Memphis (Tennessee)

Early History

Before the Europeans arrived, the Chicago tribe lived in the territory where Memphis is now located. Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and two French explorers Rene Robert Cavelier and Sieur de La Salle were the first to explore Memphis. ^[3]

XIX century

Memphis was founded in 1819 by John Overton ( Eng. John Overton ), James Winchester ( Eng. James Winchester ) and Andrew Jackson ( Eng. Andrew Jackson ) ^{[4] [5]} . The city was named after the ancient capital of Egypt , which is located on the Nile River. Throughout the XIX century, the city ​​developed due to its convenient location. Since the cotton economy of the pre-war south depended on the forced labor of large numbers of African-American slaves , Memphis became the main slave market.

Through Memphis ran the infamous Road of Tears . When the "civilized Indians" were deported from the southeastern states to the newly established Indian territory (the future state of Oklahoma ). In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville witnessed how a "large Choctaw detachment" ^[6] crossed the Mississippi within Memphis ^[7] .

In 1857, the construction of the railway between Memphis and Charleston was completed, before the war it was the only railway line in the southeastern United States .

In June 1861, Tennessee withdrew from the United States and joined the rebellious Confederation. Memphis has become one of the KSA defense units. On June 6, 1862, the Yankee expeditionary force, descending down the Mississippi, captured Memphis during the Battle of Memphis. The city became an important supply base for the army of the northerners.

In 1870, yellow fever spread throughout the city and destroyed a large number of inhabitants. In 1878, the number of inhabitants decreased by 75%. The city was almost destroyed.

XX century

Memphis has grown into the world's largest cotton and timber market. In the 1950s , it was the largest mule market in the world ^[8] .

During the 1960s, the city ​​experienced great problems in the field of civil rights, strikes were held, people lost their jobs. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was killed at the Lorraine Motel.

Memphis is located in southwest Tennessee. According to the US Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ​​313.8 square miles (763.4 km²), of which 302.3 square miles (723.4 km²) are land and 15.4 square miles (40.0 km²) , or 5.24%, water.

Climate

Memphis has a humid subtropical climate, and two distinct seasons - summer and winter. Winter weather is very variable, if the air mass comes from the Great Plains, frosty and snowy weather is observed, the temperature can drop at night to -10 and lower; if the air mass comes from the Gulf of Mexico, then it warms up to +20 and above, and it rains. Summer in the city is very hot and stuffy, from May to early October the average maximum is above +25, the absolute maximum can be above +40. Air masses can come from Texas , then very hot and dry weather sets in, or from the east, where the Gulf Stream exerts its influence, then hot and stuffy weather sets in with afternoon torrential rains. In the summer, in the afternoon, thunderstorms are frequent, but usually short-term (no more than an hour). Early autumn is very dry, it can be quite warm until October. Late autumn and December are cold and rainy. Winter is mild (January maximum is about 10 ° C)

Demographics

Memphis has 650,100 inhabitants, an agglomeration of over one million people. Memphis is thus on the list of the largest cities in the United States of America. Of the inhabitants of the city, 34% call themselves white and about 61% black, almost 5% are classified as mixed races. The proportion of whites in the city itself is declining (1980: 52%, 1990: 44%). Memphis has the lowest cost of living among US cities.

Strength

Crime

Although in 2004 a wave of serious crimes left Memphis and their number reached the lowest levels in a decade, the number of crimes began to increase subsequently. In 2005, Memphis took 4th place in the United States as one of the most dangerous cities, with a population of more than 500,000 inhabitants ^[9] .

In the first half of 2006, robbery of firms increased by 52.5%, robbery of people increased by 28.5%, the number of murders increased by 18%. The calculation showed that in 2005 in Memphis, 154 murders were committed, in 2006 - 160 murders, in 2007 - 164, in 2008 - 168. In 2006, the FBI declared Memphis the most dangerous city in the USA, among those that have more 500,000 inhabitants.

