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 "Memphis" redirects here. For the ancient Egyptian capital, see Memphis, Egypt. For other uses, see Memphis (disambiguation).
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 17th 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.
HistoryEarly 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. FoundationMemphis 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 centuryMemphis 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
Memphis is located in southwestern Tennessee at .[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. CityscapeThe 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] ClimateMemphis 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 cultureDemographics
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. Cultural eventsOne 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 artsMemphis 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 artsMemphis is the subject of two major pop songs, Graceland by Paul Simon, and Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohn. Religion
Since its founding, Memphis has been home to persons of many different faiths. An 1870 map of Memphis shows religious buildings of the Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational, and Christian denominations and a Jewish congregation.[9] In 2008, places of worship exist for Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. Bellevue Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist megachurch in Memphis that was founded in the early 20th century. Its current membership is approximately 27,000. For many years, it was led by Adrian Rogers, a former three term president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Mason Temple, the international headquarters of the Church of God in Christ, is located in Memphis. Mason Temple was named after the denomination's founder, Charles Harrison Mason) and is where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech the day before he was killed. Memphis is the seat of a Roman Catholic Diocese. EconomyThe city's central location has led to much of its business development. Located on the Mississippi River and intersected by two Interstate highways, Memphis is ideally located for commerce among the transportation and shipping industry. The city is home to the world's busiest cargo airport, which serves as the primary hub for FedEx shipping. 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 FedEx Corporation, AutoZone Incorporated and International Paper. The entertainment and film industry has developed in recent years. Several major motion pictures have been filmed in Memphis, including The Firm (1993), Cast Away (2000) and Walk the Line (2005). 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. GovernmentMemphis is governed by a mayor and thirteen City 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 In recent years, there has been discussion of the potential of a consolidation of Shelby County and Memphis into a metropolitan government, similar to that in Nashville. Education
The city is served by Memphis City Schools while surrounding suburbs in other areas of Shelby County are served by Shelby County Schools. Colleges and universities located in the city include the University of Memphis (formerly Memphis State University), Rhodes College (formerly Southwestern at Memphis), Memphis College of Art, Le Moyne-Owen College, Crichton College, Christian Brothers University and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Graduate Health Sciences and Allied Health Sciences). The University of Tennessee College of Dentistry was founded in 1878 making it the oldest dental college in the South, and the third oldest public college of dentistry in the United States.[10] TransportationHighwaysInterstate 40 (I-40) and Interstate 55 (I-55) are the main freeways in the Memphis area. The interstates I-40 and I-55 (along with rail lines) cross the Mississippi at Memphis into the state of Arkansas. Railroad
A large volume of railroad freight traffic moves through Memphis, thanks to two Mississippi River railroad crossings and the convergence of several east-west and north-south rail lines. By the early 20th Century, Memphis had two major rail passenger stations. After rail passenger service declined at mid-century, Memphis Union Station was razed in 1969. Memphis Central Station[11] was renovated and now serves Amtrak's famed City of New Orleans, providing service between Chicago and New Orleans. AirportMemphis is served by Memphis International Airport, which handles more cargo than any other airport in the world as of 2007. River portMemphis also has the 2nd biggest cargo port on the Mississippi River (the 4th biggest inland port in the United States).[12] The International Port of Memphis covers the Tennessee and Arkansas sides of the Mississippi River from river mile 725 (km 1167) to mile 740 (km 1191).[13] BridgesFour rail and highway bridges cross the Mississippi River at Memphis. They are, in order of their opening year: Frisco Bridge (1892), Harahan Bridge (1916), Memphis-Arkansas Memorial Bridge (1949) and the Hernando de Soto Bridge (1973). Tourism and recreationMuseums and art collectionsMany museums of interest are located in Memphis. 
National Civil Rights Museum Brooks Museum of Art Graceland Pink Palace Memphis Walk of Fame 
Mud Island River Park Victorian Village Cotton Museum ParksMajor Memphis parks include W.C. Handy Park, Tom Lee Park, Audubon Park, Overton Park including the Old Forest Arboretum of Overton Park, the Lichterman Nature Center - a nature learning center, and the Memphis Botanic Garden. Shelby Farms park, located at the eastern edge of the city, is one of the largest urban parks in America. CemeteriesThe Memphis National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in north Memphis. Historic Elmwood Cemetery is one of the first rural garden cemeteries in the South, and contains the Carlisle S. Page Arboretum. Other points of interestBeale Street Sun studio Memphis Zoo Other SportsMemphis is home to several professional sports teams.
Memphis has a fertile history when it comes to pro wrestling. The sport's greatest name to come out of the city is Jerry "The King" Lawler. Memphis is also home to Memphis Motorsports Park, just north of the city on the outskirts of Memphis and Millington. See also
References
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