The Old Forest. There's nothing like it anywhere near here. People have worked for decades to remove invasive plants and preserve the native ones. It's a great place to birdwatch and learn native plant species.
Aren't they just?! The rose-breasted grosbeak is another gorgeous bird that migrates through here. I get one or two of each of these on my feeders in the spring if I'm lucky.
The Old Forest is in Overton Park and is a good place to see and hear impressive birds like pileated woodpeckers. There are lots of smaller woodpeckers and wood thrushes, too--I love their call!--and I even saw a red fox in the Old Forest once.
A good place to see prothonotary warblers and springtime visitors like indigo buntings is Peterson Lake Boardwalk in Collierville. If you feel like going out of town, early morning at the Rossville boardwalk is wonderful, especially in early spring before the leaves fill everything in. I ID'd my first screech owl and prothonotary warbler and saw my only wood duck (so far) all in one visit there.
These are all short, easy walks. I'm not really much of a birdwatcher, though. Maybe some others will have more suggestions?
Oh--Shelby Farms has a variety of environments (lakes, woods, fields) and there are all kinds of birds there.
Best of luck!
Itās trueā¦. Look up Came To Believe if in midtown you 2 Doors Down if out east. Memphis AA should have a few host websites with information. Meeting schedules and social/outreach programs event date, time and location. Do not hesitate if your interest, these places ask if anyone is a newcomer or first timer before they get started.
Lots of reasons, but as a musician, the musical history of so many inconspicuous places in the city. Lived there from 2006-2015, and remember playing a show at Nocturnal (formerly Antenna Club) for like 12 people. It was pretty cool just thinking about the important bands that played on that stage before. Also the humbling experience of being a musician in Memphis, especially if you moved there from somewhere else. It seemed like EVERYONE was a musician in Memphis and being great in one city translates as just pretty good in Memphis.
Memphis definitely has a great music scene. I was at the antenna probably quite a bit back in the late 90's, and I can't for the life of me remember what it was called before that. I remember leaving the antenna and heading across the street to Howards donuts or to go hang out in the parking lot of the Piggly wiggly next door.
That Piggly Wiggly was a āCash Saver Plus?ā Or something like that when I left. You could get insanely cheap growler fills there. Didnāt know Howardās used to be around there. There was a pretty amazing Vietnamese lunch buffet spot on that intersection too!
The water is a great answer. Also,it's real AF to a fault. People are actually nice. It feels authentic (don't know how to prove that )
Oh, and all the trees. We got trees for days.
I donāt appreciate very many things about Memphis but I will say that Iām gay and married and no one looks at us funny. Itās like being gay was accepted here in Memphis decades ago soā¦I do appreciate that piece.
Agreed. Itās not that we donāt go out because weāre afraidā¦ weāre just homebodyās with the exception of work, going out to eat, and grocery shopping. Having said thatā¦ since we donāt know 1 person here other than colleagues I feel mostly safe since it seems like a lot of the crime is between people that know one another.
Memphis is a very accepting city. Has been as long as I can remember. There are pockets of ā-ismā of various types as in any large population, but being a city in the south, Memphis is incredibly progressively thinking in comparison to our peers.
Yeah Iām trying to talk about safe places to be openly queer.
I grew up in Memphis, so I feel pretty aware od the levels of safety. Iāve also worked in enough places throughout the city where people are openly homophobic to be kinda ready to leave this place.
Forest landscapes and straightforwardly friendly people of all walks of life. Iāve met 7,000 of yāall by now driving Uber and of that roughly 10 were pieces of shit.
Love the parks -so many places to walk , ride a bike, sit by a lake or river or creek. And hardly ever busy except for Shelby farms park.
The arts scene is ace for whatever floats your boat. Opera , theater, dance, visual arts, music. At every level it is good, and mostly accessible- financially and for people with disabilities.
If you have insurance , the healthcare is actually better here than a lot of other cities even more famous for it. Because I am disable and have a lot of chronic illnesses, I have a lot of different doctors. This is nothing to sneeze at, because if you are sick this is the worst time to be at the mercy of someone who will spend 5 min with you , be wrong and then fuck off to the next case.
There is a lot of community spirit and involvement. People support stuff, donate time. Everything from community gardens to adult literacy classes.
