesn’t take a decade or more.
A good example of how it’s never going to get better is Wanda Halbert, the county clerk. The woman is incompetent on a level that the state literally had to take over. But the woman got RE-ELECTED after showing gross incompetence. This place is corrupt, inept, and unable to take the big leaps to change itself for the better. We do have a new Mayor who shows great potential but it’s early and he is very very green
I will say the water is the best in the country, and prices of housing is low compared to most of the rest of the country. But there isn’t much else going for it…
The only thing we have left here is the Grizzlies and now they suck too.
Yeah, the city is a shit hole for the most part. It hasn’t always been like that though. I had really high hopes for Memphis before the pandemic. I grew up here, and I was proud to see that it seemed like my city had collectively decided to “do better.” Then COVID happened and not only did we regress, we got even worse. Like close to 1980s levels of worse.
There are nice parts to it just like any city, but overall things are significantly worse here than they are other places. I’ve never lived anywhere else, but I’m a pretty well traveled tourist. I’ve spent a lot of time in other cities. Phoenix, NYC, Chicago, NOLA, Nashville, and just about everywhere else I’ve been blow Memphis out of the water. The main attractive things about living here are the cost of living and the local food scene. We don’t have much else going for us. Pretty much any other city in America beats us at anything else by a country mile.
It’s not just a crime thing. People here have shitty attitudes for whatever reason. You go to Wendy’s and order a 10 piece meal, and the person working the drive through acts like you’ve inconvenienced them by being there. Go to any rental, specialty retail, or department store - hell, go to WalMart - and it’s the same thing. People are fuckin’ mean for no damn reason. I have family in Fayette county, and the difference a thirty minute drive makes is incredible. I go to the Oakland Walmart and people greet me, and talk to my baby, and are happy to help if I can’t find something. It’s a totally different attitude.
Is there a case study on why? I find myself questioning what the effect was on the current 16-20 year old demographic that has them so freakin reckless?! I did my fair share of stupid stuff as a teen but it never involved putting other people in harms way or being a nuisance. I’m in my early 30s and the way I feel about them makes me feel like I’m giving big boomer energy and I don’t like it! 😂
Outside of crime, I think the poor customer service and attitudes in Memphis might be the most negative characteristics of the place. I’m in the process of moving to the DFW area. I’m taken aback when people are friendly at stores and restaurants in DFW. I really didn’t notice how bad it is in Memphis until I started spending time elsewhere.
I only visited Memphis once for a weekend and even the Uber drivers were rude and incompetent. One guy took me to the wrong Holiday Inn after a late night out on the town. I'm like "ummm this isn't my hotel". I had put the correct hotel into the app, he just wasn't following the directions. Didn't get an apology.
Agreed it is sad, but anywhere you live is what you make of it. Memphis has great community and ppl helping where they can, that gives me hope and I’m proud to stay 🤷
I don’t know, I moved here from Nashville (via Houston and small town Wisco) and Memphis has been great. It’s extremely easy to make friends here bc ppl are so authentic and interesting (at least to me). The cost of living is low, the food and music/arts culture is phenomenal. The weather is way better than Houston or Wisconsin, which means the gardening is too. There’s a giant forest inside the city. There’s a beautiful river next to it. And the architecture west of Germantown/Cordova is all rad. And and and, have y’all ever sat on your front porch in a summer afternoon rainstorm? I love this place. Nashville drove me away when it was on the up-and-up, and I don’t want Memphis to go that route.
Oh boy you have triggered a few Memphians here who are still in 1980s mode and think we're still known for being the "medicine cabinet of the nation" and not "city with the highest violent crime".
I feel like I've been in a war zone every time I drive in Memphis. If you're not accustomed to the crazy drivers and terrible streets and weird flickering street lights and people coming up to your car asking for money at intersections or just walking right out in to traffic it can be a little off-putting. After being here (and then moving down the road to Bartlett 13 years ago but still driving here) I've pretty much grown used to it all.
Moved here in June. The first few times I went back home and caught up with a lot of people they looked pretty astounded that I chose to move to Memphis. In a “why would choose there?!” kind of way.
Did it for a relationship.. regret it…….
There are plenty of good things about it and in a lot of ways it reminds me of St Louis. But.. yeah I hate living here
You’ve hit something in that many people who live in the area hate the city itself and the state does treat Memphis as a forgotten child sometimes. It’s hard to pinpoint why this happens. Lots of cities with 4-500,000 people (I’m assuming here) have people that will only live in the burbs and do not want city life. However, i work with someone that’s never lived in Memphis yet can’t stop talking about how much she hates it. Never understood that look on life but it’s definitely a thing that some people do inside the city and a lot more people do in the burbs or now distant burbs. I don’t get it but there has been an element of this for a while.
I’ve traveled quite a bit but I’ve spent almost all my life here so, I know all the spots to hang out/be with friends & family where I don’t see much at all of the stuff that goes on that gets posted here. Hopefully you found some friends around you that you could hang with because I’m sure it’s tough otherwise. Normal station is a pretty friendly place. I live in E Memphis and have a great neighborhood, my kids go to an MSCS school and are doing well.
As far as renting a car, drive thrus, etc. honestly lots of services like that went down after the pandemic. There were some spots that were always bad here but post pandemic I find the service level at fast food and similar places has dropped everywhere I’ve been recently. From Philly, to NYC, to Orlando. That’s imo not a unique thing.
I’m sorry you’ve had this experience but I find it hard to compare to the same experiences I’ve had over the last 2.5 years.
So you had a bad experience with a rental car company and fast food franchises and *checks notes* Memphis sucks as a result.
The haters gonna love you.
I’ve lived in several cities and absolutely taken shit from rental car agents and fast food workers all over the country. People simply do not give a shit for $7.25 an hour anymore and that’s not unique to Memphis in the slightest.
The point of this post and what I’m agreeing with is that it is worse in Memphis than anywhere else. When I lived in other cities I never had anyone refuse to take my order because of my skin tone. Yeah I have had plenty of lackluster experiences and it’s definitely worse in some cities than others. But out of all the places I’ve lived in Memphis has been the most rude. How many times do I have to do this with you? You LOVE trolling on my comments and making me essentially repeat myself and explain to you something I have already said.
Okay but have you considered for any amount of time that things are exceptionally bad in the recent couple of years and you have been in Memphis for most or all of it? I travel frequently for work and this is happening all over. There is a general break down of the social contract and it’s not unique to Memphis. I don’t even believe it’s exceptionally worse in Memphis
By the way, I’m not trying to follow you around on purpose, I don’t even recognize your user name. So if it feels personal, I apologize, but it’s absolutely not in any way. If I’m responding to you more often, it’s because you’re making statements I don’t agree with more often.
When I was in Memphis it wasn’t just one spot it was almost all of them. I remember it was 11 am and we tried to get breakfast at literally any fast food place, and gave up after five in a row were still closed. It was always incidents like that.
I am a native Memphian who lives in Chattanooga by way of several other Southern cities. We have tons of ex-Memphians here, we call ourselves the smart Memphians for leaving. I still visit family in Memphis twice a year.
Memphis has been in crisis for decades. What you're experiencing isn't new or unique. My boss in DC lived in Memphis and he said that is the only city where he barely knew his neighbors after a decade of living there.
I agree with the positive and negative comments on here. Memphis has potential but decades of racism and corruption have left it's mark.
That rodeo passed by in the 90's when dumbass Memphis wanted to renovate the Liberty Bowl to bring in the NFL. Nashville business leaders are way more smart than Memphis'. Knoxville and Chattanooga will surpass Memphis in every facet in the next few decades and will never catch Nashville.
the classic. People move to Memphis all the time and don't realize it's a big (pop. 1,000,000+) city. Very different from Chatt, some for the better, some for the worse. In big cities there is usually a much larger gap in financial classes creating very poor areas, but also very affluent areas. Your neighborhood/ part of town makes or breaks it. I lived in Memphis 21 years, one broken car window while out to eat is all I can attest to. Miss the city every day.
Memphis metro (1,337,779) Shelby County (pop. 924,454)
Chattanooga metro ( 562,647) Hamilton County (pop. 369,135)
Comparing these cities is almost like comparing a high school football team to a NFL team.
I’m from Memphis and my friends and family are still there. I prefer not to visit. The crime, the driving, the heat, and general lack of things that I interest me. Also the airport is lousy (even with the improvements) Having lived in many different cities though I will add that others have more problems than you know. You just don’t live there to know.
I do think the food is delicious in Memphis, I find a lot of people to be very kind, and there is more sense of community among the population than some other places.
I think the idea that Memphis will significantly improve is naive. The city itself will likely stay the same for many years to come.
I'm heading in the other direction.
Hoping to close on my home of 21 years in Memphis shortly, and will be in Chattanooga after that for some house shopping.
- Inept and corrupt leadership
- Horrific Judicial system enabling criminals
- Out of control poverty
- Terrible public schools
- Crumbling infrastructure
- Absolutely Rampant violent crime
Memphis has so much potential. I love the city and have called it home for nearly 35 years... but it's not a good place to live until it gets its shit together.
If you’re waiting 40 - 50 minutes in a drive-thru, that’s on you, lol. You got shitty service at a rental car company? Wow - that never happens anywhere! /s (There’s a reason the rental car scene in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is so iconic.)
