Memphis, Tennessee
"Memphis" redirects here. For other uses, see Memphis (disambiguation).Memphis is a
city in
Shelby County,
Tennessee, of which it is the
county seat.As of 2006, the city of Memphis had an estimated population of 680,768, making it the largest city in the state of
Tennessee and the 17th largest in the
United States [
1]. The greater
Memphis metropolitan area has a population of 1,230,303. This makes Memphis the second largest metropolitan area in Tennessee, surpassed only by metropolitan
Nashville. Even though Memphis is the state's largest city, it is the youngest of all of Tennessee's major cities especially its Big Four. Over the years of the state's history, Memphis has never served as state capital primarily because of its western location. Memphis is on the Lower
Chickasaw Bluff above the
Mississippi River, at the mouth of the
Wolf River.
The Memphis area was first settled by the
Mississippian Culture and then by the
Chickasaw indian tribe.European exploration came years later, with Spanish explorer,
Hernando de Soto believed to have visited what is now the Memphis area as early as the 1540s. By the
1680s, French explorers led by
René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle built
Fort Prudhomme in the vicinity, the first European settlement in what would become Memphis, predating English settlements in
East Tennessee by more than 70 years. [
2]
Despite such early outposts, the land comprising present-day Memphis remained in a largely unorganized territory throughout most of the 18th century, while the boundaries of what would become Tennessee continued to evolve from its parent â€" the
Carolina Colony, later
North Carolina and
South Carolina. By 1796, the community was the westernmost point of the newly admitted state of Tennessee.
Memphis was founded in
1819 and incorporated as a city in
1826, taking its name from the
ancient capital of Egypt. At the conclusion of the
Battle of Memphis on
June 6,
1862 during the
American Civil War,
Union forces captured Memphis from
Confederate control.
Yellow fever epidemics in the 1870s (1873,1878,1879) devastated the population for many years thereafter. As a result, in 1879, Memphis lost its city charter, and until 1893, was a Nashville taxing district. In
1897, Memphis'
pyramid-shaped pavilion was a conspicuous part of the
Tennessee Centennial exposition. From the
1910s to the
1950s, Memphis was a hotbed of
machine politics under the direction of
E. H. "Boss" Crump. The city was at the center of civil rights issues during the 1960's, notably as the location of a sanitation workers' strike. Memphis is also known as the place where
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 at the
Lorraine Motel.
Memphis is well known for its cultural contributions to the identity of the American south, including musical and culinary offerings. Many notable blues musicians grew up in and around the Memphis and northern Mississippi, and performed there regularly from the early 1900's onward. These included such musical greats as
Muddy Waters,
Robert Johnson,
B.B. King, and
Howlin' Wolf. The first African American formatted radio station,
WDIA, was founded in the city in 1947 by
Bert Ferguson and
John Pepper, and included a young B.B. King as disc jockey. B.B. King's moniker was derived from his WDIA nickname 'Beale Street Blues Boy', a reference to Memphis'
Beale Street on which many nightclubs and blues venues were located.
In addition to a rich musical heritage, Memphis also boasts a long culinary legacy dominated by regional
barbeque.
Memphis barbeque is rendered distinct by its sole usage of pork (as opposed to beef), focus on rib and shoulder cuts of meat, and multiple locally-owned barbeque restaurants. Celebration of this local dish reaches its climax each year in May, when the
Memphis in May Festival holds its annual international
Memphis in May Barbeque Cookoff.
|
The Mud Island monorail on Front St in downtown Memphis |
Memphis is located at (35.117365, -89.971068). According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 763.4
km² (313.8
mi²). 723.4 km² (302.3 mi²) of it is land and 40.0 km² (15.4 mi²) of it (5.24%) is water.