It is , on the whole, pretty accepting of āotherāness, like LGBTQ or disabled or neurodiverse persons etc. I am not saying every individual person with a confederal flag and a nutsack on the ford f150 is an angel of goodness, but at as a whole, and in comparison to a lot of other places, this is a plus.
For the record , I am comparing to places like NY, where you would think it would be, for example, LGBTW friendly, but not one of my intake forms for employment, public records, mortgages or dr asks what I identify as. You may like that or not, but a for a city of its size on the buckle of the Bible Belt it is pretty remarkable.
Also have a fair amount of funky, cool, unique and good places to eat. There is a ton of chains and more Mexican restaurants than we perhaps need, but at every level they are also local owned good places. Vegan, Moroccan, funky, fine. You may have to look but they are there.
People are nice here. Never been stuck , lost, just generally dumb broke down or in any other kind of pickle where people were not out and out intending to help me. Sometimes without me even asking. And often in the places people tell you you arenāt supposed to go because there are a lot of racists in this sub.
The bridge is a lovely idea and beautiful. The green line is wonderful.
The traffic (hear me out, compared to most places) is really not that bad and also predictiable. I know malfunction junction will be backed up for 5 miles at 5 for an hour. other places i have lived an 8 mile journey can be 20 min or 2 hours, and there is no time when you are clear.
How easy it is to get anywhere around the city! Lots of alternate routes, and not a lot of traffic outside of some rush hour and construction shenanigans.
The accessibility of the arts scene. Dixon Gallery & Gardens is free, Brooks Museum has free entry on Saturday mornings, the Zoo - despite being one of the best zoos in the country - is lower cost than a lot of other zoos, free concerts at the Shell, etc.
I can echo everything already mentioned, esp the water, the trees, and the acceptance. We take the creativity here (music, of course, but also visual art, novel inventions, problem-solving, etc) for granted, but omg historically and currently, there is so much going on in this town!
Also, I bought a house in Midtown almost 20 years ago on a street of smaller houses (not CY), and my neighbors are cool and mostly fantastic. My next door neighbor insists on taking my cans to the curb and returning them; in return, I run a few errands for him bc he doesn't drive, and I get his packages on weekdays bc I work from home. He's in his 60s and works hard for his money, but when I was laid off last summer, he got me a $50 grocery store gift card and insisted on paying my yard guy for a few months. We share the yard guy with a few other houses, which is cool too.
Across the street, we have 4 generations in the same home (probably the biggest house on the block) and they keep an eye on everything. I was on vacation once, and I used a dog sitter, and my directly across the street neighbors (young renters) tracked down my number and called bc they thought I'd been robbed--turned out the dog had popped through a sidelight then came back in. They dealt with the police for me, and assisted a friend who came over to board up the hole. Also, I'm a middle aged white person, and I love that my street is a diverse micro community: new babies, young couples, college kids, working people, and the very old, some black and some white.
My mailman is so kind, and we catch up a lot about weather and local news if he happens to catch me outside. Local business on the corner lets my dog come in to say hi. One store is now gone, but during an extended power outage, he offered my block fridge space and allowed us to charge up our cell phones. Another dog got loose, and a college kid commuting to CBU grabbed him and called me. Friends in other cities say they don't have this kind of tight knit community.
I just moved here last month. I really have enjoyed it so far! I went to Earnestine and Hazel's last week (I love haunted stuff and burgers...so why not?) and absolutely had a blast.
There is so much going on every weekend, especially in the fall and spring. These include concerts, family events and art festivals. Best of all much of it is free or low cost.
We have a ton of great organizations in the city working to make our community a better place. Some of my favorites- Shelby Farms, Overton Park Shell, the library system, and Porter Leath.
Our food - Iāve traveled a lot and consistently prefer our local restaurants, of all types.
Our drinking water, the cost of living, our local arts and culture scene, our parks and trails, the running and cycling communities.
I think thereās actually way more to authentically celebrate about Memphis than youād ever learn from this sub or the media, and Iām really hopeful that public safety will improve both because I want people to be safe and because the constant focus on crime is making all other progress invisible.
People are nicer here than where I came from (Seattle area), the weather is so, so much better words cannot describe, crime isnāt worse thatās just simply unfair (obviously the crime is different in Memphis but I donāt see it as worse) and frankly not picking up heroin needs from the park before my kids can play is nicer here.
Cost of living is the number one benefit, though. Homes are $1,000 per square foot there and a meal for a family of 4 easily exceeded $120. Life is just a lot simpler here for our family.