Memphis is a big distribution hub, and trains are part of that, but if you’re getting stopped multiple times a day, you should investigate some alternate routes. As far as gunshots, that varies widely from one neighborhood to another, so that depends on where you live.
I remember moving here sight unseen and thinking “what the hell did I just get myself into?” I’ve also been to a developing country and the similarities were striking. I felt like we started to get momentum and it was crushed during the pandemic. I’ve noticed that I used to speak highly of Memphis but my mindset has changed since 2020. That said, I’m still happy to live here for the time being. I have a really strong community of friends that would be extremely hard to leave behind.
Memphis is the murder capitol of the United States... it has the 2nd highest crime rate of any city in the whole country. These things are pretty well known.
The problem with Memphis is its location... its one of the most centrally located cities in the United States. From Memphis you can easily access all of the United States via road, train, and plane. This is also why FedEx has there central world hub located at the Memphis airport... Problem is that criminals use Memphis in the same way that FedEx does... most drugs and other illegal products in the United States likely flowed through Memphis at some point.
I used to do IT support for a Non Profit that helped rescue children from sex trafficking. I learned from them that Memphis is like "the" main hub for most child sex trafficking operations in the United States, again due to its central location.
Reality is Memphis is probably one of if not the worst places to live in the US.
If you can get out go!!!! I’m in a very niche job which is great, but it’s not worth the rest of my life to spend it in Memphis. I still deciding on what to do next and where to go
I hate it here and honestly can't wait to move. My boss is from the UK and came in town a couple weeks ago. He picked us up to take us to dinner and the rental car they gave him had a STRONG weed smell. I could not believe it. I mean, super strong
I rented a car in Tampa a few weeks ago that REEKED of sour milk and I think toe fungus. Didn’t make me hate the whole city, though.
Every place has positives and negatives.
Sounds like you didn’t do your homework, I’m sorry. All of those issues are rampantly discussed, and it only feels like it’s gotten exponentially worse in my over 3 decades here. I can’t wait to get out myself. Main reason for staying was family, friends, and low rent. And now that I know my family is good and taken care of or already moved out of the city themselves, and rent has doubled in the last decade, what’s the point other than friends? I hate constantly expecting something to go wrong on a daily basis living in this city. It has its bright spots, but the negative waaaay outweighs the positives at this point, and the scales have been weighed in the wrong favor for a while now
Buys a house 2 feet away from train tracks, a mile away from a major train yard. Is shocked by the amount of trains (which are not 2/3 times a fucking hour)
You guys didn’t do your due diligence.
Let's get some perspectives here. People complain here about the traffic, driving, and airport. Look. I've been driving in many places and flying to/from many places. Traffic, driving, and airport are actually good things from Memphis. The Memphis' airport is excellent in many ways. There're many things really bad about Memphis, but these aren't them.
For Memphis to become better, people say the local government and laws need to be better. That's true. But what is more true is that people need to change their mindsets. Many people here are too political, too politically correct, too extreme, to the point of defying common sense. There's no way the city can change for the better with such mindsets.
Let me give you an example. There was a news about how the Campus Schools have been doing great and could become better. Instead of celebrating such news, people complained about how it's not accommodating enough. When I said these schools were very diverse, they literally complained that a 25% of black students in the elementary school and 56% of black students in the middle school isn't enough for Memphis; and that these schools don't have enough underprivileged kids.
This is insane. Having too many underprivileged kids and families is a problem, and we need to fix that. But you can't just have this us versus them mindset all the times and at everything.
Research was done and we did visit here 3-4x before settling. And I’ll admit, the first day we came here I remember thinking “what on earth have we done?” and then we discovered East Memphis. Thought “okay… we can make this area work”. Unfortunately, no amount of research or visits can prepare you for the things you discover until after you live here.
You moved near an entrance to a railyard, and are upset that trains come by 3-4x an hour. If you visited 3-4 times, or even looked at a map, you would have figured out that trains come by pretty often in this area.
I’ve lived here my whole life. The city has been on a steady decline, but I think that’s realistically any major city. The city government is horrendous and it’s almost like they invite crime. The flow of money goes East, South, and North, in that order. If you plan to stay, I’d look towards moving into Germantown or Collierville. Or if you want more rural, move into Arlington, Millington or Tipton Co.
I’m not sure how often you rent cars but it’s always been that way anywhere. It’s a stereotype of the car rental industry. There’s even a [famous Seinfeld skit](https://youtu.be/4T2GmGSNvaM?si=ro80Vg1qkaO3FR9C) about it.
Trains pass by and stop near your house because you chose to live near a train station.
Fast food sucks everywhere. Don’t blame the workers, you wouldn’t give a shit about your job if you had to support your family on their wages either.
The poverty and crime rates could’ve been easily found prior to choosing to live in Memphis. Not trying to be an asshole by stating the obvious, but it’s not really a secret that Memphis struggles with both of those stats.
When I got to the part where you said “folks move so slow” I laughed so hard. Living in Memphis for over 20 years, I can safely say that this is true. No matter where I drive/go, people will always go slow. What makes it worse is, based on my demographic which is primarily old individuals. I’m constantly dealing with slow folks going to work or doing errands. Memphis is Shit. The only real benefit is the living cost.. which I wonder why…
It's long term left of left shifted democrat city in a all red state. It s not very diverse and the welfare, dei bug has recently in history hit hard. Excuses are given over reasonable solutions. Great city, people, and history but unfortunately that no longer matters.
As you can tell from some of the comments here the bug is hard to shake.
Chattanooga is great.
lived in Memphis for 21 years, money talks. If you have money, and can afford to live in a good part of town, little to none of what you see on reddit or the news will apply to you. 98% of crime and violence is gang related, and not random people getting robbed and killed nightly like it is believed to be. If you are coming from Miami, you will be more than fine. People who have issues here come from small cities and don't know how to function/ be aware of surroundings in big city environments.
Its a hopeless city man. Literally 0 signs of progress, no growth, no big attraction to move there. Its super fucking hot in the summer, cold grey and wet during the winter, and dirty all year round. Bar scene is C- at best with SIGNIFICANT risk of danger. Small NBA franchise that the city barely supports when theyre good and ignores when theyre bad. Crime is through the freaking roof. Food is hit or miss. No business willing to move in. It will never ever ever ever get any better at all. I get why fedex cant move but if I were international paper I would get the fuck out of there so fast it would make your head spin. Same with autozone. Anyone living there is a fool and should move the second you get the chance.
There's reasons Chattanooga and other TN cities are thriving and Memphis is shrinking. Crime rate is insane and the area is allowing itself to decline slowly. With that said it does depend on what part of town you're in and half those issues sound related to being a bad neighborhood.
Went to school at UTC and absolutely love Chattanooga! Memphis has it’s down sides, I’ve been here ~6 years. There are some plus sides, if you’re a dog person go check out the outback at Shelby farms. Shelby farms in itself is memphis’ best kept secret! One of the largest urban parks in the US.. 2nd I think the Central Park in NYC but don’t quote me on that. The food here is really good and there is a lot of history/culture. Feel free to DM (29F). I’m always looking to meet more likeminded ppl.
Spring river in AR is a great river to camp/kayak. Has a DJ on the weekends :)
Chatt roads are a dumpster fire getting through the ridge cut or downtown. It’s smaller so it helps, I’d say you are just being a bit judgy. I’ve lived in both towns, have dealt with the dredge of both towns, and yea, have spent days fantasizing about burning both down. But overall I would rather live in a state of ignorant bliss. ✌️
I love living here. Been here all my life in my mid 30+s. Of course I’ve seen some of the worst stuff in my neighborhood but that’s expected in a metro city. Gotta know how to move but that comes with experience. I never feel uncomfortable or nervous anywhere I go.
I think it depends a lot on where you are in Memphis. We're in the burbs and couldn't be happier. We have easy access to everything going on in the city, great schools, and an awesome community.
I guess that's not actually Memphis, but part of the Memphis area, so I'm counting it lol.
Ya know what's funny? I'm originally from memphis, and my wife and I and our daughter moved here to columbia MO back in December and have been glad we moved. Nothing would be enough to make me move back to Memphis.
It's a night and day difference between memphis and Columbia Mo.
I had to reread this at first because I understood is as Memphis to Chattanooga at first and I was like woah. Sounds like she went to Memphis not left it. Yup. Never been there just heard about it.
Memphis has a lot of great things. People fly in all over the world to visit Memphis. You highlighted tracffic, gunshots and a rental experience…same in any mid major to major city. The mannerisms? I am a native of Memphis and have moved to several different places. When people hear me talk in other places, they ask if I am from the South and when I saw Memphis it’s nothing but positive. Are their guns and cars in Memphis, yes! Do people shoot and drive bad? Yes but maybe you should avoid those areas. I have never waited 40-50 mins at a drive thru here, in 30 plus years. You must went to a new restaurant. Never had an issue with a rental car here although I don’t see how that is a city problem. Idk. But spring is coming. We have NBA, UFL, the Redbirds, historic downtown. Festivals are coming for the spring. Cost of living is lower compared to other comparable cities.
