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Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat of Shelby County, in the southwesternmost part of the state, and is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, [7] Memphis is the second-most populous city in Tennessee after Nashville.
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Memphis, city, seat (1819) of Shelby county, extreme southwestern Tennessee, U.S. It lies on the Chickasaw bluffs above the Mississippi River where the borders of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee meet. Memphis is Tennessee’s most populous city and is at the centre of the state’s second largest metropolitan area. Aside from West Memphis, Arkansa...
Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto visited the area in 1541. French (1739) and Spanish (1795) forts briefly existed on the site, and in 1797 the United States built Fort Adams there. Memphis was founded in 1819 on land previously inhabited by Chickasaw Indians. Andrew Jackson, later U.S. president, was one of its founders. Memphis was named for the ancient Egyptian city (meaning “Place of Good Abode”).
Memphis grew rapidly with the expansion of cotton growing in the South and because of its transportation facilities by railroad and river. It was incorporated in 1826. A Confederate military centre early in the American Civil War, it was captured by a Union gunboat force on June 6, 1862, and remained occupied until the end of the war. One of the country’s worst race riots took place there in May 1866.
Memphis’s central location has helped make it one of the largest distribution centres in the United States. Its international airport is the world’s second busiest cargo airport (after Hong Kong’s), and the city is among the nation’s largest inland river ports. Extensive rail and highway facilities and the headquarters of major freight corporations contribute to the importance of the industry. Memphis is a major world cotton market and a world leader in hardwood trading and processing and soybean processing. The city serves an agricultural area noted for livestock, cotton, soybeans, corn (maize), feed grains, and forest products and has agricultural research and food processing industries. It is an important wholesale centre. Manufactures include electronics, medical products and equipment, and paper products. Services (including health care, banking and finance, government, and education), tourism and convention business, and high-technology industries also contribute to the economy. Educational institutions in Memphis include Rhodes College (1848; Presbyterian), LeMoyne-Owen College (1871), Christian Brothers University (1871; Roman Catholic), University of Memphis (1912), Southwest Tennessee Community College (established in 2000 by the merger of the State Technical Institute at Memphis and Shelby State Community College), Memphis College of Art (1936), and the health science centre of the University of Tennessee.
Memphis is one of the birthplaces of blues music and is associated particularly with composer W.C. Handy, who immortalized the city’s Beale Street in one of his songs. Handy’s home is preserved as a museum, and modern Beale Street is a popular entertainment district, with nightclubs, restaurants, shops, live music, and other attractions. B.B. King also occupies a central place in the history of the blues in Memphis. A blues festival is held annually in August, and other events throughout the year celebrate the city’s musical heritage. Memphis has also been called the birthplace of rock and roll. Elvis Presley was one of many musicians who launched careers from Memphis’s Sun Studio. After Presley’s death in 1977, his city mansion and burial site, Graceland, became a shrine (opened to the public for tours in 1982). Memphis made a huge contribution to the development of soul music as well, with Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, and Al Green being just a few of the significant soul artists who recorded in Memphis or called it home.
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Memphis has a symphony orchestra, ballet troupe, and opera company, as well as several theatre organizations. The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art (1916) is the state’s oldest; the Memphis Pink Palace Museum includes a planetarium and cultural and historical exhibits. Historic sites include the Hunt-Phelan Home (1828) and the Burkle Estate/Slavehaven (1849), a station on the Underground Railroad. The Center for Southern Folklore is devoted to the people and culture of the South. Sun Studio offers tours, and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music is located on the site of the Stax recording studio and operates an adjacent music school. Also located in the city is the Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum, which was developed in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution. A park on Mud Island, in the Mississippi, includes a five-block-long scale model of the river. The 32-story stainless-steel Pyramid Arena hosts sports events, concerts, and shows. FedExForum (opened 2004) houses the Grizzlies, the city’s professional basketball team. The Memphis in May International Festival is an annual month-long event devoted to a different country each year. Africa in April is an annual festival celebrating African American culture.
A U.S. Navy facility is located in Millington to the north. Chucalissa, a prehistoric Native American village and archaeological museum, is in T.O. Fuller State Park in southwestern Memphis, and Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park is north of the city.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- 1.1 miles to city center. Address: 405 Mulberry St. 2 hours to Half Day. TIME TO SPEND. Recent travelers agreed the National Civil Rights Museum should be at the top of anyone's list of things to see in Memphis.
- 0.5 miles to city center. Address: Beale Street. Free, Neighborhood/Area. TYPE. 2 hours to Half Day. TIME TO SPEND.
- 0.3 miles to city center. Address: 706 Union Ave. Tours, Sightseeing. TYPE. 1 to 2 hours. TIME TO SPEND.
- Address: 6903 Great View Dr N. Free, Parks and Gardens, Recreation. TYPE. 2 hours to Half Day. TIME TO SPEND.
- The Memphis dress code is whatever you want. Memphis is a laid-back city, with a dress code to match. You can turn up in an Elvis t-shirt, a tracksuit or sequined eveningwear, and no one will raise an eyebrow, so come as you are.
- Always make reservations for brunch and fine dining. Brunch is a big deal in Memphis, and restaurants book up fast, so always call ahead to secure a spot.
- Don’t forget your reusable water bottle. Ditch the throwaway bottles – Memphis’ water is classed as some of the tastiest in the world. With the flick of a tap or the push of a fountain’s button, you can hydrate with freshwater derived from natural reservoirs flowing hundreds of feet below Memphis’ surface.
- The barbeque capital of the US also caters to vegans. In fact, we’ll raise you – it’s now fairly easy to be vegan in Memphis. Although the city has a reputation for giving us some of the finest pulled pork barbeque in the country, recent years have seen a fresh cluster of plant-based restaurants and stalls cropping up across the city.
1 day ago · Located in The Memphian Hotel, this prestige rooftop bar adds a cosmic twist to adult beverages and classic bar bites. Its astrological-themed menu includes bites like the “solstice salad” and a 12-drink collection of zodiac-inspired cocktails. Tiger and Peacock: 21 Cooper St, Memphis, TN 38104.
Music, barbecue and history in the Home of Blues, Soul and Rock 'n' Roll. From a blues club on Beale Street to some of the greatest barbecue in the world, a visit to Memphis will touch all the senses.
Find the best things for visitors to do in Memphis, Tennessee: attractions, events, restaurants, places to stay and things to do, including Graceland, Beale Street, Memphis Zoo, barbecue, live music events and hotels.
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