All Topics  
Memphis, Tennessee

 
Memphis, Tennessee

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Memphis, Tennessee
 
 
  Topics Memphis, Tennessee Topic Home

Memphis is a city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
, and the county seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 of Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee

Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The county is the state's largest in terms of both population and geographic area....
. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
 on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff
Chickasaw Bluff

The term Chickasaw Bluff refers to high ground rising about above the flood plain between Fulton, Tennessee in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, Tennessee and Memphis, Tennessee in Shelby County, Tennessee, Tennessee....
 just south of the mouth of the Wolf River
Wolf River (Tennessee)

The Wolf River is a small alluvial stream in West Tennessee and northern Mississippi, whose Confluence with the Mississippi River was the site of various Chickasaw, Louisiana , Spanish colonization of the Americas#North America and American communities and forts that eventually became Memphis, Tennessee....
.

As of 2007, Memphis had an estimated population of 677,272, making it the largest city in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
, the second largest in the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States

The US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region of the United States, and organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a "Southeast" region to fit their needs....
, and the 18th largest
List of United States cities by population

The following is a list of the most populous incorporated places in the United States. As defined by the United States Census Bureau, an incorporated place includes a variety of designations, including a city, town, village, borough, and municipality....
 in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.

The greater Memphis metropolitan area
Memphis Metropolitan Area

The Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area, TN-MS-AR is the 41st largest among similarly designated areas in the United States. The metropolitan area covers eight counties in three states - Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas....
, including adjacent counties in Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
 and Arkansas
Arkansas

Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
, has a population of 1,280,533.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Memphis, Tennessee'
Start a new discussion about 'Memphis, Tennessee'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Memphis is a city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
, and the county seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 of Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee

Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The county is the state's largest in terms of both population and geographic area....
. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
 on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff
Chickasaw Bluff

The term Chickasaw Bluff refers to high ground rising about above the flood plain between Fulton, Tennessee in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, Tennessee and Memphis, Tennessee in Shelby County, Tennessee, Tennessee....
 just south of the mouth of the Wolf River
Wolf River (Tennessee)

The Wolf River is a small alluvial stream in West Tennessee and northern Mississippi, whose Confluence with the Mississippi River was the site of various Chickasaw, Louisiana , Spanish colonization of the Americas#North America and American communities and forts that eventually became Memphis, Tennessee....
.

As of 2007, Memphis had an estimated population of 677,272, making it the largest city in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
, the second largest in the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States

The US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region of the United States, and organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a "Southeast" region to fit their needs....
, and the 18th largest
List of United States cities by population

The following is a list of the most populous incorporated places in the United States. As defined by the United States Census Bureau, an incorporated place includes a variety of designations, including a city, town, village, borough, and municipality....
 in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.

The greater Memphis metropolitan area
Memphis Metropolitan Area

The Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area, TN-MS-AR is the 41st largest among similarly designated areas in the United States. The metropolitan area covers eight counties in three states - Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas....
, including adjacent counties in Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
 and Arkansas
Arkansas

Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
, has a population of 1,280,533. This makes Memphis the second largest metropolitan area in Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
, surpassed only by metropolitan Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
, which only overtook Memphis in recent years.

Memphis is the youngest of Tennessee's four major cities (traditionally including Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee

Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, behind Memphis, Tennessee and Nashville, Tennessee, and is the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee....
, Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga, "the Scenic City", is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee , and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, in the United States....
, and Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
). A resident of Memphis is referred to as a Memphian
List of famous people from Memphis

This is a list of famous people who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Memphis, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan statistical area, including Crittenden County, Arkansas, DeSoto County, Mississippi, Marshall County, Mississippi, Tate County, Mississippi, Tunica County, Mississippi, Fayette County, Tennessee,...
 and the Memphis region is known, particularly to media outlets, as the "Mid-South
Mid-South

Mid-South may refer to:* The South Central United States* The region centered on the Memphis, Tennessee Memphis metropolitan area, including portions of West Tennessee, northern Mississippi and northeastern Arkansas, as well as the Missouri Bootheel and extreme northwestern Alabama....
."

History


Early history

Because it occupies a substantial bluff rising from the Mississippi river bank, the area is a natural location for settlement. The Memphis area was first settled by the Mississippian Culture
Mississippian culture

The Mississippian culture was a Mound builder Native Americans in the United States culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern United States, Eastern United States, and Southeastern United States United States from approximately 800 Common Era to 1500 Common Era, varying regionally....
 and then by the Chickasaw
Chickasaw

The Chickasaw are Native Americans in the United States people originally from the Southeastern United States . They are of the Muskogean linguistic group....
 Indian tribe
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
. European exploration came years later, with Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 explorer Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)

Hernando de Soto was a Spanish people Exploration and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European to discover the Mississippi River....
 and French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 explorers led by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.

The land comprising present-day Memphis remained in a largely unorganized territory throughout most of the 18th century. By 1796, the community was the westernmost point of the newly admitted state of Tennessee, located in the Southeast America.

19th century

Memphis was founded in 1819 by John Overton
John Overton (judge)

John Overton was an advisor of Andrew Jackson, a judge at the Superior Court of Tennessee, a banker and political leader.Overton was born in Louisa County, Virginia, Virginia....
, James Winchester
James Winchester

James Winchester was an officer in the American Revolutionary War and a brigadier general during the War of 1812. He commanded the American forces at the Battle of Frenchtown, which led to the Massacre of the River Raisin....
 and Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . He was List of governors of Florida of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy....
. The city was named after the ancient capital
Memphis, Egypt

Memphis was the ancient capital of the first Nome of Lower Egypt, and of the Old Kingdom of Egypt from its foundation until around 2200 BC and later for shorter periods during the New Kingdom, and an administrative centre throughout ancient history....
 of Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
 on the Nile River. Memphis developed as a transportation center in the 19th century because of its flood-free location, high above the Mississippi River.

As the cotton
Cotton

Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa....
 economy of the antebellum South depended on the forced labor of large numbers of African-American slaves
History of slavery in the United States

Slavery in the United States began soon after British colonization of the Americas first settled Colony of Virginia in 1607 and lasted as a legal institution until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865....
, Memphis became a major slave market. In 1857, the Memphis and Charleston Railroad
Memphis and Charleston Railroad

The Memphis and Charleston Railroad, completed in 1857, was the first railroad in the United States to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Mississippi River....
 was completed, the only East-West railroad across the southern states prior to the Civil War.

Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
 seceded from the Union in June 1861 and Memphis briefly became a Confederate
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
 stronghold. Union
Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the Federal government of the United States of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that formed the Confederate States of America....
 forces captured Memphis in the Battle of Memphis
Battle of Memphis

The First Battle of Memphis was a naval battle fought on the Mississippi River immediately above the city of Memphis on June 6 1862, during the American Civil War....
 on June 6, 1862, and the city remained under Union
Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
 control for the duration of the war. Memphis became a Union supply base and continued to prosper throughout the war.

