Memphis

About Memphis

Memphis (, MEM-fis) is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Tennessee, the fifth-most populous in the Southeast, and the 29th-most populous in the US. Memphis is the largest city proper on the Mississippi River and anchors the Memphis area that includes parts of Arkansas and Mississippi, the 45th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. with 1.34 million residents.

European exploration of the area began with Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto in 1541. Located on the high Chickasaw Bluffs, the site offered natural protection from Mississippi River flooding and became a contested location in the colonial era. Modern Memphis was founded in 1819 by John Overton, James Winchester, and Andrew Jackson. The city thrived due to its river traffic and cotton-based economy, becoming one of the largest cities in the Antebellum South. After the American Civil War, it remained a key hub for the cotton and hardwood industries. Memphis is also notable for its role in the American Civil Rights Movement; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated there in 1968, and the city is now home to the National Civil Rights Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate.

Memphis is one of the nation's leading commercial centers in transportation and logistics. The largest employer is FedEx, which maintains its global air hub at Memphis International Airport, one of the world's busiest cargo airports. The Port of Memphis also hosts the fifth-busiest inland water port in the U.S. Memphis is home to several large financial institutions, including First Horizon Bank, which is the second largest bank with its primary headquarters located in Tennessee. Memphis is also known for its music scene, with Beale Street central to the development of Memphis blues and a broader legacy that includes soul, rock and roll, and hip-hop. Cultural landmarks include Graceland, Sun Studio, the Memphis Pyramid, and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The city is also famed for its Memphis-style barbecue and hosts the annual World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. It is home to the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA and several colleges and universities, including the University of Memphis, LeMoyne–Owen College, and Rhodes College.

In the 2020's, after experiencing several decades of high crime rates and incremental population loss, Memphis has begun to revitalize through redevelopment and a renewed focus on crime reduction, with Downtown Memphis being the primary target for renewal. Several projects are in the planning stages or have already begun construction, with a new 16-story research facility being developed on the St. Jude Campus, the renovation of the biggest hotel in downtown, and the redevelopment of the tallest tower in West Tennessee, 100 North Main. Tom Lee Park, the riverside park located downtown, completed a massive renovation in 2023 that cost more than $60 million dollars and includes ballcourts, walkable trails, and bike stands. The park also includes a flyway that stretches out nearly to the Mississippi River and was opened several years after the park's completion.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.