Climate
Memphis has a mid-latitude temperate climate, with four distinct seasons. The summer months(late May to late September) are persistently hot (between 68 °F [20 °C] and 95 °F [35 °C]) and humid due to moisture encroaching from the
Gulf of Mexico. Afternoonthunderstorms are frequent during some summers, but usually brief, lasting no longer thanan hour. Autumnsare pleasantly drier and mild, with abrupt but short-lived cold snaps, which becomeincreasingly frequent as the season progresses. Fall foliage becomes especially vibrantafter the first frost, typically November, and lasts until early December. Winters oftenbegin abruptly and are characterized by periods of subfreezing (< 32 °F [0 °C]) weather, interspersed with milder spells. Colder subfreezing periods are usually short-lived (2 to 3 days), but have lasted as long as several weeks during more severe winters, though temperaturestypically remain above (10 °F [-12 °C]). The official all-time record low temperature was-13.0 °F (-25.0 °C), which occurred on
December 24,
1963. Mild spells are sometimes warm with temperatures as high as 70 °F (21 °C) during January and February. Snow is rare but does occur annually, with an annual average of 5.7 inches (14.4 cm) at the airport. Spring often begins in late February or early March, following the onset of a sharp warmup. This season is also known as "severe weather season" due to the higher frequency of tornadoes, hail, and thunderstorms producing winds greater than 58 mph (93 km/h). Average rainfall is slightly higher during the spring months (except November) than the rest of the year, but notto any noticeable extent. Historically, April is the month with the highest frequency of tornadoes, though tornadoes have occurred every month of the year. Memphis is sunny approximately 64% of the time.
Average Monthly Temperatures and Precipitation (FAHRENHEIT-INCHES) for Memphis, Tennessee, USA source| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar |
Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Year |
|---|
| Avg high °F | 49 | 54 | 62 |
73 | 81 | 89 |
92 | 90 | 84 |
74 | 62 | 52 |
72 |
|---|
| Avg low °F | 32 | 35 | 43 |
52 | 61 | 69 |
73 | 71 | 64 |
52 | 42 | 35 | 53 |
|---|
| Rainfall inches |
4.7 | 4.5 | 5.2 |
5.6 | 4.9 | 3.9 |
3.9 | 3.4 | 3.2 |
2.9 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 52.4 |
|---|
Average Monthly Temperatures and Precipitation (CENTIGRADE-MILLIMETERS) for Memphis, Tennessee, USA source| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar |
Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Year |
|---|
| Avg high °C | 9 | 12 | 16 |
22 | 27 | 31 |
33 | 32 | 28 |
23 | 16 | 11 |
22 |
|---|
Avg low °C | 0 | 1 | 6 |
11 | 16 | 20 |
22 | 21 | 17 |
11 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
|---|
| Rainfall millimeters |
110 | 110 | 130 |
140 | 120 | 90 |
90 | 80 | 80 |
70 | 120 | 130 | 1330 |
|---|
Cityscape
The city of Memphis is located in southwestern
Tennessee and sits on the eastern bank of the
Mississippi River. It is the regional hub for a
tri-state area of
Arkansas,
Mississippi and Tennessee.
Interstate 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.
Interstate 55 approaches the city from the
south and connects with
I-240, which completes the loop around central Memphis with I-40, and also leaves to the west.
U.S. Highway 72 leaves the city traveling to the
southeast. The west end of
U.S. Highway 78 terminates in Memphis, TN on Linden Avenue at the intersection of 2nd Street. The east end of U.S. Highway 78 terminates in Charleston, South Carolina.
Memphis is marked by five major districts, with smaller districts lying within their borders. These are
Downtown,
Midtown,
North Memphis,
South Memphis, and
East Memphis.
Sections/ Neighborhoods
Suburbs
*
Arlington*
Bartlett*
Collierville*
Germantown*
Lakeland*
Marion*
Millington*
Southaven*
West MemphisDemographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 650,100 people, 250,721 households, and 158,455 families residing in the city. The
population density was 898.6/km² (2,327.4/mi²). There were 271,552 housing units at an average density of 375.4/km² (972.2/mi²). 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, and 1.04% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.97% of the population.
There were 250,721 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.1% were
married couples living together, 23.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older.The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,285, and the median income for a family was $37,767. Males had a median income of $31,236 versus $25,183 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $17,838. About 17.2% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.
Metropolitan area
The
Memphis Metropolitan Area (MSA), the
41st largest in the United States, has a 2003 population of 1,239,337, and includes the Tennessee counties of
Shelby,
Tipton, and
Fayette, as well as the
Mississippi counties of
DeSoto,
Marshall,
Tate, and
Tunica, and the
Arkansas county of
Crittenden.