In the 1870s a series of yellow fever
Yellow fever

Yellow fever is an acute Virus disease. It is an important cause of hemorrhage illness in many African and South American countries despite existence of an effective vaccine....
 epidemics hit the city. The worst outbreak, in 1878, reduced the population by nearly 75% as many people died or fled the city permanently. As a result, Memphis lost its charter and became a taxing district. Its charter was reinstated in 1893.

20th century

Union Avenue
Memphis grew into the world's largest spot cotton market and the world's largest hardwood lumber market. Into the 1950s, it was the world's largest mule market.

From the 1910s to the 1950s, Memphis was a hotbed of machine politics under the direction of E. H. "Boss" Crump
E. H. Crump

Edward Hull "Boss" Crump was a Memphis, Tennessee insurance broker, businessman, and Politics figure in the early 20th century....
. During the Crump era, Memphis developed an extensive network of parks and public works as part of the national City Beautiful Movement
City Beautiful movement

The City Beautiful Movement was a Progressivism reform movement in North American architecture and urban planning that flourished in the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of using beauty and monumental grandeur in cities....
.

During the 1960s the city was at the center of civil rights
Civil rights

Civil and political rights are a class of rights ensuring things such as the protection of peoples' physical integrity; procedural fairness in law; protection from discrimination based on sexism, religious intolerance, Racism, Homophobia, etc; individual freedom of freedom of belief, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom...
 issues, notably the location of a sanitation workers' strike. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an United States pastor, activist and prominent leader in the African-American African-American Civil Rights Movement ....
 was assassinated
Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination

Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent United States African-American Civil Rights Movement leader who was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39....
 on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel, the day after giving his prophetic I've Been to the Mountaintop
I've Been to the Mountaintop

"I've Been to the Mountaintop" is the popular name of the last speech delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr.King spoke on 3 April, 1968, at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee....
 speech at the Mason Temple
Mason Temple

Mason Temple, in Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, is the International Sanctuary and central headquarters of the Church of God in Christ, the largest African American Pentecostal group in the world....
.

Memphis is well known for its cultural contributions to the identity of the American south
Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States....
. Many renowned musicians grew up in and around the Memphis and northern Mississippi area. These included such musical greats as Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
, Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield , better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered "the Father of Chicago blues"....
, Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins

Carl Lee Perkins was an United States of America pioneer of rockabilly music who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee beginning in 1954....
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash was a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Primarily a country music artist, his songs and sound spanned many other genres including rockabilly and rock and roll , as well as blues, folk music and Gospel music....
, Robert Johnson, W.C. Handy, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf

Chester Arthur Burnett , better known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player.With a booming voice and looming physical presence, Burnett is commonly ranked among the leading performers in electric blues; musician and critic Cub Koda declared, "no one could match [Howlin' Wolf] for the singular...
, Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes

Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an United Statesn Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter, actor and musician. Hayes was one of the main creative forces behind southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served as both an in-house songwriter and producer with partner David Porter during the mid-1960s....
, Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones

Booker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known for frontman the band , Booker T. and the MGs....
, and Al Green
Al Green

Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an United States gospel music and soul music singer who received great acclaim in the 1970s. At the 2008 BET Awards Green was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, for all the work he has done throughout his career....
.

Geography and climate

Memphis Front View
Memphis is located in southwestern Tennessee at . According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data....
, the city has a total area of 313.8 sq mi
Square mile

The square mile is an Imperial system and US customary system of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one mile. It should not be confused with miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared....
 (763.4 km²), of which 302.3 sq mi (723.4 km²) is land and 15.4 sq mi (40.0 km²), or 5.24%, is water.

Cityscape

The city of Memphis is located in southwestern Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
 and sits on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. It is the regional hub for a tri-state area
Tri-state area

There are a number of places in the 48 contiguous United States known as tri-state areas where three U.S. states either meet at one point or are in close proximity to each other....
 of Arkansas
Arkansas

Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
, Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
 and Tennessee. Interstate 40
Interstate 40

Interstate 40 is a major west-east Interstate Highway in the United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 15 in California in Barstow, California; its eastern terminus is at a concurrency of U.S....
 (I-40) enters the city from the northeast, and loops above the central part of the city, exiting across the Mississippi River and travelling to the west
West

West is most commonly a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points....
. Interstate 55
Interstate 55

Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is primarily a north-south highway. It goes from Laplace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S....
 approaches the city from the south
South

South is one of the cardinal directions and is opposite to the north.By Western world Norm , the bottom side of a map is south; the southern direction has azimuth or bearing of 180?....
 and connects with Interstate 240
Interstate 240 (Tennessee)

Interstate 240 is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Running or 31.0 km, it loops southward from Interstate 40 in east Memphis, Tennessee, then turning west at TN 385 ....
, which completes the loop around central Memphis with I-40, and also leaves to the west.

Aquifer

Shelby County is located over four natural aquifer
Aquifer

An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well....
s, one of which is recognized as the "Memphis sand aquifer" or simply as the "Memphis aquifer". This artesian water is pure and soft. This particular water source, located some 350 to 1100 ft (100 - 330 m) underground, is stated to contain more than 100 trillion gallons (380 km³) of water by Memphis Light, Gas, and Water.

Climate

Memphis has a humid subtropical climate
Humid subtropical climate

Humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and chilly to mild winters. This climate type covers a broad category of climates, and the term "subtropical" may be a misnomer for the winter climate....
, with four distinct seasons. Weather comes from elsewhere: winter weather comes from the upper Great Plains or from the Gulf of Mexico, leading to drastic swings. Summer weather may come from Texas (very hot and dry) or the Gulf (hot and humid.) The average high and low in July are 92°F (33°C) and 73°F (23°C), with high levels of humidity
Humidity

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean relative humidity. Relative humidity is defined as the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor in a Air parcel of air to the saturated vapor pressure of water vapor at a prescribed temperature....
 due to moisture encroaching from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms are frequent during some summers, but usually brief, lasting no longer than an hour. Cooler air does not follow a thunderstorm. Early Autumn is pleasantly drier and mild, but can be hot until late October. Late Autumn is rainy and colder; December is the third rainiest month of the year. Winters are mild to chilly, with average January high and low temperatures of 49°F (9°C) and 31°F (-1°C). Snow
Snow

Snow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. The process of this precipitation is called snowfall....
 does occur sporadically in winter, usually 2" or less. Ice storms are a bigger danger, pulling tree limbs down on power lines.

People and culture


Demographics


According to the 2007 American Community Survey, the city's population was 32.8% White (30.2% non-Hispanic-White alone), 63.1% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7 Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 2.9% from some other race and 1.2% from two or more races. 4.6% of the total population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the census
Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
 of 2000, there were 650,100 people, 250,721 households, and 158,455 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans....
 was 2,327.4 people per sq mi (898.6/km²). There were 271,552 housing units at an average density of 972.2 per sq mi (375.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.41% African American, 34.41% White, 1.46% Asian, 0.19% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.45% from other races
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.97% of the population.

The Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area
Memphis Metropolitan Area

The Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area, TN-MS-AR is the 41st largest among similarly designated areas in the United States. The metropolitan area covers eight counties in three states - Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas....
 (MSA), the 42nd largest in the United States, has a 2003 population of 1,239,337, and includes the Tennessee counties of Shelby
Shelby County, Tennessee

Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The county is the state's largest in terms of both population and geographic area....
, Tipton
Tipton County, Tennessee

Tipton County is a county located on the western end of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 51,271. Its county seat is Covington, Tennessee....
, and Fayette
Fayette County, Tennessee

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 28,806. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 34,458 ....
, as well as the Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
 counties of DeSoto
DeSoto County, Mississippi

DeSoto County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. DeSoto County is part of the Memphis metropolitan area. Its county seat is Hernando, Mississippi....
, Marshall
Marshall County, Mississippi

Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2000, the population was 34,993. Its county seat is Holly Springs, Mississippi....
, Tate
Tate County, Mississippi

Tate County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Mississippi, east of the Mississippi Delta. As of 2000, the population was 25,370....
, and Tunica
Tunica County, Mississippi

Tunica County is a county located in the Mississippi Delta region of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2000, the population was 9,227. Its county seat is Tunica, Mississippi....
, and the Arkansas
Arkansas

Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
 county of Crittenden
Crittenden County, Arkansas

Crittenden County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the United States Census, 2000, the population was 50,866. The county seat is Marion, Arkansas, while its largest city is West Memphis, Arkansas....
.

Crime

Although in 2004 violent crime in Memphis reached a record low for over a decade, that trend has changed. In 2005, Memphis was ranked the 4th most dangerous city with a population of 500,000 or higher in the U.S. Crime in Memphis increased in 2005, and has seen a dramatic rise in the first half of 2006. Nationally, cities follow similar trends, and crime numbers tend to be cyclical. Local experts and criminologists cite gang recruitment as one possible cause of the rise in crime in Memphis and to a reduction of 66% of federal funding to the Memphis Police Department
Memphis Police Department

The Memphis Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee....
.

In the first half of 2006, robbery of businesses increased 52.5%, robbery of individuals increased 28.5%, and homicide increased 18% over the same period of 2005. The Memphis Police Department has responded with the initiation of Operation Blue C.R.U.S.H. (Crime Reduction Using Statistical History), which targets crime hotspots and repeat offenders. Memphis ended 2005 with 154 murders, and 2006 ended with 160 murders. 2007 saw 164 murders and 2008 had 168. In 2006, the Memphis metropolitan area ranked second most dangerous in the nation, it also ranked first most dangerous in 2002 and second most dangerous the year before in 2001. Recently, Memphis ranked second most dangerous among cities over 500,000 in 2007, as well as the second most dangerous metropolitan area once again. In 2006, the Memphis metropolitan area ranked number one in violent crimes for major cities around the U.S according to the FBI's annual crime rankings, where it had ranked 2nd in 2005.

Cultural events

Memphis Skyline Pyramid
One of the largest celebrations the city has is Memphis in May. The month-long series of events promotes Memphis' heritage and outreach of its people far beyond the city's borders. There are four main events, the Beale Street Music Festival, International Week, the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, and the Sunset Symphony. The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is the largest pork barbecue cooking contest in the world.

Carnival Memphis
Carnival Memphis

Carnival Memphis , is a series of parties and festivities staged annually since 1931 in Memphis, Tennessee by the centralized Carnival Memphis Association and its member krewes during the month of June....
, formerly known as the Memphis Cotton Carnival, is an annual series of parties and festivities in the month of June that salutes various aspects of Memphis and its industries. An annual King and Queen of Carnival are secretly selected to reign over Carnival activities. The African-American community staged a parallel event known as the Cotton Makers Jubilee from 1935 to 1982, when it merged with Carnival Memphis.

An arts festival, the Cooper-Young Festival, is held annually in September in the Cooper-Young
Cooper-Young, Memphis

Cooper-Young is an eclectic neighborhood and historic district in the Midtown, Memphis section of Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, named for the intersection of Cooper Street and Young Avenue....
 district of Midtown Memphis. The event draws artists from all over North America, and includes art sales, contests, and displays.

The arts

Memphis is the home of founders and establishers of various American music genres, including Blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
, Gospel
Gospel

In Christianity, a gospel is generally one of the first four books of the New Testament that describe the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus....
, Rock n' Roll, Buck, Crunk
Crunk

Crunk is a style of music which originated from southern hip hop and electronic dance music in the early 1990s. The style was pioneered and commercialized by such artists as Lil Jon in Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album, and Master P....
, and "sharecropper" country music
Country music

Country music is a blend of popular American music forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in Traditional music, Celtic music, gospel music, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s....
 (in contrast to the "rhinestone" country sound of Nashville). Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash was a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Primarily a country music artist, his songs and sound spanned many other genres including rockabilly and rock and roll , as well as blues, folk music and Gospel music....
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
, and B. B. King
B. B. King

B. B. King is an United States blues guitarist and singer-songwriter known for his expressive singing and inimitable guitar playing. As Komara has written, "King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed." Critic...
 were all getting their starts in Memphis in the 1950s. They are respectively dubbed the "King" of Country, Rock n' Roll, and Blues.

Well-known writers from Memphis include Civil War
Civil war

A civil war is a war between organized groups to take control of a nation or region, or to change government policies. It is high-intensity conflict, often involving Regular Army, that is sustained, organized and large-scale....
 historian Shelby Foote
Shelby Foote

Shelby Dade Foote, Jr. was an United States novelist and a noted historian of the American Civil War, writing a massive, three-volume history of the war entitled The Civil War: A Narrative....
 and playwright Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams was an American playwright who received many of the top theatrical awards. He moved to New Orleans in 1939 and changed his name to "Tennessee", the state of his father's birth....
. Novelist John Grisham
John Grisham

John Ray Grisham is an United States ex-politician, lawyer and novelist is best known for his works of modern legal drama. As of 2008, his books have sold over 250 million copies worldwide....
 grew up in nearby DeSoto County, Mississippi
DeSoto County, Mississippi

DeSoto County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. DeSoto County is part of the Memphis metropolitan area. Its county seat is Hernando, Mississippi....
 and many of his books are set in Memphis.