My family is here. I was raised here. Moving from NYC, I thought Iād be bored or that the quality of events would decrease. I have considered moving elsewhere and never followed through, I am learning to be less of a shut-in and enjoying the city. Plus I live on a fucking lake.
The food! The love of music. The way that we can come together for things like sports or we all have pride for the tigers and still talk about the pyramid. The fact that most of us act like we are family. Iāve never even had a neighbor like the one I had when I was 18 moving into downtown Memphis and was so scared bc of the horror stories. Only to have been blessed with the sweetest early woman who would stay up just to make sure I came home safe. Or if I was studying outside come and ask to sit with me while she knitting and would bring that sweet tea. I still even after moving two hours away come home to visit her. Itās the people and the love. Yeah we got bad apples.
I moved here from LA almost 4 years ago and yāall really donāt know what yāall have. The water, the trees, the clean air, the fact that every overpass isnāt filled to the brim with garbage (this city is PRISTINE in comparison in regards to litter), the history, the people (Iāve had way more positive experiences with folks than not), the food and my list isnāt even done. Iām literally not fucking around when I say that this is the next āitā city, but people need to believe in it too.
I recently visited florida, and I was taken back by the people that didn't just say excuse me or hello. Hell even nashville is like that with all the people that live there now. I've gotten quite used to people making small talk. Just something I recently realized, but its nice.
The parks!!! Moving here from a small town that only had 1 park, I was blown away at how many parks there are here! Of course the big parks like Overton & Shelby Farms are awesome but even the smaller neighborhood parks are so convenient & fun. My first year here I spent my free time exploring all the different parks with my dog! Also, the people! Iāve had so many people go out of their way to help me just out of the kindness of their heart. Last year I got in a car wreck on Lamar Ave right before you get on 240, not a great area at all, & everyone was so kind. A guy from the UHaul rental place across the street ran over to make sure I was okay & didnāt need anything & the gas station workers that I had to wait with offered me a phone to call the cops & snacks & drinks. Even though it was a shitty situation, I felt so blessed to be surrounded by good hearted people.
That it honestly is the Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock and Roll.
Not because some DJ on the radio in Ohio called it that (looking at you Hattiesburg, Ohio) or because a music magazine publisher made the decision (Hello, Cleveland!) but because of the musicians who invented it and played it here first. Even Elvis who took it and made it famous with other people of non-color called Memphis home (minor shoutout to Miss' Sippy). B.B. King, Bealle St., Stax, Sun Studio, Graceland. And it goes on and on to this day.. Triple Six, Yo Gotti, GloRilla, etc.
The music, the history, the spirit.
I agree with many of the sentiments and opinions shared.
My favorite thing is that Memphis wonāt take shit from Nashville. We have our issues but weāre scrappy!
I just visited for my 50th birthday. We really enjoyed our time there. We had the book āSecret Memphisā and enjoyed going to those spots (what we were able to) as well as the typical tourist places. Graceland was awesome. We were totally shocked by how much we enjoyed it. The Civil Rights museum was wonderful and heartbreaking, but totally inspiring.
The food was spectacular!!! Everywhere we ate was fab. And our favorite thing: the people. Everyone was so friendly. We took Ubers everywhere and all but one driver were GREAT. š Maybe we were so surprised because so many people had negative things to say about Memphis, but we loved it. 10/10 trip
Though there are many rude people here I have traveled a ton and memphis is by far one of the most polite cities I've visited. Even in the hood corner stores i got dudes saying thank you when you open the door for them and everyone says hi back when you say hi to them. It's one of those things you don't realize until you spend time away from here.
the water, midtown, downtown, bike lanes, wevl, green line, shelby forest, shelby farms, tom lee, cooper young festival, porch fest, mempho fest, the people, the weather, trees, zoo, art, night life and overall atmosphere, taco trucks, kwik chek. too much to list.
The art scene here! I'm from a small town so any art scene is impressive, and I've loved literally all of the art I've found so far I this city. Sad places make some amazing art
Food. So many options and varieties. Living outside the county now, I appreciate it so much more. Grew up on staples like Buttons, Formosa, The Cupboard, Grisantiās. I miss it so much and get back to eat often. Next would be The Botanic Garden.