Cultural events and fairs
One of the largest celebrations in Memphis is
Memphis in May. The month-long series of events promotes Memphis' heritage and outreach of its people far beyond the city's borders. Each year, Memphis in May honors a different country, highlighting various aspects of the honored nation's history and culture. Since its founding, the economic and educational impact of Memphis in May has given a significant boost to the city each spring. The celebration includes a diverse mix, beginning during the first weekend of the month at Tom Lee Park, the site of the
Beale Street Music Festival. During International Week, the city focuses on its honored country, part of a larger program in coordination with area schools to broaden cultural awareness among students. Other signature events of Memphis in May include the
World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, the
FedEx St. Jude Classic (a
PGA Tour golf tournament), and the closing event of the month â€" a performance of the Sunset Symphony.
Carnival Memphis (formerly known as the Memphis Cotton Carnival), is a series of parties and festivities staged every year by the Carnival Memphis Association and its member krewes (similar to that of
Mardi Gras) during the early summer. Carnival salutes various aspects of Memphis and its industries, and is reigned over by the current year's secretly selected King & Queen of Carnival. Fall brings the
Mid-South Fair to the city each year.
In the Cooper-Young district of Midtown Memphis, the Cooper-Young Festival, an art festival which is also held annually on the intersection of Cooper Street/Young Street, and draws in artists from all over North America, and includes art sales, contests, and displays. In its ninteenth year, this event has grown into one of Memphis' most anticipated events. This year over 50,000 guests will enjoy an appealing mix of art, music and crafts presented by over 300 artisans from around the country. This Festival is a true celebration of the arts, people, culture and Memphis heritage. In addition to art, the festival includes sales of clothing, jewelry, live music, and gay novelty items.
As a result of
Hurricane Katrina's impact on
New Orleans in August 2005, Memphis became the first city to co-host the
Voodoo Music Experience, a gathering of musicians that typically is a centerpiece of New Orleans'
Halloween festivities. Performers gathered both in New Orleans' Riverview Park and in Memphis' Auto Zone Park in late October 2005. Plans announced regarding the 2006 event, set for the final weekend in October, thus far only includes performances in New Orleans [
4].
The Arts
Memphis is the home of founders and establishers of various American music genres, including Blues, Gospel, Rock n' Roll, and "sharecropper" country music (in contrast to the "rhinestone" country sound of Nashville).
Johnny Cash,
Elvis Presley, and
B. B. King were all getting their starts in Memphis in the 1950s. They are respectively dubbed the "King" of Country, Rock n' Roll, and Blues. Other famous musicians who either grew up or got their starts in the Memphis area include the
Box Tops, the
Gentrys, the
Grifters,
Aretha Franklin,
Carl Perkins,
John Lee Hooker,
Justin Timberlake,
Howlin' Wolf,
Jerry Lee Lewis,
Lucero (band) ,
Al Green,
Muddy Waters,
Big Star,
Tina Turner,
Roy Orbison,
Willie Mae Ford Smith,
Sam Cooke,
Booker T. and the MGs,
Otis Redding,
The Blackwood Brothers,
Isaac Hayes,
Rufus Thomas,
Three 6 Mafia,
Eightball & MJG,
Shawn Lane,
The Sylvers,
Anita Ward and "Father of the Blues"
W.C. Handy.
"One Last Bridge," written by native Memphian, composer and pianist David Saks and performed by Tommy Ruble, was adopted in unanimous resolution by the Memphis City Council as Memphis's official song of 1990.
Memphis is also a literary mecca.
Tennessee Williams had his first play written and performed in Memphis (on Snowden Street and Glenview Street respectively).
William Faulkner wrote most of his literary works in
Oxford, Mississippi.
Alex Haley, author of
Autobiography of Malcolm X and
Roots, was from
Henning, Tennessee.
Memphis has also had a significant impact in the world of photography,
William Eggleston, the pioneer of color photography as a serious artistic medium and considered one of the greatest photographers of all time, still lives and works in Memphis. A number of younger photographers, including Huger Foote, are Memphians. Some other notable Memphis photographers are fashion photographer Jack Robinson and civil rights-era artist Ernest C. Withers.