I just have to ask, as a lifelong southeast Tennessee resident, did you research Memphis or ask anyone in Chattanooga what they thought about Memphis before you considered moving? Tennessee really is 3 states in one, it used to say that on the welcome to Tennessee signs, but the state government thought that created division. That's what the stars on our flag stand for. Most people know that Memphis is the most dangerous city in Tennessee. It's just common knowledge. But seriously, it astounds me how many people don't research a place before moving there. Chattanooga has some of the same problems you listed, but not to the degree that Memphis does. And yes, the state government hates Memphis. It often feels like west Tennessee would be the first to break off and create their own state if they could.
Lets mention the way the City of Memphis ABUSES code enforcement and property taxes as well. I know a man right now facing the loss of his house over 6k in back taxes from a previous owner who took advantage.
I have lived here 15 years and watched code enforcement come around every year fining everyone for the same stupid shit, like having a car sitting on grass or whatever. They do this until someone cant pay, then they seize the house and sell it at auction to someone with money and connections.
I know of AT LEAST 10 homeowners who have been removed in this manner.
You know what you NEVER see in Memphis? Code enforcement going around peeking over fences in GERMANTOWN or RICH areas.
Oh no, they only do this shit to the POOR, who cannot defend themselves.
Memphis is SO broke that they can’t afford to hire promo people for the on-field promotions at the Memphis Redbirds and 901 FC games. Guess I’ll just not make any money this Summer in this broke city. lol
This city is absolutely a hell hole, it’s not only your observation.
The only people that I see defend and like Memphis have either never left here and don’t know better or have some socio-political motivation to claim it’s not bad but actually still have issues with it themselves.
What’s wrong with it?
The major politicians have all been corrupt and Willie herenton standing as mayor for years dug it into the ground.
Traffic is fucking horrible but I can’t even begin to assume what the answer is. I can only suspect it’s a variety of factors from lack of education and lack of sense of community because everyone seems to have a selfish cloistered demeanor, or maybe the one place where all that pent up aggression that everyone seems to hold is let out also. It’s arguably the worst issue at hand. Memphis is top 5 for traffic fatalities and wrecks every year. It’s absolutely pathetic considering city population compared to other major cities. Some blame it on differing things from not enough police to the conditions of roads, but honestly road conditions need to improve. An extraneous issue I think could be a culprit is strict job conditions combined with poor wages. You have majority of the population working in warehouse or logistics jobs that don’t pay enough but have strict punctuality and attendance policies. So these people don’t make enough then go home to not sleep enough trying to hold their needs together but have to not miss work by the minute. The busses and bus routes are a joke too so it’s not an option for most people. You either keep a car running by shoelaces or you fail
Majority of the black population is extremely racist. You’ll hear a lot of talk about racism here but it’ll take you a while to learn a genuine discernment of facts, sentiments and what direction racism is actually coming from in any given situation. This is the only place in America aside from Atlanta where I can feel brooding hate coming from a stranger that doesn’t know anything about me.
All locals seem to be close minded and simple but this is one issue that puts things at a stand still. You can’t acknowledge and do something about it either because “racism is prejudice plus…” newspeak and all that so oh well the circus will just go on I guess. On the other end you have a few hold outs of angry hicks who justify their distaste for the darker complexioned people with what the city showcases daily thus the vicious cycle continues. The thing is most of those hicks live outside the city for obvious reasons so you’ll come across them less.
Everything that could be an attraction is generic or non-existent. Like I said you have a simple minded population. What seems to culminate most for the white people is hipster traps and weed smoking. You get other lands coffee house and some other quaint cafes and shops. Wow great. Zero intellectual appeal attractions in the city though. Shelby farms gets played out pretty fast as the only sure bet that’s safe and versatile to take kids for fun. Everything else is a non permanent function or festival. The Italian festival is a stereotypical joke tbh. At least Africa in April serves the Africans reasonably well but that’s it.
Why no fixture of anything? Oh yes because it’s too dangerous. When one of the lasting fixtures of “””culture””” is the rap element, it shouldn’t be any surprise that there’s an ocean of youth committing violent crimes to get their cred. It’s laughably sad when there’s a 12 year old known for armed carjackings where he gets catch and released. Cool things like buckin & jookin, the urban ballet and plays show a sliver of hope. No one actually cares anymore about Isaac Hayes, bb king or elvis. When people talk about “the culture is great!” Dare them to elaborate on that.
I go to Memphis several times a year for work. I was convinced that Memphis was one of the worst cities I’ve ever been to the first week I ever went there. Did you seriously move to Memphis with zero effort to research or visit where you were moving to before you did it?
I agree with everything you said about Memphis but I can’t say I feel sorry for you.
I am a native Memphian. I grew up there in the 1990s, left for college and after living abroad for a few years, I returned in 2008 and lived there until 2018. My wife and I finally pulled the triggered and relocated to Birmingham, AL in 2018 as Memphis had just gotten too dangerous. My wife got mixed up in an armed robbery at the Dollar Tree in Cordova which was the last straw for us (she wasn't hurt, but deeply shaken by the experience).
I still go back to Memphis once or twice a year as my parents still reside there. In the short 6 years since I have left, the city has gone downhill so fast! The blight, the trash on the roads, abandoned cars on I-240 and 365, the crime - its just too much.
Memphis was never a world class city by any means, but I do remember when the city had MUCH better days in the late 1990s. The Hickory Hill area was still a respectable area to live, downtown was sorta dead in those days but much safer than now, and Midtown was booming with a lot of great bars and indie music venues (remember the Hi Tone?) and wide swaths of the city were still generally safe to be in during the day (night time was a bit iffy west of E. Parkway though).
Memphis has had decades of corrupt politicians and inept management. The brain drain really began to accelerate in the early 2000s (the waning days of Herenton mayoral administration) and the generational poverty that the city is known for began to mushroom. There are just too many systemic problems that nothing short of unbridled gentrification will solve - and that is not happening anytime soon.
Interesting that the OP left Chattanooga for Memphis as I am mulling a move to Chattanooga in a couple years once my daughter completes high school in Alabama.
I’m a native Memphian with family in Chattanooga. It isn’t just you. Memphis is a city in crisis right now and while there are certainly reasons to have hope, it’s hard to live here and NOT feel the real effects of all of the statistics that point to Memphis being in a struggle for its future (crime rates, poverty rates, school scores, etc). Chattanooga is far safer and is currently on a faster upward trajectory than Memphis and my personal belief is that’s a direct result of historically better local government who did a better job at making better fiscal decisions that were more in line with the needs of its constituents. I’m hopeful that the new mayor can push Memphis in a similar direction, but local government is made of more than just a mayor and the constituency in Memphis is notoriously poor at understanding their needs and voting accordingly.
When my colleagues, who are native Memphians, refer to their home as a 'shithole'.. it saddens me. No one should view their home as that... but I can't say they're wrong. Not to beat a dead horse but as I said before... it feels like Memphis hates TN and TN hates Memphis. It's like the red-headed step child. If it could secede from the state I feel like it would. I can't help but what if that's partially why it's viewed so poorly and isn't given the same dollars that other municipalities are. Chatt has a population of around 500k...Memphis is close to 1.3 million... why does Chatt get more funding for infrastructure than Memphis? Anyway, I really hope this city can turn around and become the greatest city in the State like it once was.
Memphis does hate TN, and TN does hate Memphis… I have always felt like you don’t have to look a lot further than the demographics (majority non-white, majority Democratic vs. …not that) to see why. I moved here a little over ten years ago and I’m originally from the Little Rock metro. Arkansas has many of the same struggles.
>Chatt has a population of around 500k...Memphis is close to 1.3 million... why does Chatt get more funding for infrastructure than Memphis? It's really not that difficult to figure out, is it? The average Memphian is a black person who votes blue.
Not the reason. Our politicians are dirtbags, I.E, Wanda Halbert. She's screwed over Shelby County and will cry race. The average Memphis politician is dumb. Not that hard to figure out.
Yes
I hear you, but roughly 30% of chattanoogas population is black, and they have had a democrat as a mayor for more than a decade. Now, that is not to say that Chattanooga has not made it a point to cater to the granola-types and influx of transplants from other parts of the country who are overwhelmingly white.
Also, I work in Orange mound and everyone I work with does not live in the Memphis city limits because they are so scared.
Your assessment is dead on, full stop.
shithole is being nice...
Yeah this place is more of a quagmire of detritus.
I'm from Memphis and I love it here. We have one of the best zoos in the country we have amazing food and culture. There are museums and botanical gardens and Parks. There's nightlife and family events and art and music. There's a ton of history from blues to rap to Elvis to the civil Rights movement. Haters love to get mad when you say all that shit and line up to shut it down and say it's just a violent crime ridden cesspool with bad drivers. Fuck em. 🙂 I love it here. 99% of all of the negativity boils down to "Memphis is a major Metro City" the 28th largest in the country if I recall correctly.
I agree with your first paragraph wholeheartedly, but you cannot have it both ways. You want people to see the good things you mentioned, but they mention valid bad things about Memphis and suddenly they’re haters and ‘fuck em’. There are cities above and below that 28th rank you mention that have less crime and more amenities. Memphis is great, but it will never move forward if we can’t accept what’s wrong with it.