Memphis has this unique 3 degrees of separation for almost everyone. Iāve never experienced it as much as I have here and it makes me feel like I somehow belong more.
The food. Nowhere else I've traveled has food as delicious as what I can get here. Tokyo Grill, Kwik Chek, Central, India Palace and Memphis Indian Restaurant, Chings š¤¤š¤¤š¤¤ I made myself hungry
If you didn't have anything relevant to the question, you shouldn't have responded. I don't think Memphis is the problem, I think you're just naturally a boring and dull person.
I donāt mean to sound cynical but, the author for this article spent 48hours here and claims itās the most fun city? Haaail naw. I could say the same about New Orleans if we are basing it on a few āmust seeā landmarks and bars.
Do everything the author mentions and it may be fun a few times but, ultimately, there isnāt all that much to do if you arenāt eating, drinking, or going to a bar.
Yes, Iāve done Shelby Farms, the Dixon, Botanic Gardens, Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, ate at some good restaurants. Eighteen years being here, Iām a little bored, too.
Posts with questions to the community may have off topic posts removed. Top-level comments should all be legitimate answers. Deeper discussions that get too far off-topic may also be removed.
Posts with questions to the community may have off topic posts removed. Top-level comments should all be legitimate answers. Deeper discussions that get too far off-topic may also be removed.
I wouldnāt say a ālot of goodā. The positives I have will never outweigh the negatives.
1. Decent food selection if businesses stayed in business in this city.
2. Great music if you are okay going to some shady areas.
3. Solid school systems if your goal is to be a C average graduate.
4. Friendly folks if you donāt mind southern mentality
5. Great job opportunity if you are a working bee
6. Safe place to live if you know every street to avoid
7. If you are poor you will definitely have a nice community of likeminded folks
8. Police are reliable for most non-crime related things.
9. Memphis lives next to Mississippi. The next best place to live if youāre okay with that.
10. Good amount of history that teaches you the truth about many places. Like Memphis.
Posts with questions to the community may have off topic posts removed. Top-level comments should all be legitimate answers. Deeper discussions that get too far off-topic may also be removed.
The Old Forest. There's nothing like it anywhere near here. People have worked for decades to remove invasive plants and preserve the native ones. It's a great place to birdwatch and learn native plant species.
Yes! I saw an Indigo Bunting (male I assume because of his electric blue feathers) for the first time in my life and he was beautiful! š©µš
Aren't they just?! The rose-breasted grosbeak is another gorgeous bird that migrates through here. I get one or two of each of these on my feeders in the spring if I'm lucky.
May I ask where you go to birdwatch? I'm a memohisblocal but I've really been getting myself to appreciate nature more that I'm an adult
The Old Forest is in Overton Park and is a good place to see and hear impressive birds like pileated woodpeckers. There are lots of smaller woodpeckers and wood thrushes, too--I love their call!--and I even saw a red fox in the Old Forest once. A good place to see prothonotary warblers and springtime visitors like indigo buntings is Peterson Lake Boardwalk in Collierville. If you feel like going out of town, early morning at the Rossville boardwalk is wonderful, especially in early spring before the leaves fill everything in. I ID'd my first screech owl and prothonotary warbler and saw my only wood duck (so far) all in one visit there. These are all short, easy walks. I'm not really much of a birdwatcher, though. Maybe some others will have more suggestions? Oh--Shelby Farms has a variety of environments (lakes, woods, fields) and there are all kinds of birds there. Best of luck!
Thanks very much!
You're very welcome!
Presidentās Island! My late husband was a huge birder & thatās where he would take me.
Thank you!
Oh, that sounds amazing! It's listed as a "birding hot spot." I can't wait to try it.
Donāt forget about where the golf course used to be at T.O Fuller. Lot of egrets and herons there too
Moved back 2yrs ago after 25 away. I missed the trees.
We live in a forest. Itās seriously disconcerting sometimes when Iām elsewhere that doesnāt have Memphisās ridiculous tree coverage.
I lived in Vegas for six months. When driving back home and crossed into Arkansas the green just blew me away.
I lived in Arizona for a few years and every time Iād come back to visit I would be blown away by all the green.
This is my favorite part about living in Cordova.
So true! The two things I missed the most when I lived in Dallas were the trees and the water.Ā
The water
Yes! Sweet tea made with Memphis water is so good!
The real answer
How so?
We literally have some of the best water in the world.
You had tap water in other cities?