Many works of fiction and literature use Memphis as their setting, giving a diverse portrait of the city, its history, and its citizens. These include The Reivers
The Reivers

The Reivers, published in 1962, is the last novel by the United States author William Faulkner. The bestselling novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1963....
 by William Faulkner
William Faulkner

William Faulkner was a Nobel Prize in Literature-winning United States author. One of the most influential writers of the 20th century, his reputation is based on his novels, novellas and short story....
 (1962), September, September by Shelby Foote
Shelby Foote

Shelby Dade Foote, Jr. was an United States novelist and a noted historian of the American Civil War, writing a massive, three-volume history of the war entitled The Civil War: A Narrative....
 (1977), The Old Forest and Other Stories by Peter Taylor
Peter Taylor

Peter Taylor is the name of:* Peter Taylor, Baron Taylor of Gosforth , Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1992 to 1997* Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor , American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction...
 (1985), the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is an United States award regarded as the highest national honor in newspaper journalism, literary achievements and musical composition....
-winning A Summons to Memphis
A Summons to Memphis

A Summons to Memphis is a 1986 in literature novel by Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1987 in literature....
 by Peter Taylor
Peter Taylor

Peter Taylor is the name of:* Peter Taylor, Baron Taylor of Gosforth , Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1992 to 1997* Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor , American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction...
 (1986), The Firm by John Grisham
John Grisham

John Ray Grisham is an United States ex-politician, lawyer and novelist is best known for his works of modern legal drama. As of 2008, his books have sold over 250 million copies worldwide....
 (1991), Memphis Afternoons: a Memoir by James Conaway (1993), Cassina Gambrel Was Missing
Cassina Gambrel Was Missing

Cassina Gambrel Was Missing is a 1999 novel by William Watkins. Set against turbulent events in Memphis, Tennessee in the late 1970s, the novel concerns a young, white, college student named Jackson Taylor who befriends an older black woman named Cassina Gambrel....
 by William Watkins
William Watkins

William Watkins is the name of:* Bill Watkins , Canadian baseball manager* Bill Watkins , CEO of Seagate Technology* Billy Watkins, head coach of the Auburn college football program, 1900?1901...
 (1999), The Guardian by Beecher Smith (1999), and The Architect by James Williamson
James Williamson

James Robert Williamson is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer best known for his contribution to the protopunk rock band The Stooges....
 (2007).

Cultural references to Memphis
Memphis is the subject of many major pop and country songs, including "Memphis" by Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.Chuck Berry is an influential figure and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music....
, "Queen of Memphis" by Confederate Railroad
Confederate Railroad

Confederate Railroad is an American country music band founded in 1987 in Marietta, Georgia by Danny Shirley , Michael Lamb , Mark Dufresne , Chris McDaniel , Gates Nichols , and Wayne Secrest ....
, "Memphis Soul Stew" by King Curtis
King Curtis

Curtis Ousley , who performed under the name King Curtis, was an United States tenor, alto, and soprano saxophonist and session musician who played rhythm and blues, Rock and roll, Soul music, Funk and soul jazz....
, "Maybe It Was Memphis" by Pam Tillis
Pam Tillis

Pam Tillis is an United States country music singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of country music legend Mel Tillis.Originally a demo singer in Nashville, Tennessee, Pam was signed to Warner Bros....
, "Graceland
Graceland (song)

"Graceland" is the title song of an Graceland released in 1986 in music by Paul Simon. The song features vocals by the The Everly Brothers. It won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1988....
" by Paul Simon
Paul Simon

Paul Frederic Simon is an United States singer-songwriter and musician, perhaps best known for his partnership with Art Garfunkel in the duo Simon & Garfunkel....
, "Memphis Train" by Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas

Rufus Thomas, Jr. was a rhythm and blues, funk and soul music singer and comedian fromMemphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the...
, and "Walking in Memphis
Walking in Memphis

"Walking in Memphis" is the signature song of United States singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, from his self-titled 1991 album Marc Cohn . The song became Cohn's biggest hit, peaking at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and, after being re-released in fall 1991, reached #22 on the UK chart....
" by Marc Cohn
Marc Cohn

Marc Cohn is a singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for his song "Walking in Memphis" from his eponymous 1991 album Marc Cohn ....
.

In addition, Memphis is mentioned in scores of other songs, including "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival was an United States rock and roll band who gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various Studio album....
, "Honky Tonk Women
Honky Tonk Women

"Honky Tonk Women" is a 1969 hit song by The Rolling Stones. Released as a single on 4 July 1969 in the UK and a week later in the US, it topped the charts in both nations....
" by the Rolling Stones, "Life Is a Highway
Life Is a Highway

"Life Is a Highway" is a song written by Tom Cochrane, from his 1991 album Mad Mad World. The song was Cochrane's most famous song, as it was a number one hit in his native Canada, and was ubiquitous on Canadian radio in 1991....
" by Tom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane

Tom Cochrane, Order of Canada is a Canada singer-songwriter and musician, best known for his hit songs "Life Is a Highway", "Lunatic Fringe", "White Hot", "Boy Inside the Man", "Big League" and "I Wish You Well"....
, "Black Velvet
Black Velvet (song)

"Black Velvet" is a rock and roll song written by Canada musicians David Tyson and Christopher Ward . First recorded by Canadian singer Alannah Myles in 1989, it became a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1990 and reached number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, as well as number one in Canada and number two in the UK S...
" by Alannah Myles
Alannah Myles

Alannah Myles is a Canada singer-songwriter. In 1989, she released her self-titled debut album, Alannah Myles . In 1990 "Black Velvet ," a single taken from that album, topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and was also a hit in four other countries, including her native Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and the United King...
, "Cities" by Talking Heads
Talking Heads

Talking Heads was an American rock music rock band formed in 1974 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison....
, "Crazed Country Rebel by Hank Williams III
Hank Williams III

Shelton Hank Williams III is an American country music musician. The grandson of country legend Hank Williams, Sr. and the son of Hank Williams, Jr., also a renowned musician, the younger Williams' neotraditional country-meets-alternative country philosophy on country was made clear early on: "the older you sound, the punk rocker you are." H...
, and many others.

Religion

Since its founding, Memphis has been home to persons of many different faiths. An 1870 map of Memphis shows religious buildings of the Baptist
Baptist

A Baptist is a member of a Christian denomination characterized by the rejection of infant baptism in favor of believer's baptism by Baptism#Immersion....
, Catholic
Catholic

Catholic is an adjective derived from the Greek language adjective , meaning "whole" or "complete". In the context of Christianity ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages....
, Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)

The Episcopal Church, sometimes called The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, is the Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States, Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe....
, Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational, and Christian
Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
 denominations and a Jewish congregation. In 2009, places of worship exist for Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus.

Bellevue Baptist Church
Bellevue Baptist Church

Bellevue Baptist Church is a large, Southern Baptist Convention megachurch in the Cordova, Tennessee area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States....
 is a Southern Baptist megachurch
Megachurch

A megachurch is a local church having around 2,000 or more attendants for a typical weekly service. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States....
 in Memphis that was founded in 1903. Its current membership is approximately 27,000. For many years, it was led by Adrian Rogers
Adrian Rogers

Adrian Pierce Rogers , was an United States of America pastor, conservatism in the United States, author, and a three-term president of the Southern Baptist Convention ....
, a three-term president of the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention

The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based, mostly conservative Christian denomination. The name "Southern" stems from its having been founded and rooted in the Southern United States....
.

