Memphis

Memphis is Tennessee’s biggest city and the state’s second largest metropolitan region, behind Nashville. The state is located in the southern United States. Memphis is also the county capital of Shelby County, having a population of around 653,350 as of 2013. Among the city’s claims to fame is Graceland, the estate where Elvis Presley spent his last years. Perhaps more crucially, Memphis is often regarded as the birthplace of blues music.

Memphis is an older city that has endured a great deal. Having said that, the city has established a rustic but vibrant personality that inhabitants connect with. Memphians have worked hard to create a lively community while preserving the city’s historic beauty. Memphis, with its vibrant neighborhoods and continual renovation, has much more to offer than Graceland.

While downtown Memphis has seen much revival and rejuvenation in recent years, the city’s core is older, and while new construction is scarce, rehabilitation of older neighborhoods is starting to take form. After decades of abandonment, areas such as Beale Street and Mud Island have become reasonably secure, and locals have a renewed interest in keeping downtown safe, vibrant, and a terrific location to visit and relax.

Whether you’re coming or relocating to the region, it’s well worth your time from May to October to visit the Memphis Farmers Market, which developed and started in 2006 – it’s one of the early Spring, Summer, and through Mid-brightest Autumn’s dazzling lights.

A word of caution: summers in Memphis are incredibly hot, and the humidity may make you feel much hotter! Visitors who have difficulty managing extreme heat and humidity may choose to skip July and August.

Memphis is situated in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8, which has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). It has four distinct seasons. Winter weather originates alternatively between the upper Great Plains and the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in dramatic temperature changes. Summer weather may originate in Texas (very hot and humid) or the Gulf of Mexico (hot and very humid). July averages 82.7 °F (28.2 °C) everyday, with high humidity owing to moisture invading from the Gulf of Mexico.

Summer thunderstorms are prevalent in the afternoon and evening, although they are often short, lasting less than an hour. Autumn is delightfully cooler and milder in the early months, but may be rather scorching until late October. Late autumn is wet and chilly; precipitation reaches a new high in November and December. Winters are warm to cool, with an average daily temperature of 41.2 °F (5.1 °C) in January. Winter brings snow intermittently, with an average seasonal snowfall of 3.9 inches (9.9 cm). Ice storms and freezing rain are more dangerous, since they often bring down tree branches on power lines and make driving dangerous. Severe thunderstorms may occur at any time of year, but are most common in the spring. These storms may be accompanied by large hail, high gusts, floods, and frequent lighting. Certain storms produce tornadoes.

The lowest temperature ever recorded in Memphis was 13 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius) on December 24, 1963, while the hottest temperature ever recorded was 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) on July 13, 1980. There are an average of 4.4 days each year with highs below freezing, 6.9 nights with lows below 20 °F (7 °C), 43 nights with lows below freezing, 64 days with highs over 90 °F (32 °C)+, and 2.1 days with highs above 100 °F (38 °C)+.

Annual precipitation is substantial (53.68 inches (1,360 mm)) and very equally spread throughout the year, with the exception of August through October. March through May, November, and December have the highest monthly rainfall averages.

Memphis is situated at 35°7′3′′N 89°58′16′′W in the southwest part of Tennessee. The city has a total area of 324.0 square miles (839.2 km2), of which 315.1 square miles (816.0 km2) is land and 9.0 square miles (23.2 km2) is water, or 2.76 percent.

CITYSCAPE

Downtown Memphis rises from the Mississippi River bluffs. Through suburbanization, the city and metro region have expanded to embrace southwest Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and eastern Arkansas. In the early twentieth century, the city established many big parks, most notably Overton Park in Midtown and the 4,500-acre (18 km2) Shelby Farms. Memphis serves as a major transportation hub and Mississippi River crossing for Interstate 40 (east-west), Interstate 55 (north-south), barge traffic, Memphis International Airport (FedEx’s “SuperHub”), and multiple freight trains.

Travel + Leisure magazine rated Memphis in the top ten “America’s Dirtiest Cities” in 2011 and 2012, based on reader and local resident polls.

On a more optimistic note, Forbes magazine named Memphis among the top 15 cities in the United States with a “developing downtown” region in 2013.

Additionally, readers of USA Today picked Beale Street as America’s Most Iconic Street and Graceland as America’s Most Iconic Attraction in 2013. The National Civil Rights Museum (located in the Lorraine Motel, the site of Rev. Martin Luther King’s murder) was named third among national attractions in a survey.

RIVERFRONT

The Memphis Riverfront spans along the Mississippi River from north to south, from Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park to T. O. Fuller State Park. The River Walk is a park system that runs across downtown Memphis, connecting Mississippi River Greenbelt Park to Tom Lee Park.

AQUIFER

Shelby County is situated on top of four natural aquifers, one of which is referred to as the “Memphis Sand Aquifer” or simply “Memphis Aquifer.” This artesian water is very clear and delicate. Memphis Light, Gas, and Water estimates that this specific water source, lying 350 to 1,100 feet (110 to 340 meters) below, has more than 100 trillion US gallons (380 km3) of water.

The city’s favorable geographic position has aided in its economic growth. Memphis is perfectly positioned for business in the transportation and shipping industries, since it is crossed by five major freight railways and two Interstate Highways, I-40 and I-55. Its earliest growth was dependent on water access, with steamboats traveling the Mississippi river. Railroad development facilitated the company’s access to markets to the east and west.

Highways and interstates have been critical transportation arteries since the second part of the twentieth century. I-69, a third interstate, is now under construction, while I-22, a fourth, was recently allocated from the previous High Priority Corridor X. Unloading river barges onto trucks and railroads. Memphis International Airport, the world’s second busiest cargo airport, is located in the city (following Hong Kong). Memphis is a key FedEx Express shipping hub.

Memphis was home to three Fortune 500 firms as of 2014: FedEx (number 63), International Paper (number 107), and AutoZone (no. 306).

Other notable Memphis-based companies include Allenberg Cotton, American Residential Services (a.k.a. ARS/Rescue Rooter), Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, Cargill Cotton, City Gear, First Horizon National Corporation, Evergreen Packaging, Fred’s, GTx, Guardsmark, Lenny’s Sub Shop, Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, ServiceMaster, Thomas & Betts, True Temper Sports, Varsity Brands, and Carrier, Gibson guitars (located in Nashville), Kruger Products (maker of White Cloud tissue products), Merck & Co., Medtronic, Sharp Manufacturing, Smith & Nephew, and Technicolor Home Entertainment Services are among the corporations having significant operations in Memphis.

Memphis is additionally served by a branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Memphis has recently been discovered by the entertainment and film sectors. Numerous major motion pictures have been filmed in Memphis, the majority of which were recruited and aided by the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission, including Making the Grade (1984), Elvis and Me (1988), Great Balls of Fire! (1988), Heart of Dixie (1989), Mystery Train (1989), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Trespass (1991), The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag (1992), The Firm (1993), The Delta (1996), The People vs. (2011). The Blind Side (2009) was shot in Atlanta but was set in Memphis. Memphis was also the setting for the 1992 television film Memphis, starring Memphis resident Cybill Shepherd, who acted as executive producer and writer.