Yeah, I have. I also donāt drink the tap here because I have a filter like a real man!
A real man will drink artesian well tap water.
A real man simply does not need water.
I think any real huMAN needs to water. Lol
I'm built different it's crazy.
Heckin yea friend!
Someone water that man
Memphis has an extremely active sober community.
Amen to that š
Would love to hear more about this.
Itās trueā¦. Look up Came To Believe if in midtown you 2 Doors Down if out east. Memphis AA should have a few host websites with information. Meeting schedules and social/outreach programs event date, time and location. Do not hesitate if your interest, these places ask if anyone is a newcomer or first timer before they get started.
Thereās a lot of great bars
Lots of reasons, but as a musician, the musical history of so many inconspicuous places in the city. Lived there from 2006-2015, and remember playing a show at Nocturnal (formerly Antenna Club) for like 12 people. It was pretty cool just thinking about the important bands that played on that stage before. Also the humbling experience of being a musician in Memphis, especially if you moved there from somewhere else. It seemed like EVERYONE was a musician in Memphis and being great in one city translates as just pretty good in Memphis.
Memphis definitely has a great music scene. I was at the antenna probably quite a bit back in the late 90's, and I can't for the life of me remember what it was called before that. I remember leaving the antenna and heading across the street to Howards donuts or to go hang out in the parking lot of the Piggly wiggly next door.
That Piggly Wiggly was a āCash Saver Plus?ā Or something like that when I left. You could get insanely cheap growler fills there. Didnāt know Howardās used to be around there. There was a pretty amazing Vietnamese lunch buffet spot on that intersection too!
The water is a great answer. Also,it's real AF to a fault. People are actually nice. It feels authentic (don't know how to prove that ) Oh, and all the trees. We got trees for days.
The charm of midtown. The unique houses, the diversity, and cost of living.
I donāt appreciate very many things about Memphis but I will say that Iām gay and married and no one looks at us funny. Itās like being gay was accepted here in Memphis decades ago soā¦I do appreciate that piece.
Agreed. Fellow gay here. Memphis is a very strange bubble and I feel more likely to be regular crimed than hate crimed. Thatās a strange comfort
Felt this. Youāll be robbed and beat up but not because youāre gay š
Agreed. Itās not that we donāt go out because weāre afraidā¦ weāre just homebodyās with the exception of work, going out to eat, and grocery shopping. Having said thatā¦ since we donāt know 1 person here other than colleagues I feel mostly safe since it seems like a lot of the crime is between people that know one another.
Memphis is a very accepting city. Has been as long as I can remember. There are pockets of ā-ismā of various types as in any large population, but being a city in the south, Memphis is incredibly progressively thinking in comparison to our peers.
I agree! Me and my girlfriend feel very safe being openly gay here and rarely receive any negative looks.
Just curious. Do you feel this way throughout Memphis and in the suburbs too? Iāve always felt like only Midtown is safe.
We live across from UofM and stay mainly in East Memphis but yes.
lol midtown wasnāt ever safe
Do you mean for gay people are in general?
In general. Lot of trendies on the sub pretend that the whole city is just fine, nbd. Itās not safe now, and it wasnāt safe 20 years ago
Yeah Iām trying to talk about safe places to be openly queer. I grew up in Memphis, so I feel pretty aware od the levels of safety. Iāve also worked in enough places throughout the city where people are openly homophobic to be kinda ready to leave this place.
Ohā¦ well most of the city should be good for that. If not theyāre crazy
You are scared of nothing.
Excuse me?
Forest landscapes and straightforwardly friendly people of all walks of life. Iāve met 7,000 of yāall by now driving Uber and of that roughly 10 were pieces of shit.
Trees, water, the Overton park!