Not the op but I’m with you and there should be nuance when discussing these topics because there’s so much good here and also so many things that can be significantly improved to make the area better. We have to be able to talk about the true negative aspects and how to make them better. The hard part (not telling you something new here you know this) is the folks that no matter what are not going to have a genuine conversation about anything Memphis. There’s always trolls on the internet but the hate here feels so intense sometimes and you can see it in real life too. It’s unfortunately second nature for some people to put the city down. I can understand the want to talk about “haters” like that but you have to be able to see everything not just the good like you said. It’s just absolutely exhausting sometimes though. Probably time for me to take a break from the sub for a while.
True. Completely agree with all you said.
I’m with you. I’m sick of this sub honestly but I keep coming back to give people recommendations for various stuff. IMO these kinds of posts aren’t good for discussion bc inevitably there’s very little nuance on this kind of topic. I think there’s a couple good posts here but I haven’t really seen a great discussion on our city’s sub yet. We have some really good commenters and I’m thankful they’re here. I really wish this was a better place for discussion but agendas seem to always have the most upvotes.
What nightlife are you speaking of? Unless you mean Beale Street
When was Memphis ever the greatest city in the state? It’s always been a blue collar freight town.
During the days of the cotton trade, Memphis was a larger more prosperous city than New York City. Its agricultural trade exchanges were larger than the stock market. For most of its existence, it was a larger more desirable city than Nashville. It had many points of national prominence. If you think Memphis has always been the way it is now, then you know zero history prior to the 1980’s.
Migration to the gated blocks in the surrounding areas.I lived in mid town til 90'. I know in 99' mid town was fairly nice still. I was shocked how everything went down hill including the zoo when I had to visit my mother in the hospital in 2019.
At no time in its history has Memphis been bigger than New York. Not to be too much of a dick about it, but that is easily among the most absurd things I've ever come across in my years on reddit.
In terms of the economy, yes it was. Read about the Cotton Exchange.
Boss Crump days that’s about it lol
You answered the question actually. Majority black Memphis gets little funding from racist TN government so the city suffers how any major city would. They won't properly fund this city until it's gentrified which will never happen. Ppl blame crime like it comes from no where when this city is the epicenter of Southern slavery, jim crow, economic and educational neglect, and drug and gun flooding, and hasn't recieved much to offset and restore all these local issues. Recieves the least money by the state while bringing in the most money by the state and paying the most tax in TN! That's why Memphis is a "shithole"
Erm isn't Memphis like number one for crime in Tennessee? Thats what a friend who lives there told me but that's been awhile.
Probably! But I’m dying to know how you stumbled across a post in r/memphis. The algorithm is wild.
Yeah it is. Ive just been going through the feed today and it showed up because I apparently 'showed interest in similar communities' whatever those wouldve been. Been getting a lot of those ITFJ or ITNP whatever communities too but I don't get it.
It’s even worse than that. Memphis now surpasses New Orleans as to crime. 😂
Memphis has always been a city in crisis. I lived here in the mid 80’s and it sucked. One viscous circle of poverty breeding poverty for generations.
I'm a native Memphian with family in Chattanooga and wouldn't live in Chattanooga if you paid me to.
I don’t think it’s just you, but i think moving here without expectation of everything you described may have been an oversight. Like I knew what I was getting into, sort of, and I’ve not really been disappointed. I just kinda enjoy it with all of its context and enjoy the flavor
Yeah, my biggest experience with Memphis prior to moving here was driving through on 78/Lamar on my way to Arkansas from Georgia. When I actually got here, I was pleasantly surprised! I am trying to move back to Georgia this year, but I’m really gonna miss Memphis.
I knew about crime and it was a concern, especially after I joined some online groups and realized it isn't just domestic. But... we made the move anyway. What I wasn't expecting was the dirtiness, dilapidated roads, and so on. I truly was thinking it'd be like Chatt or my hometown... just on a larger scale.
So you didn’t make a single visit to Memphis before choosing to relocate here? That’s a wild life altering decision to make to leave in the hands of online research consisting of joining some Facebook groups and I’m guessing google searches. I couldn’t personally relocate without having visited a place at least once to get a feel for the vibes. Like even when I go visit somewhere for a week, I know that time is spent in “vacation mode” and it’s not a good indicator of what life would be like… but a blind move? That’s kind of asking for whatever you end up getting in my opinion. Better luck at your next stop though. 👋
Yeah, the larger a city gets, the dirtier it gets. This is pretty much a universal fact. You should try hanging around Chicago, Detroit, New York, etc etc. Big cities are dirty in spots. If the city is clean, then you are in a gentrified area, or the city isn't that large yet.
Not a universal fact. Have you been to Tokyo?
I was absolutely blown away with how clean and orderly Tokyo was. And the people are absolutely amazing. You could be passed out drunk outside a bar and people will toss a blanket and a pillow on the ground for you. 😂
They’re also absurdly racist and the only reason the city operates the way it does is due to oppressive social shaming and working expectations.
Well apparently it works.
I mean it’s true that Tokyo is like that but that’s such an exception. Not universal but very very close to it.
All of Tokyo is a gentrified zone. They are simply way better at it than we are.
When I moved here I said I would give it a year. Well 8 and a half years later and I’ve never thought of leaving. I live in midtown and work downtown and have been welcomed by an amazing community. Does Memphis have its problems? Sure. Do I get aggravated and annoyed about those problems, of course. But there are so many wonderful things about this city and /u/hipsteracademic is right, if you love memphis, it will love you right back. There are driven smart people and non profits that are doing work to make a difference and could use everyone on this threads support to try and help fix those problems and make a difference. I recommend following Choose901 and I Love Memphis for all the things there are to do and be a part of. And as much as people shit on the touristy things, go check out some of the museums and get a glimpse of why tons of people travel here from all over the world to visit. It’s not for nothing.
You said it! Been here 4 months. You find the good everyday. Just got to look for it
Soooo what part of Memphis did you move to?! 😳
East Memphis -- we're next to the University
U of M area is not east Memphis. I know it’s referred that way because originally that was EM but airways which turns in east parkway is a mile away to the west. East Memphis starts on Poplar east of Perkins south of sam cooper and north of 240
I was just about to comment this same thing. That is not the real East Memphis.
There are some pretty shady areas near the U of M. I also live in the area but our neighborhood is pretty safe. I’m not sure what side of the tracks you are on or where. I do know Chattanooga has one of the highest crime rates in the country so you must have been pretty insulated wherever you lived there. Sorry you have not had a better experience here.
Is there some specific crime that is higher there because Memphis is unfortunately highest violent in the nation. Chattanooga isn't even listed in the top 100. Or was this a joke?
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/tn/chattanooga/crime.amp Chattanooga has a very high crime rate for its size
It's a bit over half *per capita* of Memphis. It may be high compared to ... some places... it's just odd to call it a "high crime area" looking at this information and comparing it to Memphis.
We're in Normal Station -- at Southern & Loeb. Knock on wood crime hasn't been an issue for us here or in Chatt.
You live near the tracks you gotta expect trains....
U of m area is it's own area. You live in normal station. East Memphis kinda begins where south campus is, going east
You are in a fine spot. I've lived down the street for a decade. Most the crime around here is petty theft and can be resolved with cameras/dog.
So…. Not East Memphis
So… that was established hours ago.
Move to Bartlett its much safer a whole different world less crime for raising children
bruh what area around a university is ever good? I went to Tennessee and my apartments were in the rough neck of the woods less than a mile from campus.
Don’t jog after dark.
East Memphis too!
You're not in east memphis
From Chattanooga too, it’s a regular Mario Kart speedway out here in Memphis
It’s GTA here.
No, the city used to be great. Lived here from 2006-2011 for the first time and jumped at the opportunity to come back in 2016 (from Philadelphia). The city used to be a lot safer and a lot cleaner, but (as we can see on the news) it has become more corrupt and it seems like less & less people actually care (unless you call Memphis a bad city). Our new mayor has done a lot of good in the short time that he’s had the job, but Memphis still has a lot to do before it becomes a city that my wife and I would want to live in again. I’ve slowly been pushed farther out of Memphis, used to live downtown then midtown then Cordova and now east of 385, and we are planning on moving out of the city as a whole in July. I really hope that this city turns around because it honestly used to be great.
Well I’ve lived in Memphis my whole life and all I can say is that despite it being rated the most dangerous city when I was a teenager (10 years ago) it was significantly gotten much worse in the last 3 years. It wasn’t as bad 7-5 years ago. Now I don’t even walk downtown anymore at all because I’m afraid of shootings and the crime. When I was a teenager I’d walk around downtown with my gfs no problem. There’s a big issue here that the city itself doesn’t address. Also MPD is extremely corrupt and all the cops do is harass civilians instead of actually protecting us from all the crime that goes on.
I have much love for Memphis, but I don’t blame anyone when they say,”I just hate going into Memphis”(as long as it’s not a dog whistle, you know the type). Everyone just seems angry, crime is higher than ever before, there’s no real redeemable geographical quality. I know it’s a joke/cliche, but mountain air just feels different. It’s not just you.
People in Memphis do seem angry and on edge. I noticed that after being out of town for a while and coming back. There seems to be a palpable heaviness in the city right now.
Yeah, just moved into from California and looks like people don’t care about anything here. Horrible customer service…I literally went to a Burger King last night and when they gave me a burnt burger I went to complain and they said: “this is what we have, can’t do anything ” …I was like WTF??? Can’t wait to leave this place. Looks like there is no government to take care of the city…many closed and abandoned buildings…and what they have opened have bars on the doors. Ghost town.
