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| City of Memphis |
|
|
Flag |
Seal |
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| Nickname(s): The River City, The Bluff City |
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Location in Shelby County and the state of Tennessee |
Coordinates:  35°07′03″N 89°58′16″W / 35.1175, -89.97111 |
| Country |
United States |
| State |
Tennessee |
| County |
Shelby |
| Founded |
1819 |
| Incorporated |
1826 |
| Government |
| - Mayor |
W. W. Herenton (D) |
| Area |
| - City |
313.8 sq mi (763.4 km²) |
| - Land |
302.3 sq mi (723.4 km²) |
| - Water |
15.4 sq mi (40.0 km²) |
| Elevation |
337 ft (103 m) |
| Population (2007)[1] |
| - City |
670,902(18th) |
| - Density |
2,327.4/sq mi (898.6/km²) |
| - Metro |
1,260,581 |
| Time zone |
CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) |
CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP Codes |
37501, 37544, 38101-38120,
38122, 38124-38128, 38130-38139, 38141-38142, 38145, 38147-38148,
38150-38152, 38157, 38159, 38161, 38163, 38166-38168, 38173-38175,
38177, 38181-38182, 38184, 38186-38188, 38190, 38193-38194, 38197 |
| Area code(s) |
901 |
| FIPS code |
47-48000[2] |
| GNIS feature ID |
1326388[3] |
| Website: http://www.memphistn.gov |
Memphis is a city in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River.
As of 2006, Memphis had an estimated population of 670,902, making it the largest city in the state of Tennessee, the second largest in the southeastern region (only behind Jacksonville, Florida), and the 18th largest in the United States [1].
The greater Memphis metropolitan area, including adjacent counties in Mississippi and Arkansas, has a population of 1,260,581. This makes Memphis the second largest metropolitan area in Tennessee, surpassed only by metropolitan Nashville.
Memphis is the youngest of Tennessee's four major cities (traditionally including Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville). A resident of Memphis is referred to as a Memphian and the Memphis region is known as the Mid-South.
History
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Early history
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 and French explorers led by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.[4]
The land comprising present-day Memphis remained in a largely
unorganized territory throughout most of the 18th century. By 1796, the
community was the westernmost point of the newly admitted state of
Tennessee.
Foundation
Memphis was founded in 1820 , the city was named after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River.
The cotton economy of the antebellum South depended on the forced labor of large numbers of African-American slaves, and Memphis became a major slave market.
Tennessee seceded from the Union in June 1861 and Memphis briefly became a Confederate stronghold. Union forces captured Memphis in the Battle of Memphis on June 6, 1862, and the city remained under Union control for the duration of the war. Memphis became a Union supply base and continued to prosper throughout the war.
20th century
Cotton merchants on Union Avenue (1937)
Memphis grew into the world's largest spot cotton market and the
world's largest hardwood lumber market. Into the 1950s, it was the
world's largest mule market.[5]
From the 1910s to the 1950s, Memphis was a hotbed of machine politics under the direction of E. H. "Boss" Crump. During the Crump era, Memphis developed an extensive network of parks and public works as part of the national City Beautiful Movement.
During the 1960s the city was at the center of civil rights issues, notably the location of a sanitation workers' strike. 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.
Many notable blues musicians grew up in and around the Memphis and
northern Mississippi area. These included such musical greats as Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, B.B. King, and Howlin' Wolf.[6]
Geography and climate
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Memphis is located in southwestern Tennessee at 35°7′3″N, 89°58′16″W.[7] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 313.8 sq mi (763.4 km²), of which 302.3 sq mi (723.4 km²) is land and 15.4 sq mi (40.0 km²), or 5.24%, is water.
Cityscape
The city of Memphis is located in southwestern Tennessee 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 (I-40) enters the city from the northeast, and loops above the central part of the city, exiting across the Mississippi River and travelling to the west. Interstate 55 approaches the city from the south and connects with Interstate 240, which completes the loop around central Memphis with I-40, and also leaves to the west.
Aquifer
Shelby County is located over four natural aquifers,
one of which is recognized as the "Memphis sand aquifer" or simply as
the "Memphis aquifer". This particular water source, located some 350
to 1100 ft (100 - 330 m) underground, is stated to contain more than
100 trillion gallons (380 km³) of water by Memphis Light, Gas, and Water.[8]
Climate
Memphis has a humid subtropical climate, with four distinct seasons. The average high and low in July are 92°F (33°C) and 73°F (23°C), with high levels of humidity due to moisture encroaching from the Gulf of Mexico.
Afternoon thunderstorms are frequent during some summers, but usually
brief, lasting no longer than an hour. Early Autumn is pleasantly drier
and mild, but can remain hot until late October. Winters are mild to
chilly, with average January high and low temperatures of 49°F (9°C)
and 31°F (-1°C). Late Autumn is rainy and colder; December is the third
rainiest month of the year. Snow does occur sporadically in winter, with an average annual accumulation of 5.1 inches (12.9cm).
People and culture
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Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 650,100 people, 250,721 households, and 158,455 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,327.4 people per sq mi (898.6/km²). There were 271,552 housing
units at an average density of 972.2 per sq mi (375.4/km²). The racial
makeup of the city was 61.41% African American, 34.41% White, 1.46% Asian, 0.19% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.45% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.97% of the population.
The Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the 42nd 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.
Crime
While in 2004, violent crime in Memphis was at a record low for more
than a decade, that trend has changed. In 2005, Memphis was ranked the
4th most dangerous city with a population of 500,000 or higher in the
U.S.[9]
Crime in Memphis increased in 2005, and has seen a dramatic rise in the
first half of 2006. Nationally, cities follow similar trends, and crime
numbers tend to be cyclic. Local experts and criminologists cite as
possible causes to the rise in crime in Memphis to gang recruitment,
and to a reduction of federal funding by 66% to the Memphis Police Department.
In the first half of 2006, robbery of businesses increased 52.5%,
robbery of individuals increased 28.5%, and homicide increased 18% over
the same period of 2005. The Memphis Police Department has responded
with the initiation of Operation Blue C.R.U.S.H. (Crime Reduction Using
Statistical History), which targets crime hotspots and repeat offenders.[10]
Memphis ended 2005 with 154 murders, 2006 ended with 160 murders. In
2006, the Memphis metropolitan area ranked second most dangerous in the
nation.[11]
In 2006, Memphis ranked number one in violent crimes for major
cities around the U.S according to the FBI's annual crime rankings,
where it had ranked 2nd in 2005.[12]
Cultural events
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. Part of this festival is
the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, the largest pork barbecue cooking contest in the world.
Carnival Memphis,
is an annual series of parties and festivities in the month of June
that salutes various aspects of Memphis and its industries. An annual
King and Queen of Carnival are secretly selected to reign over Carnival
activities.
An arts festival, the Cooper-Young Festival, is held annually in September in the Cooper-Young district of Midtown Memphis.
The event draws artists from all over North America, and includes art
sales, contests, and displays. Fall also brings the Mid-South Fair to
the city each year.
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.
Well-known writers from Memphis include Civil War historian Shelby Foote and playwright Tennessee Williams.
Memphis in the arts
Memphis is the subject of many major pop and country songs, including "Memphis" by Chuck Berry, "Queen of Memphis" by Confederate Railroad, "Memphis Soul Stew" b
Classical
from 