In the last decade, the art scene in Memphis has exploded. The independent art scene has centered primarily in South Main, located in downtown Memphis on the trolley line. More than a dozen art galleries have moved into the neighborhood, fueling a redevelopment boom that has expanded into new residential construction. Perhaps the most interesting conversion has been the Power House, a former power plant near Central Station that has been transformed into contemporary art space. The Cooper-Young neighborhood in Midtown is also home to several art galleries. The Edge is a nascent arts neighborhood, located at the edge of downtown near Madison Avenue, Marshall, and Union Avenue. The Edge is home to Memphis' Black Repertory Theater, world-famous Sun Studios, and Delta Axis, among others.
Media
The Memphis regional market is the forty-fourth largest designated market area (DMA) in the nation, with 657,670 homes (0.597% of the total U.S.). Several media outlets in print, broadcast and internet cover varying segments of the market.
=Newspapers
=
*
The Commercial Appeal â€" daily (Sunday-Saturday); general news. The
CA, as it is popularly known, is Memphis' largest and most widely circulated newspaper.
*
The Daily News â€" daily (Monday-Friday); legal records.
*
Memphis Business Journal â€" weekly; business and economic news.
*
The Memphis Flyer â€" weekly; politics, arts and entertainment, lifestyles.
*
The Shelby Sun-Times â€" weekly; East Memphis and eastern Shelby County community news.
*
The Tri-State Defender â€" weekly; African-American community news.
*
La Prensa Latina â€" weekly; Hispanic community news, Spanish-English bilingual.
=Magazines
=
*
Memphis Magazine â€" monthly; general community interest, arts and entertainment, lifestyles.
*
Memphis Parent â€" monthly; family issues and interests.
*
RSVP Magazine â€" monthly; society and philanthropy events.
=Television
=A wide variety of local television stations also serves the market area. The major network television affiliates are
WMC 5 (
NBC),
WPTY 24 (
ABC),
WREG 3 (
CBS),
WHBQ 13 (
FOX), and
WLMT 30 (
UPN & (
WB)). The area is also served by two
PBS stations:
WKNO 10 and
WLJT 11.
=Radio
=Diverse formats can be found on the radio dial throughout the Memphis area. Two of the several stations of note include
WMC-FM (99.7 FM), a leading
Hot AC station; and the historic
WDIA-AM (1070 AM), the first African-American-operated radio station in the US. WHBQ-AM and WMPS-AM had radio personalities such as
Rick Dees,
Wink Martindale, and
Scott Shannon who formerly worked there that are now known nationally in radio and broadcasting.
Tallest Buildings
The city's central location has led to much of its business development. Located on the Mississippi River and intersected by two
Interstate highways and seven major U.S. highways, Memphis is ideally located for commerce among the transportation and shipping industry. The city is also home to the world's busiest cargo
airport, in terms of tonnage, which serves as the primary hub for
FedEx shipping. Due to its location, more major metro areas can be reached overnight from Memphis than any other city in the central U.S. Memphis has also developed as a major
manufacturing center of textiles, heating equipment, pianos, and automobile and truck parts. Memphis Light, Gas and Water ("MLG&W") is also one of the largest municipal utilities in the
United States.
Memphis is home to a growing number of nationally and internationally known corporations, including approximately 150 businesses from 22 countries. This includes the corporate headquarters of two major
Fortune 500 companies, including
FedEx Corporation and
AutoZone Incorporated. A third company,
International Paper, recently announced on
August 16,
2005, that it will be relocating its global headquarters from
Stamford, Connecticut. It is also, home to
Fred's Stores headquarters, a company which was named as one of the five fastest growing chain-stores by
Forbes Magazine. Other corporations with a major presence in the area include
Back Yard Burgers,
Belz Enterprises,
Buckeye Technologies,
First Tennessee Bank,
Guardsmark,
Hohenberg Bros. Co.,
Harrah's,
Hilton,
ServiceMaster, and
Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. Northwest Airlines also operates a major hub at
Memphis International Airport, with daily nonstop flights to
Amsterdam.
The
entertainment and
film industry has also developed in recent years in the city. Several major motion pictures have been filmed in Memphis in recent years, including
Mystery Train (1989),
Great Balls of Fire! (1989),
The Firm (1993),
A Family Thing (1996),
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996),
The Rainmaker (1997),
Cast Away (2000),
The Queens of Comedy(2001),
21 Grams (2003),
Hustle & Flow (2005),
Walk the Line (2005),
Forty Shades Of Blue (2005), and
Black Snake Moan (2007).