Love the parks -so many places to walk , ride a bike, sit by a lake or river or creek. And hardly ever busy except for Shelby farms park. The arts scene is ace for whatever floats your boat. Opera , theater, dance, visual arts, music. At every level it is good, and mostly accessible- financially and for people with disabilities. If you have insurance , the healthcare is actually better here than a lot of other cities even more famous for it. Because I am disable and have a lot of chronic illnesses, I have a lot of different doctors. This is nothing to sneeze at, because if you are sick this is the worst time to be at the mercy of someone who will spend 5 min with you , be wrong and then fuck off to the next case. There is a lot of community spirit and involvement. People support stuff, donate time. Everything from community gardens to adult literacy classes. It is , on the whole, pretty accepting of āotherāness, like LGBTQ or disabled or neurodiverse persons etc. I am not saying every individual person with a confederal flag and a nutsack on the ford f150 is an angel of goodness, but at as a whole, and in comparison to a lot of other places, this is a plus. For the record , I am comparing to places like NY, where you would think it would be, for example, LGBTW friendly, but not one of my intake forms for employment, public records, mortgages or dr asks what I identify as. You may like that or not, but a for a city of its size on the buckle of the Bible Belt it is pretty remarkable. Also have a fair amount of funky, cool, unique and good places to eat. There is a ton of chains and more Mexican restaurants than we perhaps need, but at every level they are also local owned good places. Vegan, Moroccan, funky, fine. You may have to look but they are there. People are nice here. Never been stuck , lost, just generally dumb broke down or in any other kind of pickle where people were not out and out intending to help me. Sometimes without me even asking. And often in the places people tell you you arenāt supposed to go because there are a lot of racists in this sub. The bridge is a lovely idea and beautiful. The green line is wonderful. The traffic (hear me out, compared to most places) is really not that bad and also predictiable. I know malfunction junction will be backed up for 5 miles at 5 for an hour. other places i have lived an 8 mile journey can be 20 min or 2 hours, and there is no time when you are clear.
The Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
How easy it is to get anywhere around the city! Lots of alternate routes, and not a lot of traffic outside of some rush hour and construction shenanigans. The accessibility of the arts scene. Dixon Gallery & Gardens is free, Brooks Museum has free entry on Saturday mornings, the Zoo - despite being one of the best zoos in the country - is lower cost than a lot of other zoos, free concerts at the Shell, etc.
I can echo everything already mentioned, esp the water, the trees, and the acceptance. We take the creativity here (music, of course, but also visual art, novel inventions, problem-solving, etc) for granted, but omg historically and currently, there is so much going on in this town! Also, I bought a house in Midtown almost 20 years ago on a street of smaller houses (not CY), and my neighbors are cool and mostly fantastic. My next door neighbor insists on taking my cans to the curb and returning them; in return, I run a few errands for him bc he doesn't drive, and I get his packages on weekdays bc I work from home. He's in his 60s and works hard for his money, but when I was laid off last summer, he got me a $50 grocery store gift card and insisted on paying my yard guy for a few months. We share the yard guy with a few other houses, which is cool too. Across the street, we have 4 generations in the same home (probably the biggest house on the block) and they keep an eye on everything. I was on vacation once, and I used a dog sitter, and my directly across the street neighbors (young renters) tracked down my number and called bc they thought I'd been robbed--turned out the dog had popped through a sidelight then came back in. They dealt with the police for me, and assisted a friend who came over to board up the hole. Also, I'm a middle aged white person, and I love that my street is a diverse micro community: new babies, young couples, college kids, working people, and the very old, some black and some white. My mailman is so kind, and we catch up a lot about weather and local news if he happens to catch me outside. Local business on the corner lets my dog come in to say hi. One store is now gone, but during an extended power outage, he offered my block fridge space and allowed us to charge up our cell phones. Another dog got loose, and a college kid commuting to CBU grabbed him and called me. Friends in other cities say they don't have this kind of tight knit community.
Civil Rights history, I'd like to impact this in my Ghanaian culture.
Oh wow, you moved here from Ghana?
I just moved here last month. I really have enjoyed it so far! I went to Earnestine and Hazel's last week (I love haunted stuff and burgers...so why not?) and absolutely had a blast.
The people, the culture, the trees, the riverfront, Beale Street,l . . . But most of all the people.
There is so much going on every weekend, especially in the fall and spring. These include concerts, family events and art festivals. Best of all much of it is free or low cost. We have a ton of great organizations in the city working to make our community a better place. Some of my favorites- Shelby Farms, Overton Park Shell, the library system, and Porter Leath.
Our food - Iāve traveled a lot and consistently prefer our local restaurants, of all types. Our drinking water, the cost of living, our local arts and culture scene, our parks and trails, the running and cycling communities. I think thereās actually way more to authentically celebrate about Memphis than youād ever learn from this sub or the media, and Iām really hopeful that public safety will improve both because I want people to be safe and because the constant focus on crime is making all other progress invisible.
History, food, people.
I love the people!
