Nashville VS Memphis (Germantown, Collierville, Central: low crime, how much, neighborhoods)

[jjshantell]

Nashville VS Memphis

Im looking at moving to TN. Any input on Nashville VS Memphis?

Seems Memphis is cheaper to buy but might have more crime??

I'm mainly concerned with low crime and best price point for my money. Also would be great to be by Water but within 30 minutes to metro area at same time.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by jjshantell

Nashville VS Memphis

Im looking at moving to TN. Any input on Nashville VS Memphis?

Seems Memphis is cheaper to buy but might have more crime??

I'm mainly concerned with low crime and best price point for my money. Also would be great to be by Water but within 30 minutes to metro area at same time.

I'm probably one of the few people around here who loves Memphis. It's got a great downtown, excellent restaurants, and cool neighborhoods (Cooper-Young, Central Gardens, Evergreen, South Bluffs, Harbor Island, to name a few). Memphis has some beautiful architecture, and if you like to garden, you can't beat that rich Memphis soil and long growing season. They say even fenceposts in Memphis sprout roots. Unfortunately, Memphis also has a LOT of crime.

If you want to live on the water, you can't really do that in Memphis. Nashville has some really nice lakes with some nice housing developments. Memphis has the Mississippi River, but you can't live on it, and precious few people boat on it. (It's hard to go boating on a river that's got a lot of barge traffic, extremely swift and changing currents, and entire trees floating down the river from upstream.)

Memphis is much more affordable than Nashville, but if you want to live in a "safe" neighborhood in Memphis, you pay for it.

I like the urban feel of Memphis more than Nashville, but on the other hand you don't risk your life going out in Nashville like you do in Memphis.

[jjshantell]

Thanks...I didnt realize there was THAT MUCH crime in Memphis. So the areas you mentioned (Cooper-Young, Central Gardens, Evergreen, South Bluffs, Harbor Island) are lower crime? When you say "you have to pay for it"...what are you talkin?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by jjshantell

Thanks...I didnt realize there was THAT MUCH crime in Memphis. So the areas you mentioned (Cooper-Young, Central Gardens, Evergreen, South Bluffs, Harbor Island) are lower crime? When you say "you have to pay for it"...what are you talkin?

I used to live in Memphis, in the Central Gardens area. It's an absolutely beautiful neighborhood, a real urban neighborhood with all kinds of businesses within walking distance of shady, historic streets with sidewalks. But like just about anywhere else in Memphis, it's just a few blocks away from a crack neighborhood. You can get a cool 1920s bungalow for less than $100k in some decent neighborhoods, but you'd better make sure you have a security system and a garage where you can lock your car. Or you can double your housing cost and live in "safe" suburbs like Germantown, Collierville, or Arlington. Or just live in DeSoto County, Mississippi--but then you'd have to pay an income tax.

[odaffer4]

I am a lifelong Memphian but about to be relocated to Nashville.
I am very excited about this. Memphis has way too much crime. The local government is corrupt and arogant. Out Mayor thinks he is king. There are a lot of positives such as U of M basketball, the Grizzlies, Tunica is very close, Beale Street, and music. I still think Nashville will be a better place to raise children.

[insanesmooch]

Although I have never lived in Memphis and it has been years since I've been to that side of the state, I thought I would still throw my two cents in. I've lived in the Nashville area and in East TN. To us in other parts of the state, Memphis has the worst reputation for crime. That doesn't mean it is true and you should listen to those who live/have lived there, but I thought I would throw that thought out there. As mentioned about the government out there, even in that Tennessee Waltz scandal, most of the ones caught up in it were from Memphis- which doesn't help the reputation of the area.
There are also parts of Nashville that you would want to stay out of because of crime too.

[logie13]

There are also parts of Nashville that you would want to stay out of because of crime too.[/quote]

What areas are high crime in Nashville? I am looking to relocate in June.

[artemis]

The last time I saw statistics, the crime rate in Memphis was double that of Nashville.

In Nashville, I would stay out of the North Nashville area, as well as the South Nashville area. South had the highest crime rate in the city last year.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by odaffer4

I am a lifelong Memphian but about to be relocated to Nashville.
I am very excited about this. Memphis has way too much crime. The local government is corrupt and arogant. Out Mayor thinks he is king. There are a lot of positives such as U of M basketball, the Grizzlies, Tunica is very close, Beale Street, and music. I still think Nashville will be a better place to raise children.

You are very correct, and it's sad that Memphis has become what it is today. I absolutely loved my 5 years in Memphis. But it is crime-ridden and corrupt. I agree with you that Nashville is undoubtedly a better place to raise a family. How much are you willing to spend on housing? Are your kids going to go to private schools or public schools?

I miss Memphis like crazy, but fortunately you'll only be 200 miles away and can still go back from time to time to visit. In the meantime, I hope you're able to find a good neighborhood in Nashville (which I consider to be one of the nicest big cities in the country) where you can raise your kids.

Good luck!

[Elrod]

Originally Posted by JMT

You are very correct, and it's sad that Memphis has become what it is today. I absolutely loved my 5 years in Memphis. But it is crime-ridden and corrupt. I agree with you that Nashville is undoubtedly a better place to raise a family. How much are you willing to spend on housing? Are your kids going to go to private schools or public schools?

I miss Memphis like crazy, but fortunately you'll only be 200 miles away and can still go back from time to time to visit. In the meantime, I hope you're able to find a good neighborhood in Nashville (which I consider to be one of the nicest big cities in the country) where you can raise your kids.

Good luck!

Was Memphis ever not crime-ridden? In 1900, Memphis had the worse crime rate in America. It was a transit point for people (mostly, but not entirely, black) from rural Mississippi heading north to St. Louis and Chicago. Not surprisingly, the music scene dating from W. C. Handy up to today reflects Memphis' role on the north-bound route out of Mississippi. But the transient nature of the place means less stability and more crime. I always think of the Stack O Lee song (shot a man over a $10 Stetson hat back in 1900) when I think of what Memphis was like back in the old days. Seems not much has changed...