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.
Southern Business and Development magazine ranked Memphis as one of the most successful models for economic development in the south, also recognized the city as one of the top ten markets over the past decade. In October
2002,
Ebony Magazine has cited Memphis as a city for its outstanding
African-American leadership. Memphis also had the highest rate of high technology start-up operations over the last three years among the nation's 60 largest metro areas, according to Brandow Company research.
Government
Memphis is governed by a mayor and thirteen council 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, a formidable and controversial local political figure. Dr. Herenton is currently serving his fourth consecutive term as Mayor. He was elected for the first time in
1991, when he became Memphis' first
black mayor. Prior to his election, Dr. Herenton served for 12 years as the superintendent of
Memphis City Schools.
In recent years, there has been discussion of the potential of a merger of county and city government of Shelby County and City of Memphis into a
metropolitan government, similar to that in
Nashville.
Memphis politics are very racially polarized. Most whites have supported the
Republican Party since the 1960s, while most blacks have remained loyal to the
Democratic Party. A major influence in Memphis' black politics is the Ford family of funeral directors, whose political prominence dates to the Crump era. The best-known member of this family is
Harold Ford, Sr., who represented most of Memphis in the
U.S. House from
1975 to
1997. His brother,
John, was a
state senator for 30 years and is currently at the center of the
Tennessee Waltz scandal.
Most of Memphis is located in the majority-black 9th District, currently represented by Democrat
Harold Ford, Jr., the current Democratic frontrunner for the
Senate seat of
Bill Frist. Much of eastern Memphis is in the 7th District, represented by Republican
Marsha Blackburn.
Academic Institutions
 |
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a world class medical research facility in Memphis. |
The city is served by
Memphis City Schools while surrounding suburbs in other areas of Shelby County are served by
Shelby County Schools. Several colleges and universities are also located in the city, including the
University of Memphis (formerly Memphis State University),
Rhodes College (formerly Southwestern at Memphis),
Le Moyne-Owen College, and
Christian Brothers University. Some smaller specialty colleges are also located in Memphis, including
Harding University Graduate School of Religion,
Memphis College of Art, and
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. The major community college is
Southwest Tennessee Community College.
Memphis is also home to
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a world class medical research facility.
1996 Nobel Laureate
Peter Doherty conducts research at this facility. There are also several other major medical teaching institutions in the city, including the
University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences), the
Southern College of Optometry and the
Baptist Memorial College of Health Sciences.
Transportation
|
Memphis trolley on the Riverfront loop |
Interstate highways
I-40, its spur highway
I-240 and
I-55 are the main freeways in the Memphis area. The interstates of I-40 and I-55 (along with rail lines) cross the Mississippi at Memphis into the state of
Arkansas. The future interstates of
I-22 and
I-69 are also planned to converge into the Memphis area.
A large volume of railroad freight traffic moves through Memphis, thanks to two Mississippi River railroad crossings and the convergence of east-west rail routes with north-south routes. Memphis had two major rail passenger stations,
Memphis Union Station, razed in early 1969, and
Memphis Central Station, which has been renovated and serves
Amtrak's
City of New Orleans route between
Chicago and
New Orleans.
Public transportation in the Memphis area is provided by the
Memphis Area Transit Authority, which provides the area with buses and a downtown trolley system that is also in the process of expanding into a regional system.
Memphis is served by
Memphis International Airport.
Bridges
|
The Hernando Desoto Bridge during the day. |
|
Memphis-Arkansas Memorial Bridge, Frisco Bridge, Harahan Bridge |
The four bridges that cross the Mississippi River from Memphis are the Hernando De Soto, Harahan, Frisco and the Memphis Arkansas Bridge. All the bridges' piers had to be lined up for river navigation.
The Frisco Bridge ( May 12, 1892) was the longest bridge in North America when it opened and was originally called the Great Bridge at Memphis. This cantilever truss steel railroad bridge was built between 1888-1892 and designed by George S. Morison. (Morison also designed the Taft Bridge in Washington D.C.).