Between 2006 and 2008, the number of crimes fell by 16%, in the first half of 2009 the number of crimes fell by another 10% (when compared with 2008 ).

Cultural Events

Many holidays fall on the month of May. This month, events and events such as the Beale Street Music Festival , ( International Week ), ( Sunset Symphony ) are held. The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest , which is the world's largest pork barbecue championship, also takes place in May.

Memphis Carnival , formerly known as the "Memphis Cotton Carnival" ( Eng. Memphis Cotton Carnival ) - a series of holidays, parties and celebrations held throughout the month in Memphis every year in June. The festival is ruled by the King, Queen and Government Council, which are secretly selected every year among residents.

Art

Memphis is known for its prominent musicians and singers, primarily in the areas of blues , rock and roll , crank and country . Famous musicians such as Johnny Cash , Elvis Presley , BB King , Albert King , Muddy Waters , Karl Perkins , Robert Johnson , Howlin Wolf , Isaac Hayes , Booker T. Jones , Al Green , John Cooper , Jerry Lee Lewis worked in the city. , Justin Timberlake , Aretha Franklin .

Civilian historian Shelby Foot and playwright Tennessee Williams were also born in Memphis. The novelist John Grisham grew up in the county of Desoto, a significant part of his books are in Memphis.

Religion

Religion in the history of the city played an important role. It is home to several Protestant denominations, the center of American Baptism, and is the starting point for the intersection of various religious movements. Memphis houses the headquarters and publisher of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church . Since 1830, Memphis has had significant Jewish communities. Founded by German immigrants, who moved in the years 1830-1850 to a prosperous, young city, in 1853 founded the first temple in the city. Today, there are about 8,500 Jews in Memphis.

The central location of the city led to a large increase in its commercial development. Memphis is ideally located for trade and transportation. The city has an important airport and river port for the country.

Many companies and corporations are housed in Memphis: FedEx , AutoZone , International Paper , Thomas & Betts and others ^[10] . In addition, the city is home to the pharmaceutical company Schering-Plow Corporation.

In 2000, Inc. magazine took Memphis to the fifty best cities for small business development.

The city is governed by a mayor and 13 people from the municipality, 6 elected by the city and 7 elected by the state. The previous mayor was William Gerenton. Now the city is led by Myron Lovere.

Car

I-40 and I-55 - The motorway is the main motorway in the Memphis area. These motorways cross the Mississippi and Arkansas . The construction of the I-69 corridor segment was completed in 2012 .

Railway

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were two main passenger railway stations in Memphis. After passenger traffic by the U.S. railways decreased dramatically in the middle of the century, the Memphis Union Station was demolished in 1969 , and the Memphis Central Station was repaired and is now a station by Amtrak . The only passenger train serving Memphis is the City of New Orleans, connecting Chicago with New Orleans.

Airport

Memphis International Airport is quite large, and in 2007 became the airport that carried the largest amount of passenger cargo.

River Port

Memphis has the 2 largest cargo ports on the Mississippi River , as well as the 4 largest inland ports in the United States.

Bridges

The Mississippi River in the city is crossed by four railway and many road bridges. The most famous of them:

• "Frisco Bridge" (built in 1892)
• "Harakhan bridge" (built in 1916)
• Memphis-Arkansas Memorial Bridge (built in 1949)
• " Hernando de Soto Bridge" (built in 1973).

The city is home to nine universities and colleges.

• University of Memphis (founded in 1912). It is a state university with 25,000 students.
• University of Tennessee Medical Organization (founded in 1911). State University, a total of about 42,000 students study there.
• Rhodes (college, founded in 1848).
• University of the Christian Brotherhood (founded in 1871).
• Le Moyne Owen (college, founded in 1871).
• Southwest College of Tennessee Community.
• Southern College of Optometry (founded 1932).
• College of Arts (founded in 1871).

The city is based on the Memphis Grizzlies basketball team serving at the National Basketball Association .

• List of tallest buildings in Memphis

• Memphis City Official Website