Profile for Memphis, Tennessee, TN

Memphis is on the Mississippi River.

The city was an mportant cotton market, a former slave market, and an early center for blues and rock n' roll.

Memphis was the site of a major Civil War battle in 1862.

The community was ravaged by yellow fever in the 1870s.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel here in 1968.

Memphis is the birthplace of Piggly-Wiggly markets.

Public transportation: Memphis Area Transit Authority (See the transit and travel sections below.)

Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 10,297. The number of murders and homicides was 126. The violent crime rate was 15.7 per 1,000 people.

Memphis was named the nation's fifth most dangerous metro area for pedestrians, in a 2004 study by the Surface Transportation Policy Project

Filming location for:
· 1996 movie, "The People vs. Larry Flynt"
· 2000 movie, "Cast Away"
· 2006 movie, "Black Snake Moan"

Setting for 1991 movie, "Memphis," starring Cybill Shepherd

Census 2000 highlights: 18th largest city in the U.S., by population; Among major American cities, ranked No. 7 in percentage black population (61.4%)

Well-known residents have included:
· Elvis Presley, singer, actor
· Kathy Bates, actress
· Morgan Freeman, actor
· Cybill Shepherd, actress
· Justin Timberlake, musician
· Abe Fortas, U.S. Supreme Court justice

Local bands (past and present) have included Box Tops

Coffee: National and regional coffee companies with outlets here include Gloria Jean's, Starbucks

Local festivals include:

• Mid-South Fair - Sept. 21-30, 2007
• Elvis Week - Aug. 11-19, 2007
• Memphis in May International Festival - May 7-12, 2007
• W.C. Handy Birthday Celebration - Nov. 18, 2007
• Cooper-Young Festival - Sept. 15, 2007
• Memphis Music & Heritage Festival - Sept. 1-2, 2007
• Clanjamfry: A Scottish Festival - Sept. 21-23, 2007
• Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration - Jan. 5-8, 2007
• International Blues Challenge - Feb. 1-3, 2007
• Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival - April 20-22, 2007
• Memphis Italian Festival - May 31-June 2, 2007
• Memphis International Film Festival - March 22-25, 2007
• Southeastern Indian Heritage Festival - Aug. 11-12, 2007
• River Arts Festival - Oct.26-28, 2007
• Beale Street Zydeco Festival - Feb. 22-24, 2008

Performing arts: Memphis Symphony Orchestra

Nearby parks & recreation: Lichterman Nature Center, T.O. Fuller State Park

Sports teams: Redbirds (minor league baseball), Memphis Grizzlies (NBA)

Historic sites and museums: National Civil Rights Museum, Pink Palace Museum, Graceland, Center for Southern Folklore, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Chucalissa Archaeological Museum

Colleges and universities: University of Tennessee at Memphis, University of Memphis, Rhodes College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Crichton College, Christian Brothers University

Support for libraries: Local government funding for the local library system, in fiscal years 2001-2002, was on par with the national average. (See library links below.)

Gays & lesbians
National index: 100
Local index: 105

Quotes:
Memphis aint a bad town, for them that like city life.
-- Light in August
William Faulkner

Songs:
· "Walking in Memphis"
· "Memphis Blues"

Listed places near Memphis

Archives (1)

Attractions (2)

Cemeteries (19)

Colleges (12)

Communities (1)

Hotels (89)

Libraries (17)

Museums (7)

Parks (1)

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• Memphis population
• Ancestry of people in Memphis
• Housing in Memphis
• Income in Memphis
• Marital status of adults in Memphis
• Place of birth of people in Memphis
• Residence in 1995, of people in Memphis
• School enrollment & education levels in Memphis
• Transportation & commute times in Memphis
• Shelby County data
• Fastest-growing counties in Tennessee
• State data - Tennessee
• Data by street address
• Historical census records (Ancestry.com)

Sections below provide additional information and links about Memphis demographics, travel and tourism, nearby airports, cemeteries, the Shelby County economy, education, environment, genealogy, government, historic sites, Memphis area jobs, libraries, maps, museums, newspapers and other media, nonprofit groups, real estate, recreation, religion, transportation, and weather in the 38105 ZIP code.

(Also see local map below.)