The Harahan Bridge (July 14, 1916) is a trestle railroad bridge which later added a narrow, one-way wooden cantilevering roadways along the outsides of bridge so it can be used for cars. In 1928, sparks from a train ignited and set on fire to the wooden plank road. Today, only trains use the Harahan Bridge but there are potential plans of adding a pedestrian walkway and bike path along the bridge.
The Memphis-Arkansas Bridge (December 17, 1949) , originally named E. H. Crump Bridge, carries Interstate 55 and has a pedestrian walkway. The bridge was built between 1945-1949 and is the longest Warren truss- style bridge in the United States. It is listed on the National Historic Register.
The Hernando de Soto Bridge (August 2, 1973) with its steel arches carries I-40. In 1986, the "M" shape lights became part of the bridge and Memphis landmark. The Guinness Book of World Records list the deSoto bridge for its unique structural "letter" shape. Most recently, the mysterious death of Dr.
Don Wiley placed the Hernando de Soto Bridge into national headlines as well as spawning international urban legends and conspiracy theories.
Museums and art collections
|
Mud Island Mississippi River Park. View shows a model of the City of Memphis. |
Many museums of interest are located in Memphis, including the
National Civil Rights Museum, located in the former
Lorraine Motel where
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. It includes a historical overview of the American civil rights movement, ranging from the abolishment of slavery to more modern themes such the GLBT movement. A yearly parade and celebration happens outside the room where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot, on
Martin Luther King Day.
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, founded in 1916, serves as the region's major art museum. It is located in Overton Park, in
Midtown and is adjoined to
Memphis College of Art, which also contains a small gallery of student-made artwork.
A smaller art museum, the
Dixon Gallery and Gardens focuses on impressionism and has several works by
Monet,
Degas and
Renoir, and aside from impressionist artwork, includes four outdoor gardens, with Greco-Roman sculpture.
Memphis is also home to the Peabody Place Museum, home to the largest collection of 19th century Chinese art in the nation. The Art Museum at the University of Memphis is home to the largest collection of Egyptian antiquities in the South.
The Children's Museum of Memphis features many interactive exhibits, including a simulated grocery store, a wood skyscraper maze, roughly 5 stories high, and full-scale models of a fire truck and an airplane fuselage.
Graceland, which is the second most visited house in the United States (after the
White House), attracts over 600,000 visitors a year, from many different countries. It is the former home of Rock n Roll legend
Elvis Presley, and contains a guided tour of the estate, which includes Elvis memorabilia, and facts, and a hotel called Heartbreak Hotel located across the street named after a popular Elvis hit. Celebrations include the annual Graceland Christmas lighting, and memorial services on the week of Elvis's birthday. It is now a National Landmark.
Owing to the city's musical heritage, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music
[5] is home to a broad collection of artifacts, photographs, exhibits, commentary, and music. Along with the legendary Stax Sound, the museum also spotlights the music of Muscle Shoals, Motown, Hi and Atlantic.
The
National Ornamental Metal Museum is the only museum in North America dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of fine metalwork. The site is situated on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and includes historic buildings, a working blacksmith shop and foundry, and a sculpture garden. Every October, the Museum hosts an annual Repair Days Weekend, during which the public can get broken metal items fixed and observe skilled metalsmiths at work.
The Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium, serves as the mid-south's major science museum, and features exhibits ranging in topics from archeology to chemistry. It also includes America's third largest planetarium, as well as an
IMAX Theatre.
The Memphis Walk of Fame is a public exhibit located in the
Beale Street historic district, which is modelled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but is designated exclusively for blues musicians, and composers. Names include
B.B. King, and
Aretha Franklin, among others.
Mud Island Mississippi River Park and Museum is located on Mud Island in downtown Memphis, and includes an actual-sized Titanic replica, and facts on the Mississippi River. The Park is noted for its River Walk, a 2112:1 scale (30 inches=1 mile) model showing 1000 miles of the Lower Mississippi River, from
Cairo, Illinois to
New Orleans, Louisiana. The Walk stretches about 0.5 miles, allowing visitors to walk in the water and see models of cities and bridges along the way.
Other museums in the area include the Fire Museum
[6], the Memphis Museum Hall of Fame, Gibson Guitar Museum & Showcase, and Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum.