The international headquarters of the Church of God in Christ
Church of God in Christ

The Church of God in Christ, Incorporated is a Christian church in the Pentecostal tradition. The church has congregations in nearly 60 countries around the world....
 is located in Memphis. Named after the denomination's founder, Charles Harrison Mason
Charles Harrison Mason

Bishop Charles Mason was the founder of the Church of God in Christ.Elder Mason was converted in November, 1878, and baptized by his brother, I.S....
, Mason Temple
Mason Temple

Mason Temple, in Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, is the International Sanctuary and central headquarters of the Church of God in Christ, the largest African American Pentecostal group in the world....
 is where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I've Been to the Mountaintop
I've Been to the Mountaintop

"I've Been to the Mountaintop" is the popular name of the last speech delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr.King spoke on 3 April, 1968, at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee....
" speech the day before he was killed. The church's Temple of Deliverance
Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ

Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ was founded March 6, 1975 by the late Bishop Gilbert E. Patterson in Memphis, Tennessee. The church is pastored by Supt....
 is the venue of the National Civil Rights Museum
National Civil Rights Museum

The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, was built around the former Lorraine Motel at 450 Mulberry Street, where Martin Luther King, Jr....
's Freedom Awards.

Other notable and/or large churches in Memphis include Second Presbyterian Church (EPC), Christ United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church is a Christian Church that understands itself to be a part of the one Holy catholic Church of Jesus Christ and the Communion of Saints....
, Idlewild Presbyterian Church (PCUSA
Presbyterian Church (USA)

The Presbyterian Church or PC is a Mainline Protestant Christian religious denomination in the United States. It is part of the Reformed family of Protestantism, descending from the branch of the Protestant Reformation over which John Calvin had a strong, early influence....
), and Calvary Episcopal Church.

Memphis is home to two cathedrals. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis
Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis, Tennessee is a Roman Catholic diocese in Tennessee. It was founded on June 20, 1970, when Pope Paul VI removed the counties in the state west of the Tennessee River from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville, which, prior to that time, encompassed the entire state....
, and St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral
St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Memphis

St. Mary's is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee, located near downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded as a semi-rural Episcopal mission in 1857....
is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee
Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee

The Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America that geographically coincides with the political region known as the Grand Divisions of West Tennessee....
.

Memphis is home to an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Muslims of various cultures and ethnicities.

Memphis is home to Temple Israel
Temple Israel

Numerous Jewish synagogues around the United States have the name of Temple Israel....
, a Reform
Reform Judaism

Reform Judaism refers to the spectrum of beliefs, practices and organizational infrastructure associated with Reform Judaism in Reform Judaism and in Reform Judaism ....
 synagogue that has approximately 7,000 members, making it one of the largest Reform synagogues in the country. Baron Hirsch Synagogue
Baron Hirsch Synagogue

The Baron Hirsch Synagogue , established Memphis, Tennessee circa 1862–1864, , is a flagship of American Orthodox Judaism. From modest beginnings, it underwent tremendous growth in the first half of the 20th century, emerging, in the 1950s, as the largest Orthodox congregation in the United States, a position it still holds....
 is the largest Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism

Orthodox Judaism is a Jewish denominations of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict constructionist and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim....
 shul in America.

Economy

The city's central location has led to much of its business development. Located on the Mississippi River and intersected by several freight railroads and two Interstate highways, Memphis is ideally located for commerce among the transportation and shipping industry. River barges are unloaded onto trucks and trains. The city is home to Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport

Memphis International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Memphis, Tennessee, a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States....
, the world's busiest cargo airport, which serves as the primary hub for FedEx shipping.

Memphis is home to a number of nationally and internationally-known corporations, including approximately 150 businesses from 22 countries. These include the corporate headquarters of FedEx Corporation, AutoZone Incorporated, International Paper
International Paper

International Paper is an American pulp and paper industry, the largest pulp and paper company in the world. It has approximately 51,500 employees....
, and Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc.. In addition, Memphis is home to pharmaceutical/healthcare giant Schering-Plough Corporation. Located on Jackson Avenue, Schering-Plough Healthcare Products serves as both the company's primary distribution facilty and research & development center.

The entertainment and film industry
Film industry

The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. production company, Movie studio, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, Distribution ; and actors, film directors and other film crew....
 have discovered Memphis in recent years. Several major motion pictures have been filmed in Memphis, including Mystery Train
Mystery Train (film)

Mystery Train is a 1989 anthology film written and directed by independent film film director Jim Jarmusch and set in Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee....
 (1989), The Firm (1993), Cast Away
Cast Away

Cast Away is a 2000 in film film by 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks about a FedEx employee who is castaway on an uninhabited desert island after his plane goes down over the South Pacific....
 (2000), Forty Shades of Blue
Forty Shades of Blue

Forty Shades of Blue is a 2005 independent film directed by Ira Sachs. It tells the story of Alan James , an aging music producer who lives in Memphis, Tennessee with his much younger Russian girlfriend, Laura ....
 (2005), Hustle and Flow (2006), Soul Men (2008) and Walk the Line
Walk the Line

Walk the Line is a 2005 in film Cinema of the United States biographical film drama film, directed by James Mangold and based on the life of country music singer-songwriter Johnny Cash....
 (2005). The 1992 television movie Memphis, starring Memphis native Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Shepherd

Cybill Lynne Shepherd is a United States actress, singer and former fashion model .Her best known roles include starring as Jacy in The Last Picture Show, Maddie Hayes in Moonlighting , as Cybill Sheridan in Cybill, as Betsy in Taxi Driver and as Phyllis Kroll in The L Word....
, who also served as executive producer and writer, was filmed in Memphis.

The city appeared in the top eight of the 50 best major metro areas in the U.S. for starting and growing a business in 2000, according to Inc. magazine.

Government

Memphis is governed by a mayor and thirteen City Council
City council

A city council is a form of local government, usually covering a city or other urban area, such as a town. The system of government has roots back at least to the Roman Empire....
 members, six elected at large from throughout the city and seven elected from geographic districts. In 1995, the council adopted a new district plan which changed council positions to all districts. This plan provides for nine districts, seven with one representative each and two districts with three representatives each. The current mayor of the city of Memphis is Dr. W. W. Herenton
W. W. Herenton

Willie W. Herenton is the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Herenton is a graduate of Le Moyne-Owen College in South Memphis, and the University of Memphis....


In recent years, there have been often rancorous discussions of the potential of a consolidation of unincorporated Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee

Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The county is the state's largest in terms of both population and geographic area....
 and Memphis into a metropolitan government, similar to that in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
.