• Memphis city government
• Shelby County government
• Downtown Memphis
• Memphis Chamber of Commerce
• Memphis tourism

5% of Memphis residents report German ancestry, and 6% report Irish. For more info on local ancestry groups, see the Memphis ancestry & family history guide.

• Cemeteries in or near Memphis
• Cemeteries in Shelby County
• Libraries in or near Memphis

Post a query on a message board:

• Shelby County Ancestry forum
• GenForum

Records & databases:

• Ancestry.com - TN data
• Birth, marriage & death records
• Cemetery records
• County history catalog
• Census records (historic)
• Court, land & probate records
• Death index
• Family & local history
• Immigration records
• Military records (historic)
• Newspaper articles

Music

• Memphis Symphony Orchestra

• Memphis area attractions
• Memphis museums
• Memphis historic sites
• Memphis area parks
• Wineries near Memphis

• Add a local cemetery to our listings
• Memphis area cemeteries
• Cemeteries in Shelby County
• Cemetery record compendium
• Tennessee cemetery message boards
• National database of cemetery records
• Veteran grave locator

• Communities near Memphis
• Nearby cities of 10,000 or more
• Nearby cities of 50,000 or more
• Communities in Shelby County

• Memphis business guide
• Memphis Chamber of Commerce
• Better Business Bureau
• Business licenses
• Corporate records search

• Courts in Tennessee
• Local ordinances in Tennessee (Partial selection)

• Crime in Shelby County
• Arrests in Shelby County

• Obituaries - search nearby newspapers
• Obituary database - Ancestry.com
• Charitable donations

• Local information on disability access
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Independent living centers in Tennessee
• National Council on Independent Living

At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Memphis was $17,838, compared with $21,587 nationally.

• Banks
• Building permits
• Current labor force
• Wage estimates
• Shelby County economic census
• Shelby County economic summary
• Shelby County employment growth
• Shelby County unemployment rate
• Tennessee economic data

21% of Memphis residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.

• Colleges in or near Memphis
• Colleges in Tennessee
• Learning Disabilities Association in Tennessee
• Schools in or near Memphis
• School districts in or near Memphis
• School report cards
• Yearbooks (old) of Tennessee high schools

• Movies & TV shows filmed in Memphis
• Movies playing in or near Memphis
• Tickets to local concerts, sporting events & theaters
• YouTube videos about Memphis

• Air pollution in Shelby County
• Diesel soot in Shelby County
• Land contamination in Shelby County
• Nature Conservancy projects in Tennessee
• Ozone status & air pollution - American Lung Association
• Toxic chemical releases in Shelby County
• Water levels & streamflow conditions in Tennessee

Memphis festival dates:

• Mid-South Fair - Sept. 21-30, 2007
• Elvis Week - Aug. 11-19, 2007
• Memphis in May International Festival - May 7-12, 2007
• W.C. Handy Birthday Celebration - Nov. 18, 2007
• Cooper-Young Festival - Sept. 15, 2007
• Memphis Music & Heritage Festival - Sept. 1-2, 2007
• Clanjamfry: A Scottish Festival - Sept. 21-23, 2007
• Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration - Jan. 5-8, 2007
• International Blues Challenge - Feb. 1-3, 2007
• Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival - April 20-22, 2007
• Memphis Italian Festival - May 31-June 2, 2007
• Memphis International Film Festival - March 22-25, 2007
• Southeastern Indian Heritage Festival - Aug. 11-12, 2007
• River Arts Festival - Oct.26-28, 2007
• Beale Street Zydeco Festival - Feb. 22-24, 2008

Dates often change. Check with local tourism officials to be sure.

Memphis festival web sites:

• Clanjamfry
• Cooper-Young Festival
• Memphis in May International Festival
• Mid-South Fair

• ePodunk festival listings
• Tennessee county fairs
• Tennessee festivals (Tennessee tourism department)
• Send us festival info for Memphis

• Confluence of latitude & longitude near Memphis
• Geocaches in Tennessee

• Memphis items now on sale

• Memphis local government Web site
• Shelby County government
• Tennessee state government
• Driver's licenses
• Motor vehicles
• Passports
• Social Security
• Veterans affairs
• Where to write for birth, death, marriage or divorce records

• Ancestry & family history
• Business
• Demographics
• Health
• Moving
• Nonprofit resources
• Sports & rec
• Travel