Performing arts
The Memphis area is home to many of West Tennessee's larger performing arts organizations, such as the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, which performs at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts downtown. Ballet Memphis is the region's only professional ballet company and performs at the
Orpheum Theatre. The Ford Foundation awarded Ballet Memphis one of its prestigious challenge grants in 2001, and has praised the organization as a national treasure of the cultural world.
Opera Memphis, the region's opera company, performs at the Clark Opera Memphis Center in East Memphis. Other major theatres in the city include
Playhouse on the Square,
Circuit Playhouse,
Theatre Memphis, and
Theatre Works. Memphis also features classes and performances from the
Memphis Improvisational Theatre.
The Memphis Comedy & Improv Alliance provides information on improv and comedy performances throughout the area.
Parks, gardens, and cemeteries
|
View from the Riverfront Park onto the Memphis skyline, the Pyramid Arena in the background |
Major Memphis parks include W.C. Handy Park, Riverfront Park, Tom Lee Park, Audubon Park,
Overton Park including the
Old Forest Arboretum of Overton Park, the Lichterman Nature Center, and the
Memphis Botanic Garden. Shelby Farms, located at the eastern edge of the city, is one of the largest urban parks in America.
Historic Elmwood Cemetery is one of the first rural garden cemeteries in the South, and contains the
Carlisle S. Page Arboretum.
Other points of interest
Blues fans can visit
Beale Street, where a young B.B. King used to play his guitar. He occasionally still appears there at a club bearing his name, which is partly owned by him. Street performers play live music, and bars and clubs feature live entertainment around the clock. Today, Beale Street, is the most visited tourist attraction in the state of Tennessee, and considered to be the busiest street in the southern United States, second being
Bourbon Street.
Sun studios was where Elvis first recorded "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin". Other famous musicians who got their start at Sun include
Johnny Cash,
Rufus Thomas,
Charlie Rich,
Howlin' Wolf,
Roy Orbison,
Carl Perkins, and
Jerry Lee Lewis.
The
Memphis Zoo, which is located in midtown Memphis, features many exhibits, of mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians, from all regions of the world. The most popular exhibits are the Cat House, which is the fifth oldest in the United States, and the zoo's panda exhibit, which is one of only a handful in North America.
There are
Libertyland Amusement Park and the adjacent
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium,
Mud Island,
Detour Memphis - an art and performing space,
Lichterman Nature Center - a nature learning center,
The Pyramid, the
FedEx Forum, and the
Memphis Queen Riverboat.
Sports
Memphis is home to several professional sports teams. The
Memphis Grizzlies of the
National Basketball Association is the only one of the "
big four" major sports leagues in the city. The team plays at the
FedExForum downtown. Several minor league teams also call Memphis home, including the
Memphis Redbirds of the
Pacific Coast League, a Triple A
baseball farm team for the
St. Louis Cardinals. The Redbirds play at
AutoZone Park, a state-of-the-art baseball-only venue downtown.
The
Memphis RiverKings are a professional
hockey team of the
Central Hockey League. The
Memphis Xplorers are an
arena football team that play in the
Af2 league. Both the RiverKings and Xplorers play at
DeSoto Civic Center in nearby
DeSoto County, Mississippi. Memphis is also home to the
Memphis Blues, a professional
Rugby team, which plays at Tobey Field in Midtown, Memphis.Memphis is considered a
pro wrestling history ground. The sport's greatest name to come out of the city is
Jerry "The King" Lawler. Many greats started out their careers in Memphis; among these names include
Hulk Hogan,
The Undertaker,
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin,
The Rock,
Randy "Macho Man" Savage", and
Ric Flair. Memphis has two pro-wrestling organizations,
Power-Pro Wrestling which is filmed in the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis, and
Memphis Wrestling which is filmed in the Desoto Civic Center in Desoto County.
| Club | Sport | League | Venue |
Memphis Grizzlies | Basketball | National Basketball Association | FedEx Forum |
| Memphis Redbirds | Baseball | Pacific Coast League | AutoZone Park |
| Memphis RiverKings | Ice Hockey | Central Hockey League | DeSoto Civic Center |
Memphis Xplorers | Arena football | Af2 | DeSoto Civic Center |
Memphis Mojo | Indoor Soccer | American Indoor Soccer League | Agricenter Showplace Arena |
| Memphis Blues | Rugby | USA Rugby South | Tobey Field |