Education

Nurses
The city is served by Memphis City Schools
Memphis City Schools

Memphis City Schools is the school district serving Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States and the largest school district in Tennessee....
 while surrounding suburbs in other areas of Shelby County are served by Shelby County Schools
Shelby County Schools (Tennessee)

The Shelby County School District is the fourth largest school system in Tennessee with a population of over 45,000 students.The district includes almost all of the public schools in Shelby County, Tennessee outside the corporate limits of the city of Memphis, Tennessee, including those schools located within the six incorporated towns of A...
.

Memphis is home to many private, college-prep schools: Christian Brothers High School
Christian Brothers High School (Memphis, Tennessee)

Christian Brothers High School is located in Memphis, Tennessee, at 5900 Walnut Grove Rd. It is an all-male college preparatory school and Catholic school that has a strong Lasallian tradition that can be traced back to John Baptist de La Salle....
 (boys), Memphis University School
Memphis University School

Memphis University School is an all-male private school for grade level 7?12, located in Memphis, Tennessee....
 (boys), Hutchison School (girls), St. Mary's Episcopal School
St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Memphis

St. Mary's is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee, located near downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded as a semi-rural Episcopal mission in 1857....
 (girls), Briarcrest Christian School (co-ed), St. George's Independent School
St. George's Independent Schools

St. George's Independent School was founded in 1959 as St. George's Episcopal School and now has campuses in Collierville, Germantown, and Memphis, Tennessee....
 (co-ed), Evangelical Christian School (co-ed) and, Lausanne Collegiate School (co-ed)

Colleges and universities located in the city include the University of Memphis
University of Memphis

The University of Memphis is an American public university research university located in the Normal Station, Memphis neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States, and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
 (formerly Memphis State University), Rhodes College
Rhodes College

Rhodes College is a four-year, private school, perennial top tier Liberal arts colleges in the United States located in Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, USA....
 (formerly Southwestern at Memphis), Memphis College of Art
Memphis College of Art

Memphis College of Art, known before the 1980s as the Memphis Academy of Arts, is a small, private college of art and design located in Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee's Overton Park, adjacent to Memphis Brooks Museum of Art....
, Le Moyne-Owen College, Crichton College
Crichton College

Crichton College is a private Christian, liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee.Crichton College is a four-year, coeducational institution governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Directors....
, Christian Brothers University
Christian Brothers University

Christian Brothers University is the oldest collegiate degree-granting institution in the Memphis, Tennessee. The university is run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, the patron saint of teachers....
, Baptist College of Health Sciences
Baptist College of Health Sciences

Baptist College of Health Sciences is a private, coeducational, specialized college in Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee. It offers Bachelor's degrees in the following fields:...
 (formerly Baptist Memorial Hospital School of Nursing), and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center
University of Tennessee Health Science Center

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee includes the Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, University of Tennessee College of Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy....
 (Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Graduate Health Sciences and Allied Health Sciences).

The University of Tennessee College of Dentistry was founded in 1878 making it the oldest dental college in the South, and the third oldest public college of dentistry in the United States.

Transportation


Highways

Interstate 40
Interstate 40

Interstate 40 is a major west-east Interstate Highway in the United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 15 in California in Barstow, California; its eastern terminus is at a concurrency of U.S....
 (I-40) and Interstate 55
Interstate 55

Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is primarily a north-south highway. It goes from Laplace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S....
 (I-55) are the main freeways in the Memphis area. The interstates I-40 and I-55 (along with rail lines) cross the Mississippi at Memphis into the state of Arkansas
Arkansas

Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
.

Railroad

Cityofneworleansinmephis
A large volume of railroad freight traffic moves through Memphis, thanks to two Mississippi River railroad crossings and the convergence of several east-west and north-south rail lines.

By the early 20th Century, Memphis had two major rail passenger stations. After rail passenger service declined at mid-century, Memphis Union Station
Union Station (Memphis)

Memphis Union Station was a jointly owned passenger terminal serving the Missouri Pacific Railroad, St. Louis Southwestern Railway, Louisville and Nashville Railroad, Nashville, Chattanooga and St....
 was razed in 1969. Memphis Central Station was renovated and now serves Amtrak
Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide Inter-city rail train#Passenger trains service in the United States....
's famed City of New Orleans
City of New Orleans

The City of New Orleans is a nightly passenger train operated by Amtrak which travels between Chicago and New Orleans. Before Amtrak's formation in 1971, the train was operated by the Illinois Central Railroad along the same route ....
, providing service between Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
 and New Orleans.

Airport

Memphis is served by Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport

Memphis International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Memphis, Tennessee, a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States....
, which handles more cargo than any other airport in the world
World's busiest airport

World's busiest airport is a claim that is fiercely fought over by the owners of the world's largest airports. The definition of busiest has been specified by the Airports Council International in Geneva, Switzerland....
 as of 2007.

River port

Memphis also has the 2nd biggest cargo port
Port

||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|}A port is a facility for receiving ships and transferring cargo. They are usually found at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake....
 on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
 (the 4th biggest inland port in the United States). The International Port of Memphis covers the Tennessee and Arkansas sides of the Mississippi River from river mile
River mile

A River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its river delta. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream....
 725 (km 1167) to mile 740 (km 1191).

Bridges

Four rail and highway bridges cross the Mississippi River at Memphis. They are, in order of their opening year: Frisco Bridge
Frisco Bridge

The Frisco Bridge, previously known as the Memphis Bridge, is a Cantilever bridge through truss bridge carrying a rail line across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee....
 (1892), Harahan Bridge
Harahan Bridge

The Harahan Bridge is a Cantilever bridge through truss bridge carrying two rail lines across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee....
 (1916), Memphis-Arkansas Memorial Bridge (1949) and the Hernando de Soto Bridge
Hernando de Soto Bridge

The Hernando de Soto Bridge is a through arch bridge carrying Interstate 40 across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee....
 (1973).

Tourism and recreation


Museums and art collections

Many museums of interest are located in Memphis.
Martin Luther King Was Shot Here Small Web View
National Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum
National Civil Rights Museum

The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, was built around the former Lorraine Motel at 450 Mulberry Street, where Martin Luther King, Jr....
 is located in the former Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an United States pastor, activist and prominent leader in the African-American African-American Civil Rights Movement ....
 was assassinated. It includes a historical overview of the American civil rights movement.

Brooks Museum of Art
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is an art museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The Brooks Museum, which was founded in 1916, is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee....
, founded in 1916, is the oldest and largest fine art museum in the state of Tennessee. The Brooks' permanent collection includes works from the Italian
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 Renaissance
Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe....
 and Baroque
Baroque

In the the arts, the Baroque was a Western cultural Epoch , starting roughly at the beginning of the 17th century in Rome, Italy. It was exemplified by drama and grandeur in Baroque sculpture, Baroque painting, literature, Baroque dance, and Baroque music....
 eras to British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 Impressionists, and 20th-century artists.