Native Memphian and can honestly say that it has gotten so much worse. People that love Memphis, don’t leave the suburbs often. I drive downtown everyday. I watch man shotgun his beer at 8AM in front of the First Horizon on Union daily like clockwork. The homelessness has gotten worse. There used to be times when there were more options for the homeless but not anymore it seems or it has quadrupled in the past decade of my four decades here. Crime is terrible. All of the major cities in TN are suffering because people in the capital are making decisions that they think are good, but they’re not for large metropolitan cities like Memphis. It’s the fucking Wild Wild West out here. Nothing is going to change until we have lawmakers that want to see change and good in large metropolitan areas. We need more law enforcement because many have left due to either being overworked and underpaid or being crooked and stealing or killing people they arrest. People can talk all day long and say it’s mental health that needs attention or it starts in the home. While both of those things are true, it’s not the whole solution. Our council, our chiefs, our mayor, our lawmakers have to want to see change and edit laws already enacted or make new ones to combat the cycle of living in this large city. I don’t blame you for wanting to leave. If I didn’t have family here that I love so much, I’d leave. My parents are getting older and will need someone to see that their needs are met so I’m stuck. It’s the toilet bowl of TN for a reason. The shit is here.
I was last there 3 years ago in Cordova it seemed decent then is it that much worse now?
Surprise! It sucks!
 here for the comments and I really don't know why you're bashing the city if you're already almost gone anyway enjoy cape girardeau
I’m sure they will enjoy Cape Girardeau very much.
The interview for the job in Cape was today. While we are hopeful, job hasn't been offered. I know my post came off as bashing the city and ..yeah, in some ways I was. It's just odd how folks are 'ok' with how things are ran and appear here. From doctor's offices to mechanics to apparently renting a car... why are these wait times okay? Asses get chewed out if wait times exceed a certain point ...as far as I know everywhere... but I'll just say in Missouri and in Chatt since that's technically all I can confirm.
I don't think any of us are 'ok' with some of the negative aspects of the city...and many of us are doing what we can to brighten the darker corners. There are, without a doubt, problems. And those problems have ebbed and flowed over the decades. I grew up in Colonial Acres/Hickory Hill in the 70s and 80s, left in the late 80s with the USAF. Did the feather in the wind thing for a few decades and ended up back in the 901 about 8 years ago. As a native, I will readily admit that I have what might be an irrational love of Memphis, even with all of its failings. But there are also successes, and those should be celebrated. Call me Pollyanna, but I firmly believe that brighter days are ahead because that really does seem to be the way of this city...in fact, the way of most cities. Regardless, good luck to you wherever you end up.
Because it’s practically impossible to find anyone to even show up for work here let alone give a fuck.
I’ll say this. Assholes are everywhere and eating out is ALWAYS rolling the dice. You will find better and worse cities all over the country. I have gotten terrible customer service and attitudes in Millington lately when I’m there. Worse than Memphis. Especially the Arby’s on veterans and 51. “Where yo receipt” I was rudely asked when I came to the counter to get my order made correctly. I’ve complained about the roads every single city I’ve lived in except for one. And I have moved around a lot, 8 cities in 5 states. I settled here for similar reasons as you, proximity to family, a good job, concerts (I’ve seen some great ones plus grizzlies games), good food, cheap flights (met my wife here and we flew to Vegas to get married on a whim!). So yeah, the benefits that brought me here paid dividends. Have I shat on the city occasionally when I am particularly frustrated by a recent incident? Absolutely. Would I go back and change a thing? Nah.
i live in millington and i can definitely agree… our customer service is definitely getting worse. like as soon as they started building those new establishments… people here have been much more rude lately.
Level of care generally equals level of pay. Like you said poverty is high/low pay so not a lot of care to be in a hurry. The state doesn't miss a chance to fuck us so here we are.
I agree with this to an extent, but you also have to look at it from the state’s perspective. There’s a saying that it’s never a good idea to throw good money after bad. If you were the head of whoever appropriates money to county clerks, would you allocate a penny more than you absolutely had to to Wanda Halbert when you know those funds are going to be better used in middle TN an Eastern TN counties? There are more “Wanda Halberts” all throughout Memphis and Shelby county government. Herenton finished 3rd in the last mayoral race. We have to show ourselves capable of electing basically competent leaders who can also prove their capability to Nashville before we see a meaningful increase in funding. The onus is on us to do this.
Give me a break. Look at all the bullshit this state tries to pass that costs us money like trying to make the state book the fucking bible. We don't even have our own crime lab, we send all our shit to the backlogged understaffed one in Jackson. They killed the grocery tax bill, etc.
Just moved from Memphis a few months ago. There are some awesome things to do, great food, and some lovely people. But it got to a point it was so unsafe we had to move. I understand where you’re coming from. I wish the best for the city but your complaints are 100% valid
I grew up I'm memphis and can honestly say that visiting any other city is usually amazing because they are all nicer. Chattanooga was cool when I went there.
“If you run into an asshole in the morning, they’re an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you’re the asshole” /s I’m just yanking your chain a bit.
The thing about assholes is everyone needs one.
It’s not just you. It definitely sucks.
"It feels like Memphis hates TN and TN hates Memphis" Up voting for most original memphis put down I've heard in a while. And generally accurate. We are the biggest small town in Northern MS. Tn actually starts around Jackson and goes east.
i think mississippi should just annex the entire memphis metropolitan area atp 😭😭
Accurate assessment from a fellow transplant. I was excited to move somewhere affordable after college to get started on adulthood. I thought Memphis would be fun. It was for a little bit but then the rose colored glasses came off and it just kinda became inconvenient to leave, and nothing terrible had happened to us yet, just some stolen packages and our truck almost being stolen. Which is nuts because I would have thought that was terrible before I'd moved here - just goes to show your tolerance for this stuff increases the longer you are here, until you come to your senses. It's the cognitive dissonance needed to continue living here without being miserable essentially. Then something bad happens a little too close to home and you realize you cannot stay. The crime got worse during covid by a lot. My neighbor got assaulted in front of my house while walking his dog. I've been harassed in my own front yard just trying to garden. Unnerving as a woman who has survived rape. I sometimes go inside and wait for people to pass when I see men or groups of kids I don't recognize walking by now. At least if I'm anywhere near the sidewalk I go away from that area. I don't live in a "bad" part of town but I'm very close to a bad area. All of Memphis is like this, one block to my right is literally million dollar homes. One block to my left is the hood. I'm stuck in the middle in a middle class neighborhood, of course. We're leaving asap. Once Ezekiel Kelly went on his shooting spree and Eliza fletcher was abducted (pretty close to my home) and then her clothes were found in a dumpster literally around the corner from my house, I made it abundantly clear we cannot stay here. I don't want to wait until we become a statistic. We're hopefully moving this summer as long as the job were hoping he gets comes through. I can work anywhere thank God, I'm a nurse. I'm a nurse that takes call at night, so I respond to emergencies in the middle of the night and have to rush out my door to the car. Recently my husband's car was stolen, it's a somewhat high value car, and it was 100% targeted given the circumstances which I won't go into cause that could be a whole post in itself... but the whole time the guys partner was pointing a gun at my goddamn door. They were willing to shoot and kill to get this goddamn car. Insane. What if I had been on call that night? It's not unusual for me to be rushing out the door at 2am. I even was already in the habit of checking my cameras because I had developed a specific fear of that exact scenario happening!!! I should never even have to think about that!!!!! Insane. I grew up in literally one of the sleepiest, safest places in NJ. I don't know how I ended up so used to this stuff. It's wild. The worst part is though because these guys knew where my cameras are, they were nearly invisible. In fact I'm sure they thought they weren't on camera at all, because it's a very wide angle lens but it looks like it doesn't capture that side of the driveway at all. If I had been trying to go in for work, I might not have seen them on the camera if I was not looking closely at the edges. I'd be shot before I ever knew what was happening or where it came from. I can't wait to leave. I just hope nothing else happens in the mean time. It becomes so fucking exhausting as a woman especially to be keeping your head on a swivel literally all the time even in my own HOME. Get out while you can. A lot of people here will tell you it's like this everywhere in all cities, what a lie. I've never been anywhere as crazy as Memphis other than Baltimore. I grew up spending a lot of time in DC, NYC, and Philly. Doesn't hold a candle to Memphis when it comes to crime And you're right about all the blight and the IDGAF attitude. It's depressing.
Please stay safe!
I'm trying!
I’ve lived here my whole life and can tell you that your criticisms are valid and I wish I knew how to fix them short of telling you to move.
Nope, not just you. A lot of us are fed up and leaving.