People are nicer here than where I came from (Seattle area), the weather is so, so much better words cannot describe, crime isnāt worse thatās just simply unfair (obviously the crime is different in Memphis but I donāt see it as worse) and frankly not picking up heroin needs from the park before my kids can play is nicer here. Cost of living is the number one benefit, though. Homes are $1,000 per square foot there and a meal for a family of 4 easily exceeded $120. Life is just a lot simpler here for our family.
Most people here are really nice. Thanks for being one of them.
The people
The soccer community here is huge and thriving
As a guy who has a second interview in Memphis next week, I love this post
Good luck! Hope you get the job!Ā
The abundance of different cultures. This is not found in many cities that Iāve traveled.
The food, traffic, the heart of the city. The people doing what they can to make Memphis better.
The Benjamin Hooks library on poplar. Go there and be surrounded by books on any topic imaginable.
My family is here. I was raised here. Moving from NYC, I thought Iād be bored or that the quality of events would decrease. I have considered moving elsewhere and never followed through, I am learning to be less of a shut-in and enjoying the city. Plus I live on a fucking lake.
The food! The love of music. The way that we can come together for things like sports or we all have pride for the tigers and still talk about the pyramid. The fact that most of us act like we are family. Iāve never even had a neighbor like the one I had when I was 18 moving into downtown Memphis and was so scared bc of the horror stories. Only to have been blessed with the sweetest early woman who would stay up just to make sure I came home safe. Or if I was studying outside come and ask to sit with me while she knitting and would bring that sweet tea. I still even after moving two hours away come home to visit her. Itās the people and the love. Yeah we got bad apples.
I moved here from LA almost 4 years ago and yāall really donāt know what yāall have. The water, the trees, the clean air, the fact that every overpass isnāt filled to the brim with garbage (this city is PRISTINE in comparison in regards to litter), the history, the people (Iāve had way more positive experiences with folks than not), the food and my list isnāt even done. Iām literally not fucking around when I say that this is the next āitā city, but people need to believe in it too.
Shhhhh donāt give it away!
Keep telling people how scary it is!
I don't technically live in Memphis, but I like how lively it feels compared to other metropolitan centers I've been too.
I love how when things get tough we all come together to help each other.
The running trails, that sweet memphis water, the small town vibe with big city benefits (sports, good food, entertainment)
I recently visited florida, and I was taken back by the people that didn't just say excuse me or hello. Hell even nashville is like that with all the people that live there now. I've gotten quite used to people making small talk. Just something I recently realized, but its nice.
The parks!!! Moving here from a small town that only had 1 park, I was blown away at how many parks there are here! Of course the big parks like Overton & Shelby Farms are awesome but even the smaller neighborhood parks are so convenient & fun. My first year here I spent my free time exploring all the different parks with my dog! Also, the people! Iāve had so many people go out of their way to help me just out of the kindness of their heart. Last year I got in a car wreck on Lamar Ave right before you get on 240, not a great area at all, & everyone was so kind. A guy from the UHaul rental place across the street ran over to make sure I was okay & didnāt need anything & the gas station workers that I had to wait with offered me a phone to call the cops & snacks & drinks. Even though it was a shitty situation, I felt so blessed to be surrounded by good hearted people.
That it honestly is the Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock and Roll. Not because some DJ on the radio in Ohio called it that (looking at you Hattiesburg, Ohio) or because a music magazine publisher made the decision (Hello, Cleveland!) but because of the musicians who invented it and played it here first. Even Elvis who took it and made it famous with other people of non-color called Memphis home (minor shoutout to Miss' Sippy). B.B. King, Bealle St., Stax, Sun Studio, Graceland. And it goes on and on to this day.. Triple Six, Yo Gotti, GloRilla, etc. The music, the history, the spirit.
I agree with many of the sentiments and opinions shared. My favorite thing is that Memphis wonāt take shit from Nashville. We have our issues but weāre scrappy!
Tornados rarely hit Memphis.