Graceland
Graceland
Graceland

Graceland is the name of the estate and large white-columned mansion, located at 3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee....
, the former home of Rock 'n' Roll legend Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
, is one of the most visited houses in the United States (second only to the White House
White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., it was built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the late Georgian architecture and has been the executive residence of every U.S....
), attracting over 600,000 domestic and international visitors a year. Featured at Graceland are two of Presley's private airplanes, his extensive automobile and motorcycle collection and other Elvis memorabilia. On November 7, 1991 Graceland was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation....
.

Pink Palace
The Pink Palace Museum
Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium

The Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium in Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, serves as the Mid-South's major science and historical museum, and features exhibits ranging from archeology to chemistry....
 serves as the Mid-South's major science and historical museum, and features exhibits ranging from archeology to chemistry. It includes America's third largest planetarium and an IMAX Theatre
IMAX

IMAX is a film film format and projection standard created by Canada's IMAX Corporation. The traditional version of IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and than conventional film display systems....
. One exhibit features a replica of the original Piggly Wiggly
Piggly Wiggly

Piggly Wiggly is a supermarket chain operating in the Midwestern United States and Southern United States regions of the United States, run by Piggly Wiggly, LLC, an affliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers....
 store, the first self-service grocery store, commemorating the invention of the supermarket by Memphian Clarence Saunders
Clarence Saunders

Clarence Saunders was a grocer who first developed the modern retail sales model of self service. His ideas have had a massive influence on the development of the modern supermarket....
 in 1916.

Memphis Walk of Fame
The Memphis Walk of Fame
Beale Street

Beale Street is a street in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in history and the history of the blues....
 is a public exhibit located in the Beale Street
Beale Street

Beale Street is a street in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in history and the history of the blues....
 historic district, which is modelled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but is designated exclusively for Memphis musicians, singers, writers, and composers. Honorees include W. C. Handy
W. C. Handy

William Christopher Handy was a blues composer and musician, often known as the "Father of the Blues".Handy remains among the most influential of American songwriters....
, B. B. King
B. B. King

B. B. King is an United States blues guitarist and singer-songwriter known for his expressive singing and inimitable guitar playing. As Komara has written, "King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed." Critic...
, Bobby Blue Bland, and Alberta Hunter
Alberta Hunter

Alberta Hunter , was an United States blues singer, songwriter, and nurse. Her career had started back in the early 1920s, and from there on, she became a successful jazz and blues recording artist, being critically acclaimed to the ranks of Ethel Waters and Bessie Smith....
 among others.

Mud Island River Park
Mud Island River Park
Mud Island River Park and Mississippi River Museum
Mud Island, Memphis

Mud Island is not actually an island but a small peninsula, surrounded by the Mississippi River to the west and the Wolf River Harbor to the east....
 is located on Mud Island in downtown Memphis. The Park is noted for its River Walk. The River walk is a 2112:1 scale working model showing 1000 mi (1600 km) of the Lower Mississippi River, from Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois

Cairo is a city in Alexander County, Illinois, Illinois in the United States. The population was 3,632 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alexander County, Illinois....
 to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans metropolitan area metropolitan area, the largest metro area in the state....
 and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
. 30 in (75 cm) in the model equal 1 mi (1.6 km) of the Mississippi River. The Walk stretches roughly 0.5 mi (800 m), allowing visitors to walk in the water and see models of cities and bridges along the way.

Victorian Village
Victorian Village
Victorian Village, Memphis

Victorian Village, Memphis is an area of Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee....
 is a historic district of Memphis featuring a series of fine Victorian-era mansions, some of which are open to the public as museums.

Cotton Museum
The Cotton Museum
The Cotton Museum

The Cotton Museum, located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, is an historical and cultural museum that opened in March 2006 on the former trading floor of the Memphis Cotton Exchange at 65 Union Avenue in downtown Memphis....
 is a museum that opened in March 2006 on the old trading floor of the Memphis Cotton Exchange
Memphis Cotton Exchange

The Memphis Cotton Exchange is located in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, USA, on the corner of Front Street and Union Avenue....
 at 65 Union Avenue in downtown Memphis
Downtown Memphis, Tennessee

Downtown Memphis, Tennessee is located on the Mississippi River between Interstate 40 to the north and Interstate 55 to the south.Downtown Memphis is the home of Beale Street, The Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr....
.

Parks

Memphis National Cemetery
Major Memphis parks include W.C. Handy Park, Tom Lee Park
Tom Lee Park

Tom Lee Park is a city park located to the immediate west of Downtown Memphis, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, overlooking the Mississippi River....
, Audubon Park, Overton Park
Overton Park

Overton Park is a large, 342-acre public park in Midtown, Memphis Memphis, Tennessee. The park grounds contain the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, the Memphis Zoo, a 9-hole golf course, the Memphis College of Art, the Rainbow Pool, the War Memorial, the Greensward, and other features....
 including the Old Forest Arboretum of Overton Park
Old Forest Arboretum of Overton Park

The Old Forest Arboretum of Overton Park is a forest tract and arboretum located in Overton Park, Memphis, Tennessee. It is open to the public daily without charge....
, the Lichterman Nature Center
Lichterman Nature Center

Lichterman Nature Center is a certified arboretum located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 5992 Qunice Road.The nature center contains a wide variety of attractions including a wide variety of plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals....
 - a nature learning center, and the Memphis Botanic Garden
Memphis Botanic Garden

The Memphis Botanic Garden is a 96 acre botanical garden located in Audubon Park at 750 Cherry Road, Memphis, Tennessee.The gardens are open to the public daily, an admission fee is charged....
.

Shelby Farms
Shelby Farms

Shelby Farms is the largest Urban area park in the United States, located in Memphis, Tennessee, Shelby County, Tennessee, Tennessee. At a size of 4,500 acres , it covers more than five times the area of Central Park in New York City with 843 acres ....
 park, located at the eastern edge of the city, is one of the largest urban parks in America.

Cemeteries

The Memphis National Cemetery
Memphis National Cemetery

Memphis National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the Nutbush, Memphis neighborhood of the City of Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County, Tennessee, Tennessee....
 is a United States National Cemetery
United States National Cemetery

"United States National Cemetery" is a designation for 142 nationally important cemetery in the United States. A National Cemetery is generally a military cemetery containing the graves of Military of the United States personnel, veterans and their spouses but not exclusively so....
 located in north Memphis.