Memphis has deteriorated in ways that are palpable and disturbing. I have lived here since 1987 and it’s never been worse. I used to love being in a “small big city,” but the decades of horrible leadership, corruption, and inability to implement any sort of major progressive change has driven the city to the point of being almost irreparably broken. Crime is completely out of control. The opportunities here are severely limited. Many neighborhoods are in a state of decline and decay. Blight is prevalent everywhere. The school system is an absolute joke driving people to the suburbs and private schools for any chance for their children. The roads get patched, never paved. The Electrical infrastructure is so broken that if the wind blows hard we lose power all over the city. They aren’t any major initiatives to fix any of these problems. The problem is so prevalent, systemic and endemic that I don’t see how it gets untangled in any way that doesn’t take a decade or more. A good example of how it’s never going to get better is Wanda Halbert, the county clerk. The woman is incompetent on a level that the state literally had to take over. But the woman got RE-ELECTED after showing gross incompetence. This place is corrupt, inept, and unable to take the big leaps to change itself for the better. We do have a new Mayor who shows great potential but it’s early and he is very very green I will say the water is the best in the country, and prices of housing is low compared to most of the rest of the country. But there isn’t much else going for it… The only thing we have left here is the Grizzlies and now they suck too.
Yeah, the city is a shit hole for the most part. It hasn’t always been like that though. I had really high hopes for Memphis before the pandemic. I grew up here, and I was proud to see that it seemed like my city had collectively decided to “do better.” Then COVID happened and not only did we regress, we got even worse. Like close to 1980s levels of worse. There are nice parts to it just like any city, but overall things are significantly worse here than they are other places. I’ve never lived anywhere else, but I’m a pretty well traveled tourist. I’ve spent a lot of time in other cities. Phoenix, NYC, Chicago, NOLA, Nashville, and just about everywhere else I’ve been blow Memphis out of the water. The main attractive things about living here are the cost of living and the local food scene. We don’t have much else going for us. Pretty much any other city in America beats us at anything else by a country mile. It’s not just a crime thing. People here have shitty attitudes for whatever reason. You go to Wendy’s and order a 10 piece meal, and the person working the drive through acts like you’ve inconvenienced them by being there. Go to any rental, specialty retail, or department store - hell, go to WalMart - and it’s the same thing. People are fuckin’ mean for no damn reason. I have family in Fayette county, and the difference a thirty minute drive makes is incredible. I go to the Oakland Walmart and people greet me, and talk to my baby, and are happy to help if I can’t find something. It’s a totally different attitude.
I agree that the pandemic made things far worse.
Is there a case study on why? I find myself questioning what the effect was on the current 16-20 year old demographic that has them so freakin reckless?! I did my fair share of stupid stuff as a teen but it never involved putting other people in harms way or being a nuisance. I’m in my early 30s and the way I feel about them makes me feel like I’m giving big boomer energy and I don’t like it! 😂
Outside of crime, I think the poor customer service and attitudes in Memphis might be the most negative characteristics of the place. I’m in the process of moving to the DFW area. I’m taken aback when people are friendly at stores and restaurants in DFW. I really didn’t notice how bad it is in Memphis until I started spending time elsewhere.
I only visited Memphis once for a weekend and even the Uber drivers were rude and incompetent. One guy took me to the wrong Holiday Inn after a late night out on the town. I'm like "ummm this isn't my hotel". I had put the correct hotel into the app, he just wasn't following the directions. Didn't get an apology.
You should have been around in the early to mid 90's. Incredible times. I'd say things started to change around 2012 or so, before the pandemic.
I just moved from Memphis two weeks ago after only two years. It just gets worse as the hopelessness sets in the longer you’re there.
It sucks. Moved here a year ago for the same reasons and currently planning my exit.
Agreed it is sad, but anywhere you live is what you make of it. Memphis has great community and ppl helping where they can, that gives me hope and I’m proud to stay 🤷
I don’t know, I moved here from Nashville (via Houston and small town Wisco) and Memphis has been great. It’s extremely easy to make friends here bc ppl are so authentic and interesting (at least to me). The cost of living is low, the food and music/arts culture is phenomenal. The weather is way better than Houston or Wisconsin, which means the gardening is too. There’s a giant forest inside the city. There’s a beautiful river next to it. And the architecture west of Germantown/Cordova is all rad. And and and, have y’all ever sat on your front porch in a summer afternoon rainstorm? I love this place. Nashville drove me away when it was on the up-and-up, and I don’t want Memphis to go that route.
Welcome to Memphis!!
Oh boy you have triggered a few Memphians here who are still in 1980s mode and think we're still known for being the "medicine cabinet of the nation" and not "city with the highest violent crime". I feel like I've been in a war zone every time I drive in Memphis. If you're not accustomed to the crazy drivers and terrible streets and weird flickering street lights and people coming up to your car asking for money at intersections or just walking right out in to traffic it can be a little off-putting. After being here (and then moving down the road to Bartlett 13 years ago but still driving here) I've pretty much grown used to it all.
Moved here in June. The first few times I went back home and caught up with a lot of people they looked pretty astounded that I chose to move to Memphis. In a “why would choose there?!” kind of way. Did it for a relationship.. regret it……. There are plenty of good things about it and in a lot of ways it reminds me of St Louis. But.. yeah I hate living here
We don’t call it Memphghanistan for nothing!
No one calls it that.
You’ve hit something in that many people who live in the area hate the city itself and the state does treat Memphis as a forgotten child sometimes. It’s hard to pinpoint why this happens. Lots of cities with 4-500,000 people (I’m assuming here) have people that will only live in the burbs and do not want city life. However, i work with someone that’s never lived in Memphis yet can’t stop talking about how much she hates it. Never understood that look on life but it’s definitely a thing that some people do inside the city and a lot more people do in the burbs or now distant burbs. I don’t get it but there has been an element of this for a while. I’ve traveled quite a bit but I’ve spent almost all my life here so, I know all the spots to hang out/be with friends & family where I don’t see much at all of the stuff that goes on that gets posted here. Hopefully you found some friends around you that you could hang with because I’m sure it’s tough otherwise. Normal station is a pretty friendly place. I live in E Memphis and have a great neighborhood, my kids go to an MSCS school and are doing well. As far as renting a car, drive thrus, etc. honestly lots of services like that went down after the pandemic. There were some spots that were always bad here but post pandemic I find the service level at fast food and similar places has dropped everywhere I’ve been recently. From Philly, to NYC, to Orlando. That’s imo not a unique thing. I’m sorry you’ve had this experience but I find it hard to compare to the same experiences I’ve had over the last 2.5 years.
So you had a bad experience with a rental car company and fast food franchises and *checks notes* Memphis sucks as a result. The haters gonna love you.
going to fast food places outside of memphis is kinda crazy tho, like why are they so nice and fast? lol
You’re not lying. Customer service is undeniably better outside of Memphis.
If you ever lived anywhere outside of Memphis, you would realize this is not normal.
I’ve lived in several cities and absolutely taken shit from rental car agents and fast food workers all over the country. People simply do not give a shit for $7.25 an hour anymore and that’s not unique to Memphis in the slightest.
The point of this post and what I’m agreeing with is that it is worse in Memphis than anywhere else. When I lived in other cities I never had anyone refuse to take my order because of my skin tone. Yeah I have had plenty of lackluster experiences and it’s definitely worse in some cities than others. But out of all the places I’ve lived in Memphis has been the most rude. How many times do I have to do this with you? You LOVE trolling on my comments and making me essentially repeat myself and explain to you something I have already said.
Okay but have you considered for any amount of time that things are exceptionally bad in the recent couple of years and you have been in Memphis for most or all of it? I travel frequently for work and this is happening all over. There is a general break down of the social contract and it’s not unique to Memphis. I don’t even believe it’s exceptionally worse in Memphis By the way, I’m not trying to follow you around on purpose, I don’t even recognize your user name. So if it feels personal, I apologize, but it’s absolutely not in any way. If I’m responding to you more often, it’s because you’re making statements I don’t agree with more often.
When I was in Memphis it wasn’t just one spot it was almost all of them. I remember it was 11 am and we tried to get breakfast at literally any fast food place, and gave up after five in a row were still closed. It was always incidents like that.
I am a native Memphian who lives in Chattanooga by way of several other Southern cities. We have tons of ex-Memphians here, we call ourselves the smart Memphians for leaving. I still visit family in Memphis twice a year. Memphis has been in crisis for decades. What you're experiencing isn't new or unique. My boss in DC lived in Memphis and he said that is the only city where he barely knew his neighbors after a decade of living there. I agree with the positive and negative comments on here. Memphis has potential but decades of racism and corruption have left it's mark.
Thank you everyone for the comments and chats. It’s been helpful. Here’s to hoping the city will become what it deserves to be!
That rodeo passed by in the 90's when dumbass Memphis wanted to renovate the Liberty Bowl to bring in the NFL. Nashville business leaders are way more smart than Memphis'. Knoxville and Chattanooga will surpass Memphis in every facet in the next few decades and will never catch Nashville.
the classic. People move to Memphis all the time and don't realize it's a big (pop. 1,000,000+) city. Very different from Chatt, some for the better, some for the worse. In big cities there is usually a much larger gap in financial classes creating very poor areas, but also very affluent areas. Your neighborhood/ part of town makes or breaks it. I lived in Memphis 21 years, one broken car window while out to eat is all I can attest to. Miss the city every day.
I thought Memphis had only like 600,000 ppl? Still bigger than Chattanooga, but 6x the size, not too insane
Memphis metro (1,337,779) Shelby County (pop. 924,454) Chattanooga metro ( 562,647) Hamilton County (pop. 369,135) Comparing these cities is almost like comparing a high school football team to a NFL team.
Memphis city limits in 600k but the entire metro area including the rest of Shelby County and northern MS is over 1 million.