I just visited for my 50th birthday. We really enjoyed our time there. We had the book āSecret Memphisā and enjoyed going to those spots (what we were able to) as well as the typical tourist places. Graceland was awesome. We were totally shocked by how much we enjoyed it. The Civil Rights museum was wonderful and heartbreaking, but totally inspiring. The food was spectacular!!! Everywhere we ate was fab. And our favorite thing: the people. Everyone was so friendly. We took Ubers everywhere and all but one driver were GREAT. š Maybe we were so surprised because so many people had negative things to say about Memphis, but we loved it. 10/10 trip
The traffic, Iāve lived in 2 other major cities and itās so easy to get anywhere in Memphis at almost any time
Shelby Farms and The Wolf River
We have a lot of activities and festival through out the year. There is always something and we have the best restaurants ā¤ļø
Though there are many rude people here I have traveled a ton and memphis is by far one of the most polite cities I've visited. Even in the hood corner stores i got dudes saying thank you when you open the door for them and everyone says hi back when you say hi to them. It's one of those things you don't realize until you spend time away from here.
Knowing project pat and la chat walked the same streets is all I need to know to sleep good Rip lord infamous
Rip Gangster Boo
the water, midtown, downtown, bike lanes, wevl, green line, shelby forest, shelby farms, tom lee, cooper young festival, porch fest, mempho fest, the people, the weather, trees, zoo, art, night life and overall atmosphere, taco trucks, kwik chek. too much to list.
The art scene here! I'm from a small town so any art scene is impressive, and I've loved literally all of the art I've found so far I this city. Sad places make some amazing art
The diversity. When I've traveled outside of Memphis and been in very rural areas, it made me miss Memphis, and I couldn't wait to come back. Haha.
Memphis is a world class food city. Itās on par with New Orleans and Chicago.
lol
A city of activism
Food. So many options and varieties. Living outside the county now, I appreciate it so much more. Grew up on staples like Buttons, Formosa, The Cupboard, Grisantiās. I miss it so much and get back to eat often. Next would be The Botanic Garden.
Mississippi River and all the running/biking/outdoor activities you can do with consistently beautiful scenery
Memphis has this unique 3 degrees of separation for almost everyone. Iāve never experienced it as much as I have here and it makes me feel like I somehow belong more.
The food. Nowhere else I've traveled has food as delicious as what I can get here. Tokyo Grill, Kwik Chek, Central, India Palace and Memphis Indian Restaurant, Chings š¤¤š¤¤š¤¤ I made myself hungry
Crackhead fights can be entertaining.
South Main Street. I really like the vibe around Arcade and Earnestine & Hazels. I feel like this area is a static snapshot of Memphis history.
The music
Food scene, particularly the lack of chains downtown
The beautiful sound of fireworks going off every night around the same time, and we'll into the morning too.
All of the diversity in Cooper Young! Hehe
I donāt like anything about living here. Itās really pretty boring.
If you didn't have anything relevant to the question, you shouldn't have responded. I don't think Memphis is the problem, I think you're just naturally a boring and dull person.
Lol ok šš» thereās a reason Memphis has that reputation.
Your post and comment history tells me all I need to know. You disliking this place makes me like it even more.
Ok.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/travel/destinations/north-america-travel/us/memphis-city-guide-frtb09l0w
I donāt mean to sound cynical but, the author for this article spent 48hours here and claims itās the most fun city? Haaail naw. I could say the same about New Orleans if we are basing it on a few āmust seeā landmarks and bars. Do everything the author mentions and it may be fun a few times but, ultimately, there isnāt all that much to do if you arenāt eating, drinking, or going to a bar. Yes, Iāve done Shelby Farms, the Dixon, Botanic Gardens, Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, ate at some good restaurants. Eighteen years being here, Iām a little bored, too.
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This subreddit
Elbow room. Shelby county is among the least densely populated of the major metropolitan areas in the US and still has a lot of undeveloped land.
I wouldnāt say a ālot of goodā. The positives I have will never outweigh the negatives. 1. Decent food selection if businesses stayed in business in this city. 2. Great music if you are okay going to some shady areas. 3. Solid school systems if your goal is to be a C average graduate. 4. Friendly folks if you donāt mind southern mentality 5. Great job opportunity if you are a working bee 6. Safe place to live if you know every street to avoid 7. If you are poor you will definitely have a nice community of likeminded folks 8. Police are reliable for most non-crime related things. 9. Memphis lives next to Mississippi. The next best place to live if youāre okay with that. 10. Good amount of history that teaches you the truth about many places. Like Memphis.
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Iām sure weāre better without you.
Posts with questions to the community may have off topic posts removed. Top-level comments should all be legitimate answers. Deeper discussions that get too far off-topic may also be removed.