• Memphis medical services & health statistics

• State historical society

Historic districts in Memphis include Adams Avenue Historic District, Annesdale - Snowden Historic District, Annesdale Park Historic District, Beale Street Historic District, Central Gardens Historic District, Cooper-Young Historic District, Cotton Row Historic District, Court Square Historic District, Evergreen Historic District, Gaston Park Historic District ... View historic districts

• Historic sites in or near Memphis
• Historic sites in Tennessee
• Museums in or near Memphis
• Museums in Tennessee
• Tennessee state archives
• Tennessee state encyclopedia
• National Historic Landmark search
• Search the Library of Congress
• Search the National Register for historic properties
• Post history questions in Shelby County genealogy forum

Median rent in Memphis, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $443.   Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $838.

• Research Memphis Apartments
• Find Foreclosure in Memphis
• Homes for sale in Memphis
• Find a Memphis Realtor
• Get free moving quotes
• Free home valuation
• Check Tennessee mortgage rates
• Property and neighborhood reports
• Mortgage calculator

• Jobs in the Memphis area
• Job services in Tennessee
• Minimum wage laws by state

Libraries in Memphis include Cherokee Branch Library, Cornelia Crenshaw Branch Library, Cossitt Branch Library, East Shelby Branch Library, Frayser Branch Library, Gaston Park Branch Library, Highland Branch Library, Hollywood Branch Library, Levi Branch Library, Main Library ... View libraries

• Tennessee library

• Get directions from Memphis
• Get directions to Memphis
• Census map of Memphis area
• Historic maps of TN cities - Library of Congress
• Historic maps of Tennessee
• Topographic map of Memphis

Newspapers in Memphis include Commercial Appeal

TV stations in Memphis include WHBQ, WKNO, WLMT, WMC, WPTY, WPXX, WREG.

National Public Radio programming is carried locally by WKNO-FM.

• Daily newspapers in or near Memphis
• AM radio stations in or near Memphis
• Commercial FM radio stations in or near Memphis
• Public & educational radio stations in or near Memphis
• TV stations in or near Memphis
• Media ownership in the Memphis area
• Search historic newspaper articles
• Search recent news archives in Tennessee

• Military bases in Tennessee
• American Legion post locator
• Veterans of Foreign Wars post locator

• Check daily newspapers in or near Memphis
• Search obituaries in Tennessee
• Recent death notices - selected TN newspapers

• Memphis Chamber of Commerce
• Community foundations (by state)
• Foundations (by name)
• Kiwanis clubs in Tennessee
• Lions clubs in Tennessee
• Nonprofit groups
• Nonprofit guide for Memphis
• Rotary club search
• Volunteer opportunities in or near Memphis

• Parks near Memphis
• National forests in Tennessee
• State parks in Tennessee

• craigslist
• Find friends & family
• Photos of people from Memphis

• Find a local animal shelter
• Report animal cruelty

• Aerial photo of Memphis
• Historic photos of U.S. cities
• Panoramic photos of Tennessee communities
• Photos of Tennessee places
• Post cards of Tennessee communities

Shelby County supported John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. For more information, see our Memphis political report.

• Tennessee Democratic party
• Tennessee Republican party
• Shelby County elections board
• Tennessee elections board

• ZIP codes (by street address)
• ZIP codes (by city)
• ZIP code reverse lookup (find cities in a ZIP code)

• Churches, other places of worship in or near Memphis
• Total membership by faith, in Shelby County

Memphis restaurants taking online reservations include Bari, Bluefin, Encore - Memphis, Garlands Restaurant, Lolo's Table, Owen Brennan's Restaurant, River Oaks, Sekisui - East, Sekisui Pacific Rim, Stella ... View restaurants

• Nearby restaurants taking online reservations
• Chowhound message boards for TN

The average commute time for Memphis workers is 23 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide.

A total of 232 fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred in Memphis between 2001 and 2003, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is a rate of 3.6 fatal crashes per 10,000 population, which was slightly lower than the national norm.

• Memphis travel guide
• Airports near Memphis
• Amtrak station in Memphis
• Hotels near Memphis
• Tennessee tourism bureau

• Monthly averages & records
• Major storms (searchable by county)
• National weather map

• Audubon centers
• Birding spots in Tennessee
• Wildlife refuges in Tennessee

Browse list of Tennessee community profiles