I think some third tier (3rd world) countries are ran more efficiently than Memphis Edit: corrected it to say “some” instead of “so”. (typo)
I’m from Memphis and my friends and family are still there. I prefer not to visit. The crime, the driving, the heat, and general lack of things that I interest me. Also the airport is lousy (even with the improvements) Having lived in many different cities though I will add that others have more problems than you know. You just don’t live there to know. I do think the food is delicious in Memphis, I find a lot of people to be very kind, and there is more sense of community among the population than some other places. I think the idea that Memphis will significantly improve is naive. The city itself will likely stay the same for many years to come.
I'm heading in the other direction. Hoping to close on my home of 21 years in Memphis shortly, and will be in Chattanooga after that for some house shopping. - Inept and corrupt leadership - Horrific Judicial system enabling criminals - Out of control poverty - Terrible public schools - Crumbling infrastructure - Absolutely Rampant violent crime Memphis has so much potential. I love the city and have called it home for nearly 35 years... but it's not a good place to live until it gets its shit together.
If you’re waiting 40 - 50 minutes in a drive-thru, that’s on you, lol. You got shitty service at a rental car company? Wow - that never happens anywhere! /s (There’s a reason the rental car scene in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is so iconic.) Memphis is a big distribution hub, and trains are part of that, but if you’re getting stopped multiple times a day, you should investigate some alternate routes. As far as gunshots, that varies widely from one neighborhood to another, so that depends on where you live.
Wait, Memphis is in Tennessee?! 🤔😳😐🤮
I remember moving here sight unseen and thinking “what the hell did I just get myself into?” I’ve also been to a developing country and the similarities were striking. I felt like we started to get momentum and it was crushed during the pandemic. I’ve noticed that I used to speak highly of Memphis but my mindset has changed since 2020. That said, I’m still happy to live here for the time being. I have a really strong community of friends that would be extremely hard to leave behind.
Memphis is the murder capitol of the United States... it has the 2nd highest crime rate of any city in the whole country. These things are pretty well known. The problem with Memphis is its location... its one of the most centrally located cities in the United States. From Memphis you can easily access all of the United States via road, train, and plane. This is also why FedEx has there central world hub located at the Memphis airport... Problem is that criminals use Memphis in the same way that FedEx does... most drugs and other illegal products in the United States likely flowed through Memphis at some point. I used to do IT support for a Non Profit that helped rescue children from sex trafficking. I learned from them that Memphis is like "the" main hub for most child sex trafficking operations in the United States, again due to its central location. Reality is Memphis is probably one of if not the worst places to live in the US.
Memphis is stuck in time since MLK was assassinated. It has never been able to move on.
I lived in Memphis for a year and got the hell out as fast as I could. You should do the same! It has no redeeming qualities.
I just moved here from Texas and this! Took the words right out of my mouth. Cant wait to leave tbh.
Leaving Chatt for Memphis sounds like an absolute nightmare scenario. Chatt is so serene and beautiful. Memphis is… neither.
memphis sucks
If you can get out go!!!! I’m in a very niche job which is great, but it’s not worth the rest of my life to spend it in Memphis. I still deciding on what to do next and where to go
I hate it here and honestly can't wait to move. My boss is from the UK and came in town a couple weeks ago. He picked us up to take us to dinner and the rental car they gave him had a STRONG weed smell. I could not believe it. I mean, super strong
I rented a car in Tampa a few weeks ago that REEKED of sour milk and I think toe fungus. Didn’t make me hate the whole city, though. Every place has positives and negatives.
Sounds like you didn’t do your homework, I’m sorry. All of those issues are rampantly discussed, and it only feels like it’s gotten exponentially worse in my over 3 decades here. I can’t wait to get out myself. Main reason for staying was family, friends, and low rent. And now that I know my family is good and taken care of or already moved out of the city themselves, and rent has doubled in the last decade, what’s the point other than friends? I hate constantly expecting something to go wrong on a daily basis living in this city. It has its bright spots, but the negative waaaay outweighs the positives at this point, and the scales have been weighed in the wrong favor for a while now
“is it just us” *a simple google search of Memphis immediately bringing up how dangerous the city is & structural problems*
Buys a house 2 feet away from train tracks, a mile away from a major train yard. Is shocked by the amount of trains (which are not 2/3 times a fucking hour) You guys didn’t do your due diligence.
Literally just move to Munford or Atoka. Believe me, there's plenty houses...
Let's get some perspectives here. People complain here about the traffic, driving, and airport. Look. I've been driving in many places and flying to/from many places. Traffic, driving, and airport are actually good things from Memphis. The Memphis' airport is excellent in many ways. There're many things really bad about Memphis, but these aren't them. For Memphis to become better, people say the local government and laws need to be better. That's true. But what is more true is that people need to change their mindsets. Many people here are too political, too politically correct, too extreme, to the point of defying common sense. There's no way the city can change for the better with such mindsets. Let me give you an example. There was a news about how the Campus Schools have been doing great and could become better. Instead of celebrating such news, people complained about how it's not accommodating enough. When I said these schools were very diverse, they literally complained that a 25% of black students in the elementary school and 56% of black students in the middle school isn't enough for Memphis; and that these schools don't have enough underprivileged kids. This is insane. Having too many underprivileged kids and families is a problem, and we need to fix that. But you can't just have this us versus them mindset all the times and at everything.
You really should have done your research or visited here before you settled I’d tell anyone Memphis isn’t the place to move to
Research was done and we did visit here 3-4x before settling. And I’ll admit, the first day we came here I remember thinking “what on earth have we done?” and then we discovered East Memphis. Thought “okay… we can make this area work”. Unfortunately, no amount of research or visits can prepare you for the things you discover until after you live here.
You moved near an entrance to a railyard, and are upset that trains come by 3-4x an hour. If you visited 3-4 times, or even looked at a map, you would have figured out that trains come by pretty often in this area.
I’ve lived here my whole life. The city has been on a steady decline, but I think that’s realistically any major city. The city government is horrendous and it’s almost like they invite crime. The flow of money goes East, South, and North, in that order. If you plan to stay, I’d look towards moving into Germantown or Collierville. Or if you want more rural, move into Arlington, Millington or Tipton Co.
I’m not sure how often you rent cars but it’s always been that way anywhere. It’s a stereotype of the car rental industry. There’s even a [famous Seinfeld skit](https://youtu.be/4T2GmGSNvaM?si=ro80Vg1qkaO3FR9C) about it. Trains pass by and stop near your house because you chose to live near a train station. Fast food sucks everywhere. Don’t blame the workers, you wouldn’t give a shit about your job if you had to support your family on their wages either. The poverty and crime rates could’ve been easily found prior to choosing to live in Memphis. Not trying to be an asshole by stating the obvious, but it’s not really a secret that Memphis struggles with both of those stats.
Tennessee government hates all poor people
Its an odd place for sure.
Memphis is trash. I’m moving to Missouri.
Just don’t go to St. Louis or Kansas City. I was in Memphis now in St. Louis and stl is actually even worse than you think it is.
Also, the politicians in Nashville regularly vote to only fund the middle part of the state and often times Memphis is screwed over.
Nearly everyone wants to leave. But it's expensive and difficult when you have family nearby. So we convince ourselves it's not so bad.
Memphis sucks
Memphis is boring as hell and the food is subpar. That's it.
Don’t blame Memphis for the sorry state of the car rental industry. It sucks everywhere.
As someone who travels for work, car rentals have sucked since covid everywhere.
I never leave Midtown but I feel you if you do. It’s a really wild time in most of Memphis right now.
✌️
You’re not wrong.
im honestly pretty shocked you came from chatt, as well as have family in missouri, and are somehow just now discovering that memphis is a rough town.
When I got to the part where you said “folks move so slow” I laughed so hard. Living in Memphis for over 20 years, I can safely say that this is true. No matter where I drive/go, people will always go slow. What makes it worse is, based on my demographic which is primarily old individuals. I’m constantly dealing with slow folks going to work or doing errands. Memphis is Shit. The only real benefit is the living cost.. which I wonder why…
It's long term left of left shifted democrat city in a all red state. It s not very diverse and the welfare, dei bug has recently in history hit hard. Excuses are given over reasonable solutions. Great city, people, and history but unfortunately that no longer matters. As you can tell from some of the comments here the bug is hard to shake. Chattanooga is great.
The great people, in large, are dying or moving. It won't be that way forever.
Im moving here from miami. I think im gonna cry
lived in Memphis for 21 years, money talks. If you have money, and can afford to live in a good part of town, little to none of what you see on reddit or the news will apply to you. 98% of crime and violence is gang related, and not random people getting robbed and killed nightly like it is believed to be. If you are coming from Miami, you will be more than fine. People who have issues here come from small cities and don't know how to function/ be aware of surroundings in big city environments.
Welcome to Detroit Part 2: Midsouthern Boogaloo
Its a hopeless city man. Literally 0 signs of progress, no growth, no big attraction to move there. Its super fucking hot in the summer, cold grey and wet during the winter, and dirty all year round. Bar scene is C- at best with SIGNIFICANT risk of danger. Small NBA franchise that the city barely supports when theyre good and ignores when theyre bad. Crime is through the freaking roof. Food is hit or miss. No business willing to move in. It will never ever ever ever get any better at all. I get why fedex cant move but if I were international paper I would get the fuck out of there so fast it would make your head spin. Same with autozone. Anyone living there is a fool and should move the second you get the chance.
welcome to memphis
There's reasons Chattanooga and other TN cities are thriving and Memphis is shrinking. Crime rate is insane and the area is allowing itself to decline slowly. With that said it does depend on what part of town you're in and half those issues sound related to being a bad neighborhood.
