Memphis (Tennessee)

I

Introduction

Memphis (Tennessee), city in extreme southwestern Tennessee, seat of Shelby County. The largest city in the state, Memphis is located on the Chickasaw Bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers. Memphis covers an area of 660 sq km (260 sq mi).

II

Population

The city’s population was 610,337 in 1990; it was 650,100 in 2000. In 2006, Memphis’s population was estimated at 670,902.

According to the 2000 census, blacks constituted 61.4 percent of the population of Memphis; whites, 34.4 percent; Asians, 1.5 percent; Native Americans, 0.2 percent; and people of mixed heritage or not reporting race 2.5 percent. Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders numbered 239 at the time of the census. Hispanics, who may be of any race, made up 3 percent of the population.

III

Economy

Memphis is a major transportation hub. Memphis International Airport houses the corporate headquarters of overnight shipping company FedEx. The city is also an important interstate freeway crossroads and has a busy river port and many railroad connections. It is linked to West Memphis, Arkansas, by two bridges across the Mississippi River. Memphis developed as the commercial center of the Mississippi Delta, a rich farming area known for its cotton and soybean production. Memphis was noted for its cotton market, the Memphis Cotton Exchange, which has been converted into a museum. A United States naval support base is nearby.

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IV

Points of Interest

A noted medical and educational center, Memphis is the site of Rhodes College (1848), The University of Memphis (1912), LeMoyne-Owen College (1862), Christian Brothers University (1871), Memphis College of Art (1936), Southern College of Optometry (1932), a campus (founded in 1911) of the University of Tennessee, and several junior colleges.

The city’s many museums include the National Civil Rights Museum, on the site where Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in 1968; the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; and the Children’s Museum of Memphis. There are also several art galleries, the Memphis Zoo and Aquarium, an amusement park, a number of performing-arts organizations, a sports stadium, and an entertainment and sports arena called the Pyramid. Tourist attractions include sightseeing cruises on the Mississippi River; Graceland, the former home of singer Elvis Presley; and Beale Street, a music and entertainment district made famous by blues composer W. C. Handy. Historic sites include the Magevney House (built in the 1830s) and numerous Victorian-style structures. Mud Island, a downtown river park, presents the history of the Mississippi River. Near the city is T. O. Fuller State Park, on the site of a Native American settlement established about ad 1000 and abandoned in the 16th century. The city’s annual events include the month-long Memphis in May, which focuses on a different culture each year, and the Beale Street Music Festival.

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