Historic Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery (Memphis, Tennessee)

Historic Elmwood Cemetery is the oldest active cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. It was established in 1852 as one of the first rural garden cemeteries in the South....
 is one of the oldest rural garden cemeteries in the South, and contains the Carlisle S. Page Arboretum
Carlisle S. Page Arboretum

The Carlisle S. Page Arboretum is an arboretum located within Historic Elmwood Cemetery, 824 South Dudley Street, Memphis, Tennessee.The arboretum contains some 800 trees , representing 63 species....
. Memorial Park Cemetery
Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis

Memorial Park Cemetery was founded in 1924 by E. Clovis Hinds on initial 54 acres . It is located at 5668 Poplar Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee...
 is noted for its sculptures by Mexican artist Dionicio Rodriguez
Dionicio Rodriguez

Dionicio Rodriguez is a Mexican-born artist and architect.He is known for his unique style of concrete construction that imitated wood, known as Faux Bois ....
.

Other points of interest

Pyramidememphis1
Beale Street
Blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
 fans can visit Beale Street
Beale Street

Beale Street is a street in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in history and the history of the blues....
, which used to be the center of the Black community, where a young B.B. King used to play his guitar. He occasionally appears there at the club bearing his name, which he partially owns. Street performers play live music, and bars and clubs feature live entertainment until dawn. In 2008, Beale Street was the most visited tourist attraction in the state of Tennessee.

Sun Studio
You can tour Sun Studio
Sun Records

Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27 1952. Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash their first recording contracts and helping to launch their careers....
 in Crosstown where Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
 first recorded "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin". Other famous musicians who got their start at Sun include Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash was a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Primarily a country music artist, his songs and sound spanned many other genres including rockabilly and rock and roll , as well as blues, folk music and Gospel music....
, Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas

Rufus Thomas, Jr. was a rhythm and blues, funk and soul music singer and comedian fromMemphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the...
, Charlie Rich
Charlie Rich

Charlie Rich was an United States. A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country music, and gospel music genres....
, Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf

Chester Arthur Burnett , better known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player.With a booming voice and looming physical presence, Burnett is commonly ranked among the leading performers in electric blues; musician and critic Cub Koda declared, "no one could match [Howlin' Wolf] for the singular...
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison

Roy Kelton Orbison was an influential Grammy Award-winning United States singer-songwriter, guitarist and a pioneer of rock and roll whose recording career spanned more than four decades....
, Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins

Carl Lee Perkins was an United States of America pioneer of rockabilly music who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee beginning in 1954....
, and Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame....
. It now contains a museum as well as the still-functioning studio.

Memphis Zoo
The Memphis Zoo
Memphis Zoo

The Memphis Zoo, located in Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 different species. Created in April 1906, the zoo has been a major tenant of Overton Park for more than 100 years....
, which is located in midtown Memphis
Midtown, Memphis

Midtown is one of the 5 defined districts of Memphis, Tennessee, USA containing different individual areas loosely defined as Danny Thomas on the West, North Parkway and Summer to the North, Highland to the East and Lamar and Park to the South....
, features many exhibits of mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians from all over the world. It has two Pandas. The Zoo leads all American zoos in births.

Other
Other Memphis attractions include the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team....
, the FedExForum
FedExForum

FedExForum is one of the National Basketball Association's most distinctive arenas. It officially opened in September 2004 after much debate and also an Alberta clipper Storm in July 22, 2003, that nearly brought the Crane that were building it down on famed Beale Street....
 and Mississippi riverboat day cruises. Mud Island, a city park downtown, includes an amphitheater, a museum, and a huge working model of the lower Mississippi. Beautiful botanic gardens are located at Audubon Park (East Memphis).

Sports

Memphis is home to several professional sports teams, but college basketball team University of Memphis
University of Memphis

The University of Memphis is an American public university research university located in the Normal Station, Memphis neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States, and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
 Tigers is the most successful and popular.

  • Memphis Grizzlies
    Memphis Grizzlies

    The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
     of the National Basketball Association
    National Basketball Association

    The National Basketball Association is North America's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of thirty teams: twenty-nine in the United States and one in Canada....
    , the only one of the "big four" major sports leagues in the city


  • Memphis Redbirds
    Memphis Redbirds

    The Memphis Redbirds are the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They play their home games at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee....
     of the Pacific Coast League
    Pacific Coast League

    The Pacific Coast League is a minor league baseball league operating in the West, Midwest, and Southeast of the United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball....
    , a Triple A baseball
    Baseball

    Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score run by hitting a thrown Baseball with a baseball bat and touching a series of four markers called base arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against...
     farm team for the St. Louis Cardinals
    St. Louis Cardinals

    The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the National League Central in the National League of Major League Baseball....


  • Mississippi RiverKings, a professional hockey
    Ice hockey

    Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team sport played on ice. It is a fast paced and physical sport. Ice hockey is most popular in areas that are sufficiently cold for natural reliable seasonal ice cover such as Canada, the northern United States, Scandinavia and Russia, though with the advent of indoor artificial ice r...
     team of the Central Hockey League
    Central Hockey League

    The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional ice hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation....


Memphis is home to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team....
 which is the site of University of Memphis
University of Memphis

The University of Memphis is an American public university research university located in the Normal Station, Memphis neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States, and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
 football, AutoZone Liberty Bowl and Southern Heritage Classic.

Memphis is home to the annual Stanford St. Jude Championship
Stanford St. Jude Championship

The Stanford St. Jude Championship is a regular golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It has been played annually in Memphis, Tennessee on the course at the Tournament Players Club at Southwind since 1989....
, a regular part of the PGA Tour
PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is an organization that operates the main professional golf tours in the United States. It is headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, a suburb of Jacksonville, Florida....
.

Memphis has a significant history in pro wrestling. Jerry "The King" Lawler
Jerry Lawler

Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an United States Professional wrestling, wrestling announcer, musician, film actor, and politician, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler....
 is the sport's greatest name to come out of the city. Sputnik Monroe
Sputnik Monroe

Sputnik Monroe is an American indie band. They are Kevin Netzley Noel Bass Briar Dean and Pat Doyle . Formed in early 2003, Los Angeles, California, the focus of the band was to reach beyond the normal constraints of mainstream radio....
, a wrestler of the 1950s, promoted racial integration.

Memphis is home to Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis Motorsports Park

Memphis Motorsports Park is a race track located in just across the Loosahatchie River from Memphis, Tennessee, approximately ten miles south of Millington, Tennessee....
, just north of the city near Millington, Tennessee
Millington, Tennessee

Millington is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 10,433. It is the home of Memphis Motorsports Park....
.

See also

  • List of famous people from Memphis
    List of famous people from Memphis

    This is a list of famous people who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Memphis, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan statistical area, including Crittenden County, Arkansas, DeSoto County, Mississippi, Marshall County, Mississippi, Tate County, Mississippi, Tunica County, Mississippi, Fayette County, Tennessee,...
  • List of mayors of Memphis
  • Memphis Mafia
    Memphis Mafia

    The Memphis Mafia was the nickname for a group of friends, associates, employees and "yes-men" whose main function was to be around Elvis Presley from 1954 until he died....


External links

  • (Library of Congress)
  • (Library of Congress)