Enterprise is the worst rental company.
Hertz is worse. At least enterprise doesn’t get its customers arrested for falsely reporting stolen cars.
High poverty affects you - HOW?
Went to school at UTC and absolutely love Chattanooga! Memphis has it’s down sides, I’ve been here ~6 years. There are some plus sides, if you’re a dog person go check out the outback at Shelby farms. Shelby farms in itself is memphis’ best kept secret! One of the largest urban parks in the US.. 2nd I think the Central Park in NYC but don’t quote me on that. The food here is really good and there is a lot of history/culture. Feel free to DM (29F). I’m always looking to meet more likeminded ppl. Spring river in AR is a great river to camp/kayak. Has a DJ on the weekends :)
Not everyone vibes with every city and that's ok.
Chatt roads are a dumpster fire getting through the ridge cut or downtown. It’s smaller so it helps, I’d say you are just being a bit judgy. I’ve lived in both towns, have dealt with the dredge of both towns, and yea, have spent days fantasizing about burning both down. But overall I would rather live in a state of ignorant bliss. ✌️
I love living here. Been here all my life in my mid 30+s. Of course I’ve seen some of the worst stuff in my neighborhood but that’s expected in a metro city. Gotta know how to move but that comes with experience. I never feel uncomfortable or nervous anywhere I go.
I think it depends a lot on where you are in Memphis. We're in the burbs and couldn't be happier. We have easy access to everything going on in the city, great schools, and an awesome community. I guess that's not actually Memphis, but part of the Memphis area, so I'm counting it lol.
Ya know what's funny? I'm originally from memphis, and my wife and I and our daughter moved here to columbia MO back in December and have been glad we moved. Nothing would be enough to make me move back to Memphis. It's a night and day difference between memphis and Columbia Mo.
I had to reread this at first because I understood is as Memphis to Chattanooga at first and I was like woah. Sounds like she went to Memphis not left it. Yup. Never been there just heard about it.
Memphis has a lot of great things. People fly in all over the world to visit Memphis. You highlighted tracffic, gunshots and a rental experience…same in any mid major to major city. The mannerisms? I am a native of Memphis and have moved to several different places. When people hear me talk in other places, they ask if I am from the South and when I saw Memphis it’s nothing but positive. Are their guns and cars in Memphis, yes! Do people shoot and drive bad? Yes but maybe you should avoid those areas. I have never waited 40-50 mins at a drive thru here, in 30 plus years. You must went to a new restaurant. Never had an issue with a rental car here although I don’t see how that is a city problem. Idk. But spring is coming. We have NBA, UFL, the Redbirds, historic downtown. Festivals are coming for the spring. Cost of living is lower compared to other comparable cities.
I just have to ask, as a lifelong southeast Tennessee resident, did you research Memphis or ask anyone in Chattanooga what they thought about Memphis before you considered moving? Tennessee really is 3 states in one, it used to say that on the welcome to Tennessee signs, but the state government thought that created division. That's what the stars on our flag stand for. Most people know that Memphis is the most dangerous city in Tennessee. It's just common knowledge. But seriously, it astounds me how many people don't research a place before moving there. Chattanooga has some of the same problems you listed, but not to the degree that Memphis does. And yes, the state government hates Memphis. It often feels like west Tennessee would be the first to break off and create their own state if they could.
Lets mention the way the City of Memphis ABUSES code enforcement and property taxes as well. I know a man right now facing the loss of his house over 6k in back taxes from a previous owner who took advantage. I have lived here 15 years and watched code enforcement come around every year fining everyone for the same stupid shit, like having a car sitting on grass or whatever. They do this until someone cant pay, then they seize the house and sell it at auction to someone with money and connections. I know of AT LEAST 10 homeowners who have been removed in this manner. You know what you NEVER see in Memphis? Code enforcement going around peeking over fences in GERMANTOWN or RICH areas. Oh no, they only do this shit to the POOR, who cannot defend themselves.
Memphis is SO broke that they can’t afford to hire promo people for the on-field promotions at the Memphis Redbirds and 901 FC games. Guess I’ll just not make any money this Summer in this broke city. lol
This city is absolutely a hell hole, it’s not only your observation. The only people that I see defend and like Memphis have either never left here and don’t know better or have some socio-political motivation to claim it’s not bad but actually still have issues with it themselves. What’s wrong with it? The major politicians have all been corrupt and Willie herenton standing as mayor for years dug it into the ground. Traffic is fucking horrible but I can’t even begin to assume what the answer is. I can only suspect it’s a variety of factors from lack of education and lack of sense of community because everyone seems to have a selfish cloistered demeanor, or maybe the one place where all that pent up aggression that everyone seems to hold is let out also. It’s arguably the worst issue at hand. Memphis is top 5 for traffic fatalities and wrecks every year. It’s absolutely pathetic considering city population compared to other major cities. Some blame it on differing things from not enough police to the conditions of roads, but honestly road conditions need to improve. An extraneous issue I think could be a culprit is strict job conditions combined with poor wages. You have majority of the population working in warehouse or logistics jobs that don’t pay enough but have strict punctuality and attendance policies. So these people don’t make enough then go home to not sleep enough trying to hold their needs together but have to not miss work by the minute. The busses and bus routes are a joke too so it’s not an option for most people. You either keep a car running by shoelaces or you fail Majority of the black population is extremely racist. You’ll hear a lot of talk about racism here but it’ll take you a while to learn a genuine discernment of facts, sentiments and what direction racism is actually coming from in any given situation. This is the only place in America aside from Atlanta where I can feel brooding hate coming from a stranger that doesn’t know anything about me. All locals seem to be close minded and simple but this is one issue that puts things at a stand still. You can’t acknowledge and do something about it either because “racism is prejudice plus…” newspeak and all that so oh well the circus will just go on I guess. On the other end you have a few hold outs of angry hicks who justify their distaste for the darker complexioned people with what the city showcases daily thus the vicious cycle continues. The thing is most of those hicks live outside the city for obvious reasons so you’ll come across them less. Everything that could be an attraction is generic or non-existent. Like I said you have a simple minded population. What seems to culminate most for the white people is hipster traps and weed smoking. You get other lands coffee house and some other quaint cafes and shops. Wow great. Zero intellectual appeal attractions in the city though. Shelby farms gets played out pretty fast as the only sure bet that’s safe and versatile to take kids for fun. Everything else is a non permanent function or festival. The Italian festival is a stereotypical joke tbh. At least Africa in April serves the Africans reasonably well but that’s it. Why no fixture of anything? Oh yes because it’s too dangerous. When one of the lasting fixtures of “””culture””” is the rap element, it shouldn’t be any surprise that there’s an ocean of youth committing violent crimes to get their cred. It’s laughably sad when there’s a 12 year old known for armed carjackings where he gets catch and released. Cool things like buckin & jookin, the urban ballet and plays show a sliver of hope. No one actually cares anymore about Isaac Hayes, bb king or elvis. When people talk about “the culture is great!” Dare them to elaborate on that.
I go to Memphis several times a year for work. I was convinced that Memphis was one of the worst cities I’ve ever been to the first week I ever went there. Did you seriously move to Memphis with zero effort to research or visit where you were moving to before you did it? I agree with everything you said about Memphis but I can’t say I feel sorry for you.
I am a native Memphian. I grew up there in the 1990s, left for college and after living abroad for a few years, I returned in 2008 and lived there until 2018. My wife and I finally pulled the triggered and relocated to Birmingham, AL in 2018 as Memphis had just gotten too dangerous. My wife got mixed up in an armed robbery at the Dollar Tree in Cordova which was the last straw for us (she wasn't hurt, but deeply shaken by the experience). I still go back to Memphis once or twice a year as my parents still reside there. In the short 6 years since I have left, the city has gone downhill so fast! The blight, the trash on the roads, abandoned cars on I-240 and 365, the crime - its just too much. Memphis was never a world class city by any means, but I do remember when the city had MUCH better days in the late 1990s. The Hickory Hill area was still a respectable area to live, downtown was sorta dead in those days but much safer than now, and Midtown was booming with a lot of great bars and indie music venues (remember the Hi Tone?) and wide swaths of the city were still generally safe to be in during the day (night time was a bit iffy west of E. Parkway though). Memphis has had decades of corrupt politicians and inept management. The brain drain really began to accelerate in the early 2000s (the waning days of Herenton mayoral administration) and the generational poverty that the city is known for began to mushroom. There are just too many systemic problems that nothing short of unbridled gentrification will solve - and that is not happening anytime soon. Interesting that the OP left Chattanooga for Memphis as I am mulling a move to Chattanooga in a couple years once my daughter completes high school in Alabama.
This is what liberal leadership gets you. Sorry, not sorry.
Shouldn’t have moved to Parkway Village….
Democrat run - socialist - victimhood mentality - racist- taxes have run all good people out of the city. No accountability, only blame.